Bush Social Security Plan Defeat
He said it - not me! In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, ongoing American casualties in Iraq, and vicious attacks from the "Far Right" for his most recent pick of Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court, it appears that the President is giving up on his Social Security privatization plan. For those of us who have been arguing all along that it was ill-conceived and unaffordable, this is welcome news.
In reality, the President had no choice. The fact is that given his "Roosevelt-like" promise to rebuild the South (and fix poverty along the way!) after Katrina, he simply cannot afford the "Social Security 401k plan" he envisioned. The short term costs of Social Security privatization about equal the mind numbing costs of Katrina. The conservatives in his own party are giving him a rough time on the cost of the Katrina promise - and they simply would not stand for additional debt that the Social Security plan would add to our children's dimming financial future. We are seeing the nicer and kinder George W. - and the Far Right is apoplectic!
This does not mean that the President isn't moving full speed ahead with his reform of the Social Security Disability process. The most recent proposals, while helpful to Social Security Disability claimants in some respects, have many flaws which can be disastrous for a disabled client. Thankfully, the new rules are not yet final and you can share your comments here with the Commissioner of Social Security. Look here for a sample critique of the new rules. While we may have dodged a bullet with Social Security privatization, the disabled might pay the price
Mr. Rosasco, I would like an opportunity to discuss the proposed changes with you.
As the exclusive represenative of more than 28,000 front line Social Security workers, our organization, the National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals, is very concerned about the Social Secuirty Administrations proposed disability reform.
For the most part, these proposed changes have gone unnoticed by the media, the Congress and the public. Although the comment period is completed, we believe much attention needs to be given to these proposed changes and that there is still an opportunity to prevent changes that will adversely affect the disabled community.
These changes will:
?ò Ensure consistent denials of disability claims;
?ò Institutionalize a litigious system, which will create a need for legal assistance;
?ò Disadvantage the poorest disabled members of society;
?ò Create a false sense of processing disability claims more timely;
?ò Create a bottleneck at the hearings level;
?ò Flood the district court system with disability appeals;
These changes will not:
?ò Improve public service;
?ò Provide a face-to-face contact with the decision maker;
?ò Identify medical evidence necessary to process a claim successfully.
In the next month, we will be hosting a round table discussion to address the seriousness of these proposals. That discussion will take place on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. The date, place and time will soon be announced. Please let me know if you or your organization would like to participate in this discussion.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss these concerns in greater detail. I will gladly make myself available to you.
Sincerely,
Dana Duggins, 3rd Vice President & Leg. Chair
AFGE Council 220
530-246-5334 x3047 wk
530-840-0092 cell.