why the hype?

In, What Crisis?, Mark Weisbrot and Dean Baker slam dunk the case for a strong and flourishing Social Security system, right in the eyes of the Bush rhetoric.

But the question remains, if the President's arguments are just a lot of hype, what is his real motivation behind the "fix the crisis" rhetoric?

Start out by asking the audience how many of them think that over the next 50 years the U.S. economy will grow at least as fast as it did during the past 50. Expect those who raise their hands to end up agreeing with you on personal accounts.

Do-nothing Democrats are attacking President Bush's plan to strenghten Social Security.

If You Were Born in 1980: In 2047, When You Retire At the Age of 67, 2.0 Workers Will Be Paying For Your Retirement And Your Scheduled Benefits Will Be Cut By 26%. In 2055, At The Age Of 75, Your Scheduled Benefits Will Be Cut by 27%. In 2065, At the Age Of 85, Your Scheduled Benefits Will Be Cut By 29%.

--A Guide To Social Security Reform, p. 5

It seems the real goal here is not retirement security. With a slight tax increase, or a cut in scheduled benefits, or both, the system is solvent indefinitely.

What they are trying to do is wedge Americans away from investiture in our government!

America is going to be -- not a sanctuary of liberty, human rights and justice -- but a new global/economic colossus of the rich and the very rich and others. Most of us, though, won't figure into the first 2 categories.

We will have no stake in popular government. We will have all our stakes in global corporate profits.

This is the REAL DANGER of the Privatization/Corporatization plan. It is a missile hurled at the sanctuary of truth, justice and the American way. It will marry people to global corporations in the same way we are married to our government now.

The difference will be, our government is set up to be of, by and for the people. The global corporate colossus will be of, by and for the corporations.

Rights of detainees? Torture? Corporate corruption scandals? Environmental destruction? Child health care? None of them will mean anything if everybody is competing for corporate profits instead of cooperating to make the world a better place!

Will the world be governed by elected officials, accountable to the common sense of the people, their constituents? Or will it be run by others?