With Congressman Sam Farr (CA-17) in town, San Benito County
residents jumped at the chance to sound off on President George
Bush’s plans to privatize Social Security in a public meeting last
night.
Hollister – With Congressman Sam Farr (CA-17) in town, San Benito County residents jumped at the chance to sound off on President George Bush’s plans to privatize Social Security in a public meeting last night.
Farr spoke to a group of about 40 people Monday at the board of supervisors’ chambers in the last of four town meetings he held throughout the central coast. Farr spoke for about a half an hour on the president’s so-far-vague plans for social security, why the Democratic party opposes them, and why, before opening the floor for discussion.
“Remember that old adage that the president proposes and then congress disposes? That’s what’s going on right now,” Farr told the audience. “When you get into specifics, it’s very hard to make the future both social and secure. It’s hard to find anything better than Social Security.”
Farr told residents that, despite popular belief, the Social Security system is not in crisis right now. Even his own daughter believes her Social Security money won’t be there when it’s time for her to retire, he said. But, he told the audience, the system probably won’t be in crisis until 2052.
“That’s like if you were in Boston when Paul Revere was riding through the streets saying ‘The British are coming! The British are coming! In 47 years,” he said.
Rather, Farr said, he believed the Bush administration brought Social Security to the forefront as a diversion from the real issue of Medicare.
But last night’s audience was still eager to discuss Social Security reform.
“I’m very concerned about your daughter,” resident Mark Levine pointed out to Farr. “If your daughter doesn’t think the money will be there for her, what does everyone else think? And what are the democrats actually doing about it?”
Farr explained that, because the president has not put a specific bill forward for the privatization of Social Security, there is very little the democrats can actually do at this point.
“This is a huge political game of chicken,” Farr told Levine.
Another resident sitting next to Levine told Farr he agreed with his neighbor’s comments.
“It’s not enough to say that we’re waiting. This is something that should be fought for because it’s been the people’s plan for 75 years, and it’s a valuable program. You (democrats) have to say ‘We’re going to put our flag on the hill.’ This is a good plan for the democrats to fight for,” he said.
Farr suggested he begin the fight by proposing a non-partisan newsletter to be sent out to citizens around the country outlining the facts of Social Security and telling people exactly what it was. The crowd gave the idea a round of applause, with scattered comments of “That would be a start.”
Farr will be heading back to Washington today, where he will meet with fellow congressmen, both democratic and republican, to discuss the town meetings many of them have held in their own districts. He will probably be taking with him a strong opposition to the president’s plans for privatization from San Benito County residents. When asked for a show of hands, almost everyone showed their support for leaving Social Security alone, while not one hand was raised in support of the president’s plans.
Still, Hollister resident Steve Merrell stressed the importance of keeping the debate bi-partisan, saying Social Security is not “a democratic problem or a republican problem. It’s an American problem.”
“I think when you go back to congress, you don’t make this a partisan issue. Whatever you can do to cross party lines and build a coalition I think would be a tremendous legacy for you and your term,” Merrell said.
Farr agreed enthusiastically.
“I’m hoping that perhaps this debate on Social Security is going to reunite this country,” he said. “I don’t think we need to be talking about this now, but we are. I think they (the president) chose a diversionary debate and this is it, and you can’t choose a more controversial issue, because this affects everyone.”
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at [email protected].
