Californians demand reps take the pledge
The California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA) campaign to maximize strong opposition to the Bush administration’s proposals of privatized Social Security accounts is picking up steam. The group, working with its 105 labor and community affiliates, is organizing 12 town hall meetings throughout the state during March and April focused on convincing congresspersons to sign the AFL-CIO pledge to defend the system.
Social Security and under 30: Whats in it for me?
Social Security is a social insurance program that acts as an anti-poverty safety net for families of disabled workers, children of a deceased parent, and senior citizens. Many children, teenagers and college students benefit from the program. If President Bush has his way — to privatize Social Security — these benefits won’t be around for you and generations to come.
Saginaw says no to privatization
SAGINAW, Mich. — Eric Friedman walked into a hornet’s nest. The district director for Michigan Republican Congressman Dave Camp was taken aback by the wrath of angry constituents. Calling President Bush’s claim that Social Security is bankrupt “a lie,” they demanded that Camp work to raise the cap on payroll taxes so upper-income people pay their fair share into the Social Security fund.
Philadelphians move to defeat privatization scheme
The PWW recently talked with Pedro Rodriguez, executive director of the Philadelphia branch of the Action Alliance of Senior Citizens. Rodriguez is also executive vice president of the state Alliance for Retired Americans. In these roles, he is currently busy organizing a regional Coalition to Defend Social Security. Ben Sears interviewed Rodriguez for the PWW.
African Americans and Social Security
Social Security plays an exceptionally important role in the economic life of African Americans: Social Security is the main source of retirement income for most elderly African Americans, and the only source for 40 percent.
Social Security and Calif. pensions facing very similar threats
As California labor and community organizations mobilize to uphold Social Security, they are seeing a related development in the concerted drive by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to privatize new state workers’ pensions and eliminate state contributions to teachers’ retirement.
Download and print sticker
Click to download the PDF file. Open in Acrobat. Print on Avery Label #5264 or equivalent (6 stickers per page).
Upholding Social Security: Labor targets Schwab
SAN FRANCISCO — The labor movement and community organizations took on the financial institutions backing Social Security privatization as they held noontime demonstrations Jan. 26 in San Francisco and Boston to protest Charles Schwab and Co.’s leading role in trying to open up the system to Wall Street.
Devil in the details
President Bush’s pitch to workers, especially young workers, that privatization will make you rich is a Wall Street swindle. A detailed analysis of the most likely Bush administration proposals for Social Security included in the Goldman Sachs Global Economic Research Bulletin for Dec. 17 shows the Bush program to be a fraud — but a clever fraud.
Progressive Democrats map strategy
WASHINGTON — Despite a raging blizzard and the shadow of the Bush inauguration, more than 500 activists turned out for a summit to help craft a strategy of taking back the country from the ultraright. Organized by the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), the meeting also had a goal of reinvigorating the progressive movement both inside and outside the Democratic Party.
