Fw: Stop the Abuse of America's Trust in Social Security

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Matzzie, MoveOn.org"
To: "Miriam Vieni"
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 4:54 PM
Subject: Stop the Abuse of America's Trust in Social Security


Dear MoveOn member,

"Over the objections of many of its own employees, the Social Security
Administration is gearing up for a major effort to publicize the financial
problems of Social Security and to convince the public that [privatized]
accounts are needed as part of any solution." (The New York Times,
1/16/2005)

More than 300,000 of us have now signed MoveOn's petition to Congress to
save Social Security. But the White House is upping its efforts -- the New
York Times disclosed on Sunday that it is using the Social Security
Administration to mislead the American public and sell Social Security
privatization. Documents obtained by The New York Times show that Bush's
plan is to insert "propaganda" into Social Security publications -- using
the apparatus of this huge government agency -- and the trust millions place
in it -- to sell their privatization scheme that would cut Social Security
benefits.

We need your help to make it clear that the Social Security Administration
is not another propaganda tool of the White House. Please take one minute to
send a message. Call the Social Security Administration at the number below.
Tell them you oppose Social Security privatization and you expect them to
deliver straight facts -- not White House spin -- to the American people.

Call: 1-800-772-1213

After the greeting, dial 1 for English or 2 for Spanish.
Then press 3.
Then press 0 to speak to a representative.

After you make your call click on the link below to let us know.

http://www.moveon.org/socialsecurity/call/?id=5059-3285954-6_fQ8xgq4.dtOf2w.apKZA

This isn't the first time government agencies have been used to deceive like
this. The Times notes that, "The Bush administration ran afoul of a ban on
'covert propaganda' when it used tax money to promote the new Medicare drug
benefit and to publicize the dangers of drug abuse by young people. The
administration acknowledged paying a conservative commentator, Armstrong
Williams, to promote its No Child Left Behind education policy. But on
Social Security, unlike those issues, the government has not concealed its
role."

We need your voice on this issue. We can't let them get away with this.

Thanks for all you do.

--Tom Matzzie
MoveOn.org
January 18th, 2005

P.S. Please make your call and then ask your friends, family and colleagues
to get involved. The best way they can help right away is to sign our
Petition to Save Social Security at the link below.

http://www.moveon.org/socialsecurity/

P.P.S. Here are some links to useful resources

Social Security Administration is Enlisted to Push Its Own Revision (The New
York Times, January 16, 2005)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/16/politics/16benefit.html (Registration
Required)

Social Security: Playing Politics (Center for American Progress, January 18,
2005)
http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/pp.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=294332

Campaign for America's Future
http://www.ourfuture.org/

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