National Social Security Council
rejects latest Social Security proposal
as ‘Horrendous Ploy’

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- President of the National Social Security Council, Witold Skwierczynski, today rejected a proposal by the New America Foundation as a ploy that would open the door to privatizing Social Security.

"The Foundation's so-called nonpartisan Social Security reform plan is a horrendous ploy that would end guaranteed retirement, disability and survivorship benefits; cut future benefits; and raise taxes," said Skwierczynski.

A recent meeting of advocates for aged Americans affirmed opposition to privatizing Social Security. In December delegates of the decennial White House Conference on Aging overwhelmingly rejected privatization of Social Security.

The proposal advanced by the New America Foundation, formally called the "Nonpartisan Social Security Reform Plan", comes at the tail end of a failed, nearly yearlong campaign by President Bush to sell the American people on privatizing Social Security. In January 2005 the story broke that the Social Security Administration leadership had politicized the agency by attempting to enlist career-level employees in the sales campaign. The effort quickly halted, though political appointees from SSA continued to travel around the country to promote privatization. By August 2005 the campaign was widely viewed as failed and the issue was considered dead.

"This is the same sort of proposal that Americans rejected last year. The American people don't want to privatize Social Security," said Skwierczynski. "Isn't it time to focus on issues of importance to the American people, like health care coverage and creating a simpler, more cost effective prescription drug benefit under Medicare?"

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 600,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia. The National Social Security Council, officially known as the National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals (AFGE Council 220), represents about 28,000 employees of the Social Security Administration who work in field offices and national calling centers.