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Skriven 2005-03-12 23:33:12 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (050312) for Sat, 2005 Mar 12
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President's Radio Address
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 12, 2005

President's Radio Address


˙˙˙˙˙Audio

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Over the last few weeks, I have traveled
across our nation and met with tens of thousands of you to discuss my plans
for strengthening Social Security. I share a great responsibility with your
representatives in Congress. We must fix the system permanently, so it will
be there for our children and grandchildren.

I have been to 15 states, and I'm just getting started. On every visit, I
am assuring those of you born before 1950 that Social Security will remain
the same for you; no changes. No matter what the scare ads or politicians
might tell you, you will get your checks. You grandparents also understand
we have got to fix the holes in this vital safety net for future
generations. I appreciate the wisdom of our seniors and I welcome your
input on how to strengthen the system.

˙Radio Address
  ū 2004
  ū 2003
  ū 2002
  ū 2001
˙Radio Interviews
  ū 2004
You younger workers know what is happening to Social Security. The present
pay-as-you-go system is going broke. Huge numbers of baby boomers, like me,
will be retiring soon, and we are living longer and our benefits are
rising. At the same time, fewer workers will be paying into the system to
support a growing number of retirees. Therefore, the government is making
promises it cannot keep. Still, some folks are playing down the problem,
and say we can fix it later. The fact is, we have got a serious problem and
we need to fix it now. If you are in your 20s, or if you have children or
grandchildren in their 20s, the idea of Social Security collapsing is no
small matter, and it should not be a small matter to the Congress.

In 1983, Congress enacted what they thought was a 75-year fix to save
Social Security from bankruptcy. This bipartisan solution turned out to be
temporary because it did not address the system's fundamental flaws. Two
years later, Social Security was headed out of balance again. Now some in
Washington are talking about another 75-year fix, which means we will be
back to the starting line a few years from now. We do not need a band-aid
solution for Social Security. We want to solve this issue now and forever.

Putting off real reform makes fixing the system harder and more expensive.
As one Democrat leader observed recently, "Every year we delay adds at
least $600 billion to the cost of saving the system." And the Social
Security trustees agree. Postponing reform will leave our children with
drastic and unpleasant choices: huge tax increases that will kill jobs,
massive new borrowing or sudden, painful cuts in Social Security benefits
or other programs. Our children deserve better and we can give them better.
I have told Congress all ideas are on the table, except raising the payroll
tax rate. Some of the options available include indexing benefits to
prices, rather than wages; changing the benefit formulas; raising the
retirement age -- ideas Democrats and Republicans have talked about before.

Whatever changes we make, we must provide a better and stronger system for
younger workers. And that is why I have proposed allowing younger Americans
to place some of your payroll taxes in voluntary personal retirement
accounts. You would have a choice of conservative bond and stock funds,
with the opportunity to earn a higher rate of return than is possible under
the current system. If you earn an average of $35,000 over your career, you
can build up nearly a quarter-million dollars in your account, on top of
your Social Security check. This would be real savings you own, a nest egg
you could pass on to your children.

The American people did not place us in office to pass on problems to
future generations and future Presidents and future Congresses. I will work
with both parties to fix Social Security permanently. Social Security has
been there for generations of Americans, and together we will strengthen it
for generations to come.

Thank you for listening.

END
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