Privatization dead?

Now that I am reconnecting with the media somewhat, it appears that the urgency for privatization of Social Security is on the wane.

This is not frigging acceptable. Simply not acceptable. Of course a President must pick his battles, but I would advise that Dubya let the Senate GOP majority take on the issue of Senatorial advice and consent for his judicial appointments, so he can keep beating the drum for SS privatization.

And I agree with Ed Crane that the better selling point for privatization is simple human dignity, not some abstract solvency for SS. I don't give a rat's ass whether SS will be solvent in the year 2040. Most other people don't either. They and I will care whether there will be any money left in our estates to pass to heirs, whether we in our dotage will be draining the wealth of our children. Speak to that dignity, speak to that recurring fear among aging parents, Mister President. Privatization can solve that, if not for all of the Boomers at least for the wiser of them.

Back to the President picking his battles: the diversion to the Terri Schiavo matter was a mistake at the Federal level. I got off work early one day to attend a town meeting with my US Representative, to hear him promote SS privatization. When I got there, he wasn't, and some staffers and SS functionaries were holding the town meeting in his stead. The rest of the audience was comfortably past the age of 55, and there were enough of us that a thuggish little furball with an embroidered badge on his polo shirt saying Fire Marshall wanted to kick out those of us who couldn't find a seat.

My rep wasn't there because he had been called back to DC, to vote on a law to authorize Federal courts to hear Terri's whining parents. That day, that one day knocked the wind out of privatization because the GOP's eyes were taken off the ball.

Mister President, get your skinny ass back out there and sell this plan, and don't allow any distraction, even the Chinese launching on Taiwan. You have Rumsfeld for that.

Please. Sir.

Respectfully,
Fûz