Bush Budget Indirectly Targets Social Security by Closing Offices

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/02/12/bush-budget-indirectly-targets-social-security-by-closing-offices/

by James Parks, Feb 12, 2008

A baby boomer turns 60 every 7.5 seconds, but George Bush’s proposed 2009 budget would slash funding for Social Security offices across the country that serve millions of those soon-to-be retirees. The cuts would force seniors and disabled citizens to travel long distances to their nearest field office.

Bush’s lame-duck budget slashes more than $100 million from the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) administrative budget—yet another attempt to ensure his administration’s destructive policies continue long after he leaves office.

Witold Skwierczynski, president of AFGE Council 220 in Washington, D.C., told a press conference yesterday:

Over the past 10 years the Social Security administrative budget has been constricted by upwards of $1.3 billion. Further cuts to the SSA budget, as 76 million baby boomers enter the system, could prove to be disastrous.

AFGE represents 25,000 SSA employees and Skwierczynski says SSA field office employees, already inundated with backlogs, are concerned that a lack of sufficient funding will adversely affect their ability to effectively serve taxpayers. Employees already have heard from the public how previous office closures forced clients to travel from 50 miles to100 miles to the nearest SSA field office.

To keep SSA offices open, working families are supporting H.R. 5110, introduced by Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.). The bill, known as the Social Security Customer Service Improvement Act, would give Congress additional oversight of SSA staff levels, office closures and budget estimates.

FULL story at link.

[salin]

1. and for those bushvoting folks who turn of eligible age...

a word of wisdom/reality: While you may not have recognized it before, "There IS a cost to Ws tax cuts for the wealthy..." We tried to tell you so.

Now that the snark is out of my system... this is just one more area that bushco screws the people in favor of "his" people (the extremely wealthy.)

[mwb970]

2. Another dirty trick from bush.

* sighs with despair and resignation *

Gosh, there's just nothing new to say about these guys. Another day, another dirty trick, another passel of lies, another grotesquely un-American act, another non-response from the Dems and the people.

Oh well. Tomorrow's another day.

[izzie]

3. Bush seems to hate any thing that works well.

If he can make it work badly he can then move some friends into running it I guess. Bush and his gang believe in capitalist with a very large C and feels it is the fix for every thing. Govt, is a service or that is how I see it. Going to be hard on people with out cars.

[zbdent]

4. Republicans seem to think that you increase efficiency by eliminating workers ...

along the same line as giving a lunch break to most of the workers at McDonalds right in time for the lunchtime rush ...