No Call for Agency to Sell Fix for Social Security, Aide Says

[struggle4progress]

By ROBERT PEAR
Published: January 17, 2005

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 - A senior White House official said on Sunday that career employees of the Social Security Administration would not be asked to advocate "any specific prescription" for the program's financial problems, but he defended government efforts to convince people that the problems were severe.

"The Social Security Administration is an independent organization that has a duty to fulfill the obligations of making sure that checks go out, and the solvency of the actual system itself," said the official, Dan Bartlett, counselor to President Bush. "There's no expectation that career employees would be asked to advocate on behalf of any specific prescription for Social Security. But one thing they can do, and what anybody can do, is to look at the numbers, and they're undeniable." <snip>

A communications and marketing plan developed by the Social Security agency says employees should disseminate the message that "Social Security's long-term financing problems are serious and need to be addressed soon." The plan says managers should "discuss solvency issues at staff meetings," "insert solvency messages in all Social Security publications" and "place articles on solvency in external publications."

The marketing plan came to light after another agency, the Education Department, confirmed that it had paid a conservative commentator, Armstrong Williams, to promote Mr. Bush's main education initiative, known as No Child Left Behind. <snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/17/politics/17social.html

Translation: The White House will continue pressuring SSA employees to push Rove's soundbites.

[democracyindanger]

1. "career employees"

However, political appointees are expected to continue to be shills.

[shanti]

2. will the backpedaling never stop?

they always do this when they are discovered in improprieties.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. Why would they stop now

It's always worked for them in the past.

What I want to know is when will they be held accountable? Are we planning on waiting for history to do it?

[Rose Siding]

8. At least they took some grief for it

Otherwise, they'd think they got away with it and wouldn't say a thing.

[hollowdweller]

3. I work for SS and our working conditions under Bush are worse than Reagan

He spent billions on computerization that doesn't really work that well so far and since we have all this great technology we can't hire a copy clerk. So you got professional employees spending a good % age of their time doing clerical stuff when they should be working on claims.

[annabanana]

6. had you gotten wind of the memo before

it got "outed"? My husband works for the gov't also, though not that dept. and I keep wondering when he'll get one of Rove's "marching orders".

[Erika]

4. This administration wouldn't lie?

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/14/1519241

[Just Me]

9. They seek to default on their obligation to the American people!!!!

Hey, thanks for that read, Erika!!!

Yet, another example of unilateral funnelling of public wealth into their corporate pockets. And, they're sponsoring deceptive propaganda to do it.

I loate these crafty, corrupt, criminals!!! :mad:

[Just Me]

7. Propaganda about government-sponsored propaganda.

They just don't freakin' quit the deception, do they!?!?!

:mad:

Sick mo-fos!

[livvy]

10. How many laws does this administration have to break....

before they are brought down?
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/14/1519241

snip> "The other day we called the Social Security hotline to get some information. When you're put on hold, this is what you hear:

SOCIAL SECURITY HOTLINE: Thanks for holding. A representative will be with you shortly. Did you know that the 76 million strong baby boom generation will begin to retire in about 10 years? When that happens, changes will be need to be made to Social Security, changes to make sure there's enough money to continue paying full benefits, and most experts agree, the sooner those changes are made, the less they are going to cost.

AMY GOODMAN: Roger Hickey of the Campaign for America's future. Your response to this message on hold, taxpayer funded Social Security administration where people call to get information.

ROGER HICKEY: Well, this is just one of the campaigns that the administration is doing. This is not unusual. We have seen them do packaged pseudo-newsclips to sell the President’s Medicare Prescription Drug Plan to help the H.M.O.’s and the drug industry. We have seen them pay pundits in Washington to support the so-called “No Child Left Behind Act.” That's been in the news lately. And they are simply using what should be a government service run by civil servants to propagandize the American people who are looking for help dealing with Social Security. The union representing workers who work in the Social Security Administration, the American Federation of Government Employees, is protesting this. They're manipulating their workers, forcing them to propagandize the public. Senator Lautenberg and others have protested on the Senate floor and are looking into yet another investigation of the inappropriate use of government funds to propagandize in the middle of this very hotly contested legislative battle here on the future of Social Security. It is totally inappropriate and probably illegal." >more