Eddie Konczal, Published in Herald News - Bergen County on March 31, 2005

George W. Bush just doesn't get it. He's on a 60-day tour of the country, trying to convince Americans that Social Security is broken and needs to be fixed. Fortunately, Americans know better.

We've seen the statistics indicating that Social Security will be able to pay full benefits until at least 2042. We've heard Republican talking heads fail to explain how private accounts will address the issue of Social Security solvency. And we caught a glimpse of the Republicans' real agenda at a recent Rick Santorum appearance in Philadelphia, where Santorum's rally crowd chanted, "Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Social Security has got to go."

Whatever the reasons, public support for Bush's plan to privatize Social Security is at an all-time low. By now, most Americans realize that taking money out of the Social Security trust fund and diverting it to Wall Street will weaken the system and threaten the security of future retirees.

But that won't stop Bush. The war in Iraq demonstrated that Bush's administration doesn't let the facts stand in the way of advancing its radical, right-wing agenda.

As concerned citizens, we must remain vigilant and let our elected representatives in Congress know that we oppose any efforts by the Bush administration to privatize Social Security.