[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17530]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      PRIVATIZING SOCIAL SECURITY

  (Mr. CARDOZA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, when are Washington Republicans going to 
listen to the American people?
  At the beginning of this year, President Bush unveiled a general plan 
that would lead to the privatization of Social Security. When his plan 
was met with a lukewarm response, President Bush decided that he would 
travel around the Nation for 60 days trying to sell the American people 
on the concept of privatizing Social Security.

                              {time}  1030

  The American people listened, and they gave President Bush a 
resounding no. Our constituents paid into Social Security, and they 
want it paid back to them when they retire. Cutting Social Security 
benefits that Americans have earned should always be a last resort.
  And yet recently there was legislation introduced by the Republicans 
that would divert payroll contributions from Americans to create 
private accounts. By taking money away from Social Security, the 
Republican plan would explode the deficit or force deep cuts in 
guaranteed benefits our Nation's citizens have already been promised.
  It is time to listen to our constituents and realize Americans are 
not going to back Social Security privatization. Let us strengthen 
Social Security rather than destroy it.

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