McCain Says "Privatize Social Security"

In the face of impending economic collapse and the rescue of another major financial institution, AIG, John McCain continues his recommendation that we privatize Social Security in line with the Bush administration plans.

For those who have forgotten that nightmare, Bush's plan would have reduced benefits by approximately one percent a year for many workers.

The losses to retired workers could mean big benefits for the financial industry. Under some versions of the plan, the financial industry would rake in hundreds of billions of dollars in fees and commissions over the next 40 years.

With the current state of the financial industry this looks like one more government bailout.

The Bush administration has pursued a policy of deregulation for the past 8 years. We today are reaping the crop sown by that policy as we see failed financial institutions right and left. One can argue long and hard for reduced government intervention in the marketplace, but when we see the results of failed policies like this one, the evidence is clear. Even a "free" market needs a degree of regulation to prevent greed from taking hold.

Government at its best is about fairness, openness, and accountability. We need a return to all three of these principles. Today very little about any one operates on the Federal level. The time has come for real change and a distinct new direction to the course of our nation.

Fairness in principle means all people and businesses are equal. Without fairness we continue to see increasing disparity between the rich and everyone else. We see increasing disparity between large multinational corporations and small businesses. The nation cannot long survive without correcting this situation.

People who support the McCain/Palin ticket need to awaken and look at the facts behind the faces. This is not about entertainment and empty words. The very future of our nation is at stake. We must not continue the failed policies of the last 8 years one day longer than necessary. A new and different course is necessary.

Obama/Biden may not be perfect in all respects. No political pairing is perfect in everyone's eyes, but at least their policies have the potential to be a great deal better than McCain and his same as Bush ideas.

Peace.