Democratic National Committee Release - Ssm

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George Bush broke his promise to protect the social security trust fund. Instead, he used that money to bankroll his tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

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Bush's handpicked Social Security Commission supported the privatization of social security. They also called for benefit cuts and increasing the retirement age.

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Bush's already record deficits also make it impossible to implement his plans to privatize social security. George Bush’s own 2004 economic report says that any privatization plan would increase the deficit by another $2 trillion over ten years.

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When George Bush came into office, Medicare was expected to be solvent until 2029. The latest report projects that Medicare will be solvent only through 2019.

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Bush enacted the largest Medicare premium increase in the program's history, adding $140 to seniors’ yearly health care expenses.

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John Kerry and John Edwards want to protect and strengthen Social Security.

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The first step in their plan is to grow the economy. Kerry and Edwards have a plan to jump-start growth today and invest in stronger longrun growth. A larger economy will be in a better position to pay for an increasing number of retirees.

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Second, they want to restore fiscal discipline and the commitment to not pass debt on to our children. You cannot even begin to move toward solving our long-term Social Security and Medicare problems until you have a president who is committed to restoring the basic rules of fiscal discipline.

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Last, John Kerry and John Edwards are committed to genuine bipartisan reform of Social Security. They know that go-it-alone strategies and commissions with predetermined agendas don't work. We cannot reform Social Security and Medicare without real bipartisanship and responsibility.

For more information visit www.democrats.org/contrasts Paid for by the Democratic National Committee — www.democrats.org. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.