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News
Release
Congressman Bob Etheridge
North Carolina
June
24, 2005
Contact:
Joanne Peters
Phone:
(202) 225-4531
Etheridge:
Rural Voters Oppose President's Social Security Plan
Etheridge,
National Leaders Unveil New Poll Results
WASHINGTON - On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington) joined
Barbara Kennelly, president of the National Committee to Preserve Social
Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), and U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), ranking
member of the Senate Finance Committee, in releasing the results of a
ground-breaking poll showing that rural Americans are opposed to President
Bush's plan to privatize Social Security.
"The President's plan
to privatize Social Security is out of step with the values of rural America,"
said Etheridge. "It rewards the greed of Wall Street and sacrifices
the values of Main Street. Instead of standing up for our rural communities,
the President's Social Security plan jeopardizes the most important safety
net in rural areas for retirees, widows and children, and the disabled."
The poll, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, found that rural
voters who supported President Bush over John Kerry (57 percent to 37
percent) in the last election oppose his plans for changing Social Security
by a margin of 53 percent to 39 percent. This is believed to be the only
poll conducted specifically of rural Americans on the issue of Social
Security since President Bush announced his effort to privatize the retirement
program during his State of the Union Address in February.
"Rural Americans understand
better than anyone just how critical Social Security is to families and
communities," NCPSSM's Barbara B. Kennelly said. "Rural communities
depend on Social Security tremendously and have made it clear they do
not want to trade their guaranteed benefit for private accounts. These
survey results confirm what working Americans have been telling us for
months...they do not want private accounts. It's time the President and
Congress listen to that message and consider legislation designed to strengthen
Social Security, not dismantle it."
The survey found that:
- Seventy-one percent of rural
voters say that Congress should wait and develop a different plan for
Social Security rather than approve Bush's proposals, while just 16%
want Congress to pass the Bush plan.
- More than three-fourths
(78%) of rural voters feel that Social Security is consistent with their
own moral values.
- Just 27% consider Bush's
Social Security proposals to be consistent with the values held by people
in their community, whereas 61% report that these proposals are out
of step with rural values.
- By 60% to 33%, rural voters
reject the notion of allowing people to invest some of their payroll
taxes in private investment accounts, with an offsetting reduction in
guaranteed benefits.
- By an even more decisive
62% to 27%, rural voters oppose the President's proposal to reduce benefits
for future retirees with earnings of more than $20,000 while maintaining
benefits for lower-income workers.
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