TIME GOES BY | January 19th Call-In-Day to Oppose the Conrad/Gregg Commission

by Ronni Bennett

If you have been reading here regularly, you know there is a Senate bill (S.2853 – full text) that would create a fast-track commission to make decisions about Social Security and Medicare.

Introduced by Senator Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) in December 2009, it goes by this disingenuous title:

A bill to establish a Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action, to assure the long-term fiscal stability and economic security of the Federal Government of the United States, and to expand future prosperity and growth for all Americans

That sounds innocuous enough except that it hides the bill's real purpose: it is the fulfillment of more than 20 years of lobbying by billionaire Peter. G. Peterson whose goal is to drastically cut, if not kill these programs that benefit millions people who, by the way, paid into the programs during all their working lives.

This week, during the debate on extending our country's debt limit, the Senate will vote on this bill, so we urgently need to make our voices heard.

Beginning today, The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare will run a campaign of radio and print ads in Washington to persuade senators that this bill is a bad idea. Here is the NCPSSM's YouTube video:

Tomorrow, 19 January, is Call-In-Day. The NCPSSM is joining with these other elder advocacy groups to flood the Senate with telephone calls against this bill. The other organizations participating are: OWL, AFSCME Retirees, Alliance for Retired Americans, American Association of University Women, Generations United, National Senior Citizens Law Center, NOW, Pension Right Center and Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW).

There is more information at the NCPSSM website. And you can read previous Time Goes By posts on this bill here, here, here and here.

Please join tomorrow in letting your senators know that this bill must not pass. Write down this telephone number: 800-998-0180. After a short message explaining the urgency of contacting our senators, the service will ask you to enter your Zip Code after which it will connect you with the offices of your senators.

Or, you can find individual senators' direct telephone numbers here.

In addition to Senator Kent Conrad who introduced the bill, 34 other senators are co-sponsors – one-third(!) of the Senate. You can check here to see if yours is among them.

Please join Call-In-Day. Already, many young adults believe Social Security will not be there for them. They are wrong, but they may not be if this bill is passed.

TIME GOES BY | Call-In-Day to Oppose the Conrad/Gregg Commission