NYT: Bush to Return to 'Ownership Society' Theme in Push for S.S. Changes

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Bush to Return to 'Ownership Society' Theme in Push for Social Security Changes
By DAVID E. ROSENBAUM
The unifying theme on domestic policy in President Bush's Inaugural Address on Thursday will be the president's vision of an "ownership society" as he tries to galvanize support for fundamental changes he wants in Social Security, tax policy and other areas, administration officials say.

"When people have a stake in something," Treasury Secretary John W. Snow said in an interview on Friday, explaining the president's rationale, "it makes the whole social system work better."

"The president," Mr. Snow added, "wants to pursue policies that encourage ownership."

The boldest example of this approach is the intensifying campaign by the Bush administration to radically alter Social Security, the most popular and expensive government program ever, so that workers can put a portion of their payroll taxes into their own investment accounts.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/16/politics/16own.html

[EVDebs]

1. During the Civil War they had an 'ownership' society...it was called

Slavery. William Greider of Rolling Stone magazine has called our 'ownership society' a rentier system. Maybe a little exactitude with Bush is called for.

[high density]

3. Yep

I think the plan in the "ownership society" is to let the corporations and CEOs own everything as we little people own nothing but a pile of debt. Every time I hear the phrase "ownership society" I get a very bad feeling in my stomach.

[The Backlash Cometh]

30. Think "adverse possession." And if Bush and his crooked administration

is an illustration of leading by example, you can expect the good white boys in the community to abuse fiduciary responsibility and steal out public land.

[TahitiNut]

7. Yup. It's plantation economics.

Make the sharecroppers feel superior to the slaves and they're your allies - even though they're being raped.

[EVDebs]

38. And remember, it's for your own good ! The populist free market myth

lives on !

[grilled onions]

2. Minimum Wage "ownership"

Many in our society are living on the edge between existence and bankruptcy. Many eek out a living,barely have enough to keep the landlord happy and have enough to feed the family. Ownership for many is having a car that is beyond its prime but can still get a family from one place to another. Many would love to "own" some healthcare but can't afford it or are black balled because of pre-existing conditions. Many would love home ownership but if you keep getting laid off and each job the wages actually go down you see that dream is also beyond reach. The ones who truly have ownership are the upper minions(big surprise) and they love to pat us on the head and see "see all of this can be yours one day". :mad:

[AuntiBush]

8. Agreed!

You're right on target. If we din't have so many BIG Corporations factories (per say) in places like Argentina where minimum wage is about 2 dollars, if that, maybe, just maybe more American's would be working on their own soil, hence more jobs = more money going into SSI. That's part of the problem right there.

[Just Me]

43. You are describing over 80% of our population,...

,...which believes (per government-supported, corporate propaganda) that, we're lucky to live in this country (possessed by corporate tyranny) because we all have an equal opportunity *CHOKE* to succeed,...and, all of the rest of us 80+% failed our capacity to sufficiently "succeed" such that we could buy our spouse a brand-spanking new Lexus for Christmas.

One of the horrors of living in an ultra-capitalist/corporatist (e.g. "fascist" according to Mussolini) nation is that, cultural "success" has nothing to with the fundamental value of life or the honor of principles/integrity/truth,...but rather, a loyalty to STUFF and greed and self-service/gratification/centeredness.

*sigh*

[TahitiNut]

46. When a nation views "success" as living fat off the labor of others ...

... I'd rather not be regarded as "successful" thank you. Those who own and whose only 'work' is swinging a whip are the living dead; soulless zombies whose only religion is the empty rhetoric of "In God We Trust" engraved upon their shriveled hearts.

[Just Me]

51. A nation brainwashed by a corporate-sponsored, government-backed,...

,...psy-ops machine which nutshells our lives into a Nexus commercial.

:cry:

We are so much more valuable than that.

[necso]

4. This line is good propaganda.

It makes abundantly clear to anyone who owns -- or hopes to own -- who their enemy is... the relatively disadvantaged.

"They want to take your/our stuff."

[AuntiBush]

5. Now that he mentions it...

I'd like to have a stake in "something" alright! Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to take 4 more years of this MORON! I don't know what makes me more mad - The IDIOT & GANG Members, or their faithful followers! GRRRR! Oh, the stupidity of it all! When will this nightmare end!?!

[Just Me]

6. A society OWNED by the rich and privileged.

ANTI-DEMOCRACY!!! PRO-TYRANNY!!!

These people are just so greedy and blood-sucking and heartless that,...I simply cannot wrap my brain around their evilness.

They are beyond my realm of human understanding.

They view human life as "capital".

HOW THE FUCK SICK IS THAT?

If only they were the human capital that they spend!!!!

[TahitiNut]

9. Amen.

It really staggers the imagination.

[AuntiBush]

11. I'm with you!

They are SICK but you know what's really sicker... and this is kinda sad, is that half of the American voters VOTED for this SICK JERK! And they're some of the poorest folks around.

But, what can we expect. I mean, come on. Think about his first speech on Nov 3rd and 4th. After he muttered out the words "I've got a mandate" and his gleeful mention of having a big bankroll to do whatever the hell he wants (forget us, mind you)... my mouth hung to the ground when he said, "And those that are with me... blab, blab, blab."

In other words, when he was ralling us to war and telling the rest of the world that "either you're with me or you're not," same goes for those that did not vote for his holiness.

Sorry DU'ers. I'm so da$%(*m mad right now; I was off the charts this morning when I read about those poor D.C. citizens he's got footing his 17 million dollar bill on Jan 20th! Oh, a real mandate there w/only 10 percent of the votes.

[Just Me]

17. He betrayed and USED the loyalty and trust of the American people.

I place responsibility squarely on his and his cabal's shoulders.

If the American people realized this betrayal,...they would not tolerate for long. Unfortunately, it's taking a great deal of damage over time for them to SEE what is really happening.

I have sympathy for us all.

[Laurab]

22. They view human life as capital - OR

"collateral damage", if not cannon fodder. It's REAL sick.

[StClone]

10. What a stupid meme

Like we (they really) can't own everything already.

I am sure this is think tank tested to appeal to the rampant "religion of materialism" of the Right while destroying Society. I thought in the hierarchy of human development enlightenment was the highest order of being. Seems owning stuff is...sheeesh how trite and secular.

[Sparkly]

12. Who owns the $7 trillion debt? n/t

[AuntiBush]

13. That's a loaded question!

Where do you start... China? Japan? Bin Laden? In the end, it falls on us!

[Just Me]

18. The American people are the debtors. WEOWN THE DEBT.

The rest of the world are basically the creditors.

This tyrannical cabal has SOLD us out to the highest bidder.

[Karenina]

50. Privatize the profits...

Socialize the costs.

[EVDebs]

39. The DoD can't account for $2.3 Trillion !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yawn....So what's new ? Only 20% of GDP has evaporated somewhere, most likely offshore where it can't be taxed or reported.

[American Tragedy]

14. What exactly is an "ownership society"?

Doesn't quite have the resonance of the well-defined New Deal or the New Frontier, does it?

[Robbien]

15. Got to get it through to the masses, if you do not have several million

in the bank, you are not one of the owners but one of the owned.

[Just Me]

19. The "imperialists" OWN YOU,...and you OWE the "imperialists".

I think that about sums it up.

[durablend]

31. Mmm hmm...

"We OWN your ASS...don't you DARE forget it!"

:puke:

[American Tragedy]

24. Who are "the masses"?

[w4rma]

35. American potential voters (nt)

[PartyPooper]

16. In other words, "There's the HAVES...and then there's the HAVE MORES."

[Cha]

20. Of course they are...Fuck their Orwellian

jargon..

[TahitiNut]

21. "policies that ENCOURAGE ownership"???

That sorry bastard doesn't know the first thing about courage. "Encourage"?? Those sleazy fucks should try busting their asses 60 hours a week cleaning hotel rooms, emptying bed pans, picking up garbage, or hundreds of other jobs that barely earn someone enough to live on!

[Ms_Mary]

32. Or trying to be a small business among corporate giant retailers. nt

[AndyTiedye]

23. They Own the News and the Voting Machinez...

...which has given them enough leverage to own everything and everybody.

[MasonJar]

25. What is so good about ownership when we in the US destroy all

that is good? Has GWB ever owned anything that he actually earned except a hangover and a reputation for destruction?

[SharonAnn]

49. He hasn't every built or 'earned' anything. But he's broken and

dmaged and even destroyed lots of things.

He's even managed to 'break' the Armed Forces capability of the United States.

[tlcandie]

26. I guess the question is ownership of exactly what?!

One change of clothes; one pair of shoes; enough food for maybe one day? You can own one thing or many things...this is another one of those suggestions, but you can bet the bottom of the can/trash heap/dust bin/w whatever fits is where * expects most everyone to be on the ownership end in HIS country while the rich own the whips that whip us into a frenzy to be happy we have even that!

[Itchinjim]

27. "Ownership Society"= "You're on your own"

Don't expect anything from the government you goddam socialists.
(Sarcasm off)

[brentspeak]

48. Unless you're Halliburton and need a multi-billion dollar contract

Then the public treasury is your trough to feed at.

[bemildred]

28. More like a "Bullshit Society".

"We want to pursue policies that encourage more bullshit."

[The Backlash Cometh]

29. He's so incredibly wrong. When people lose respect for common ground,

they lose respect for each other. Bush is such an asshole. He's never had to share in his life, which is why he doesn't know how to compromise and get along. Common ground is the key to bringing us together, and all that son of a bitch can come up with, is ways to split up our common interests and split us apart.

[Fovea]

33. You want to see ownership, eh Dubya?

Then take the twin burdens of health care and education expenses off the American citizen, and watch the disposable income of Americans take you up on it.

What you want is an ownership society where the monied class owns a permanent underclass of peons.

[Thurston Howell IV]

34. Ownership Society seems like a good marketing ploy

If he can make it stick, it will benefit them in terms of public adoption of their plans.

We need to relabel it "privatization" or some other term which conveys the negative connotations inherent in their plans.

[w4rma]

36. They are nuts, but they definitely have a good handle on public relations.

They can spout out propaganda and catch phrases as well as the best advertising companies can.

[salin]

37. Guess that is why foreclosure rates have skyrocketed under

Bush... that big value and stronger social system thingy tied to "ownership"????

[EVDebs]

40. It's a society where the landlords collect RENT. Wm. Greider calls it

more accurately the RENTIER SOCIETY.

[TahitiNut]

41. Here's the ol' "ownership society" ...

[TahitiNut]

42. ... and here's what "Red vs. Blue" looks like in the ol' Ownership Society

[TahitiNut]

44. ... "No Child Left Behind" in the ol' Ownership Society

[Just Me]

45. They certainly no longer discriminate about whom they enslave,...

,...NOPE!!!

Only qualifier now is who holds the gold.

The rest of us,...be damned.

In a way, TahitiNut, I actually view this period in history as the greatest opportunity to break all previous discrimination barriers imposed by those who "divided" humanity in order to excuse their abuse.

We are all a member of the human race,...not the rat race that greedy power-mongers impose upon us.

It is time we join against our oppressors. They are composed of our "colors",...but feed off our existence for the purpose of profit.

[brentspeak]

47. Yeah, a society owned by Wall St.bankers and connected Bush buddies

You KNOW that SS privatization is a farce when investment companies are spending millions of dollars bribing politicians and on advertising propaganda.

Who woulda known that Wall St.bankers were so "concerned" about the financial security of us little guys?

[tabasco]

52. A man who never worked a day in his life ...

telling us how society should be ordered.

His plan is to return us to hereditary rule.

Prince Bush decrees no more government by the People, but government for the rich. And the stupid working class republicans beg for more.