Democrats Criticize Social Security Official

[struggle4progress]

By ANNE E. KORNBLUT
Published: February 25, 2005

<snip> James B. Lockhart III, the deputy commissioner at the Social Security Administration, said Thursday that he had appeared with four Republican members in recent days to provide information, not to endorse the diversion of some payroll taxes to personal accounts. <snip>

"The administration is running one of the most sophisticated grassroots lobbying strategies in history, and they are using federal employees and taxpayer dollars to do it," said Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Democrat of New Jersey. "Social Security employees should be spending their time serving the needs of Social Security recipients, not advancing a political agenda." <snip>

"It is absolutely inappropriate for officials from the Social Security Administration to hit the hustings in support of the president's plan," Mr. Schumer said in a statement. <snip>

Mr. Lockhart said he had attended events with Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Representative Jim Kolbe of Arizona, Representative Rob Portman of Ohio and Mr. DeLay - all Republicans who support restructuring the Social Security. <snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/politics/25social.html

[MO_Dem]

1. I wonder what the size of

Mr. Lockhart's bonus will be for his "appearances", ahem, I mean for "providing information"?