AARP Opposes Bush Plan to Replace Social Security With Private Accounts
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 - Gearing up for battle over the future of Social Security, AARP, the influential lobby for older Americans, said Thursday that it opposed President Bush's plan to divert some payroll taxes into private retirement accounts. But it supports new incentives for private accounts that supplement Social Security.
Working closely with Congress and the White House, AARP helped shape legislation adding drug benefits to Medicare last year. Social Security is an even bigger issue, politically and financially, and lawmakers said Congress was unlikely to make major changes in Social Security over the organization's objections.
Marie F. Smith, president of the organization, said, "AARP adamantly opposes replacing any part of Social Security with individual accounts.'' But Ms. Smith added that the group supported incentives for people to establish personal retirement accounts in addition to Social Security.
John C. Rother, the organization's policy director, said, "We favor private accounts when they are in addition to Social Security, but not as a substitute.''
The fight over Social Security, pitting Mr. Bush's vision of an "ownership society" against the Democrats' determination to preserve a cornerstone of the New Deal, is reflected in a battle over the proper terminology.
The White House dislikes the word "privatization,'' which it sees as a misleading and imprecise way to describe Mr. Bush's ideas for Social Security. Democrats insist that the term is accurate.
E-mail messages circulated within AARP in recent weeks indicated that the group would avoid the word whenever possible.
One message, by an editor of an AARP magazine, says, "There is a new forbidden word at AARP: Social Security privatization.''
Working closely with Congress and the White House, AARP helped shape legislation adding drug benefits to Medicare last year. Social Security is an even bigger issue, politically and financially, and lawmakers said Congress was unlikely to make major changes in Social Security over the organization's objections.
Marie F. Smith, president of the organization, said, "AARP adamantly opposes replacing any part of Social Security with individual accounts.'' But Ms. Smith added that the group supported incentives for people to establish personal retirement accounts in addition to Social Security.
John C. Rother, the organization's policy director, said, "We favor private accounts when they are in addition to Social Security, but not as a substitute.''
The fight over Social Security, pitting Mr. Bush's vision of an "ownership society" against the Democrats' determination to preserve a cornerstone of the New Deal, is reflected in a battle over the proper terminology.
The White House dislikes the word "privatization,'' which it sees as a misleading and imprecise way to describe Mr. Bush's ideas for Social Security. Democrats insist that the term is accurate.
E-mail messages circulated within AARP in recent weeks indicated that the group would avoid the word whenever possible.
One message, by an editor of an AARP magazine, says, "There is a new forbidden word at AARP: Social Security privatization.''
posted by Pamela J. Leavey at 10:28 PM
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Kerry Lawyers Work To Make Sure All Ohio Votes Counted
Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
Photographed by: 9News
11/11/04 6:24:34 PM
Lawyers from John Kerry's presidential campaign are conducting a "fact-finding mission" in Ohio.
The lawyers have come up with a list of more than 30-questions for local elections officials.
The list covers the number of absentee and provisional ballots and any reports of equipment malfunctions.
They say they don't plan to challenge the election, but do say they want to carry out Kerry's promise to make sure all the votes in Ohio are counted.
George Bush had 136,000 more votes reported in Ohio than Kerry in the unofficial returns.
Both candidates needed to win Ohio's electoral votes to win the presidency.
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2004/local/11/11/ballots.html
Kerry campaign lawyers checking Ohio vote
CLEVELAND (AP) - Lawyers with John Kerry's presidential campaign are in Ohio on what they describe as a "fact-finding mission'' following the Democrat's election loss to President Bush last week.
Dan Hoffheimer, the statewide counsel for the Kerry campaign, said they are not trying to challenge the election but are only carrying out Kerry's vow to make sure that all the votes in Ohio are counted.
"We want to help him live up to that promise in Ohio,'' Hoffheimer said Thursday.
Every voter concern will be checked out "for the purpose of reassuring the public that the election was accurate,'' he said.
In unofficial returns, Bush beat Kerry by 136,000 votes in Ohio.
Hoffheimer said the goal is to identify any voting problems and quell doubts about the legitimacy of the Ohio election being raised on the Internet. So far, no widespread mistakes or fraud has been uncovered, or was it expected, he said.
The Kerry campaign is asking local election officials about the number of absentee and provisional ballots, any reports of equipment malfunctions on election night and any ballots that still listed third-party challenger Ralph Nader as a candidate, Hoffheimer said.
Nader was removed from the ballot by Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell because of evidence of fraud in the circulation of petitions.
Dan Trevas, spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party, which is working with the Kerry campaign, said the party also has not discovered major election problems.
"We're still keeping an eye open for anything at this point,'' Trevas said.
Bob Bennett, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, said he understands why some are still focused on Ohio, which ultimately gave President Bush the electoral votes needed to win re-election.
"The intensity in this campaign was so high on both sides,'' he said.
Bennett is less sympathetic for those who believe upcoming provisional ballot counts or other scattered problems with voting machines will reverse Bush's victory.
"Somebody's hoping for a miracle,'' he said.
One of the most popular online discussions about Ohio's election centers on a list on the Cuyahoga County elections board's Web page that makes its appear like 24 cities or villages had more votes cast than registered voters.
But the numbers also include absentee votes in congressional and legislative districts that overlap those cities. That overlapping makes the votes cast number wrongly look inflated, board director Michael Vu said.
"All the numbers are correct,'' Vu said. "You have to first understand what an absentee precinct is.''
For example, for the tiny Highland Hills Village, the Web page shows the community southeast of Cleveland has 760 registered voters and had 8,822 votes cast.
When the absentee votes are subtracted, Highland Hills actually had 269 ballots cast.
Vu acknowledged the method is confusing, but said that's why the board posted a disclaimer on its Web site warning viewers not to count up votes in a city based on the ballots cast column.
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On the Net:
Ohio Democratic Party: http://www.ohiodems.org/
Ohio GOP: http://www.ohiogop.org
http://www.reviewonline.com/news/story/1111202004_new03kerrycampaign.asp
Kerry's lawyers verify Ohio results
11/11/2004 12:52 PM
By: Associated Press
CLEVELAND -- Lawyers from John Kerry's presidential campaign are checking out vote results in Ohio, but insist they're "not expecting to change the outcome of the election."
They promise they're not there to challenge the election but are on a "fact-finding mission" to make sure that all the votes in Ohio are counted.
According to unofficial election returns, President Bush beat Kerry there by 136,000 votes. Ohio's 20 electoral votes were the difference in the race.
Kerry's lawyers say they want to identify any voting problems and put to rest any doubts about the legitimacy of the Ohio vote. To do that they'll ask election officials about the number of absentee and provisional ballots and if there were any reports of equipment malfunctions.
http://news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=124469
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