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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 2, 2005 ‘Social Security’ truck visits Walden office By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune A nationwide campaign opposing President Bush’s efforts to privatize Social Security stopped Wednesday at Rep. Greg Walden’s office in Medford. Grants Pass senior Howard Owens said that taking money out of Social Security and putting it into private investments would ultimately undermine the program. "If you’re sucking the money out, it doesn’t take a very smart person to realize it won’t be there when you need it," he said. Owens, a member of the Alliance of Retired Americans, met with Walden’s district director, John Snider. The meeting included a visit by ARA’s "Social Security Truck Truth Tour," which features a flatbed truck carrying a million messages to Congress from seniors opposed to Social Security changes. Nearly 10,000 Oregonians signed the petition. Verna Porter, president of the Oregon Alliance, said Social Security might need tinkering, but doesn’t need a complete overhaul. Advertisement "They (the government) have never missed a Social Security payment," said Porter. "That’s not something you can say for retirement funds." Snider said he was speaking for Walden in saying, "Everybody should be entitled to a healthy retirement that they’ve paid into." Walden hasn’t made up his mind on this issue, Snider said, noting that both the representative’s parents received Social Security benefits. Snider, who is 61 and will be entitled to Social Security benefits next year, expressed concern about the future of the government’s retirement plan. "I’m a little afraid it’s not going to be there." Owens told Snider that even by the president’s own calculations Social Security only runs into trouble by 2042. He said that with minor alterations the program could conceivably remain solvent well into this century. Grants Pass resident Linda Peace, who didn’t meet with Snider but waited outside Walden’s local office, said she survives on less than $700 a month from Social Security. "It’s an insult," she said. She makes do by keeping an eye out for every benefit program, getting reduced rates on power bills, and free samples of medications from her doctor — or doing without medications if necessary. "It’s a struggle, but it can be done," she said. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Fundraisers Advertisement s