Commemorating 73rd Birthday of Social Security, Americans Across the Country Unite to 'Just Say No' to Bush-McCain Plan for Privatization

As our nation commemorates the 73rd birthday of Social Security tomorrow, Americans across the country will gather in the culmination of week-long activities sounding the alarm on the economic impact of the McCain-Bush plan to privatize Social Security.

District of Columbia Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton will lead a group of concerned current and future Social Security recipients to the Republican National Committee headquarters to deliver a Social Security birthday card and a cake to Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan and Sen. John McCain as a reminder that the American people have said no once and they will say no again to privatization.

Also tomorrow, former Vice President Walter Mondale, and long-time Minnesota human-rights advocate Dr. Josie Johnson will kick off a groundbreaking new "Seniors Talking to Seniors" program in Minnesota, which will host the Republican National Convention in September. Vice President Mondale will also discuss Senator Obama's comprehensive plan to protect Social Security, strengthen retirement savings, make affordable health care available to every American and to protect and honor our seniors.

Over the past week, events have taken place all around the country in the last seven days, from Michigan to Florida, from Idaho to Ohio, and from Maine to Alaska, highligting the incredible burden families in every state would face without Social Security. A recent report from the Institute for America's Future, a non-profit think tank, showed that Social Security privatization would cut lifetime benefits by almost half a million dollars, and would make 8.6 million senior citizens vulnerable to poverty.

"The American people said 'no' to George W. Bush and John McCain when they tried to privatize Social Security, and they'll say the same loud and clear to John McCain this November for promising more of the same," said DNC Chairman Howard Dean. "The same people who brought you Enron can't be trusted to gamble away the Social Security trust fund on the ups and downs of the stock market. John McCain is wrong on the privatization of Social Security, and he's the wrong choice for America's future."

Below is a sampling of some of the events that will take place tomorrow:

• Colorado: Coloradan retirees will celebrate Social Security's 73rd anniversary denouncing McCain's plan to privatize Social Security in Aspen where McCain will be schmoozing wealthy donors.
• Minnesota: In Minnesota, host to the Republican National Convention, former Vice President and Presidential nominee Walter Mondale will join Minnesota human-rights advocate Dr. Josie Johnson to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of Social Security by kicking off a groundbreaking new "Seniors Talking to Seniors" program.
• Michigan:
• In Flint, MI, State Senator Deb Cherry (D-Burton), who served on Gov. Granholm's Long Term Care Commission, will headline a Social Security a Social Security rally on the need to fight privatization.
• In Grand Rapids, MI, Kent County Commissioner Paul Mayhue will celebrate the anniversary of Social Security with a cake that says "Don't Privatize Social Security!"
• Maine: In Portland and Bangor, ME, the state Democratic Party will celebrate the anniversary of Social Security by making 2,008 calls in each county of the state highlighting John McCain's and the Republican Party's desire to privatize Social Security.
• Vermont: In Monpelier, VT, state party leaders will mark the anniversary with a news conference highlighting a report by the Campaign for America's Future showing that the Bush-McCain Social Security privatization plan could throw 19,000 Vermont seniors into poverty.
• Ohio: In Columbus and Cleveland, OH, Governor Howard Dean will commemorate the anniversary of Social Security during the Democratic National Committee's Register for Change bus tour. Governor Dean will point to McCain's support for Social Security privatization as a key reason why Americans must continue to register to vote.
• New Mexico: Deputy Secretary of Aging and Long Term Care Patsy Trujillo and State Senate District 10 Candidate Victor Raigoza will join with concerned New Mexican voters to reject the Bush-McCain privatization plan outside John McCain's office in Albuquerque.
• Louisiana: A group of defenders of Social Security will gather in Baton Rouge to highlight 73 successful years of Social Security working to protect Louisiana's seniors and citizens with disabilities from falling into poverty. The group will deliver a cake commemorating the birthday to Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy's local headquarters.
• Nebraska: Democratic Candidate for Congress Jim Esch will hold a press conference tomorrow morning in Omaha to mark Social Security's 73rd Birthday and draw major contrasts with Congressman Lee Terry on Social Security policy.
• Mississippi: Concerned citizens will meet at the Mississippi Capitol tomorrow to mark the 73rd birthday of the Social Security Program with a birthday cake and highlight their staunch opposition to Republican John McCain's plan to privatize Social Security.
• Arizona: A group of Social Security recipients, Arizona Democratic Party Chair Don Bivens and Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans President Doug Hart will gather to highlight 73 successful years of Social Security working to protect Arizona's seniors and citizens with disabilities from falling into poverty.
• Utah: Delegates to the Democratic National Convention will discuss John McCain's plans to privatize Social Security, which threatens the incomes of thousands of Utahans.

More events will take place in New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and others.

And some of the events from the last seven days:

• Mississippi: "Mississippi Democrats Take Stance Against Social Security...Mississippi Democratic Party leaders brought a hot topic to the table Thursday as they criticized Republican Presidential nominee Senator John McCain's Social Security plan at a press conference in the state capitol. "We will not support any efforts to privatize the most successful anti-poverty program in our nation," said Barbara Blackmon, vice chair of Mississippi Democratic Party. "For anyone who has witnessed our failing national economy, it's more than obvious we shouldn't bet on Wall Street and risk the financial security of thousands of people who depend on Social Security." [Fox 40 News, 8/7/08]
• Indiana: On Thursday, August 7th, Congressman Andre Carson spoke on the need to protect Hoosier families from the dangers of Social Security privatization at the East end of Veterans Memorial Plaza directly across from the Federal Building in Indianapolis.
• Michigan: On Thursday, August 7, U.S. Senator Carl Levin spoke with 40 Detroit area seniors about the need to halt the privatization attacks on Social Security once and for all. In response to McCain's calling Social Security "a disgrace," Levin said "It's the opposite of a disgrace." Levin said Social Security is "a fair and stable way of keeping millions of retirees out of poverty." [Detroit News 8/7/08]
• Georgia: Leaders from the Democratic Party of Georgia and Chatham County Democratic Party, as well as First Congressional District Democratic candidate Bill Gillespie held a Press Conference Thursday August 7 to discuss the impact privatizing Social Security would have on Georgians. The event was held at 11:00 a.m. in Savannah's Johnson Square off Bull Street.
• Louisiana: Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Director Britton Loftin was joined by State Senator and Democratic Congressional Candidate Don Cravins Jr., as well as current and future Social Security recipients on the dangers of privatization outside the Lake Charles Social Security office in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
• Tennessee: Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Gray Sasser joined Bob Tuke, the winner of the August 7th Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, on a conference call on Friday, August 8th to address the economy and the dangers of Social Security privatization.
• Virginia: State Senator Donald McEachin and Delegate Frank Hall joined Richmond senior citizens Friday at the State Capitol to discuss the importance of protecting Social Security and the potential impact of McCain/Bush-style privatization plans.
• North Carolina: Seniors and experts including Reva McNair, president of Senior Democrats of North Carolina, and Jerry Cooper, executive director of the North Carolina Assisted Living Association came together on Thursday August 7th to sound the alarm on the long term economic impact the McCain-Bush style privatization plan for Social Security would have on North Carolinians.
• Alaska: Concerned citizens gathered at the Anchorage Senior Center for a Retirement Security Forum on Thursday August 7th to sound the alarm over the impact Senator John McCain's privatization plan would have on Alaskans.
• Florida: Seniors from Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Lee County gathered to oppose the John McCain-George W. Bush plan to privatize Social Security.
• Oregon: DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith joined by concerned citizens and her 3 year old grandson, gathered to discuss the impact Senator John McCain's privatization plan would have on Oregonians on Friday August 8th.