The best quickie read on this topic is Robert Eisner's "Deficit Scare" monograph for The Century Fund. Also good is the Baker/Weisbrot book, Social Security: the Phony Crisis. Also worth a look is the Henry Aaron Robert Reischauer book, plus any stuff by Aaron on the Brookings web site (www.brook.edu). The Century Fund (www.tcf.org) has educational material (I would start there, actually, for what you're doing.)
For good renditions of the elite argument for "crisis," tho not privatization, look for Eugene Steuerle's stuff on the Urban Institute site.
If you come up w/an outline or draft, I'd be happy to give you feedback on it.
As for key points, off the top of my head:
** SS is insurance, not savings, so comparisons of rates of return between the two are bogus.
** The savings analogy glosses over costs of administration and inflation-proof annuitization, which in the context of retirement planning are extremely important. People not within shouting distance of retirement haven't a clue about annuitization -- once you stop earning, your spending depends on when you think you're going to DIE.
** If the market is strongly over-valued at present, even a comparison of ROR's would put SS well ahead.
** The trust fund shortfall some 30 years hence is easily closed. Hysteria about workers-per-retiree glosses over the impact of even conservative estimates of productivity growth.
** The growing instability of employment arrangements and fragility of labor standards make a defined-benefit SS scheme all the more important.
** GW Bush's 'carve-out' means the Trust Fund shortfall comes much sooner (see www.cbpp.org for details), and with no guarantee of benefit preservation.
max
Here in Pittsburgh a group of leftists and progresive unionists have proposed to the Central Labor Council the formation of an education group. We met today with the president of the Council with our proposal. He responded very favorably. One of the things we proposed was the development of labor "educationals," short 15-20 minute presentations/discussions on various topics of interest to workers. We suggested that we try one of these educationals out at a Central Labor Council meeting. The president agreed. The first one will probably be in August on the subject of social security, an important issue in the upcoming national elections. It looks like I will be drafted to make the presentation. Can anyone on the lists suggest a good visual way to present the issue? I would also like to have a packet of charts for the delegates to take back to their unions. Any suggestions? Also, what points do you think should absolutely be stressed? (Doug and Max on LBO, don't be shy!)
Any replies can be sent to me offlist, unless you think that others would be interested.
Thanks!!
Michael Yates