On Wed, 7 Aug 2002, Doug Henwood wrote:
> Nathan Newman wrote:
>
> >Clinton never proposed privatization. He did propose supplemental
> >individual retirement funds that would receive heavy subsidized tax
> >credits for working class folks-- a very progressive policy proposal
> >that I was quite in favor of.
>
> Washington Post - June 29, 2001
>
> Clinton Eyed Private Social Security Accounts Glenn Kessler, Washington
> Post Staff Writer
>
> President Clinton and his economic advisers spent 18 months secretly
> discussing the elements of a plan to add individual investment accounts
> to Social Security, but abandoned it when it became clear the president
> would be impeached, according to a paper by three former administration
> officials that will be presented today at a Harvard conference.
Doesn't this confirm exactly what Nathan said -- that Clinton was contemplating *adding* individual investment accounts to Society Security, but not diverting any funds out of it?
> "The administration really took seriously all the options, including
> individual accounts," Liebman said yesterday. He said administration
> officials presented Clinton with four options for revamping Social
> Security, but the White House was not moving toward diverting some
> payroll taxes to private accounts, as many Bush officials prefer.
Frankly I have to admit, this surprises me too. I coulda sworn Clinton was for privatization.
Michael