StopLouBarletta.com

The above video, which was apparently shot by a crack-addled camera man obsessed with the zoom button, is of Mayor Lou Barletta talking about Social Security.  He, flanked by his six supporters, goes on to explain his “plan” for saving Social Security.  Or, rather, he goes on to say a whole lot of nothing.  Which is typicial for this failed leader.

Barletta opens his Social Security sermon by demanding that Congress “give the $4 trillion dollars back” to the Social Security trust fund.  Because, obviously, Lou Barletta thinks it’s just that easy.  The second part of his master plan is to have Congress pass a law, a “lock box law”, which would prevent them from ever touching that money again.  Again, this is the stuff of pipe dreams.

The “Lock Box Law” is no new idea.  It’s been around since the early 90′s and was touted heavily by Republicans when they took control of Congress in the mid-90s.  Democrats talked extesivily about it after the Republicans took control.  And guess what?  There is still no lock box law.  Congressmen, of any party, are simply unwilling to vote for it.  Even if they say they are willing to vote for it.

Also in the video, Lou Barletta talks about how once the War in Iraq is over, all of that money should be used to re-pay the Social Security Trust Fund.  No.  That money is needed, desperatley, for other things.  For starters, as a US Army Veteran, I know first hand that the US military will be needing LOTS of money to reconstitute equipment, restructure itself, and to increase funding and support for the Afghanistan mission.  The money is also needed for things like Federal Highway repair, aid for the victims of floods in the Mid West, helping to rebuild the Gulf Coast, any any number of other, more immidiate needs.

The best part of the video, however, is where he talks about how he is opposed to the privitization of Social Security.  “I don’t support privitizing Social Security and anyone who says I do is lying,” Barletta boldly exclaims.  Yep, they’re lying.  Unless they were talking about the Lou Barletta who was in favor of privitizing Social Security, which he was, only a few months ago.  This sudden flip-flop on Barletta’s part has nothing to do with a change of heart and everything to do with polling numbers suggesting that he should go, instantly and without explanation, from a pro-privitization stance to an anti-privitization one.  Now THAT is leadership, eh?

There is a difference between having a position on Social Security and simply talking about it.  Lou Barletta has no real plan to save Social Security.  His “lock box law” idea, which isn’t even his idea, will come to nothing.  And his naivity about how to help fund Social Security, and of the other massive financial burdens facing this country, are scary.  Lou Barletta should not be elected to the United States Congress.

-Dan Cheek
www.StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com

This entry was posted on Monday, June 23rd, 2008 at 7:33 am and is filed under On the Issues . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.