Bush: Exploiting Children to Advance Privatization of Social Security

The nine-year old Noah McCullough is for the Bush Social Security privatization plan. As reported in the Christian Science Monitor:

"What I want to tell people about Social Security is to not be afraid of the new plan," McCullough told The New York Times recently. "It may be a change, but it's a good change." It's such a simple, refreshing message, almost childlike. Of course, that may be because McCullough is a fourth-grader from Texas.

Has this Administration now reached the depth of advocating major changes in the Social Security Program as some sort of "freak show"?

The CSM goes on to report:

Yes, we've come to the point where what is arguably the biggest domestic policy debate in the past 50 years is being handled by a child trivia-champ. Don't miss next week when Ken Jennings of "Jeopardy" explains how the president's foreign policy is a winner. And coming in April, a tap-dancing squirrel tours in support of tax reform.

Doesn't America know it is being manipulated? As P.T. Barnum said:

There's a sucker born every minute.

In fact it was P.T. Barnum who made a whole circus with a little person. As has been recorded:

Barnum's first major success was the introduction of General Tom Thumb in 1842. Within two years, they embarked on a tour of Europe. His ultimate affiliation with the circus did not begin until 1870, when he was 60 years old. P. T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Circus, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus grossed $400,000 in its first year.

So as President Bush uses children as a source of entertainment and "inspiration", what do his policies actually do for this vulnerable group in our society?

As he recently presented his plan for the budget, we can have a better idea about what this President feels about these young Americans. As stated by the Quad Cities paper in their editorial:

What this budget means, quite literally, is that more kids will be hungry and malnourished. More kids who get sick will be unable to see a doctor, more kids with diseases will go undiagnosed until they get so sick they have to be carried to the emergency room. More kids who need glasses or hearing aids won’t get them, causing them to fall behind in school. More kids will show up to start school without being in the least prepared, and they will remain behind for the rest of their days. Less money for childcare means more kids left alone or in unsafe places while their parents work. More kids who are being severely abused will go unnoticed, and fewer of them will find safe foster homes.

America needs a President who really cares about children. Who cares about our young American men and women who are sent off to needless wars. Who cares about education, healthcare, educating them about sex and AIDS prevention, daycare and who preserves the environment for future generations. We do not need a President who offers young people a retirement plan and places trillions of dollars of additional debt on their shoulders.

America needs John Kerry. Keep that door open for 2008 John. We have your back!

Bob