Nevadans say ground is laid for historic debate in Congress

Benjamin Grove and Suzanne Struglinski

Thursday, Feb. 3, 2005 | 11:03 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Nevada's congressional delegation agreed that President Bush in his State of the Union speech on Wednesday laid out a framework for a historic debate in Congress on the future of Social Security.

But the agreement is likely to soon end there.

The state's three Republicans have said they generally back Bush's proposal to allow younger workers to divert some of their Social Security payroll taxes to private investment accounts. They offered cautious support after Bush's address, saying they were still eager to study Bush's proposals, which were not detailed in his address.

Nevada's two Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, offered no applause for Bush's proposed changes, and reasserted their skepticism about private accounts.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said there is no crisis on Social Security now, but if Congress allows it to become a crisis, the country's children and grandchildren will suffer.

"We are going to look at every suggestion, there are dozens of suggestions that will be available for review," Gibbons said. He said 1930s' ideas that drove the formation the system need to be changed to meet the 21st Century.

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., was hesitant to commit to full support of the personal saving accounts, and said the purpose of Congress is to hear from seniors and hear from experts on what should be done.

"I support the debate of any idea that's brought before Congress, because that's our responsibility," Porter said. "Private accounts are one of those areas that will be debated and I will look at the pros and cons."

He said he has heard disgust and frustration from his constituents, especially those who received calls from groups not telling the truth on what Congress wants to consider.

Gibbons and Porter emphasized that current Social Security beneficiaries will not be affected by any changes and will continue to receive full benefits.

Ensign hailed Bush for his call to overhaul Social Security. Ensign criticized Democrats led by Ensign friend Reid, for saying that they have the votes to block Bush's recommendations, as Reid said this week.

"There is not even a specific proposal on the table to talk about yet, so to say that they have the votes to block it is irresponsible," Ensign said.

Giving the Democrats' rebuttal after Bush on national television with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Reid said Bush's plan was dangerous because it would add another $2 trillion to the deficit. "That's an immoral burden to place on the backs of the next generation," Reid said.

Reid said the Bush proposal wasn't a reform.

"It's more like Social Security roulette," Reid said. "Democrats are all for giving Americans more of a say and more choices when it comes to their retirement savings. But that doesn't mean taking Social Security's guarantee and gambling with it. And that's coming for a senator who represents Las Vegas."

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said she has "no idea" what the president's plan really involves. She said she had heard different things from the administration and the White House's own estimates showed his proposal would cost $6 trillion over the next 20 years and cut benefits by 40 percent. But Bush has not shown where the money will come from or which benefits would be cut.

"It is ludicrous to me to have our retirees' income dependent on the mercy of the stock market," Berkley said. "I mean has anybody ever heard the expression, 'I lost my shirt in the stock market?' Social Security is for security, people aren't supposed to get rich by it. They are supposed to be able to live their golden years with security, knowing they are not going to starve and they will have a roof over their heads."

Criticism of Bush's Social Security plan was swift from a coalition of national groups opposing the plan called Campaign for America's Future. The coalition includes the AFL-CIO, the NAACP and the National Organization for Women.

Bush's proposal seems fraught with dangerous unknowns, said Venicia Considine, president of the Nevada chapter of NOW.

Bush hasn't adequately explained how he would pay for the costly transition from the current system, she said. Market fluctuations and hidden costs for financial account managers are other significant worries, she said.

Considine said Bush talked about freedom from fear at one point in his speech, but then used "scare tactics" to try to convince listeners that the threat of Social Security shortfalls is imminent and only fixable with private accounts.

"Privatization is the wrong way to go," she said.

Ensign agreed with many who watched Bush's address that the most poignant moment of the evening came when two of Bush's guests -- Iraqi human rights advocate Safia Taleb al-Suhail and Janet Norwood, mother of fallen Marine Sgt. Byron Norwood -- embraced in the House gallery near Laura Bush.

Ensign and Berkley both said the moment brought them to tears. Berkley agreed with Bush that there should be not be a specific set date for the United States to leave the country.

"I think it is a ridiculous military strategy to tell the enemy when you are leaving," Berkley said.

Porter said there no "exact science" in determining when U.S. troops will leave Iraq, but the embrace between the two women summarized the reason the troops are there, he said.

Ensign was not surprised Bush mentioned that he would continue to goad Congress to pass a comprehensive energy policy that includes "safe, clean nuclear energy." Bush approved Yucca Mountain to be the site of a national repository for the highly radioactive waste piling up at U.S. nuclear power plants. Opening the proposed waste site is important to Bush's vision of opening new nuclear power reactors in the United States.

Ensign said he supports nuclear energy in principle, but added, "Yucca Mountain is not the solution to our nuclear waste problem."

Berkley said when the president touts nuclear energy as part of his energy policy, Nevadans have to be mindful that it brings more pressures to build the repository at Yucca, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. She said the president was only "throwing pennies" at renewable energy resources and not looking toward enough alternatives that would not allow waste to move to Nevada.

Gibbons said the United States should look at what other countries are doing and move toward reprocessing. Porter also said he is not against nuclear power, just how the country manages the waste.

Bush told lawmakers he would reduce or eliminate 150 wasteful government programs from the 2006 budget, set for release Monday. Ensign said he was not aware yet if those cuts could affect any Nevada programs.

Porter jokingly suggested Bush just eliminate the Energy Department, while Gibbons suggested cutting the Yucca Mountain project.

"It's the most wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars I can think of," Gibbons said.

Reid and several other Democratic senators today held a press conference at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial to urge Bush to send a "responsible" Social Security plan to Congress that does not increase the debt. Roosevelt signed Social Security into law.

The Democrats sent a letter to Bush urging the same. Passing on the financial cost of Bush's proposal to future generations is "immoral, unacceptable and unsustainable," the letter said.