WHO S AFRAID OF SOCIAL SECURITY?

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83T00966R000100100007-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 5, 2007
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: December 17, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2( 07/E34/O5 , l 8 0O9 6RO 0WU't O
309
/02/x./8,7
/Oew"U et
Approved For Release 2007/04/05: CIA-RDP83T00966R00010010
 For Release 2007/04/05: CIA-RDP83T00966R000100100007-3
BEET JOURNAL, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1982
aker!'
Sounds
'House
,s Robert L. Bart-
vspaper, wonders
Washington run-
,e phone bills to
'I visit Congress. I
with Congress, of
y -other political
ye depend on the
. on their staffs to
:e us marching or-
ending issues pa-
tbinks you should
the scenes once in,
grand legislative
nfolds on stage.
he least disre-
time, "to the a sti-
n who regularly
by don't you go up
g on? They ha-
:re than three out
far. What is it
:'ct. '
a day that wasn't
ln:'I knew there
rag very dramatic
s i used to say
ping on in private.
n!etely the sma
fled. Vanishe
Who's Afraid of Social Security?
By Rtuit:RT W. MI?kltl'
WASIIIN(;TON-In less than two ye;us,
Republican Sen. Pete Domenici faces the
carded his GOP colleague, Sen. Harrison
Schmitt. Worse for him, an important issue
in Sen. Sclunitt's defeat was the prospect
of congressional tampering with Social Se-
curity benefits, and Sen. Domenici is iden-
tified with those favoring such tamner-
ring.
But unlike many of his Republican
brethren, the chairman of the Senate Bud-
get Committee isn't avoiding Social Secu-
rity sniper fire by hiding out in the political
underbrush. With the huge governmental
pension system facing insolvency within a
year or so there'
,,
s a need for straight talk
he says, adding: "The only way to win on J
that issue is to meet it head-on."
That, say Dontenici aides, is precisely
what the senator does when he goes home
to New Mexico. "He stands up there before
those senior-citizen groups, and he doesn't
back down," says a top staffer. "He says,
'Look, this system is going bankrupt. Now
under what I want to do, all of you will still
get increases over time, bill we'll just slow
down the rate of increase so Social Secu-i
rity won't go bankrupt' And they say,;
k
What's more, many experts believe So "There's not much to be gained by getting
cial Security is in for all evert greater too far out front.-,
crisis ill the next century, when the large ]iut there's another view, the Dontenici
baby-bourn generation retires and roust be view, shared by others in both the House
supported in retirement by relatively fewer and Senate. This holds Ihat there are Iwo
workers. Over the next 73 years, the cons- battlegrounds. The first is the benefit is-
mission believes, the system needs St.ti tr'il- sue. Nobody wants benefits, or even benefit
lion in net income or reduced benefits to growth, cut. At mere mention of the idea,
survive. people on Social Security tremble with
With problems of such magnitude, most fears of losing significant portions of their
Republicans believe any solution must in- often-modest subsistence.
elude major reductions in projected benefit On this ground, Republicans always
levels. They particularly point to the auto- - lose, as Barry Goldwater did 18 years ago
matic cost-of-living increases that go to re- and Ronald Reagan did last year. Many
cipients annually and the current high "re- voters, it seems, suspect Republicans
placement rale"-the percentage of :, .__._..
Every time Republicans
on the Hill have persuaded
the president to get out
front' on Social Security,
says a presidential aide, 'he
ends up getting shot in the
back.'
ay. worker's final year-salary that lie gets in
That's the approach Sen. Domenici and Social Securit
bene
its in hi
fi
y
f
s
rst year of
a few other, congressional Republicans' retirement.
want President Reagan to take. They want: But will retired Americans and those
him to force the issue, pushing the political approaching retirement tolerate such
apparatus toward whatever seemingly tin; changes:' Won't they simply obliterate poli-
popular steps are needed-including major! ticians advocating benefit cuts?. Won't
cutbacks in benefit growth-to stave off ij> Democrats help Ili obliteration by attack-
~1Asy Whys to Sav
solvency. Many Republicans, assessing that
potential political force behind the idea oft
y
can win a battle fought on this ground.tHtrtl
getting to the solvency issue from the bene-
fit issue requires a very forceful drive-un-'
der fire by opponents-desilrned to convey
to the people just how serious the problem
is-and h ow committed Republicans are to
saving the system.
And who can better convey this to the
people, these Republicans ask, than their
own telegenic, septuagenarian leader" "I
think this president can sell ice cubes to
Alaskans," says Sen. Domenici's top bud- .
get aide, Steve Bell. "And he can sell a So-
cial Security solution to the old folks. But
he has to use the bully pulpit.-
Sell. Domenici says tie detects in elderly
voters a willingness to sacrifice a hit to
help younger- generations, who also are
struggling with economic hardships and
who worry about their own benefits at re-
tirement time. After all, he elutes, those
are their grandchildren. Ren. Henson
hronicleCal campaign at M~...~..
fv just past, when Democrats Many party members shy away from
battered their Gun nun-.-lc rl. :,......, _- .. .
-puulnnns cuunsel caution. Anti 1 an opening for attack. They hope for a
h come WI i
-tired them not to
rings were watch-
side, where they
~:s and type. To
.s gallery itself
,et serious.
.vas getting no re-
it was time for
'ltroduce their fa-
hem attached to
gressman on the
is stuff "tumble-
Congress."
s'the House was
nteresting. There
disputes that to
seemed, just a
member wanted
-e that the U.S.
ty, , which sells
Inside the Capi-
istrict of Colum-
nberspoke up to
tner'tVice' Presi.
turned into,a na-
tubers`engaged
somebody's eco-
.tte.from Ameri-
iImend that we
operative tariff
ow.,enjoyrin the
.1,; Rep. Barney
usetts, joined in
of :Tris-treated
.'aped to recover
.lvernment;, The
using the chem-
-
---~ _.r..-. .... - ..b....1.. 1-, WVIA, tl VUL tit I _--.-._ ?_..,.. .....,. a,u, 11.,10,
- ?
very thought of their man touching the some back room, to diminish the political lot of elderly people back home aren't as
high-voltage issue. "It's damn tough to win I risk. Barring that, they want House Demo- shook up over the issue as a lot of people
on Social Securit
-or
h
"
"
y
even address it
ave been sayin
crats to tak th ldh
,eeea on te issue-eveng. says an administration lobbyist. "I don't though they fear the Democratic solution These Republicans believe there's only
see how Reagan can will on it unless he will be unacceptably top-heavy with ore way to move beyond a stopgap solution
can somehow prevent his being identified roll-tax increases. pay- to a genuine one. That is to convince voters 1~
with it." "There's just a real reluctance to go that their party represents Social Security
actical dilemma reflects a politi- ahead and go out all by ourselves propos- solvency and guaranteed benefit payments
cal reality dating back to Social Security's fog what needs to be done," says the ad- to everyone in the system, retiree and pay-
creation in 1935: When it comes to the gov- ministration lobbyist. "We're a bit grin-shy roll taxpayers alike.
ernment's huge retirement program, vot- after getting shot in the head so many Besides, adds Mr. Bell, it's the only way
ens don't trust Republicans. From the times." for Republicans to escape the defensive
GOP's initial 1930s skepticism to Barry Indeed, the president has taken his posture on the issue that they have been
Goldwater's politically disastrous 1964 pro- lumps on Social Security the past two locked into the past 47 years. "If we stay
nowicements to the current president's years. First, in the sprinof 1981 he pro- I t'n the defensive," he says, "the Demo-
6 on tile issue, Republicans grap- posed a comprehensive solution that in crats will continue lobbing mortar shells on
pling with Social Security have demon- cluded drastic curtailments in early-retire top of us,. and-.we won't survive."
strated an uncanny knack for self-i
it
fli
t
d
n
c
e
wounds.
Most Ominous Domestic Crisis
It isn't surprising that many Republi-
cans now view the task of saving the sys
tem as akin to dismantling an unexploded
bomb. And yet, as the country's governing
party, they can't avoid leadership on what
many consider the most ominous domestic
crisis.
,
,
he risk of getting backed once a
Social Security's benefit payments treated, and the president found -himself_' - gain into
to 36 politically exposed on the issue again
inC01nP. The nrnararn'e ti- ~.., that defensive corner. With ten' tM ld ap
million Americans exceed its payroll-tax cry time Republicans on the-Hill have t