Ron Paquette

To the editor,

I was pleasantly surprised when I read a few weeks ago that Rep. Jeb Bradley was standing firm in his opposition to the President's plan to privatize Social Security. Could it be that Jeb's big victory in November had begun to stiffen the backbone of our hometown boy? We all know that Jeb has been a loyal Republican. The President and the party leadership can always depend upon him to fall in line, regardless of what positions he took during the campaign.

The Associated Press quotes Mr. Bradley, "I am not undecided, I have taken the pledge. I will not support privatization of Social Security. That is crystal clear."

It is also crystal clear that the President's privatization plan does nothing to address the shortfall in funding coming in fifteen or twenty years, a shortfall easily addressed with a small upward adjustment to the level of wages taxed, now set at $90,000. The President's plan will, however, begin to destroy the social contract we Americans have made with each other to care for one another as we grow old, become disabled, or lose family income due to the early death of the primary wage earner, as my family did when my father died at age forty-two, leaving my mother alone to care for four children. Social Security was just that for us .. . security given us as members of our American society.

Jeb was right to oppose the president's plan to remove this guarantee of a minimum income for life at the cost of more billions of national debt plus all the Wall Street fees we will be charged to manage some new retirement scheme, the details of which, although still unclear, are rumored to favor the rich and short change the poor, no surprise there.

When the President brought his horse and pony show to Portsmouth Jeb was nowhere to be seen. Wonderful, great, I thought. Although Jeb didn't have the courage to stand up and oppose the President at least he didn't wimp out and support him. Perhaps Jeb had begun to think for himself, to take into account the hopes and needs of his constituents. Perhaps he was beginning to grow into an actual legislator and outgrow his rigid political partisanship. Well, the sad truth is that it didn't take long for a little political heat to dissolve that backbone.

Jeb is trying to weasel out of his crystal clear opposition to the privatization of Social Security by adding one simple word "fully". Has Jeb forgotten his pledge? Now he is indeed undecided and his position muddy. He is falling in line like a good Republican soldier. Now he is against only the of full privatiziation of Social Security, and he says we should consider all options.

Nice try Jeb, but you can't have it both ways. You can't represent the people of New Hampshire with honor and honesty living up to your campaign promises, while you fast talk around your positions and continue to vote like a Republican pawn. That is crystal clear. I hope you recognize this soon and develop a little independence, so you may someday grow into the man we thought you were when we sent you to Washington to be our Representative.

Ron Paquette

Wolfeboro