Only workers who have money to save -- and are gullible enough to trust their money to Wall Street -- will put money in their new Social Security accounts.
The killing of Social Security and Medicare cannot be a one-act drama. If both programs were instantly destroyed, the public outrage would be uncontrollable. Obama's deficit commission, then, will likely work to undermine the program in a variety of ways so that a future Congress can finish the job.
Therefore, Obama's commission may recommend a variety of tactics to strip the program: instituting benefits cuts, increasing the age at which benefits are received, and introducing a limited option for personal accounts. Also possible is the implementation of a tiny, ineffectual tax on the rich to give the illusion that everybody is making "sacrifices."
Whatever methods are used to attack Social Security, they will surely erode the last vestiges of credibility from the two-party system. Most Republicans are aware that their cooperation on the elimination of Social Security and Medicare will destroy what's left of their party, which is why they are in the midst of creating a new, more radically right-wing party -- now a mere tea party.
But the above scenarios are not inevitable, as the corporate establishment would have you think. The only reason Social Security and Medicare were not attacked earlier was the fear of working class reaction. That fear must be reintroduced.
A coalition of unions, pensioners, AARP members, and other retiree organizations must unite to oppose any cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and social services. To begin, these groups could include their demands in a "jobs for all" march on Washington, which many unions have been calling on the labor movement to organize.
Other community and student groups would be drawn into such a struggle, as could the general public. In place of cuts to essential services, a tax on the wealthy and corporations must be demanded, alongside of an end to foreign wars, bank bailouts, and other forms of corporate welfare. If such a coalition fails to materialize, the banks and corporations will continue to loot workers in this country unchallenged.
The sooner the cutbacks are organized against and smashed, the better.
Shamus Cooke is a social service worker, trade unionist, and writer for Workers Action (www.workerscompass.org). He can be reached at shamuscook@yahoo.com
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