Even as Bush is going out trying to sell gullible midwesterners about how grrrrreat it would be if Social Security were nothing but private accounts, the United States government’s social security website clearly indicates how ill-advised Bush’s scheme is:

Q: I think I could do better if you let me invest the Social Security I pay into an Individual Retirement Plan (IRA) or some other investment plan. What do you think?

A: Maybe you could, but then again, maybe your investments wouldn’t work out. Remember these facts:

-Your Social Security taxes pay for potential disability and survivors benefits as well as for retirement benefits;

-Social Security incorporates social goals – such as giving more protection to families and to low income workers – that are not part of private pension plans; and

-Social Security benefits are adjusted yearly for increases in the cost-of-living – a feature not present in many private plans.