ORLANDO, March 18 -- President Bush returned to the road Friday to stump for his plan to revamp Social Security, telling audiences at two Florida stops that, without quick action, the system's looming financial problems will imperil the retirement safety net the program has provided for 70 years.
Speaking before audiences here and earlier in Pensacola, Bush characterized the substantial congressional opposition to his plan to remake Social Security as politically motivated. He also called on congressional opponents to offer their suggestions for addressing the program's long-term financial problems. "The people of this country are tired of partisan bickering on big issues," he said.
Barbara Bush, 79, joined her son for his swing through Florida, providing a reassuring presence to endorse the president's promise that any changes to Social Security would not affect people 55 or older. The former first lady told an audience in Pensacola that she worries about the future of Social Security not for herself but for her 17 grandchildren. "We want to know, is someone going to do something about it?" she said.
In his remarks, Bush was careful to pay homage to Social Security's legacy, calling it "one of the great moral successes" of government. "Franklin Roosevelt did a good thing by setting up a safety net for seniors. And I applaud him for that," he said.
"But things have changed since Franklin Roosevelt was president," he added.
With the ratio of workers to retirees dwindling, Bush said the nation will not be able to pay promised Social Security benefits far into the future. He has proposed allowing workers to divert nearly one-third of their Social Security taxes into private accounts, which would be invested in a conservative mix of stocks and bonds. He has said the income from those accounts would help cushion the impact of any benefit cuts and would form part of the solution to the system's long-term fiscal problems.
Bush also expressed interest in a plan that would require wealthier Americans to bear a larger share of any reductions in Social Security's promised payments. "You can structure a system so that . . . we're taking care of the low-income people better," he said.
Bush's visit to Florida is part of a campaign that has taken him to at least14 states in an effort to sell his Social Security plan since his State of the Union Address on Feb. 2. After a weekend at his ranch in Texas, Bush is scheduled to pitch his plan again at events next week in Tucson, Denver and Albuquerque.
The trip comes amid signs that the president's proposal is struggling for support. Congressional Democrats, bolstered by senior citizen lobbying groups and labor unions, are solidly opposed to Bush's plan for personal accounts. Also, many Republicans are skeptical about making dramatic changes to the popular program.
Some polls have found that public support for remaking Social Security with personal accounts seems to diminish as people learn more about the idea. Bush has dismissed such evidence, saying his campaign to revamp the venerable retirement and disability program is in its first stage -- to alert people to the impending funding crisis.
None of the public ambivalence was apparent at Friday's carefully controlled events, where the crowds were uniformly supportive.
Doug Kirchgessner, 39, and his wife, Lauren, 37, arrived at Pensacola Junior College at 6:45 a.m. to attend the event, which started more than two hours later. The couple landed tickets through a golf buddy of Lauren's father.
"I'm interested in Social Security and what's going to happen," Doug Kirchgessner said. "Going to the private sector with Social Security allows us to have control over our money. I'm a fan of the president, but I do want to hear both sides of what's going on. Because at my age, I'm in the thick of it."
