George W. Bush hasn't even spelled out the details of his plan to privatize Social Security and it's already in trouble, even among some Republican lawmakers--for good reason. There's mounting evidence that privatization won't solve any of the system's financial problems, which loom far in the future and can be easily fixed, but it will worsen the government's fiscal condition and reduce future benefits even below what would result if Congress did nothing at all.

Yet Bush will likely push ahead with this cornerstone of his "ownership society"--an agenda rooted in decades of right-wing opposition to the New Deal, driven by ideology and political strategy as well as a brazen desire to help the rich get richer. Progressives can and should fight privatization by highlighting its blatant shortcomings, but they must also confront the long-term strategic battle of which it is a part.

Bush's ownership society is a cleverly packaged assault on the idea that government should work for the common good and that there should be an expansive social contract. It advocates shrinking and privatizing government (including Medicare), undermining public education through vouchers, and reducing taxes on accumulated wealth. It even involves moving away from comprehensive government- or employer-provided health insurance to high-deductible "health savings accounts"--which will provide tax breaks for the rich, help few of the uninsured, prompt businesses to dump traditional health insurance for their employees and give less healthcare and more money problems to most people. The ownership society further shifts risk from corporations and the government to individuals--promoted as enhancing personal choice--and transfers income and wealth to those who already have it.

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