Over the last week, the Kochs’ millennial-outreach front group has placed generic anti-Social Security op-eds in newspapers across the country, including in Colorado, Missouri, Florida,Oklahoma, and Mississippi.
Written by the group’s policy director, David Barnes, the op-ed approaches the group’s anti-Social Security agenda with fearmongering pessimism, claiming that:
- “Social Security’s math no longer works”;
- “Millennials are out of luck”;
- “This is a full brown crisis”; and, last but not least,
- “Social Security is an unsustainable relic of a bygone era that threatens to take us down with it.”
Beyond the op-ed campaign, the Koch group has similarly exposed its mission to destroy Social Security by promoting grassroots campaigns “petitioning” and “tabl[ing]” for “#liberty and #SocialSecurityReform.”
Previously, the group’s resorted to violent imagery to fearmonger over the supposed Social Security “crisis,” tweeting out the image of a a young professional being held up with a gun to his head — ostensibly to illustrate that Social Security is robbing him blind. Beyond that, Generation Opportunity’s called Social Security a “scam” and characterized the vital retirement program as “Washington doing…retirement planning.”
Generation Opportunity purports to be a group that has young people’s best interests at heart, but the reality is it’s nothing but a Koch engineered sham to attack and dismantle Social Security.
While Millennials are still free to donate to our favorite Kickstarter campaigns in exchange for a free t-shirt, what young Americans really need is access to investment opportunities that will help us plan for our futures.
Since it is highly unlikely that today’s young Americans will ever see even penny’s worth of Social Security benefits, it is especially important for Millennials to have a financial plan in place that will provide alternative options for our retirement.
Fortunately for young Americans, the Fix Crowding Act, which passed the House last week, seeks to eliminate barriers to investment opportunities by allowing more people to participate in crowdfunding opportunities. If the bill passes in the Senate, Millennials will get the opportunity to become investors without first having to meet the federal qualifications.
Background:
Generation Opportunity’s Campaign Against Social Security
Extreme Rhetoric And Solutions
Suggested Crowdfunding As A Replacement To Social Security
GenOpp: Since It’s Highly Unlikely Social Security Will Pan Out, Congress Should Pass The “Fix Crowding Act” To Eliminate Barriers To Investment And Open More Crowdfunding Opportunities As A Way To Save For Our Futures. According to Generation Opportunity, “Since it is highly unlikely that today’s young Americans will ever see even penny’s worth of Social Security benefits, it is especially important for Millennials to have a financial plan in place that will provide alternative options for our retirement. Fortunately for young Americans, the Fix Crowding Act, which passed the House last week, seeks to eliminate barriers to investment opportunities by allowing more people to participate in crowdfunding opportunities. If the bill passes in the Senate, Millennials will get the opportunity to become investors without first having to meet the federal qualifications. By eliminating needless regulation that keeps Millennials out of the investment game, my generation will have more access to opportunities that will allow us to save for our futures.” [GenOpp, 7/14/16]
Use Of Violent Imagery
GenOpp Tweeted A Picture Of A Person With A Gun To Their Head In Reference To Social Security. The following screenshot is of a GenOpp tweet featuring a person with a gun to their head as a visual for their messaging on Social Security: See linked tweet. [GenOpp – Twitter, 6/23/16]
References To Social Security As An Outdated Scam
GenOpp: “Millennials Are Better At Saving Than Prior Gens. We Can Set Up Bank Accounts On A Phone. Social Security Is Outdated.” According to a tweet from GenOpp, “#Millennials are better at saving than prior gens. We can set up bank accnts on a phone. #SocialSecurity is outdated p2a.co/isfIiXV.” [GenOpp, 7/28/16]
GenOpp Referred To Social Security As A Scam That We Will “Never Benefit From.”According to a tweet from GenOpp, “#ItMayBeAScamIf you pay 1/8 of your wages into a fund that you’ll never benefit from. #SocialSecurity pic.twitter.com/xNuuXk0JNq.” [GenOpp – Twitter,7/14/16]
GenOpp: “The LAST Thing Millennials Need Is Washington Doing Their Retirement Planning.” According to a tweet from GenOpp, “The LAST thing #Millennials need is Washington doing their retirement planning. usat.ly/29RoW8t pic.twitter.com/qKvzawBzVs.” [GenOpp – Twitter, 7/14/16]
Multi-State Op-Ed Campaign
Charleston Gazette-Mail
GenOpp National Spokeswoman Patrice Lee Onwuka: “Social Security Is The World’s Worst Retirement Plan Yet Few Policymakers Want To Renovate It.” According to an op-ed from GenOpp National Spokeswoman Patrice Lee Onwuka for the Charleston Gazette-Mail, “Each pay cycle I put one-eighth of my paycheck into a hole and I’ll never get it back. Social Security is the world’s worst retirement plan, yet few policymakers want to renovate it for the 21st century.” [Patrice Lee Onwuka – Charleston Gazette-Mail, 7/26/16]
- Onwuka:“The Republican Party Platform Pays Lip Service To Preserving And Modernizing Our System Of Retirement Security, But Doesn’t Offer Any Reforms.”According to an op-ed from GenOpp National Spokeswoman Patrice Lee Onwuka for the Charleston Gazette-Mail, “The Republican Party platform pays lip service to preserving and modernizing our system of retirement security, but doesn’t offer any reforms.” [Patrice Lee Onwuka – Charleston Gazette-Mail, 7/26/16]
- Onwuka: The Democratic Party Has Offered No Commitment To Address Problems With Social Security And They Vow To “FightEvery Effort To Cut, Privatize Or Weaken Social Security.” According to an op-ed from GenOpp National Spokeswoman Patrice Lee Onwuka for the Charleston Gazette-Mail, “Meanwhile, we see no commitment to changing a system that is on the road to insolvency in the Democratic Party’s draft platform. They proudly take credit for what they call ‘the most successful government program in our nation’s history’ vowing to ‘fight every effort to cut, privatize or weaken Social Security.’” [Patrice Lee Onwuka – Charleston Gazette-Mail, 7/26/16]
Onwuka: “Like A Person Who Puts $5 Of Gas In Their Car To Get Down The Road, Social Security Is Running On Fumes.” According to an op-ed from GenOpp National Spokeswoman Patrice Lee Onwuka for the Charleston Gazette-Mail, “Like a person who puts $5 of gas in their car to get down the road, #SocialSecurity is running on fumes.” [Patrice Lee Onwuka – Charleston Gazette-Mail, 7/26/16]
Onwuka: “A Fair System Should Encourage Us To Become A Nation Of Savers And Give Us More Control Over Our Retirements.” According to an op-ed from GenOpp National Spokeswoman Patrice Lee Onwuka for the Charleston Gazette-Mail, “First, we need transparency to expose the actual cost to taxpayers. We see 6.2 percent of our salaries taken out in FICA taxes, but how many American realize that employers match that? Some 12.4 percent of our pay goes to Social Security leaving employers with less money to pay toward salaries […] Third, individuals must own their retirement the way they own their careers. Millennials are already saving for when they leave the workforce, but still paying into Social Security with no expectation of return. A fair system should encourage us to become a nation of savers and give us more control over our retirements.” [Patrice Lee Onwuka – Charleston Gazette-Mail, 7/26/16]
The Gazette
Generation Opportunity Policy Director David Barnes: Millennials Need To Face The Fact That “Social Security Is An Unsustainable Relic Of A Bygone Era” That Can’t Be Sustained Or Expanded. According to an op-ed by Generation Opportunity policy director David Barnes for the Gazette, “This is a full-blown crisis. Doing nothing, per Republicans, is irresponsible. Vowing to expand the program, per Democrats, is delusional. Millennials have the most at stake in this debate. We have to face the fact that Social Security is an unsustainable relic of a bygone era that threatens to take us down with it.” [David Barnes – Gazette, 8/4/16]
Barnes: “Social Security Should Be Redesigned To Give Us The Flexibility To Instantly Tailor It To Our Individual Needs.” According to an op-ed by Generation Opportunity policy director David Barnes for the Gazette, “It’s time for lawmakers to bring Social Security into the 21st century. Technological advances have given our generation unprecedented control over our daily lives. Why should Social Security be any different? Talk to any millennial about what we want from benefits and in retirement, and you’ll probably hear the word ‘flexibility.’ Mutual funds, IRAs, 401(k)s and all kinds of modern retirement programs all provide exactly that, and they are accessible with just a few clicks. Instead of being a monolithic, one-size-fits-all program, Social Security should be redesigned to give us the flexibility to instantly tailor it to our individual needs. This will never happen if millennials don’t fight for it. Right now, Republicans and Democrats are letting a bad situation get even worse. We should reject their empty promises and demand a better deal – a deal that works for our generation, rather than against us.” [David Barnes – Gazette, 8/4/16]
Clarion-Ledger
Generation Opportunity Policy Director David Barnes Clarion-Ledger Op-Ed Headline: Social Security Is Not Option For Millennials. [David Barnes – Clarion-Ledger, 8/6/16]
Generation Opportunity Policy Director David Barnes: Democrats And Republicans Are Actively Trying To Ruin Our Futures By Plaining To Maintain Or Expand Social Security.According to an op-ed by Generation Opportunity policy director David Barnes for the Clarion-Ledger, “For the 28 percent of Mississippi’s population who are millennials, politics probably looks pretty bleak this year. No wonder: Both parties are actively trying to ruin our futures. I’m talking about what Democrats and Republicans want to do with Social Security. No one should be surprised to learn this federal program is on the fast track to bankruptcy. That’s been well-known for more than a decade. […] This is a full-blown crisis. Doing nothing, per Republicans, is irresponsible. Vowing to expand the program, per Democrats, is delusional.” [David Barnes – Clarion-Ledger, 8/6/16]
Pensacola News Journal
Generation Opportunity Policy Director David Barnes Reprinted An Op-Ed In The Pensacola News Journal Against Social Security. [David Barnes – Pensacola News Journal,8/9/16]
Tulsa World
Generation Opportunity Policy Director David Barnes Reprinted An Op-Ed In The Tulsa World Against Social Security. [David Barnes – Tulsa World, 8/8/16]
St. Louis Post Dispatch
Generation Opportunity Policy Director David Barnes Reprinted An Op-Ed In The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Against Social Security. [David Barnes – St. Louis Post-Dispatch,8/9/16]
Grassroots Campaigning
GenOpp FL Announced That Their Florida Team Along With HQ Staff Petitioned For Social Security Reform. According to a tweet from GenOpp FL, “Our FL team is out today with some HQ Staff petitioning for #SocialSecurityReform! What a stellar team!pic.twitter.com/NpEc6f8Kwz.” [GenOpp FL – Twitter, 8/2/16]
GenOpp FL Tabled For Social Security “Reform.” According to a tweet from GenOpp FL, “Its a beautiful day in Florida to table for #liberty and #SocialSecurityReformpic.twitter.com/ivJmanZcVN.” [GenOpp FL – Twitter, 7/19/16]
GenOppOH: “Call On The POTUS & Congress To Bring Real Reform To Social Security.”According to a tweet from GenOppOH, “Will you join us? Call on the POTUS & Congress to bring real reform to Social Security p2a.co/isfIiXV pic.twitter.com/NnkEKjhoEQ.” [GenOppOH – Twitter, 7/26/16]