FDR MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN BUSH

That's right. A recent revelation (Hattip: DJ) on Polipundit proves that FDR was politically more conservative on the issue of Social Security than President Bush is today! I'm not making this up. This quote is from Bill Bennett's website:

FDR's Message to Congress on Social Security on Jan. 17, 1935:

"In the important field of security for our old people, it seems necessary to adopt three principles: First, noncontributory old-age pensions for those who are now too old to build up their own insurance. It is, of course, clear that for perhaps 30 years to come funds will have to be provided by the States and the Federal Government to meet these pensions.

Second, compulsory contributory annuities that in time will establish a self-supporting system for those now young and for future generations.

Third, voluntary contributory annuities by which individual initiative can increase the annual amounts received in old age. It is proposed that the Federal Government assume one-half of the cost of the old-age pension plan, which ought ultimately to be supplanted by self-supporting annuity plans."

Not only was the third phase of Roosevelt's SS plan to include private annuity accounts, but, the old-age pension plan was to be ultimately supplanted by those private accounts. Now read it again carefully. Roosevelt in 1935 said the old-age benefits of Social Security were to be supplanted, not supplemented, by private annuity accounts. Dictionary.com defines supplant as "to replace, to displace, to substitute for (i.e., as the computer supplanted the typewritter.)"

So when the Democrats crowded around FDR's statue for a photo op, and boldly denounced President Bush for wanting to privatize Social Security, they were actually dissing the vision of their Democrat demi-god Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Well, la-te-da.