FreedomWorks Members Discuss PRAs with President Bush

Yesterday, two FreedomWorks members personally urged President Bush to enact Personal Retirement Accounts (PRAs) for Social Security. Scott Ballard and Josh Wright were two of six participants in a discussion on Social Security hosted by the White House. Both Scott and Josh appeared on stage with the President. They were joined by their families and over 80 FreedomWorks members and staff in attendance at today’s event.

The first FreedomWorks member and panel participant was Scott Ballard of Wenatchee, WA. Scott, an ardent supporter of reform and co-owner of Ballard Ambulances, attended the meeting with his wife and two sons. Scott explained that PRAs— like 401(k)s— would expand ownership and give a whole new group of people a vital interest in the stake of our society.

Josh Wright, the second FreedomWorks activist on the panel, flew to Washington, D.C. this week with his wife. Josh is a 27-year-old fifth generation farmer from Utah County, UT who believes that workers ought to have the right to invest their payroll taxes in a personal account. When discussing the Social Security crisis with Josh, President Bush pointed out that if “we don’t start moving on it now, by the time Josh gets to retirement age, the system will be flat broke.”

Many of the FreedomWorks members attending the event also came to Washington, D.C. from North Carolina by bus. Sporting FreedomWorks Social Security t-shirts and stickers, these dedicated activists showed that Americans from all walks of life support real Social Security reform.

This “fly-in” of FreedomWorks members from across the nation is part of a larger campaign to push for PRAs on the grassroots level. In multiple states, FreedomWorks members are visiting their legislators at their district offices and urging them to enact Social Security reform.