Florida FreedomWorks Cheer PRAs at President Bush’s Townhall

FreedomWorks is on the front lines of the battle over Social Security (check out the great photos below). Over a hundred FreedomWorks activists, many donning Social Security reform stickers, came out to support Personal Retirement Accounts (PRAs) at President Bush’s Florida townhall meeting on the issue.

The event, which took place in Tampa on Friday, February 4th, was part of a series of town halls the White House is conducting across the country. Led by Florida FreedomWorks Director John Hallman and Volunteer Chapter Leader Tom Gaitens, FreedomWorks members came from all around the state of Florida and enthusiastically cheered the President’s plan to save Social Security. 25 FreedomWorks activists including John and Tom were selected to sit in the VIP section onstage.

At the townhall discussion, President Bush made the case for reform through personal accounts that workers own and control. He explained the Social Security crisis and how the system will run into the red in just 13 years, forcing America to “raise taxes dramatically, borrow significant amounts of money, slash government programs, or slash benefits in order to make that red in that chart go away.”

One FreedomWorks activist, Carlos Huertas, was invited to discuss Social Security reform face-to-face with the President. Carlos is a 46-year-old support engineer with three children who wants a nest-egg to pass onto his family. Carlos is also a dedicated FreedomWorks activist and helps distribute copies of FreedomWorks’ educational booklet on PRAs.

While telling President Bush why he supports personal accounts, Carlos compared Social Security to his 401(k): “And the thing I like about the proposed reforms to Social Security is that, just like I do on the 401k, I can invest in the market where I get a better return, plus I can keep control of my finances just like I like it.”

FreedomWorks Florida Director John Hallman commented:

“The turnout for the President’s townhall was amazing. FreedomWorks activists are passionate about Social Security reform and were eager to show their support for President Bush’s plan. It was also exciting to see one of our most dedicated activists, Carlos, onstage with the President and making the case for personal accounts.”

“Our members were energized by the event, and we are already planning the next step in our grassroots campaign to promote Social Security reform.”