Inouye criticizes Bush’s reforms

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye says he doubts President Bush will be able to push his Social Security reforms through Congress this year.

While Bush is urging changes to the federal government's retirement plan to allow workers to invest some portion of their retirement funds in a stock-market account, Inouye says the plan is risky, costly and lacks the support of Republicans.

"The president is not going to have an easy time with Social Security; in fact, he may not make it," Inouye said.

Hawaii's senior Democratic senator made his comments during the taping of the PBS show "Island Insights," which is co-sponsored by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The broadcast will be shown at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow on PBS.

"Before you make such a massive change, I think it would take a colossal study," Inouye said. "One cannot help but conclude that maybe he wants to dismantle Social Security."

President Bush is doing something no one has been successful in before. Sen Inouye implies that not finishing is failing, President Bush is not going to finish Social Security reform, so why try. But Sen Inouye has failed to understand lessons many people have learned before.

Failing isn't not finishing, it is not starting.

Thomas Edison could have been labeled as a failure. He tried many times to invent the lightbulb. Failed many times. Imagine if the first time Edison tried someone told him to quit because his first try would be a failure. Imagine how our lives would have been different.

President Bush understands something most people, including his enemies don't. The goal is not to reform Social Security, it is to begin it. President Bush isn't a failure if Social Security is reformed this year, don't forget that. I don't expect it to happen this year. But I expect President Bush to light the torch and carry forward the fight to reform Social Security.