The president's claim that Social Security is going broke is misleading at best. The sky is not falling, although there is no doubt that the system needs to be strengthened.

President Bush has consistently used rhetoric, and that is not convincing given his past record.

Almost half of all Latinas currently on Social Security rely exclusively on their benefit check in retirement.

Latinos are disproportionately more likely to be injured on the job than other ethnic groups.

To allow all U.S. workers to put part of their earnings into private investment accounts would definitely erode the Social Security system and cause uncertainty for new investors.

A Congressional Budget Office report released as recent as June 2004 says the system will be able to pay full benefits until 2052, and 80 percent after that.

Because of their low earnings and family obligations, Latinas would not be putting much money into private investment accounts. An average Latina could wind up losing thousands of dollars under this proposal.