Calculating Democratic Nonsense

American Association of Independent Voters ^ | Mar 5, 2005 | Chris Shugart

[Chris_Shugart]

Calculating Democratic Nonsense 
by Chris Shugart, Mar 5, 2005

On Feb 17, Democratic Senators Harry Reid and Charles Schumer announced the unveiling of their Social Security calculator, a political contrivance designed to "demonstrate" the unworkability of President Bush's Social Security reform proposals. It wasn't much of a news story until Schumer issued his own press release to the media. All of a sudden the news outlets were parroting the press release as if it was hard news, treating the story as if the Democrats really had just designed an actual Social Security calculator that functioned with the precision and accuracy of a NASA computer.

Let's get this out of the way first: There is no calculator. That would imply that objective mathematics was being applied. No, what the Democrats have created is not so much a calculator as it is a spin machine meant to assist their efforts to derail Social Security reform.

Oh, they've made it look like a calculator. You can see it on the Democrat's Senate website: http://democrats.senate.gov/ . It's interactive and easy to use. All you do is plug in all the pertinent numbers and presto, through the magic of Democrat Math, the calculator amazingly spits out a number that shows you how much money you'll lose if Bush's Social Security reform plans are implemented.

Of course, the fact remains that Schumer's virtual cyber-contraption isn't a calculator. It isn't even a reliable analysis of actual numbers. Worse than that, the whole premise is deceptive. On their website, the Dems admit that Bush "has not made a specific proposal." But that didn't stop them from fudging a few figures anyway.

To add to their deception, the Democrats claim that their calculations are based on "Congressional Budget Office economic assumptions," which is clearly meant to imply that the CBO is the source of these assumptions. This is plainly false. The CBO has made absolutely no assumptions to substantiate any of the Democrats claims.

Let's set the record straight here and now. These so called economic assumptions have been derived by Jason Furman of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That's the fine print you'll find at the bottom of the calculator web page if you follow the Democrats link to their "Explanation of Calculations and Assumptions."

First, a brief look at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. They're a liberal advocacy group that supports and promotes federal entitlement programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, and a just about every other government program that provides financial benefits and assistance.

Jason Furman, the cited source for the Democrats Social Security Calculator, is a Senior Fellow at the Center. But that hardly begins to tell his story. Previously he served as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy in the Clinton Administration. And if that isn't enough, Furmon was also the Director of Economic Policy for the Kerry-Edwards campaign.

So there you have the full schematic diagram of the Democrat's Social Security calculator—an engineering marvel of partisan political subterfuge. And you know, it got me to thinking about building my own calculator. So that's what I did. I'm not calling a press conference or anything, but just the same I'm officially announcing the unveiling of the Democratic Nonsense Calculator.

Actually I didn't build it. It's really a plastic Magic 8 Ball. But I did take a label sticker and paste "DNC" over the "8," which makes it every bit as legitimate as any goofy gadget the Democrats might try to devise. It seems to be working pretty well, too. I just consulted my new calculator and asked, "Will the Dems continue to use foolish gimmicks in a non-stop effort to obstruct the Bush Administration?"

Signs point to yes.

[exDemMom]

It's really a plastic Magic 8 Ball. But I did take a label sticker and paste "DNC" over the "8," which makes it every bit as legitimate as any goofy gadget the Democrats might try to devise.

LOL!

[jec41]

Leave SS alone and let it die the death it deserves. Make sure the democrates get the credit.