Bush Says Social Security Shortchanges Blacks... Developing...

Drudge ^

[Next_Time_NJ]

Bush Says Social Security Shortchanges Blacks... Developing...

[Next_Time_NJ]

This is a good way to sell this. This is so true. Black people do have a shorter life expectancy. If averaged out they only get 3-5 years worth of what they paid into the system. While white women live the longest so they benefit from "the black mans work". I know this almost sounds liberal but basically black people are paying for white rich women’s social security. However, if you put it in this context, it will be easier for the democrats to vote for it. Good move Bush.

[nwrep]

Check-mate.

[Betaille]

This is absolutely true. Milton Friedman points out very well in many of his writings how many government programs actually hurt low-income americans the most.

[Southack]

Drudge.com is not Matt Drudge, but a copycat anti-Drudge site.

[Shermy]

"Check-mate."

Well, there goes all the "capital".

Is this a Rove idea? Hey, why not a male-female wedge issue?

[Next_Time_NJ]

whoops.. need a mod to change that.

[Dolphy]

I first heard Bush say this during the 2000 campaign. He also talked about what it would mean to be able to pass a lifetime of contributions on to survivors. The Dems will just hate this, it's more of the American Dream formula.

[Next_Time_NJ]

If Bush passes this .. it will be worth it... It might take all of it to pass this

[Shermy]

If Bush passes this .. it will be worth it... It might take all of it to pass this

Ya think so?

I think this is his Titanic.

We'll respectfully disagree.

[Betaille]

"Either U.S. citizens are enlightened enough to vote for their legislators AND handle their retirements, or they are not." - John E. Tamney

[oceanview]

and for all americans, not just african americans, the ability for families to accumulate wealth through inheritance is an important part of upward mobility. the rich have this all locked up currently, with their significant ownership of property and wealth producing businesses, and money for lawyers to structure trusts and estates for the heirs. thing we will ever see a poor Kennedy? middle class americans do not have such a luxury, and private retirement accounts will help.

[oceanview]

thing=think.

[Blzbba]

"I think this is his Titanic. "

Me too.

[CurlyDave]

Black people do have a shorter life expectancy.

While I do not doubt the truth of this statement, it masks the reality of the situation.

For instance if we look at the population of the US as a whole, for the year 2002, a person between 59 and 60 has a life expectancy of 21 more years. If we just look at US blacks the life expectancy for a person between 59 and 60 is 20.5 years. Now please explain just why this "enormous disparity" requires a racially-based change in the SS laws?

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/life2002.pdf

They don't present data on the life expectancies of working blacks, but I suspect the differences are even lower.

I think there is higher infant and childhood mortality, but once someone gets close to the age to actually collect SS, the difference is not nearly as large as the raw data would suggest.

[TheBattman]

I don't think you are on the same track as the thread - although you are technically correct in your statement.

So I guess the next step is giving african-americans (which is it?) higher benefit levels when they become eligible because they will likely not draw the benefits as long?

Give me a freaking break....

[Betaille]

Did I say anything to that effect? Did Bush say anything to that effect?
Bush is just making this case to bring african americans on-board for private retirement accounts. I think it is a misguided argument, but it is a fact that if you really look into these programs, you will find that it is low-income americans who are hurt most by them.

[Wristpin]

He's pointing out that 45 years of FICA taxes tend to become the Robert K. Byrd Death Windfall for the Federal Government if you kick the bucket early. Black men have a lower life expectancy and their families get systematically punished under the current system. A 401K type system is much better for them.

[TheBattman]

No - this is just the direction these issues ALWAYS go when differentiating between races (or any other demographic).

And I just cannot have respect for anyone who uses the race card to get people on board for a plan. Social Security is in dire need of an overhaul (actually it needs to be scrapped in favor of a totally private system...but that's a fight for another day). Playing the race card is simply an act of desperation that should never be played.

[FreedomNeocon]

I don't know if this is a new way to try to break into the Democratic stronghold of blacks, but its a BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD idea.

It will NEVER work.

You can't let a MASSIVE lumbering, system like Social security and make rules on race/sex/etc. A 'simple rule' will NOT be appropriate in all cases, and the volume is too great for any kind of individual case study.

It will just be MORE expensive, introduce more 'friction' between people and detps and red tape within the gov't. Everyone will be complaining that someone 'is getting more' than someone else, and nobody will be happy.

Besides, if I wanted to play devils advocate, I would say that:

Just becuase blacks have a statstically lower life span, they get screwed out of Social Security? WRONG!

What if we were to do the same for Welfare, and say that blacks take a disproportionate share of that gov't program and 'whites' or 'asians' are getting screwed out of that money?

What about a white or asian or whoever that 'stastically' makes use of private schooling. ARen't blacks or hispancis taking a disproportionate amt of the public schooling budget? Is that fair?

Its just a BAD Idea.

It thought it was a BAD IDEA when I saw it on FOX over the weekend, and it is a HORRIBLE idea that Bush would echo it.

When will people understand that no matter you intentions, when you base ANYTHING on race IT IS RACISM/SEXISM!!!! STOP IT NOW!

[driveserve]

"Playing the race card is simply an act of desperation that should never be played."

I don't see it as playing the race-card nor desperation. I see it as a truth that needs to be hammered in order to overcome the resistance of the left & democrats. To win the day so to speak.

For instance, (I know I'm going off a bit but stay with me), the people who would benefit most from school vouchers are low-income, urban blacks. It is they that suffer the most from lefty-democratic-NEA-government lock on education. The folks really clamoring for school-vouchers are low-income urban blacks. But they also happen to be overwhelmingly democrat & do you think for one day that they're going to get something from them that will actually make their lives easier/better? No way Jose'. If the conservative-right can get through the wedge-of-truth in order to separate the the NEA from the urban-black so we all benefit from vouchers, well & good. The same goes for Social Security: giving them & all the truth is not race baiting. Tailoring the message is not race-baiting.

Telling them that conservatives, Republicans & Christians are trying turn the clock back to the pre-Civil Rights era, is (IMHO).