Argggghhh
My friend Scooter is much more knowledgable about the Bush Social Security "plan" than I am -- though he doesn't blog about it. But this -- this just cheeses me.WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush told black leaders Tuesday that his plan to add private accounts to Social Security would benefit blacks since they tend to have shorter lives than some other Americans and end up paying in more than they get out.Why am I cheesed?
...
"African-American males have a -- have had a shorter life span than other sectors of America," said White House press secretary Scott McClellan. "And this will enable them to build a nest egg of their own and be able to pass that nest egg on to their survivors."
- Black males do, on average, have a shorter life expectancy. But that's mostly because of (a) higher infant mortality and (b) a higher-than-average rate of mortality among teenage black males. Once a black male enters the work force and starts paying into Social Security, his life expectancy is little different from that of his white co-worker.
- Assuming, though, that Bush and McClellan aren't completely twisting the data to their own advantage, and that black workers will all drop dead before they're able to draw on Social Security -- does that mean that their Social Security taxes are now all going to pay off white retirees? Hardly. Spouses and children are collecting them as survivor benefits.
- Again, assuming that Bush and his pals aren't just telling bald-faced lies (and yes, I know, that's a huge assumption) -- should the focus really be on Social Security reform? Shouldn't it maybe be, you know, on examining and ameliorating the root causes of the disparity between black and white life expectancy?
posted by MeanMrMustard @ 12:18 PM
<< Home