AP Blows Social Security Headline
AP Blows Social Security Headline
The AP just posted a story after Republican Senators met with President Bush at the White House. If you read the AP’s breathless headline: “Bush Backs Soc. Sec. Bill Without Accounts,” you might be tempted to think there was a breakthrough in the Social Security stalemate. You might even think that President Bush was in fact being reasonable and willing to negotiate on his top domestic priority.
But a quick read of the actual story will quickly dispel that notion. The story cites Utah Senator Bob Bennett who is introducing two bills in the Senate — one with private accounts and one without. Not much of a compromise there So, what was Bush’s big endorsement?
According to the AP: “Bennett said when he told Bush of his plans, “He just said, ‘I like your bill.’ Period.”
The White House itself walked the story back, with White House spokesman Trent Duffy telling the AP, “This in no way should be interpreted to mean that the president is backing off of personal accounts. He is not.”
This refusal to drop private accounts is old news — it is the line the White House has taken from the beginning — and is the sole reason there has been no movement on addressing Social Security’s solvency issues.
So not much of a story after all, it seems. Apparently not even enough of one for the AP headlines writers to actually take the time to read.
– Jason Miner
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I don’t need to read the article to know that headline isn’t true. For Bush, private accounts are like sleeping and eating. He can’t give them up. They are part of his pyche.
June 21st, 2005 at 5:00 pmWelcome to the Blogesphere Jason. Congrats on your first post. This post is “inside the blogs” worthy
June 21st, 2005 at 5:02 pmDamn Liberal Media.
June 21st, 2005 at 5:10 pmThe Senate Republicans are saying they have a better method of funding private accounts. Instead of diverting FICA monies into a private accounts, they want to fund private accounts by taking the money JUST out of the Social Security Trust Fund.
How is this supposed to be DIFFERENT ?
June 21st, 2005 at 7:53 pmNext thing you know, I’ll be accused of something that isn’t true, according to the AP.
Can you imagine?
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June 21st, 2005 at 11:49 pmBush drop private accounts? That will be the day. His stubborness will always get the best of him. And who’s the genius at the AP that decided to title the article that way?
….I’m very impressed by the bloggers penmanship and political savvy. He should write for GQ.
June 22nd, 2005 at 9:24 amMany of the members of Congress were in office in 1983 when they enacted the current Social Security program. Aren’t they honor-bound to protect the program they enacted?
Additionally, isn’t the inadequacy of the current program a breach of fiduciary responsibility?
June 22nd, 2005 at 9:25 am[...] ashington Post Completely Oblivious on Social Security Yesterday, President Bush told Sen. Bob Bennett he didn’t object to Bennett introducing a Soci [...]
June 22nd, 2005 at 10:16 amI AM FOR PRIVATE ACCTS.
June 23rd, 2005 at 10:53 amI AM ON SOCIAL SECURITY & HAVE BEEN FOR 3
YEARS, I AM STILL WORKING, I STILL PAY INTO
SOCIAL SECURITY, I PAY TAX ON 85% OF MY
SOCIAL SECURITY INCOME, HAD PRIVATE
ACCTS. BEEN AVAILABLE TO ME DURING MY
PRIME EARNING TIME, I WOULD HAVE TAKEN
THE PROGRAM IN A HEARTBEAT.
THE DEMOCRATS HAVE NO IDEAS OTHER THAN
RAISE THE TAX TO AVOID INSOLVENCY.
THERE IS NO ONE IN THAT PARTY THAT HAS
ANY VISION AT ALL.
And exactly where do you propose the FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS in transition costs is to be acquired ? Not to mention, how do you explain to everyone earning more than $20K that their benefits will need to be CUT, so we can scrap Social Security and give it to Wall Street ?
REALITY CHECK:
10, 952.18 – Dow Jones close on November 7th, 2000 (election day)
10, 587.93 – Dow Jones close on June 22nd, 2005
In inflation-adjusted dollars, the market is down thousands of points.
Oh yeah, terrific plan.
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