By Randolph T. Holhut
www.OpEdNews.Com
DUMMERSTON, Vt. - I
look at how the Bush
administration is
trying to
manufacture a Social
Security "crisis,"
and it looks much
like what was done
to manufacture the
rationale for
invading Iraq.
Certainly the steps are the same. Invent a crisis where none currently exists. State only the information (real or not) that benefits your argument, and repeat it often. Ignore all information that might undermine your argument and attack anyone who might disagree. Then, after convincing everyone that there is a crisis and marginalizing your opponents, you come up with the solution to the crisis you manufactured.
Through constant repetition and taking full advantage of the limitations of journalism's objectivity fetish, the Bush administration can bend reality to fit its policy schemes.
As journalism is now practiced, to state the facts is considered an act of bias. In the case of the Iraq war, even though there was abundant evidence that the Bush administration was overstating its case at best and flat-out lying at worst, the cult of objectivity required giving the Bush administration's lies as much weight (and often times, more weight) as the opposing views. Pointing out discrepancies between the facts and the spin is sacrificed in the name of balance.
The Social
Security debate has
followed the same
path. News reports
dutifully repeat the
claim that the
program will go
bankrupt in 2042.
The reality is that,
if nothing is done,
Social Security will
be taking in more
revenue than it pays
out until 2018.
After 2018, current
obligations can be
met until 2042.
After 2042, there
would still be
enough money to pay
at least 73 percent
of benefits. These
figures aren't
wishful thinking
from a liberal think
tank, they are the
government's own
calculations.
However, just as it
was impossible to
convince the
American people in
2002 that Iraq did
not possess weapons
of mass destruction
and posed no threat
to the United
States, it is now
next to impossible
to convince many
Americans that
Social Security is
not going to go
bankrupt.
Once again, it's
about controlling
the language and
repeating your
message over and
over and over until
people believe.
For the last 20 years, conservatives have worked to change the perception of the program. For example, Social Security never used to be thought of as an investment program. It was conceived as a social insurance program to take care of the elderly, the orphaned and the infirm. But conservatives started talking about the rate of return and planted the seed that people would make more money investing what they pay in Social Security taxes in the stock market. Over time, people started believing this.
Sure, it is possible to make more money. But the beauty of Social Security is that it is a guaranteed benefit. The people who were close to retirement who lost a substantial chunk of their savings in the stock market troubles of 2001 and 2002 will not be seeing their lost money return. Markets don't always go ever upward. After the 1929 crash, it took until the 1950s for the stock market to recoup its losses. The Dow Jones average was stagnant from the late 1960s until the early 1980s. If you are unfortunate enough to need your retirement savings when the market is in a down cycle, you're out of luck.
But none of the
supporters of
privatization are
talking about this.
They just keep
saying that Social
Security is going
bankrupt, rather
than say it is the
most successful,
most popular and
best-run government
program ever
created. And far
from being bankrupt,
there is a Social
Security trust fund
with more than $2
trillion of
government bonds in
it. Far from being
"IOUs," these are
the same Treasury
bonds that this
nation is selling to
China and Japan to
paper over the
ever-growing federal
deficit. Think
President Bush is
going to tell this
nation's creditors
that those bonds are
just meaningless
pieces of paper that
the United States
has no legal
obligation to repay?
The public needs to be educated on the three main facts regarding Social Security - there is no Social Security crisis, Social Security is not going broke, and there is already enough money coming in to pay for the retirements of the Baby Boomers.
These are facts
that every American
- and every would-be
"reformer"
- needs to know. But
it was a fact that
Iraq didn't have
nuclear, chemical or
biological weapons,
and the United
States invaded
anyway. Again, the
Bush administration
has repeatedly shown
that it will not
allow facts to get
in the way of its
policy goals.
We can't allow Bush to fool us again. No one is asking for change except the financial services industry, which is lusting for the billions of dollars it would make administering private savings accounts, and hard-core conservatives, the people who have been fighting to kill Social Security ever since Franklin Roosevelt proposed it six decades ago.
But Social
Security is no
longer a liberal
program. It is
ingrained in the
fabric of America as
an example of the
best instincts of
our nation.
It is a prime
example of the
democratic ideal
that everyone should
act on behalf of the
collective interests
of society. Most of
us will eventually
grow old. Some of us
will have major
health problems as
we age. We
contribute money
when we are young,
healthy and employed
and draw benefits
when we aren't. It's
something we do
collectively. Some
of us will live
longer. Some of us
won't. Some of us
will be wealthier.
Some of us won't.
But the idea is that
we all share in the
responsibility of
taking care of the
aged, the disabled
and the sick with
the expectation that
others will do the
same for us when we
are in that
position.
So make this your New Year's resolution. If you hear someone on the radio or the television talking about Social Security going bankrupt, or if you read something in your newspaper to that effect, write in or call immediately. Demand that the press do its job and go beyond the phony attempts at objectivity and balance and instead report the relevant facts.
And if your
Congressman or
Senator is wavering,
write or call them
and let them know
that you are
watching and will do
your utmost to
remove them from
office if they cave
in to President
Bush's nonsense on
Social Security.
This is an eminently
winnable battle, but
only if enough
people care to
fight. Ultimately,
this isn't a fight
for a government
program.
This is a fight over
what sort of nation
we wish to be.<
Randolph T. Holhut
has been a
journalist in New
England for more
than 20 years. He
edited "The George
Seldes Reader"
(Barricade Books).
He can be reached at
randyholhut@yahoo.com
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