February 10, 2005
Huh??? Bush explains his social security plan.
Via Sidney Blumenthal's latest column in the Guardian,
Domestic Gibberish, and
Sideshow is a hysterical quote by our President explaining how he plans to fix Social Security. This is an exact quote. Keep in mind that this was a canned question at a controlled appearance, and that his handlers had surely gone over the question and appropriate answer with him in advance.
Q: How is the new plan going to fix [the] problem?
THE PRESIDENT: Because the -- all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer delivered to what has been promised.
Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled .... There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those -- if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.
Okay, better? I'll keep working on it. (Laughter.)
Great. Even he doesn't understand it. Gotta love the "Does that make any sense to you?" part. Uh, no it doesn't George. But don't let that stop you. It hasn't before, so why start now?
Anyway, if you want to read some _accurate_ statements about Social Security, by someone who actually understands it all, see the series of columns in the NY Times by esteemed economic
Paul Krugman. He even gets all of the figures correct. (Which very few of the many people commenting on this do, on all sides of the issue.)
