Playing the Race Card
In a desperate attempt to gain support for his plan to privatize Social Security, the President is taking advantage of a tragic disparity among the races.
Namely, that African Americans on average have shorter life spans than white Americans. Describing Social Security as "unfair" to African Americans because "African-American males die sooner than other males do, which means the system is inherently unfair to a certain group of people," the president is shamelessly using every trick up his sleeve to convince Americans to support privatization.
Thankfully, the public isn't buying it. Most Americans have serious doubts about the President's views on Social Security, and members of Congress -- including those in the president's party — are increasingly skeptical of the Administration's plans. Here's what the Center for American Progress had to say on the issue:
Namely, that African Americans on average have shorter life spans than white Americans. Describing Social Security as "unfair" to African Americans because "African-American males die sooner than other males do, which means the system is inherently unfair to a certain group of people," the president is shamelessly using every trick up his sleeve to convince Americans to support privatization.
Thankfully, the public isn't buying it. Most Americans have serious doubts about the President's views on Social Security, and members of Congress -- including those in the president's party — are increasingly skeptical of the Administration's plans. Here's what the Center for American Progress had to say on the issue:
African Americans do not receive less in Social Security benefits than white Americans. As documented by the chief actuary of the Social Security Administration, "careful research reflecting actual work histories for workers by race indicate that the nonwhite population actually enjoys the same or better expected rates of return from Social Security" as whites.
The evidence supporting the President's claims come from a Heritage Foundation report so inaccurate that the actuary raised serious questions about its methodology.
Any reduction in Social Security benefits would badly harm the African-American community. African Americans depend heavily on Social Security benefits; according to the AARP, African Americans rely on Social Security benefits for 44 percent of the income.
That number is even higher for African-American women, who rely on Social Security for 56.8 percent of their income. And according to Hillary Shelton of the NAACP, "African-American children are almost four times as likely to be lifted out of poverty by Social Security benefits than our white counterparts."
The president needs to address the real inequities that affect African-Americans instead of exploiting them. For life expectancy of African Americans to improve, a concerted effort is needed to increase access to health care, reduce unemployment and poverty, and address the scourge of deadly youth violence.
Yet, despite his claims to be a "compassionate conservative," the President's budget makes clear that he has no intention of solving these problems. His budget cuts a number of critically important programs designed to help minorities and African Americans, while preserving tax cuts for the rich and powerful.
