Chicago Tribune:Obama slams Bush for linking accounts to blacks' life span

[Tweed]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0503110180mar11,1,7758254.story?coll=chi-news-hed

"WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday called President Bush's suggestion that African-Americans could reap greater rewards from overhauling Social Security a "stunning" argument that ignored the true health issues facing blacks in this country.

As the president launched a two-day tour through the South to build support for his controversial plan to revamp Social Security, Democrats challenged a White House assertion that blacks would particularly gain from Bush's proposed private retirement accounts because they have fewer years to collect benefits considering they die younger.

"It is puzzling to me that we are even having this debate about whether Social Security is good or not for African-Americans," said Obama, an Illinois Democrat. "I frankly found the statement that the president made somewhat offensive."

While Bush argued his case that the future of the Social Security program was in peril without substantial changes like creating private investment accounts, Senate Democratic leaders tapped Obama to rebut the argument about overhauling Social Security."

[NYC]

1. This is stunning.

The administration and conservative scholars have quietly suggested that blacks may be more inclined to support the Social Security changes because, on average, whites live to age 78 and blacks to 72. So blacks, after contributing to Social Security their whole lives, are more likely to die before collecting their fair share.

"African-American males die sooner than other males do, which means the system is inherently unfair to a certain group of people," Bush said this year at a forum on Social Security. "And that needs to be fixed."

[kevsand]

2. Not to mention probably inaccurate.

I think I remember sometime in the last few weeks seeing someone point out that one reason for the lower average lifespan among black males was an unusually high mortality rate in their younger years. The speaker indicated that, for black males who survive past thirty, everything tends to even out, and they live nearly as long as their white counterparts.

While the mortality rate for young black males obviously needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, this fact clearly gives the lie to Bush's claims that they're paying in and not getting it back.

Does anyone remember seeing this, so I can be sure I heard it right?

[Withywindle]

3. That sounds correct to me, I believe I have read that too.

...and any other difference in lifespan can probably be attributed to, hello, INADEQUATE HEALTH CARE. (How about addressing that instead of acting like AAs dying earlier is a GOOD THING, you ignorant racist sociopathic fuckbag of a FAKE PRESIDENT! :mad:)

[applegrove]

4. Yeah! They are getting their act together and their message out.

Look for the Repukes to start with the personal attacks.