Wash. Post lets McCain's false claim on Social Security go uncorrected

[madfloridian]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200503240002

Wash. Post lets McCain's false claim on Social Security go uncorrected, attributed bogus view to privatization opponents.

Washington Post staff writers Michael A. Fletcher and Jim VandeHei quoted Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in a March 23 article falsely asserting that in 2042, "we stop paying people Social Security," but failed to correct his erroneous claim. The Post also wrongly attributed to unnamed "opponents" of Social Security privatization the inaccurate view that "the system's core problem" is that "benefit payments are estimated to surplus tax receipts by 2018."

In fact, though the Social Security trustees predict that the system's trust fund will be exhausted in 2042, the program will still be taking in new revenue from payroll taxes at that point. According to the 2004 report of the Social Security trustees, even if no changes are made to current law, "Present tax rates would be sufficient to pay 73 percent of scheduled benefits after trust fund exhaustion in 2042 and 68 percent of scheduled benefits in 2078." Because scheduled benefits are expected to rise faster than inflation, 73 percent of benefits scheduled for 2042 would still be greater, in real terms, than the benefits that today's retirees receive....."

[gratuitous]

1. Well, they could correct Senator Straight Talk only if they knew the truth

And the Post has been in the vanguard of fuzzing up the facts on social security -- after all, it's not like anyone in the upper echelons of the paper expects to be dependent on geezer welfare.

And correct John McCain? Yeah, sure. And the first email or letter that hits their mail box is going to demand to know why The Post is siding with McCain's North Vietnamese captors, and accuse them of spitting on all returning veterans.

Much easier to just lay low, dissemble, and avoid upsetting the Fruitcake Express.

[RobertSeattle]

2. He's a straight talking BS Artist