web counter Media Lies: Is this fact checking?

Friday, February 04, 2005

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Is this fact checking?

Factcheck.org wades in to the social security debate, commenting on Bush's use of the word bankruptcy with this.
In his State of the Union Address, President Bush said again that the Social Security system is headed for "bankruptcy," a term that could give the wrong idea. Actually, even if it goes "bankrupt" a few decades from now, the system would still be able to pay about three-quarters of the benefits now promised.
I don't know about you, but when I'm 75 years old and the government suddenly cuts my retirement benefits by 25% I'm gonna want some politicians' scalps.

It seems to me this is nothing more than nit-picking. Salesman use emotion-laden terms for a reason — they're trying to motivate the buyers. Bush is nothing more than a salesman for the idea that we need to do something about Social Security now. To complain about his use of terminology seems to me to be missing the point.

If a business told their debtors that they were sorry but, in the future, they could only pay 75 cents on every dollar they were owed, what do you think would happen to that business?

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