How Does the NYT Know That "Many House Republicans See a Need to Revamp Social Security?"

April 05, 2011

That is what the NYT told readers this morning. Of course the NYT has no ability to determine what needs politicians actually see, if in fact they do see anything. Politicians get elected by appealing to powerful interest groups who can supply them the money and support needed to win elections. They are not required to have visions of the country or the economy. What they present to the public as their vision is what they say, it may have nothing to do with what they actually believe.

The correct way to have reported this information would have been to tell readers that many Republicans “say” they see a need to revamp Social Security. It may have also been worth reminding readers that the Social Security trustees project that the program could pay all scheduled benefits for more than a quarter century and that after this date it would still be able to pay close to 80 percent of scheduled benefits, even if nothing is ever done to change the program. The benefit that is payable after 2037 would always be considerably larger than the benefits that retirees receive on average today.

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