"If one of the appeals to blacks is that they're not getting a fair shake because they die earlier, it would seem to me that they would at least address the question of why they die earlier and what we can do about it."
The argument that minorities don't get as good a deal out of social security as whites is fucked up on so many levels. First, the obvious one just mentioned: saying social security needs to be revamped because you'll die before you benefit much from it is like saying we shouldn't feed the hungry since, fuck, they're just going to die anyway. Seems like ass-backwards reasoning, doesn't it?
Second, the numbers are warped (try to act surprised). As the article mentions, average and median lifespans of minorities are skewed by a high infant mortality rate; a minority who reaches 65 only lives two years fewer, on average, than his or her white counterpart. Ok, so white people get another two years worth of retirement income. That doesn't say "overhaul" to me. It says, at best, "pro-rate retirement benefits for minority retirees." Somehow I don't think Republicans would think that's a good idea.
Third, the assertion is just plain wrong. Social security is a great deal for minority communities that are more economically challenged than their white counterparts. They rely on that money. And obviously the proponents of privatization don't even slightly have these communities' interests at heart. They're fucking carpetbaggers. These are the same people that welcomed the likes of Jesse Helms, Strom Thurmond, and Trent Lott into their ranks. These are the same people that have undermined affirmative action every chance they get. And now that they need the support of the same groups they have repeatedly fucked over, they have the balls to wander in and lecture them on how they're getting a bad deal from their government. Yeah, no shit.
It's just mindblowing. Even more mindblowing is that a lot of these groups tend to be more amenable to the Republican party. Yay religion. Yay for the painfully naive belief that just because someone else professes an affection for Jesus they won't turn around and dick you over if it serves their own interests.
*grumble*
Second, the numbers are warped (try to act surprised). As the article mentions, average and median lifespans of minorities are skewed by a high infant mortality rate; a minority who reaches 65 only lives two years fewer, on average, than his or her white counterpart. Ok, so white people get another two years worth of retirement income. That doesn't say "overhaul" to me. It says, at best, "pro-rate retirement benefits for minority retirees." Somehow I don't think Republicans would think that's a good idea.
Third, the assertion is just plain wrong. Social security is a great deal for minority communities that are more economically challenged than their white counterparts. They rely on that money. And obviously the proponents of privatization don't even slightly have these communities' interests at heart. They're fucking carpetbaggers. These are the same people that welcomed the likes of Jesse Helms, Strom Thurmond, and Trent Lott into their ranks. These are the same people that have undermined affirmative action every chance they get. And now that they need the support of the same groups they have repeatedly fucked over, they have the balls to wander in and lecture them on how they're getting a bad deal from their government. Yeah, no shit.
It's just mindblowing. Even more mindblowing is that a lot of these groups tend to be more amenable to the Republican party. Yay religion. Yay for the painfully naive belief that just because someone else professes an affection for Jesus they won't turn around and dick you over if it serves their own interests.
*grumble*
No comments:
Post a Comment