Spinacity

I want to call to your attention the letter in today’s New York Times signed by Al Hubbard, director of the president’s National Economic Council. He takes on columnist Paul Krugman, who said in his May 2nd column (a must-read!) that President Bush's plan to change the way Social Security benefits are calculated to increase would deliver a "gut punch" to the middle class.

Mr. Hubbard lauded the plan put forth by Robert C. Pozen (pointedly identified by Mr. Hubbard as a Democrat, though I don't know if it's true), who is apparently Mr. Bush's source and latest guru on matters of Social Security "reform." The president's man opined that Pozen’s plan “could be a model for reform,” that under it "lower-income workers would receive the fastest benefit growth of all. And everyone would receive greater benefits than today’s retirees.”

Well, yes, in the first instance, since lower-income workers would be the ONLY ones whose benefits were not cut, they would naturally receive the fastest benefit growth! As in: "Well, duh!"

And in the second instance, if you know the facts you know that payments to FUTURE retirees will exceed benefits paid to TODAY’S retirees in any event — even with the price-indexing adjustments that Mr. Pozen and the president want, but even more so under the existing, wage-indexed system.

Mr. Hubbard’s carefully crafted wording-to-deceive is one more example of the ongoing crime of spin. How long will Americans tolerate it?