Poor Social Security Logic

Re “Blacks Courted on Social Security,” Feb. 28: One would hope that when considering the Republican argument regarding the shorter life expectancy of black people -- which would lead to less return on their Social Security investment -- that black people would instead push for basic healthcare, the far greater and more immediate problem.

Why not work toward longer life for votes, and then talk return on investment?

Mary Kay Gordon

Santa Monica

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Being an African American male, I am insulted by the Bush administration’s ploy to seduce black support for his wrongheaded plan to overhaul Social Security by creating private investment accounts.

However, I am more deeply disturbed by black faith-based-financed bishops and ministers who are being hustled to hustle members of their congregations to accept this modern-day gambit of 40 acres and a mule. It is easy to imagine these self-serving ministers as descendants of the “colored” pastors who criticized Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolent tactics, that is until the Black Panthers showed up.

Much like the Africans who captured other Africans for white slave traders, one now sees a black former welfare mother, Star Parker, leading a conservative “think tank” that supports private investment accounts. One can only speculate where the welfare checks in her current bank account originate.

Ron Neal

Westlake Village

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I have greatly appreciated your recent coverage of President Bush’s attempt to sell privatization of Social Security in the African American community.

He argues that life expectancy among African Americans is less than that of the rest of the U.S. population, and therefore they lose under the current system. The Feb. 28 story shows this argument to be a virtual statistical fallacy, as most of the discrepancy is because of violent deaths of young African Americans. Nevertheless, I wish to express my moral outrage at the logical fallacy of the argument as well. If the long-term fix for Social Security is privatization and African Americans should accept privatization because they do not live as long, then the president is essentially telling us that he expects shorter life expectancies for African Americans to continue indefinitely. I believe that the high rates of murder of young African Americans is a morally unacceptable state of affairs, and that Bush owes us real solutions to this problem, not an amoral attempt to sell his Social Security reform on the basis of continuing this state of affairs.

Robert O. Vos

Los Angeles

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Re “Santorum Puts Rate Hike on Table,” Feb. 28: Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) has a nerve, asking Democrats for help and offering higher Social Security rates in exchange -- as if Democrats savor a good tax increase as the ultimate, supremely irresistible offer that can’t be refused. It’s a good demonstration, though, of how the Party of Moral Values focuses its tax increases on the middle class and working poor -- already paying way past where it hurts -- while cuts are showered on the wealthy. Some tax offers that might work better:

* 2% Social Security surtax on earned income above the $90,000 cap (millionaires collect Social Security too).

* Reform, don’t repeal, the inheritance tax with a $7-million deductible, proceeds to Social Security.

* Consider former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill’s proposed lifelong account outside of Social Security -- $2,000 a year from birth to 18, interest available for college, $1 million-plus at retirement. Time makes it cheap and generous.

“Trust us” won’t do it. A successful pilot program could.

Vicki Livingston

Rancho Palos Verdes

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What puzzles me is why we have to overhaul the present Social Security system at a huge price to include personal accounts for fattening folks’ nest eggs for their retirement years. Isn’t that what the current available Individual Retirement Accounts do? These funds are safe, individually controlled and invested at higher interest rates, resulting in a higher return. My IRA accounts, untouched over the years, are now providing me at age 80 with a nice annual supplement to my Social Security benefits.

Anita C. Singer

Laguna Woods