Lubbock Left

Lurking in the back of the insanity that is the 2010 political season is the ever-present threat of that wing of the GOP that’s out to kill Social Security, one of the most successful public programs in the history of any government ever. Whether it’s the through the quick death of privatization or the slow death of incremental cuts to benefits and eligibility, Social Security is once again in the crosshairs of certain conservative groups.

In the middle of this debate, there are persistent myths about Social Security that won’t die. They still make the rounds in chain emails, on talk radio, and in commentaries from dishonest pundits. Last Friday my friend and conservative talk radio host Wade Wilkes read one such email (originally from 2004!) over the air as if it were fact, and it mostly isn’t. It’s this one here, thoroughly debunked by snopes.com. The chain email attempts to construct a bogus narrative about Social Security, one where Democrats are out to weaken it while Republicans want to boost it up. Of course the facts of history say the exact opposite. Variations of the myths in the chain email are so prevalent that the SSA website even has a section addressing them as well.

For a decent non-partisan reminder of the facts of Social Security, check out this article on justfacts.com.

(And here is a bonus summary of Ronald Reagan’s bluster about Social Security. As Reagan said, “facts are stubborn things.” I wonder if he had his own history in mind when he said that. Probably not.)

Thanks to facebook friends and AM 580 morning show listeners who helped compile the above links. You know who you are. :)