Corporate Media Lie Again

Re: Bush Presses Quest for Social Security Overhaul (see full text at bottom)

Today, Reuters says,

Opponents [emphasis added] say Bush's plan would increase the federal debt as money was shifted toward private accounts while benefits were paid to retirees and those accounts would do nothing to help the retirement fund's long-term prospects.

This is FALSE.

Dick Cheney has said the plan would require the government to borrow trillions. Is he an "opponent?"

Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has said the private accounts do nothing to fix the long term insolvency of Social Security. Is he an opponent?

Secondly, Bush has not submitted any plan to Congress or the American people. Which PLAN, per se, is Reuters referring to in their article? NONE. Because there isn't one. Bush has never submitted a plan through OMB or any other White House branch, and Congress is having to make this up as it goes along, just like Bush.

Even Tom DeLay said two weeks ago that Democrats are united in their opposition to a plan that doesn't even exist yet [emphasis added].

This reporting is wrong, inaccurate, misleading and READS LIKE AN OUT AND OUT LIE. Is Reuters lying? Is Reuters lying to the American people about Social Security?

If they do not issue a prompt and publicized correction, then they will be deliberately misleading the public.

Full Text Of Article follows

TUCSON, Ariz. (Reuters) - President Bush got support on Monday from his sometimes Republican rival Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) in his efforts to sell an overhaul of the Social Security retirement system to a skeptical public.
McCain, who has had an uneven relationship with Bush but generally has been in his corner when the president needed him, stressed the need for everyone to work together to come up with a plan to save Social Security.
"I say to our Democratic friends, come and sit down at the table. Let us work together to save the safety net," McCain said as he joined Bush at a rally in his home state of Arizona. "The door is open to the White House and on the Republican side of the aisle. We must do this together."
Polls show that Bush still has a ways to go to convince the American public that his plan to allow younger workers to contribute part of their Social Security money to private accounts is a good one.
He pressed ahead with his two-day trip to sell his plan in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico after a sudden unscheduled weekend return to Washington.
Shortly after 1 a.m. the president signed legislation aimed at prolonging the life of Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged woman whose feeding tube was removed under Florida court order last week. Bush briefly mentioned the Schiavo case at the start of the Social Security forum in Tucson.
"Democrats and Republicans in Congress came together last night to give Terri Schiavo's parents another opportunity to save her life," Bush said. "This is a complex case with serious issues. But in extraordinary circumstances like this, it is wise to always err on the side of life."
He then continued with his Social Security speech and proposal for the private accounts.
"Let me tell you why I like this idea. First of all it's voluntary. Nobody's saying to a younger worker you must set aside a personal savings account, we're saying you can if you want to," Bush said with McCain, his chief rival for the 2000 Republican nomination, nearby on the stage.
He reiterated that his proposal to allow younger workers to divert part of their Social Security payroll taxes into stock and bond accounts would not change the benefits for Americans older than 55.
"If you're getting a check, nobody is going to change the system for you," he told the crowd in Arizona, which is home to a large number of retirees.
"The safety net is in good shape for people born prior to 1950. There are holes in the safety net, however, for a generation of Americans coming up."
On this top domestic priority in his second term, Bush is facing widespread Democratic opposition and skepticism from some fellow Republicans.
Opponents say Bush's plan would increase the federal debt as money was shifted toward private accounts while benefits were paid to retirees and those accounts would do nothing to help the retirement fund's long-term prospects.
The AARP group that represents older Americans opposes the Bush proposal as risky and has started an ad campaign that paints it as the destruction of a house in response to a plumbing leak