Fact Checking Bernie Sanders on Social Security
Bernie Sanders has made a number of statements about Social Security during his campaign for president, but are they true? The author provides a fact check analysis of some of Sanders’ statements.
Author: Brenton Smith
Social Security And The GOP Debates
The author says that the candidates in the first Republican presidential debate failed to give voters any new or factual information on how to best reform Social Security. He discusses the flaws he sees with the information put forth by the candidates in what little discussion was had about Social Security.
Social Security’s Free-Fall Continues
The author demonstrates that the slight improvement in the insolvency date for Social Security’s combined trust fund is nothing more than a false positive.
Social Security’s (Missing) Guarantee
The author says that Social Security benefits are not guaranteed, and he points out that the government can revoke them at any time.
CBO: Social Security Needs a 4.4% Payroll Tax Increase
The Congressional Budget Office has released its long term budget report which includes a picture into the prospects of Social Security. If you are planning to retire soon, pay attention.
Senator Graham’s Magical Napkin
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reportedly said, “You could [design a plan to fix Social Security] on the back of a napkin.” The author says that this statement is absurd and says the problems with Social Security are far more complex than what Graham’s statement would lead one to believe.
The Media’s Role In Social Security’s Collapse
The author claims that the media is the most destructive force in Social Security today. He asks how we can expect to have an informed debate about Social Security when the media is putting headlines over content and cites a recent study as one example of the media’s flawed coverage of the debate.
Proposed Social Security Amendment Throws Future Seniors Under the Bus
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has proposed a new amendment to address the financial imbalance within Social Security. The author says that the proposal is not a serious one because of what it is proposing and explains why he believes this to be so.
Gaming Social Security
Retirees are trying to improve their return on their past Social Security contributions. The author describes why any success that they have at doing this will come at the expense of Social Security’s long term solvency.
The Federal Budget: When a Number is Just a (Meaningless) Number
Recent figures from the CBO suggest that Social Security contributed $877 billion to total revenue, but the author says that the CBO’s budget projections are misleading, especially as they relate to Social Security.
