Supporters of privatization often claim that the current Social Security system takes advantage of African Americans – particularly African American men. The notion that African American men have a lower life expectancy and are therefore not reaping their due benefit from Social Security is fundamentally flawed. First, these statistics are based on life expectancy at birth and serve to illustrate disparities in infant mortality rates for African Americans vs. whites. In fact, an African American male at age 40 (25 years before retirement) has a similar life expectancy as a white male of the same age. And, in the unfortunate event that an individual dies before normal retirement age, the Bush privatization plan will not provide more or better assistance for surviving spouses and/or children than is currently available under Social Security.
|
