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This is an actual transcript of President G. W. Bush in Tampa, Florida, Feb. 4, 2005, explaining his new Social Security plan.
"Because the -- all which is on the table begins to address the big
cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculated, for example, is
on the table. Whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or
price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are
being considered.
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And when you couple that, those different cost
drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the
idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer
delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to
you? It's kind of muddled.
Look, there's a series of things that cause
the -- like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the
increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have
suggested that we calculate -- the benefits will rise based upon
inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would
help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how
fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those --
if that growth is affected, it will help on the red."
So spoke the president. You must realize that those of us who are up here in heaven must acquaint ourselves with many, many different languages and different manners of speech. However we're having trouble with this particular jaggy jargon. Throw us a life line here. Help us out. “On the red?” What does that mean?
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