[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 44 (Thursday, April 14, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H1973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SOCIAL SECURITY AND AFRICAN AMERICANS

  (Ms. LEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, the President's very cynical attempt to sell 
his Social Security privatization scheme to African Americans, quite 
frankly, is very painful. Thank goodness African Americans are not 
buying it.
  President Bush said that his privatization plan would benefit African 
Americans because we have a shorter life expectancy. It is truly 
remarkable that the President would rather exploit African Americans' 
shorter life expectancy to sell his privatization plan than actually do 
something to help African Americans live longer.
  If the President is truly concerned about African Americans, he 
should support legislation and funding to address the health 
disparities that contribute to shorter life expectancy. Sadly, this is 
just the sort of cynical, divisive move we have come to expect from an 
administration that is bent on cutting the guaranteed benefit of Social 
Security and entrusting our seniors' retirement security to Wall Street 
and a roll of the dice.
  Mr. Speaker, Julian Bond, President of the NAACP, and the gentleman 
from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) were correct to call the President on this 
earlier this week.

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