FreedomWorks Letter to Editor Campaign Hits in Texas

The following letter from a FreedomWorks members appeared in the Dallas Morning News on Jan. 9, 2005.

Headline is wrong
Re: “Social Security plan cuts future benefits,” Tuesday Page One news story.

This headline is flat wrong. Regardless of your stance on George Bush’s plan for Social Security, this ill-conceived headline does not accurately convey what the ensuing article is really about.

At first glance, it would appear that Mr. Bush plans to cut all benefits (now and future) by a third. The following, smaller headline, “New retirees’ payments to be tied to inflation, not wages, sources say,” does nothing to clarify the larger headline.

The article is really about fixing an error (using inflation, not wages, for indexing payments) in the Social Security formula to extend its longevity.

I realize editors must pick headlines to entice readers, but this headline is flawed. It only serves to scare the public, not inform them.

Dave Ragan, Denton