Privatization proponents wrong on public support for Bush plan

In the March 14 edition of The Washington Times, Free Enterprise Fund president Stephen Moore and chief economist Larry Hunter claimed that the more workers hear about the Bush administration's proposal to divert a portion of Social Security payroll taxes into private accounts, "they become more, not less, supportive" of the idea.

In fact, according to a Washington Post-ABC news poll conducted March 10-13, 58 percent of those surveyed said they are "more inclined to oppose [the] administration's reform plans as they learn more about it." While Moore and Hunter may not have been aware of this poll when they wrote their op-ed piece, other recent polling data also provide support for this trend in public opinion. During a period in which the administration has been promoting its plan and the media has given significant attention to the issue, other polls show that both support for the specific proposal as well as general approval of how President Bush is handling the issue of Social Security have either held steady or fallen.

—D.B.B.