It was 80 years ago today that FDR signed the #SocialSecurity Act - and with retirement security under constant attack from the right-wing, we need this vital program now more than ever. Future generations need to be protected when they age - tell Congress to expand Social Security to strengthen our retirement system: http://afsc.me/1TBeh4o
He [President FDR] believed (and we still believe) that Social Security is basic to the lives of the American people. And he was very clear that it was a family program. It was created not only so that people, when they reach retirement age, have enough money for the basics of a decent life. It’s also so that their children don’t have to spend down their money to take care of them.
Learning about #socialsecurity for #samesex married couples @NCPSSM @OaklandPride @EBStonewallDems @calwellness #LGBT
via Twitter.
Earlier today, the National Committee Foundation held an event called Know Your Rights.
The experts on the panel explained how Social Security benefits have changed for the LGBT community since the Windsor decision, and how seniors can potentially maximize their benefits.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Social Security into law on this day in 1935 to provide seniors with basic income security after retirement, mitigating against the “vicissitudes and hazards of life.” Eighty-two years later, the program he created has kept several generations of seniors – and their families – out of poverty. In turn, the nation is very fortunate to have had several generations of Roosevelts dedicated to preserving Social Security.
Building upon the growing public support for expanding Social Security, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM) has launched the Boost Social Security Now education campaign to inform and mobilize our membership, grassroots networks and on-line communities to convince Congress that now is the time to boost benefits, not cut them.
Click through to read the full release.
But they also call for switching COLAs to the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly or CPI-E, designed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-E would boost Social Security payments without worsening the system’s deficit.
via The Social Security Fix That Could Help the Poorest Retirees.
Related Reading:
But if the CPI-E determined the Social Security COLA, the expected average COLA would increase about 0.2 percentage points per year.
Happy 78th birthday to Social Security!
Thanks to Working America for the great image.
We are celebrating Social Security’s success on it’s 78th Birthday
The CPI-E – A Better Option for Calculating Social Security COLAs
President Obama’s 2014 budget proposal includes a plan to change the way Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs, are calculated by adopting the “chained” consumer price index (CPI). The National Committee has been vocal in its opposition to the chained CPI because it does not accurately measure the purchasing patterns of our elderly population. We urge the adoption of a CPI for the elderly, or CPI-E, as a more accurate means of calculating Social Security COLAs. An in-depth examination of the CPI-E follows.
Max Ritchman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare: “America’s seniors understand all too well that our nation faces a retirement crisis and improving Social Security benefits is vital to keeping millions from poverty. Rep. Linda Sanchez’s ‘Strengthening Social Security Act’ makes several important improvements for seniors by: phasing out the payroll tax cap so that the wealthy pay their fair share, creating a Cost of Living adjustment for the elderly and boosting benefits for all retirees including widows/widowers. NCPSSM strongly supports this legislation and applauds Congresswoman Sanchez for doing the right thing for America’s seniors and their families.”
Social Security doesn’t drive the federal deficit and the Pennsylvania seniors who depend on it must not be used as bargaining chips to fix our nation’s fiscal problems. Social Security must be strengthened, not weakened. Shifting to chained CPI will make it harder for Pennsylvania seniors and veterans to pay their bills and have the dignity and financial independence they deserve.
The future of Social Security is on the ballot this year - not that you could tell by the U.S. presidential debates, or by any other aspect of this rancorous, sensational election.
But 67 percent of registered voters rank Social Security as a “very important” part of their voting decision this year - just behind the economy, terrorism, gun policy and immigration, according to the Pew Research Center.
via Reuters.
