Social Security Turns 70 as Debate Over Its Future Continues
Feature Story by Tyler Lewis - 8/15/2005
Activists around the country are using Social Security's 70th birthday as a platform to urge Congress to protect, preserve and strengthen what has been recognized as the nation's most successful government program and resist attempts to cut guaranteed retirement, disability and survivors benefits by creating private accounts."On the 70th anniversary of Social Security we celebrate its successes and rededicate ourselves to protecting its future," said Wade Henderson, executive director of Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the nation's oldest, largest, and most diverse civil and human rights coalition. "We will not stand by and let the administration tinker with the retirement security that so many Americans have spent their whole lives working for or allow cuts to programs that so many Americans count on to make ends meet."
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law on August 14, 1935, creating a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 and older a continuous income after retirement.
Social Security has been through numerous changes in its 70-year history, including the addition of dependents benefits in 1939 and disability benefits in 1956. Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) were introduced in 1972.
Among the many anniversary celebrations was an August 13 rally on Capitol Hill sponsored by AARP in support of Social Security, "Strengthen It - Don't Destroy It!", which was attended by civil rights, women's, Latino, disability rights, and student groups. AARP also announced at the rally that they had collected more than 1.5 million petitions from members who oppose privatization.
The event coincided with AARP's release of a survey titled, "Social Security 70th Anniversary Survey Report: Trends over Time", which found that Social Security is the top source of income on which retired Americans expect to rely..
Americans United to Protect Social Security (AUPSS), a national coalition of more than 200 organizations, also hosted more than 100 anniversary events in nearly every state.
Congress has been divided for months on President Bush's Social Security plan, which contains a controversial proposal to divert funds into private accounts.
During a televised address on Aug. 3, the president stated that he would push for his Social Security privatization proposal. House Republicans plan to act on a bill introduced by Rep. Jim McCrery, R. La. -- which would divert money from the Social Security trust into private accounts -- in September.
Opponents to Bush's plan and the McCreary bill are continuing to educate the public on the dangerous implications of privatization, arguing that it places undue burden on minorities, women and people with disabilities - the very people the program helps the most.
As Hilary Shelton, Washington Director of the NAACP explained, "All three Social Security programs - retirement, disability and survivors' benefits - are disproportionately important to the economic survival of African Americans and other racial and ethnic minority Americans. Americans of color have traditionally been at the low end of the earning scale over our lifetimes. We are historically more apt to have pursued physically demanding jobs in our lifetimes, and as such have lower life expectancy and a higher rate of disability than the average American."
"For women, Social Security is a family insurance plan," said Joan Entmacher, vice president for Family Economic Security at the National Woman's Law Center. "Given the importance of spousal benefits for women, now and in the future, it is disturbing that the effect of private accounts on women has received so little attention."
Opponents to privatization want to remind Americans that Social Security was set up as an insurance program to keep people from slipping into poverty.
Bryon MacDonald, project and policy development manager for World Institute on Disability and chair of the Social Security subcommittee for the National Council of Independent Living believes privatization is "the most illogical policy idea of the last 10 years." He said, "Why would taxpayers want to lower the amount of money they pay in insurance for retirement or disability as a way of saving those insurance programs long-term?"
The Social Security Administration has decided not to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the program, baffling employees and interest groups, many of whom are concerned that the decision reflects the politicization of an independent federal agency.
