Image by Getty Images via @daylifeBy Senator Sanders
Social Security - the most successful government program in our nation's history - is at risk.
Before Social Security was established 75 years ago, more than half of our elderly population lived in poverty. Because of Social Security, the poverty figure for seniors today is less than 10 percent. Social Security also provides dignified support for millions of widows, widowers, orphans and people with disabilities.
Since it was established, Social Security has paid every nickel it owed to every eligible American, in good times and bad. As corporations over the last 30 years destroyed the retirement dreams of millions of older workers by eliminating defined-benefit pension plans, Social Security was there paying full benefits. When Wall Street greed and recklessness caused working people to lose billions in retirement savings, Social Security was there paying full benefits.
Despite its success, Social Security faces an unprecedented attack from Wall Street, the Republican Party and a few Democrats. If the American people are not prepared to fight back, the dismantling of Social Security could begin in the very near future.
Rep. Paul D. Ryan, the new chairman of the House Budget Committee, wants to partially privatize Social Security, lower its cost-of-living adjustments and drastically cut benefits. And there are threats on other fronts. A deficit-reduction commission established by President Obama called for increasing the retirement age to 69, reducing cost-of-living adjustments for today's retirees and deeply reducing benefits for future retirees who make as little as $42,000 a year.
We must do everything we can to defend Social Security and protect the needs of tens of millions of working families. With this in mind, Sen. Bernie Sanders formed the Defend Social Security Caucus.
Members of the new organization already include Sens. Akaka, Blumenthal, Boxer, Sherrod Brown, Cantwell, Harkin, Lautenberg, Menendez, Merkley, Mikulski, Reed, Sanders, Schumer, Stabenow, and Whitehouse.
Please sign up to become a citizen member to show your support for Social Security and to receive e-mail updates from Sen. Sanders.
I am more than a little disenchanted with President Obama. Whereas, I admire his intelligence, his ability to be articulate, his calm demeanor, his willingness to try to reach across party lines, I do not admire his lack of backbone. I am tired of his going along to get along mentality thus further crushing the middle class while the fat cats thrive. I want President Obama to actually fight for those of us in the middle class. I want him to stand up, speak up, fight back and call out the Republicans. Our lives are at stake. Stop being Mr. Nice Guy. I want President Obama to be what he said he was going to be........with the middle class and for the middle class.
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