Most Working Families Say Strengthen, Don’t Cut, Social Security
On today’s 78th anniversary of Social Security , a new survey (see video) from the National Academy of Social Insurance finds that most of America's workers support increasing benefits, protecting benefits against inflation and lifting the Social Security tax cap so that wealthy people pay their fair share as working families do now.
You can add your voice to the call to strengthen, not cut, Social Security by signing this petition from the Alliance for Retired Americans .
Social Security, says Alliance President Barbara Easterling, keeps millions of seniors out of poverty, enabling older people to buy groceries, pay for medical expenses and remain independent.
We need to strengthen Social Security, not cut it. We want to ensure that our grandchildren have access to the same benefits or better.
Alliance Executive Director Edward Coyle says that with the reliability of pensions, 401(k)s and housing values dwindling:
Social Security remains more important than ever for today’s seniors and for future generations. Americans across the political spectrum strongly believe we need to strengthen this vital program, not cut it. The average monthly benefit for a retiree is a modest $1,200. It is unreasonable to cut Social Security benefits, including raising the retirement age or adopting the chained CPI.
Protecting Social Security from misguided cuts is important, but it's only the first step, says Easterling.
In an era when other sources of retirement income are increasingly unreliable, we need to strengthen Social Security in both the short and long term. Sen. Tom Harkin's (D-Iowa) Strengthening Social Security Act (S. 567) accomplishes this by gradually lifting the payroll cap. Click here to support it . The legislation would extend the life of the Trust Fund and increase Social Security benefits by about $65 a month.
Read more from Easterling , and visit the Alliance’s Social Security anniversary page where you can:
- Sign the petition to “Keep Social Security Strong” and support the Strengthen Social Security Act.
- Learn about anniversary celebrations being held around the country.
- View brand-new state-by-state reports detailing exactly what Social Security means for each state’s people and economy.
