The Anniversary of the Social Security Act
Only Democrats will protect the benefits our seniors have earned.
Special Sunday Issue #108 Government August 14, 2022
The hallmark of the modern Democratic Party is that we care about and want to make things better for all Americans. That means that we care about bills and policies that may not affect us directly now or in the future, but do benefit others.
Some of us are as progressive as Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and some of us are as conservative as Joe Manchin (D-WV). Most of us fall somewhere in between those two political philosophies.
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Republicans have stated that should they regain power they will seek to eliminate Social Security and Medicare altogether, or at least put those social programs “up for a Congressional vote” every five years.
The operative word in the 1935 Social Security Act is “Security.” The primary purpose of the Social Security Act is to provide financial security for seniors. Social Security and Medicare are not “entitlements,” they are insurance policies. From their very first paycheck, workers pay insurance premiums to the government for Social Security and Medicare, which started in 1965.
Remember how shocked you were when you got your first paycheck as a teenager and learned the difference between your gross pay and your net pay?
Just as you pay premiums for your home or car insurance and then can receive payments when needed, Social Security and Medicare are the same.
At anywhere between 60 and 70 years of age, you begin to qualify for Social Security and Medicare benefits, because you paid those premiums throughout your working life.
Seniors have the security of receiving monthly payments from their Social Security accounts from the time they qualify until the end of their lives. That security, which they paid for, should not be up for a vote.
Eighty-seven years ago, on August 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act.
As Democrats, we must work to retain Social Security and Medicare even if we are a long way from retirement age. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it also helps the overall economy because seniors spend the funds they receive from their Social Security accounts.
Our favorite historian, Professor Heather Cox Richardson, wrote about how the Social Security Act came into being. As usual, it is an excellent and valuable read, especially if you love history as I and so many “We Are Speaking” subscribers do.
Professor Cox Richardson is the #1 writer on Substack in the history category and it would be great if you would subscribe to her “Letters from an American” publication.
We are building a “We Are Speaking” community. Let us know what you think!
Please subscribe or upgrade your subscription.