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The New Republican Attack on Social Security Starts Now!
Jan 07, 2015
Republican opponents of Social Security have not wasted even a single day in their plan to dismantle Social Security brick by brick. What should be a dry, mundane exercise -- the adoption of new rules by the newly convening House of Representatives -- has turned into a stealth attack on America's working families.
A technical amendment, known as "reallocation" -- something that has been done many times over the history of Social Security, something that few persons other than actuaries and other Social Security experts ever know about -- must be enacted in the current Congress to ensure that all Social Security benefits continue to be paid in full and on time. The change is analogous to what investors do when they rebalance their accounts, but in the case of Social Security, a failure to rebalance will result in an unnecessary and completely avoidable cut in benefits paid to workers who have serious and permanent disabilities and to their families.
Like other stealth attacks against the American people's Social Security, the groundwork is being laid in advance. It will suddenly explode sometime in the next two years. The rule change would prohibit a simple reallocation! It will require more significant and complex changes to Social Security. In other words, the Republican rule will allow Social Security to be held hostage -- something we anticipated and warned about in our new book, Social Security Works! Why Social Security Isn't Going Broke and How Expanding It will Help Us All (The New Press, 2015).
This is no way for elected officials, who are supposed to be servants of the people, to treat American citizens. Hostage-taking to force changes that the American people do not want to a vital program like Social Security is no way to run the United States of America.
One of the strengths of Social Security is its universality. It is based on the principle that we are stronger together. It is an old tactic of the program's opponents to seek to divide and conquer. They seek to turn young against old by falsely claiming that too much is being spent on the old. They seek to turn African Americans against whites with the preposterous claim that Social Security is unfair to blacks. (We document and refute these and many other claims in our new book). This time they seek to drive a wedge between retired workers and disabled workers by claiming that reallocation helps the disabled at the expense of the old -- another preposterous claim. All of these divide-and-conquer strategies are intended to turn Americans against each other so that all of their benefits can be cut.
But if senior, disability, workers, women's, veterans, civil rights, faith-based and other groups stand together -- as they have in opposition to privatization and recent benefit cut proposals -- this stealth effort to pull apart our Social Security will be defeated. And if citizens from around the country let their representatives know that it's time to expand Social Security to address the nation's retirement income crisis, not cut it, all of us will be better off.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Nancy J. Altman
Nancy Altman is president of Social Security Works and chair of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition. She is co-author of two books and author of three, including her most recent, The Road to Medicare for All: A Call to Action.
Eric Kingson
Eric Kingson, professor of social work at Syracuse University's School of Social Work, is also a Senior Research Associate in the Maxwell School's Center for Policy Research. He is founding co-director of Social Security Works and co-chair of the Strengthen Social Security coalition and campaign. Kingson is also co-author (with Nancy Altman) of the new book, Social Security Works! Why Social Security Isn't Going Broke and How Expanding It will Help Us All (The New Press, 2015).
Republican opponents of Social Security have not wasted even a single day in their plan to dismantle Social Security brick by brick. What should be a dry, mundane exercise -- the adoption of new rules by the newly convening House of Representatives -- has turned into a stealth attack on America's working families.
A technical amendment, known as "reallocation" -- something that has been done many times over the history of Social Security, something that few persons other than actuaries and other Social Security experts ever know about -- must be enacted in the current Congress to ensure that all Social Security benefits continue to be paid in full and on time. The change is analogous to what investors do when they rebalance their accounts, but in the case of Social Security, a failure to rebalance will result in an unnecessary and completely avoidable cut in benefits paid to workers who have serious and permanent disabilities and to their families.
Like other stealth attacks against the American people's Social Security, the groundwork is being laid in advance. It will suddenly explode sometime in the next two years. The rule change would prohibit a simple reallocation! It will require more significant and complex changes to Social Security. In other words, the Republican rule will allow Social Security to be held hostage -- something we anticipated and warned about in our new book, Social Security Works! Why Social Security Isn't Going Broke and How Expanding It will Help Us All (The New Press, 2015).
This is no way for elected officials, who are supposed to be servants of the people, to treat American citizens. Hostage-taking to force changes that the American people do not want to a vital program like Social Security is no way to run the United States of America.
One of the strengths of Social Security is its universality. It is based on the principle that we are stronger together. It is an old tactic of the program's opponents to seek to divide and conquer. They seek to turn young against old by falsely claiming that too much is being spent on the old. They seek to turn African Americans against whites with the preposterous claim that Social Security is unfair to blacks. (We document and refute these and many other claims in our new book). This time they seek to drive a wedge between retired workers and disabled workers by claiming that reallocation helps the disabled at the expense of the old -- another preposterous claim. All of these divide-and-conquer strategies are intended to turn Americans against each other so that all of their benefits can be cut.
But if senior, disability, workers, women's, veterans, civil rights, faith-based and other groups stand together -- as they have in opposition to privatization and recent benefit cut proposals -- this stealth effort to pull apart our Social Security will be defeated. And if citizens from around the country let their representatives know that it's time to expand Social Security to address the nation's retirement income crisis, not cut it, all of us will be better off.
Nancy J. Altman
Nancy Altman is president of Social Security Works and chair of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition. She is co-author of two books and author of three, including her most recent, The Road to Medicare for All: A Call to Action.
Eric Kingson
Eric Kingson, professor of social work at Syracuse University's School of Social Work, is also a Senior Research Associate in the Maxwell School's Center for Policy Research. He is founding co-director of Social Security Works and co-chair of the Strengthen Social Security coalition and campaign. Kingson is also co-author (with Nancy Altman) of the new book, Social Security Works! Why Social Security Isn't Going Broke and How Expanding It will Help Us All (The New Press, 2015).
Republican opponents of Social Security have not wasted even a single day in their plan to dismantle Social Security brick by brick. What should be a dry, mundane exercise -- the adoption of new rules by the newly convening House of Representatives -- has turned into a stealth attack on America's working families.
A technical amendment, known as "reallocation" -- something that has been done many times over the history of Social Security, something that few persons other than actuaries and other Social Security experts ever know about -- must be enacted in the current Congress to ensure that all Social Security benefits continue to be paid in full and on time. The change is analogous to what investors do when they rebalance their accounts, but in the case of Social Security, a failure to rebalance will result in an unnecessary and completely avoidable cut in benefits paid to workers who have serious and permanent disabilities and to their families.
Like other stealth attacks against the American people's Social Security, the groundwork is being laid in advance. It will suddenly explode sometime in the next two years. The rule change would prohibit a simple reallocation! It will require more significant and complex changes to Social Security. In other words, the Republican rule will allow Social Security to be held hostage -- something we anticipated and warned about in our new book, Social Security Works! Why Social Security Isn't Going Broke and How Expanding It will Help Us All (The New Press, 2015).
This is no way for elected officials, who are supposed to be servants of the people, to treat American citizens. Hostage-taking to force changes that the American people do not want to a vital program like Social Security is no way to run the United States of America.
One of the strengths of Social Security is its universality. It is based on the principle that we are stronger together. It is an old tactic of the program's opponents to seek to divide and conquer. They seek to turn young against old by falsely claiming that too much is being spent on the old. They seek to turn African Americans against whites with the preposterous claim that Social Security is unfair to blacks. (We document and refute these and many other claims in our new book). This time they seek to drive a wedge between retired workers and disabled workers by claiming that reallocation helps the disabled at the expense of the old -- another preposterous claim. All of these divide-and-conquer strategies are intended to turn Americans against each other so that all of their benefits can be cut.
But if senior, disability, workers, women's, veterans, civil rights, faith-based and other groups stand together -- as they have in opposition to privatization and recent benefit cut proposals -- this stealth effort to pull apart our Social Security will be defeated. And if citizens from around the country let their representatives know that it's time to expand Social Security to address the nation's retirement income crisis, not cut it, all of us will be better off.
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