Socialsecurity

ThedayisAugust14,1935.ThegreatdepressionhassuffocatedtheUnitedStateslikean
infectiousdisease.CountlessAmericanshavebeendevastatedandbroken.CountlessAmericanshave
losttheirhomesandareinthestreetstryingtofindaplacetolaytheirheads.Fathersandmothers
struggletofeedtheirchildren,notknowingwhere
theirnextmealwillcomefrom.Tenyearoldchildren
gotoworktohelpfeedtheirfamily.Yetinallthis
travestyhopeisonthehorizon.Thedepressionhas
beguntoreleaseitsgripontheAmericanpeople,yetit
isreluctanttototallyletgo.ManyAmericanscontinue
tostrugglefromtheaftereffectsofthisgreatdisease,butmanyarefindingawaytomakelifemore
manageable.Theworkingclassarefinallyfindingjobsandaremakingmoney.Childrendonthaveto
workandcanreturntobeingkidsagain.However,whataboutthosewhocantwork,suchastheold
andthedisabled?Thisawfuldiseasehasleftmanyofthemstranded,broke,helpless,anddestitute.
Whatistobedone?WeasAmericans,cant
letthosestillsufferingcontinuetosufferfrom
theaftereffectofthatgreatdisease.Itwasat
thistimeinhistorythatoneman,the
PresidentoftheUnitedStates,savesthose
strugglingandindespair.Thismanwas
PresidentFranklinD.Roosevelt.Hecreatedanagencythathelpedthosestruggling.Itwascalledsocial
security.SocialsecuritywasspecificallydesignedtohelptheretiredanddisabledAmericans.Social
SecurityaccomplishesthisbytaxingtheworkingclassofAmerica.Thismoneythatisreceivedfromthe

taxesisthenputintoafundthatisdistributedtotheretiredanddisabled.Itallowstheretiredand
disabledtohaveanincomeandbeabletomeettheirneeds.

Socialsecuritytodayaccomplishesthesamegoals,ithelpsmanyAmericansbeabletoretire,

liketheJohnsons.DarrellandAnnaLaurawerebornaroundthetimesocialsecuritywascreated.Their
childhoodwassetintheaftermathofthegreatdepression.Theirmarriedlifestartedinthe50s,when
theeconomyhadtakenaturnforthebetter.Darrellhaddecidedtomakehislivingbeingacement
contractor,whichwasnotaneasycareer.Unliketodaywheretherearemachinesthatdomostofthe
work,Darrellmixed,moved,andporedmostofthecement.Darrellworkedindifficultbusinessto
provideforhiswife,AnnaLaura,andtheirsevenkids.Nowraisingsevenchildrenisnotaneasytask.
Imaginelifting,mixing,andporingcementalldayandthencomehomeandhelpyourwifewithseven
rambunctiouschildren.Ittookanamazingamountofenergy.Besidesenergyittakesanincredible
amountofresourcestoraisesevenchildren,andbecauseofthisDarrellworkedveryhardandbecame
successful.Hedidwellformanyyearsbutwhentheeconomytookaturnfortheworstinthe80s,this
smallbusinessownerwaslefttopickupthepiecesofadownturnedeconomy.Thegeneralcontractors
thatDarrelldidbusinesswithwentbellyupandinturnwerenotabletopayhimfortheworkthathe
completed.Notonlydidhenotgetpaidfortheworkbutwasleftwiththebillforthecementthatwas
poured.Beingtheoutstandingcitizenthatheis,hewouldnotdeclarebankruptcybutpaidthosebills.
BecauseofthesecircumstancesthoughDarrellwasnotabletosaveanincredibleamountofmoneyfor
retirement.AndasyoucanimagineDarrellcouldnotdocementworkforeverespeciallyinhislater
years.ButbecauseofsocialsecuritywhenDarrellturned62hewasabletoreceivesocialsecurity.Not
tolongafterthat,Darrellwasabletoretireandenjoyhislateryearwithhiswife.Darrellhadpaidinto
socialSecurityhiswholeworkinglifeandnowwasabletoreceivethebenefits.Onlybecauseofsocial
securitywasDarrellabletoretire.

DarrellisnottheonlyoneinthissituationsixtymillionAmericansreceivesocialsecurityand
90%ofthemrelyheavilyonsocialsecurityforincomeintheirlateryears.(RichardEisenberg,2015)As
youcanseeDarrellisnottheonlyoneouttherethatneedssocialsecurity.TheMaxfieldsareanother
familythathasbeenblessedbysocialsecurity.MerrillandMarlenewerebornaroundthesametimeas
theJohnsons.Theyhad6childrentogether,andjustliketheJohnsonsraising6childrenwasnotaneasy
taskandtakeanincredibleamountofwork.Tosupporthisfamily,Merrillhadmanydifferentjobs
throughouthislife,manyofwhichhestartedhimself,in
otherwordshewasanentrepreneur.Someofhisbusiness
adventuressucceededandothersfailed.Knowingthathe
wouldhavesocialsecuritytorelyoninhislateryearsgave
himtheconfidencetogoonmanydifferentbusiness
adventures.Towardtheendofhisworkingyearshe
startedatruckingcompany.Itstartedoffwell,buthisbusinesspartnerstolefromtheirtrucking
companyandthenvanished.ThisleftMerrillwithabankruptcompany.Hedidnotgiveupthough,he
workedextremelyhardandwasabletobuildthecompanyupagain.Soonhebegantomakeaprofit.
EvenwithhissuccessMerrillandMarlenestillrelyonsocialsecuritytohelpthemintheirlateryears.
However,somethingischanginginsocialsecuritythatisthreateningitsfutureandthefutureof
thosesixtymillionAmericanlikeDarrellandMerrill.Thischangehasnothingtodowithpoliticsora
changefromwithinsocialsecurity.ThechangethathasaccruedistheratiobetweenAmericans
receivingsocialsecurityandtheAmericanscontributing
tosocialsecurity.WhenPresidentRooseveltcreated
socialsecuritytherewere159.4workersforoneretired
American.Thenin1960therewasonly5.1workersfor
oneretiredAmerican,andin2013therewasevenless,

only2.8workersforoneretiredAmerican.(procon.org,2015)Becauseofthischangeithascaused
socialsecuritytocreateanetdeficitinsteadofanetgain.Ifsocialsecuritycontinueswithoutchangeit
willdepleteitsresourcesby2035.(procon.org,2015)Thismeansthatthecountrywillhavetogointo
debt,orstoppayingsocialsecurity.NowyoumightaskWellhowcantheGovernmentjuststoppaying
socialsecurity?Thereasonisthatsocialsecurityisnotarightitisaprivilege.Ifsocialsecurityiscut
offthatwouldleavemanyAmericansincludingMerrillandDarrellstranded,becauseoftheiragethey
couldnotgobacktowork.Whatcouldtheydo?
SocialSecurityisanextremelyimportantaspectofourcountryandneedstobeprotectedatall
cost.PresidentRooseveltstartedsomethingthathaschangedAmerica.Ithassavedthousandsof
Americansandenhancedthelivesofmillionsmore.MerrellandDarrellsliveswouldnotbethesame
withoutit.Howcouldtakingthispreciousprogramawayfromourcountrybeconceived?Eachofus
needstostandupandprotectsocialsecurity,doitforyourgrandparents,yourparents,andyourolder
friendsdoitforthosemillionsofAmericansthatrelysoheavilyonsocialsecurity.Standupandraise
yourvoicetoprotectsocialsecurity!

References
Brandon,E.(2011,August1).HowtoPredictYourSocialSecurityPayout.Retrievedfrom
money.usnews.com:http://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/articles/2011/08/01/how
topredictyoursocialsecuritypayout
procon.org.(2015,August28).Retrievedfromprocon.org:
http://socialsecurity.procon.org/#Background
RichardEisenberg.(2015,August7).AtGOPDebate,SocialSecurityHasAMoment.Retrievedfrom
www.forbes.com:http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2015/08/07/atgopdebatesocial
securityhasamoment/