Social Security has just turned 76. Although the program has been forced to fend off attacks over the past year, we’re proud to say it’s still here and working hard for the American people.
Here are just a few of the gifts that Social Security has given us in its 76 years of service:
-
The near-elimination of elderly poverty. In 1935, half of Americans aged 65 and up lived in poverty. By 2009, even in the midst of the recession, only 8.9% of seniors lived in poverty. That’s the lowest poverty rate of any age group in the country.
- The end of the poorhouse. Prior to Social Security, older workers had few options to support themselves as they aged. The unluckiest of them all were cast into poorhouses, and endured dismal conditions, without proper sanitation, privacy, medical care, or nutrition. The last poorhouses closed in the 1950s, less than 20 years after Social Security began sending out benefits.
-
The most successful anti-poverty program in history. Social Security lifts an estimated 20 million people out of poverty, according to a 2010 report. Of those, 13 million are retirees, but the figure also includes over 1 million children and 5 million adults.
- A home without your mother-in-law. In 1929, an estimated 50% of those 65 and up relied entirely on relatives and friends for support. For those older than 75, the figure jumps to 57%. Social Security has allowed many today’s seniors to live independently in retirement. In fact, only 6.5% of seniors in 2007 lived with their children.
With all that we have received from Social Security since its birth in 1935, the real question is what will our lawmakers give Social Security and its future beneficiaries? Here's a message you can send to your member of Congress so that they will commemorate Social Security's 76 years of service the right way:
- Social Security belongs to us who contribute to the program, not to politicians in Washington who want to use it as a piggy bank.
- The Super Committee in Congress should keep its hands off Social Security. Social Security does not contribute a penny to the deficit. It should not be cut to reduce the deficit.
- Social Security should be strengthened, not cut. That is why I oppose any cuts to Social Security benefits. The retirement age should not be raised. Social Security’s cost of living adjustment (COLA) should not be reduced.
Truthout Is Preparing to Meet Trump’s Agenda With Resistance at Every Turn
Dear Truthout Community,
If you feel rage, despondency, confusion and deep fear today, you are not alone. We’re feeling it too. We are heartsick. Facing down Trump’s fascist agenda, we are desperately worried about the most vulnerable people among us, including our loved ones and everyone in the Truthout community, and our minds are racing a million miles a minute to try to map out all that needs to be done.
We must give ourselves space to grieve and feel our fear, feel our rage, and keep in the forefront of our mind the stark truth that millions of real human lives are on the line. And simultaneously, we’ve got to get to work, take stock of our resources, and prepare to throw ourselves full force into the movement.
Journalism is a linchpin of that movement. Even as we are reeling, we’re summoning up all the energy we can to face down what’s coming, because we know that one of the sharpest weapons against fascism is publishing the truth.
There are many terrifying planks to the Trump agenda, and we plan to devote ourselves to reporting thoroughly on each one and, crucially, covering the movements resisting them. We also recognize that Trump is a dire threat to journalism itself, and that we must take this seriously from the outset.
After the election, the four of us sat down to have some hard but necessary conversations about Truthout under a Trump presidency. How would we defend our publication from an avalanche of far right lawsuits that seek to bankrupt us? How would we keep our reporters safe if they need to cover outbreaks of political violence, or if they are targeted by authorities? How will we urgently produce the practical analysis, tools and movement coverage that you need right now — breaking through our normal routines to meet a terrifying moment in ways that best serve you?
It will be a tough, scary four years to produce social justice-driven journalism. We need to deliver news, strategy, liberatory ideas, tools and movement-sparking solutions with a force that we never have had to before. And at the same time, we desperately need to protect our ability to do so.
We know this is such a painful moment and donations may understandably be the last thing on your mind. But we must ask for your support, which is needed in a new and urgent way.
We promise we will kick into an even higher gear to give you truthful news that cuts against the disinformation and vitriol and hate and violence. We promise to publish analyses that will serve the needs of the movements we all rely on to survive the next four years, and even build for the future. We promise to be responsive, to recognize you as members of our community with a vital stake and voice in this work.
Please dig deep if you can, but a donation of any amount will be a truly meaningful and tangible action in this cataclysmic historical moment.
We’re with you. Let’s do all we can to move forward together.
With love, rage, and solidarity,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy