Skyline Happenings

From AgingKingCounty:

“On August 14, 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, creating an essential program that made real our country’s belief that we have a responsibility to ensure that older adults in our communities should not be left to age in poverty. The addition of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as part of the Social Security program has ensured that even more people are protected from the risks of destitution and homelessness if they experience a disability before they reach retirement age, or are not otherwise eligible for significant benefits. It is unlikely that anyone reading this does not know someone collecting Social Security benefits, be it their parents, grandparents, neighbors, or themselves.

Social Security Prevents Poverty

“Today, millions of older adults depend on Social Security to pay for housing, food, health care, and many other important basics they need to live. And as an anti-poverty program, Social Security has been extremely successful. According to analysis of 2016 Census data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Social Security lifted 17 million seniors out of poverty. While these benefits are relatively modest (the average monthly benefit for retired or disabled workers and widowed spouses over 65 is approximately $1,340 a month), Social Security still makes up a majority of most beneficiaries’ income. And more than one third of seniors receiving Social Security depend on their benefits for almost all of their income. Furthermore, seniors of color—who have lower lifetime earnings and are disproportionately more likely to lack pensions or other major sources of wealth—especially depend on Social Security as they age. And women, who often outlive their male counterparts, benefit from having guaranteed income over the course of their longer lifespans.

Don’t be Fooled by Stealth Cuts to Social Security

“However, senior poverty is still a serious problem, with ever-rising housing and health care costs squeezing those who rely on Social Security to make ends meet. Unfortunately, rather than shoring up a program that is a an inadequate yet vital lifeline for millions of seniors and their families, some conservatives are engaged in deceptive efforts to cut, cripple, or dismantle the system. Some of these cuts masquerade as necessary “solutions” to ensure Social Security’s long-term solvency, and include ideas like raising the retirement age, lowering benefits, or limiting cost-of-living adjustments so that benefits do not rise sufficiently to cover inflation. Recently, cuts to Social Security have been put forward as a way to solve other related problems—for example, Senator Rubio’s unworkable proposal to have new parents use their Social Security benefits to pay for family leave. While family leave is something all caregivers in our country desperately need, it must not come at the expense of our retirement security.

“Poverty, disability, and caring for our families are not individual problems, but issues that affect all of us. As a society, we can and should choose to invest in the well-being of the older people in our communities.”