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Social
Security celebrates 73rd Birthday, Alliance
for Retired Americans fights for 73 more
From Oregon to Florida, the Alliance for
Retired Americans celebrated Social
Security’s 73rd birthday with 25 grassroots
events lauding the program that has kept
millions of Americans out of poverty and by
promising to continue fighting privatization
efforts.
On August 14, 1935, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
signed the Social Security Act into law as a
“measure of protection to the average
citizen and to his family against the loss
of a job and against poverty-ridden old
age.”
Yet, on July 7, Senator
John McCain (R-AZ) said, “Americans have got to
understand that we are paying present-day
retirees with the taxes paid by young
workers in America today. And that's a
disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace, and
it's got to be fixed.”
Alliance members protested these comments outside
Republican headquarters and McCain offices
in Raleigh, North Carolina, Portland, Oregon
and Phoenix, Arizona, and asked Senators
John Sununu (R-NH) and
Gordon Smith (R-OR) to
denounce their colleague’s comments in
Manchester, New Hampshire and Salem, Oregon,
respectively.
The Senator was also shadowed by the Alliance on his visits
to York, Pennsylvania and Aspen, Colorado
this week.
Additionally, birthday cakes and cards were presented with
thanks to Social Security Administration
offices in Green Bay, Madison, and
Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Morgantown, West
Virginia; Raleigh and Winston-Salem, North
Carolina; Tallahassee, Port St. Lucie, Lake
Mary, and Valrico, Florida; Albuquerque, New
Mexico; Reading, Pennsylvania; Tyler, Texas;
and Montpelier, Vermont. More events are
planned through next week.
“We are reminding retirees that Senator McCain continues to
support
President
Bush’s plan to privatize
Social Security. This would create Social
Security accounts tied to the roller coaster
of Wall Street.
“With all the turbulence in the stock market, this is a
gamble few retirees can afford to take,”
said
Edward F. Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance, in
a press conference organized by Americans
United for Change.
Also speaking in support of Social Security during the
press conference were U.S. Reps.
Jan
Schakowsky (IL-9),
Debbie
Wasserman Schultz (FL-20),
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer
Richard
Trumka, and
James
Roosevelt Jr., grandson of
FDR.
Mr. Coyle additionally lauded “one of our nation’s greatest
success stories” on “The Race,” live
Wednesday night on XM satellite radio’s
Presidential Politics Channel and on
“Special Report with Brit Hume” on Fox News
yesterday.
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