“We can never insure one hundred percent of the population against one hundred percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life, but we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age.”Statement, U.S. President of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, upon signing the Social Security Act, August 14, 1935.
We all come from different walks of life, different regions of the country. We are Washington, DC. We are Appleton, WI. We are Oakland, CA. We are Atlanta, GA. We are represented by those who believe that there isn’t enough gun control, and those that believe there is too much. Some of us believe in climate change, some don’t. We are people of faith, and we are people unaffiliated with any religious tradition.
But we, the members, organizers and supporters of the National Committee, share this fundamental value: That Social Security is a Promise and a promise must be kept.
What is the Social Security Promise?
Social Security was never intended to be an investment program:Instead, it is a contributory social insurance program, designed to protect workers and their families from loss of income due to death, disability or retirement. Social Security is not a needs-based program. Rather, it is a true earned benefit in which people earn the right to participate by working and contributing.
Social Security means life insurance for workers and their families: One in seven Americans will die before reaching age 67. Many workers do not have life insurance to protect their families from the loss of the earnings of their primary breadwinner. What workers may not realize is that paying payroll taxes entitles their families to survivor’s benefits, providing life insurance protection worth over $476,000.
Social Security means disability insurance for workers and their families:Three out of ten of today’s 20-year-olds will become disabled before reaching age 67. Yet 75% of the private sector workforce has no long-term disability insurance. Individuals with a prior history of medical problems or who work in industries with a high rate of injury frequently find coverage prohibitively expensive or impossible-to-obtain. Many workers don’t realize their payroll taxes are buying them this critical protection.
Social Security is the cornerstone of retirement: From the program’s beginning, it was intended to be a base of protection, one of three legs of the retirement stool, supplemented by private pensions and savings. It was not intended as an individual’s sole source of retirement income. Today, nine out of ten people over age 65 receive Social Security benefits. Nearly two out of three Social Security beneficiaries receive over half their income from Social Security, and it’s the only source of income for nearly one-in-five seniors. Without Social Security, 40% of older Americans would live in poverty.
Why do we keep promises?
Every company makes promises. One fast food company distanced itself from other fast food providers by saying that its food was “slow-cooked”and “hand-prepared.” It’s still fast food.
A shampoo company claims “your hair will outshine the summer’s sun,” but we all know that could never happen.
Some politicians may have gotten so accustomed to making and breaking promises that they think it’s OK. But it’s not. It never is.
A promise is a promise.
What’s the impact of an unkept promise? Gallup research has shown that if customers don’t have a firm foundation of confidence and trust in a brand, customer loyalty erodes. In fact, across an array of brands in six different product categories, Gallup found that customer loyalty plummets an average of 29% if customers do not have a strong belief in the company’s ability and commitment to keep its promises. Loyalty suffers when promises aren’t kept.
Congress needs to keep its promise so that political support for Social Security will not erode.
What is the National Committee’s promise to you?
The National Committee has made a solemn promise to you. We have not wavered. We have not compromised. Nor shall we.
The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare strongly opposes privatizing Social Security. We believe the Social Security program provides valuable benefits to both retirees and younger workers that privatization would rip away. We all agree that the program faces future challenges, chiefly a modest funding gap; however, we must meet these challenges without dismantling the program, undermining its guarantees, or cutting benefits. Social Security gives the American people a secure, basic income that lasts as long as they live.
We are pledged to preserve it for all generations.
We all come from different walks of life, different regions of the country. We are Washington, DC. We are Appleton, WI. We are Oakland, CA. We are Atlanta, GA. We are represented by those who believe that there isn’t enough gun control, and those that believe there is too much. Some of us believe in climate change, some don’t. We are people of faith, and we are people unaffiliated with any religious tradition.
But we, the members, organizers and supporters of the National Committee, share this fundamental value: That Social Security is a Promise and a promise must be kept.
What is the Social Security Promise?
Social Security was never intended to be an investment program:Instead, it is a contributory social insurance program, designed to protect workers and their families from loss of income due to death, disability or retirement. Social Security is not a needs-based program. Rather, it is a true earned benefit in which people earn the right to participate by working and contributing.
Social Security means life insurance for workers and their families: One in seven Americans will die before reaching age 67. Many workers do not have life insurance to protect their families from the loss of the earnings of their primary breadwinner. What workers may not realize is that paying payroll taxes entitles their families to survivor’s benefits, providing life insurance protection worth over $476,000.
Social Security means disability insurance for workers and their families:Three out of ten of today’s 20-year-olds will become disabled before reaching age 67. Yet 75% of the private sector workforce has no long-term disability insurance. Individuals with a prior history of medical problems or who work in industries with a high rate of injury frequently find coverage prohibitively expensive or impossible-to-obtain. Many workers don’t realize their payroll taxes are buying them this critical protection.
Social Security is the cornerstone of retirement: From the program’s beginning, it was intended to be a base of protection, one of three legs of the retirement stool, supplemented by private pensions and savings. It was not intended as an individual’s sole source of retirement income. Today, nine out of ten people over age 65 receive Social Security benefits. Nearly two out of three Social Security beneficiaries receive over half their income from Social Security, and it’s the only source of income for nearly one-in-five seniors. Without Social Security, 40% of older Americans would live in poverty.
Why do we keep promises?
Every company makes promises. One fast food company distanced itself from other fast food providers by saying that its food was “slow-cooked”and “hand-prepared.” It’s still fast food.
A shampoo company claims “your hair will outshine the summer’s sun,” but we all know that could never happen.
Some politicians may have gotten so accustomed to making and breaking promises that they think it’s OK. But it’s not. It never is.
A promise is a promise.
What’s the impact of an unkept promise? Gallup research has shown that if customers don’t have a firm foundation of confidence and trust in a brand, customer loyalty erodes. In fact, across an array of brands in six different product categories, Gallup found that customer loyalty plummets an average of 29% if customers do not have a strong belief in the company’s ability and commitment to keep its promises. Loyalty suffers when promises aren’t kept.
Congress needs to keep its promise so that political support for Social Security will not erode.
What is the National Committee’s promise to you?
The National Committee has made a solemn promise to you. We have not wavered. We have not compromised. Nor shall we.
The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare strongly opposes privatizing Social Security. We believe the Social Security program provides valuable benefits to both retirees and younger workers that privatization would rip away. We all agree that the program faces future challenges, chiefly a modest funding gap; however, we must meet these challenges without dismantling the program, undermining its guarantees, or cutting benefits. Social Security gives the American people a secure, basic income that lasts as long as they live.
We are pledged to preserve it for all generations.
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