By Dan Weber
Photo Credit: Flickr User wallyg
WASHINGTON, DC, Jan 16 – The Association of Mature American Citizens is actively
encouraging Congress to act on Social Security in a timely and comprehensive manner.
Dan Weber, AMAC president, said “we can’t afford to just kick the can down the road
with interim fixes that will likely result in hardship both for those who are still
paying into Social Security and for those who are depending on SS income in their
old age.”
Weber praised the House for taking a “bold” step when on the first day of the new
session when it passed a measure that “gets the ball rolling.”
The bill, sponsored by Representative Sam Johnson of Texas, prohibits the transfer
of funds from Social Security’s retirement program (OASI) to the Social Security
disability program (SSDI) unless Congress enacts legislation to address and improve
the program’s long-term finances.
“Over the years, the retirement program has been used as a slush fund for the disability
fund, which is quickly being depleted and will become insolvent next year as a result.
The problem has been the lack of accountability in defining who is eligible for
Disability Insurance. DI is there for individuals who can’t work due to disability,
but as the economy worsened in recent years, people who were enduring financial
hardship have been using it as a kind of unemployment fund.”
Weber said Congressman Johnson’s measure is a “good start” and can slow the leak,
but more is needed.
“Congress is likely to enact legislation combining the Federal Old-Age and Survivors
Trust with the Federal Disability Insurance Trust. But that would be a band aid,
resulting in increasingly higher taxes down the road.”
In the most recent edition of AMAC’s Advantage Magazine, Weber wrote that “Congress
should not raise taxes, but should take a common sense approach similar to AMAC’s
Social Security Guarantee, which increases benefits for low income retirees while
allowing all workers to accumulate more money voluntarily. This can be done without
raising taxes. Since there has to be Social Security legislation passed in 2015,
I urge Congress to break their gridlock, work together and finally solve this problem
for generations to come.”
The Social Security Administration states flatly on its Web site that: “legislative
changes are necessary to avoid disruptive consequences for beneficiaries and taxpayers.
If lawmakers take action sooner rather than later, more options and more time will
be available to phase in changes so that the public has adequate time to prepare.
Earlier action will also help elected officials minimize adverse impacts on vulnerable
populations, including lower-income workers and people already dependent on program
benefits.”
Weber concluded that Social Security is “an urgent need” and called on Congress
to make it a priority this year.
“Social Security is not an entitlement handout, as many would suggest; it’s an annuity
that American workers paid for all their working lives, a retirement fund that was
supposed to be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Thus,
we owe it to ourselves, to our children and to our grandchildren to ensure the viability
of this essential program.”
