Established by the federal government in 1935, the social security system is currently one of the most costly items in the federal budget. The purpose of the system is to provide for Federal old-age benefits, and to enable social insurance and public assistance. The proposal of moving to an entirely new system would give the people living in the United States their own individual authority of controlling their own investments. If social security does not become privatized; the system itself will turn unsustainable, the retired and disabled will not fully receive their earnings; and the people of the United States will continue to have no control over their investments. Many politicians have utilized the privatization of social security as a political platform. For example, former President George W. Bush has had 47% of Republicans that has voted in support to privatize the system. Presently, the payments received from the Social Security system grants monetary payments to the millions of Americans that are either retired or the family members of the retired and disabled for deceased workers. The federal government is held responsible for collecting these payments. Back in 1935, the social security system was formerly known as the Old Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI). During this time, it only took seventeen contributions from workers to pay one retiree. In comparison to now, a quarter of the employed U.S households that has contributed into the Social security funding
On August 14, 1935 in Austin, Texas, President Franklin D. Roosevelt inked his signature on the Social Security Act. It was originally implemented to resolve problems with unemployment, old age insurance, and public health and welfare. The Great Depression was the catalyst for the creation of the Social Security program, and the basic structure was very similar to Germany’s social insurance programs from the 1880s. Today, social security is mostly used for retired senior citizens starting at the age of 62. At 62, American citizens can begin to collect, but will only receive 35% of their monthly benefit due, rather than the maximum amount of 50% when they reach the full retirement age of 66. (cite) In addition, social security is dispersed to about 14 million disabled people under the age of 62, who can no longer work in the labor force for various reasons. The people who qualify as disabled are just a small percentage of those collecting compared to senior citizens, and are often not mentioned when social security issues are brought up because of their minute effects on social security distribution.
The Social Security system is perhaps the most successful government social insurance program in the nation 's history; and began with the Social Security Act in 1935. Social Security is a needed federal system that encourages income stability to millions of people across the United States. This is accomplished by giving a stable flow of income to replenish lost wages that occur as a result of disability, retirement, or death of a family member. There are about 59 million people in the U.S. that receive Social Security. Most of them are the required 65 years of age or older. Sadly about half of the 59 million people rely solely on Social Security to pay their bills and everyday necessities.
In the United States of America, there exists a two-party system comprised of the U.S. Democratic Party and the U.S. Republican Party. Although these two parties have become somewhat neutral on many issues of national policy, each party has a unique perspective of how the ever-looming Social Security problem should be alleviated. First, the U.S. Democratic Party believes that in order to fix the Social Security problem, pension plans must be reformed and savings incentives must be expanded nationwide. Also, the U.S. Democratic Party has persistently argued against the recent idea of privatizing Social Security. On the other hand, the U.S. Republican Party believes the Social Security system is in need of much more drastic change. According to statistics provided by the official website of the Republican National Committee, "Under the current system, today's 30-year-old worker will face a 26% benefit cut when he or she reaches normal retirement age." Also according to the RNC website, "By 2041, when workers in their mid-20s begin to retire, the system will be bankrupt - unless we act now to save it." In order to fix this troubled system, the U.S. Republican Party believes that the only answer is privatization.
“pay as you go” system. This changing of the original system called for younger citizens
Our nation ensures social welfare through Social Security. However, the United States cannot ensure the welfare of its own welfare system. To save Social Security, Americans in general do not favor an increase in the payroll tax, a cut in benefits or an increase in the retirement age. Furthermore, Americans are relying upon Social Security as their sole source of income at increasingly alarming rates. Social Security is intended to supplement retiree income, not account for 100% of it. Through elimination of the potential options, that leaves one necessary action: invest the Social Security trust fund in the stock market.
It’s a matter of either losing all that you have worked for and live in poverty when retired or allowing your hard earned dollars to grow and have a secure comfortable retirement. I believe that Social Security is a doomed Government Program and that Privatization of Social Security would allow for a more secure retirement plan for all Americans. Social Security was first created to help aging Americans in their senior years so they would not end up in poverty. Social Security was signed in as law on August 14, 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was fully operating by 1940 (SSA). Originally a retirement program, but Social Security now includes survivor benefits, disability benefits and Medicare and all together is the largest
For many years the social security program has been operating successfully. In recent times however, it is becoming apparent to some that social security is in need of reform. Their argument is that with the amount of people getting older in the next couple of decades, there will not be enough money left in the social security reserves to pay for everyone who needs it. That is why the idea of separating social security up into private funds has been brought to the attention of the American citizens. This idea of reform has been around for quite a long time; however it has been pushed on by pro reform supporters more in recent times because they think it is necessary for the
Privatization of the United States Social Security system could actual be more efficient than the publicly operated system. Chile switched its public retirement system to a privately ran system to a less expensive system that has been fairly successful (Bosworth). Social Security privatization is overall a better option because it will increase the rate of the returns of its recipients. American 401K invested in US treasury bonds received between a 1.9% to 4.2% rates of returns while the average person born in 2004 will receive a rate of return of 1.7% (Bosworth). These bond options are as stable as a regular Social Security option is because both are provided by the government but a privatized account allows workers to pick higher yielding accounts. Privatized accounts allow for workers to also invest in the stock market at a higher risk reward basis. Survivor benefits from the death of a family member who paid into Social Security received from 75% to 71.5% for at least 10 years (Survivors Planner). This is the main flaw of the current Social Security system is that the result of an early death, the worker's family is at a significant disadvantage economically as well as emotionally. This lead to the main argument brought up by Barry Bosworth chair of international economics and Gary Burtless chair of senior fellow economics that the privatization of Social Security
It’s a matter of either losing all that you have worked for and live in poverty when retired or allowing your hard earned dollars to grow and have a secure comfortable retirement. I believe that Social Security is a doomed Government Program and that Privatization of Social Security would allow for a more secure retirement plan for all Americans. Social Security was first created to help aging Americans in their senior years so they would not end up in poverty. Social Security was signed in as law on August 14, 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was fully operating by 1940. Originally a retirement program, but Social Security now includes survivor benefits, disability benefits and Medicare and all together is the largest
Roosevelt and his Economic Crisis Committee, in 1935, came up with the simple idea of providing benefits to the generation of retired workers from tax money of currently working generation. Roosevelt put this straightforward idea into the system to make it work, and it surprisingly has worked out well so far. When the bill became a law in 1935, there were many people who were affected by the Great Depression and sought financial aid. Unlike the bank money that goes in loans and still depositor have access to the money; Social Security System passes out collected money immediately into benefits (“Social Security System”). This way, the working generation will always provide enough money to the fund. Rather than providing money from government fund, idea of benefiting citizens from their own money didn’t receive
Social Security is a system that is prevailing in several nations for their citizens’ welfare, which was initiated in the US in 1930’s. It is interesting to see how it has transformed in the hands of some of the US presidents. Ever since it was originated, it has been on the ramp getting modified constantly in such a way that it meets the needs of the Americans.
It is about eighty two years since Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Social Security Act. FDR stated “We can never insure one hundred percent of the population against one hundred percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life...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.” The social security plan had established itself as one of the most popular federal program. The program covers retirement, disability, and survivors’ benefits although to quality for most of the program’s benefit there must have been contribution from the receiver. In 1935, the Social Security Act became an actual law and with several amendments
There is much-heated debate on the issues of Social Security today. The Social Security system is the largest government program of income distribution in the United States. People are concerned that they won't see a dime of what they worked so hard to contribute into the Social Security system for so many years. Social Security provides benefits to about forty-three million Americans. Not only to retired workers, but also to their spouses and dependents of the workers who die prematurely. It also provides benefits to disabled workers and their dependents. Social Security appears to most people like a simple retirement saving’s account. After all, you generally
The Social Security System is in need of a new reform; our current system was not designed for the age stratification we have at this time. The U.S. Social Security Administration Office of Policy states, “The original Social Security Act, signed into law on August 14, 1935, grew out of the work of the Committee on Economic Security, a cabinet-level group appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt just one year earlier. The Act created several programs that, even today, form the basis for the government's role in providing income security, specifically, the old-age insurance, unemployment insurance, and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) programs.” Social Security was modeled to aid the elderly citizens, however during the
(5) Currently SS funds are collected and distributed on a pay - as - you -go (PAYG) system in which Social Security taxes from individuals are immediately distributed by the means of the SS Administration as it sees best fit. This means that taxes collected are not reserved for the individual who has paid them: in Rose 2 the current state he or she must rely on those persons paying SS taxes during the time of their retirement (Becker). For a number of these characteristics and future issues, the Social Security System must be reformed or completely abolished to meet the needs of tomorrow. The leading concerns of Social Security that merits the immediate initiation of reform are the demographic and economic circumstances in the coming century. Even though "forecasting the economy and budget over such a long period is uncertain" there remain many "certainties" regarding problems facing Social Security in the first half of the 21st century (OMB, Budget Perspectives 23). The Federal Government's responsibilities extend well beyond "the five- or six-year window" that has restricted the focus of recent budget analysis and debate. Of these "certainties" are the mounting challenges posed from the baby-boomer generation. This generation, born in the years after World War II, is aging