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The Social Security Act ( Ssa ) Of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal

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Debates over Social Security have been ongoing since its inception in 1935 until today. The trend seems to be toward an increasing percentage of the American public, across party and demographic lines, in favor of strengthening Social Security funding, and a willingness to pay more to preserve and even improve benefits. However, what is not clear is whether Americans favor privatization of Social Security because of fears that the Social Security Trust Fund is living on borrowed time.

The Social Security Act (SSA) of 1935 was drafted during the Great Depression as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The SSA was an attempt to limit what were seen as dangers in the American life, including old age, poverty, unemployment, and the burden of widows and fatherless children. The SSA was intended to provide a minimal level of sustenance to older Americans, saving them from poverty. By signing the Social Security Act, President Roosevelt became the first president to advocate federal assistance for the elderly. The SSA provided benefits to retirees and the unemployed, and a lump-sum benefit at death. Payment to current retirees are financed through payroll taxes on current workers’ wages, half directly as a payroll tax and half paid by the employer. The SSA also gave money to states to provide assistance to the elderly, health care, maternal and child welfare, and assistance for the disabled and blind. In 1965, Congress expanded the system to include

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