Strengthen not eliminate Social Security

Social Security, created in 1935 as a safety net for Americans in their golden years, has been a target of Republicans for generations. During the Reagan administration, Congress was pressured to raise the age requirement for collecting full benefits and reduce the amount paid to recipients. Moreover, President George W. Bush advocated privatizing Social Security, and Mitt Romney famously called it a Ponzi scheme. Despite Republican opposition, the plan has survived intact for the future.

If the GOP dismantles Social Security or trusts it to the states or private sector, it will be destined to fail, and the death knell of the party as Americans rebel. 

Unlike the past, significantly fewer companies offer employee pension plans, forcing Americans to rely heavily on Social Security or savings when they retire. Today, most pensions are provided in the public sector for those lucky Americans.  Now that the Trump Administration and Republican-controlled legislatures are fighting to eliminate retirement packages for federal and state employees and replace them with a 401 (k), the future looks bleaker. 

 The 401 (k) retirement system was introduced in the 1980s as a safety net for Americans, alongside Social Security.  The employee contributes a percentage of his earnings, which the employer matches. The downside is that it is not mandatory and, in most instances, is based on the Stock Market. Additionally, many companies fail to offer them, and for those that do, employees are allowed to borrow from their 401 (k) and replenish it, which could spell trouble for the future. 

While facing financial uncertainty about their future, Americans will not go down without a fight if Social Security is drastically modified or eliminated. Because of inflation, high rent, and unrealistic mortgages, citizens are guaranteed to pack town hall meetings, picket Congress, and engage in violence if Republicans make good on a promise since the Sixties to do away with this government entitlement. They will also show up at the polls in large numbers to reject the GOP.

Instead, Social Security should be strengthened, along with a mandatory national savings program, like that proposed by President Obama.  It would soften the landing pad of retirement and give Americans something to look forward to when they leave the workforce.