Pres. Eisenhower on conservatives’ efforts (in the 1950s!) to abolish Social Security: "Their number is negligible and they are stupid."

Thanks to Jane Hanna, who sent part of this quotation from former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Looking at the full paragraph, it’s interesting to note that he says this as part of his argument for restraining the expansion of federal government functions.  [5-19-05]

"Now it is true that I believe this country is following a dangerous trend when it permits too great a degree of centralization of governmental functions. I oppose this--in some instances the fight is a rather desperate one. But to attain any success it is quite clear that the Federal government cannot avoid or escape responsibilities which the mass of the people firmly believe should be undertaken by it. The political processes of our country are such that if a rule of reason is not applied in this effort, we will lose everything--even to a possible and drastic change in the Constitution. This is what I mean by my constant insistence upon "moderation" in government.  Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."

Check out the full text of Eisenhower's letter to Edgar Newton Eisenhower, in the presidential archives.

As Congress begins to deal with the issues surrounding Social Security, we offer some resources you may find helpful  [5-5-05]

by Evan Silverstein, Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — April 27, 2005 – The Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and 15 other national religious organizations have issued a set of "principles" for Congress to keep in mind as it decides how to preserve and strengthen Social Security.

The statement, issued on April 26, calls for a Social Security program characterized by compassion, economic security, equity, fairness and progressivity. It urges Congress to encourage private savings as an addition to, rather than as a substitute for, the current system.

"The Presbyterian Church has long spoken out about the importance of accessible, affordable health care and economic security, and our responsibility as Christians to care for one another,"said the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA).

Last summer, the denomination’s 216th General Assembly passed a resolution affirming the importance of the nation’s social insurance system, specifically Social Security and Medicare. The resolution urges elected officials to "support and maintain the fundamental structure and intent of Social Security."

"The Washington Office is the General Assembly’s voice on public-policy issues and often joins with other religious communities to speak with one voice," said Carolynn Race, an associate for domestic poverty and environmental issues in the Washington Office.

Race is encouraging Presbyterians and all people of faith to talk with other members of their congregations and with legislators about the importance of Social Security for older adults, people with disabilities, women and children.

President George W. Bush wants to allow younger workers to divert some of their Social Security tax contributions into private accounts invested in stocks and bonds, but some Republicans have been slow to embrace the idea. Democrats say they are united in opposing a plan they contend would break a social contract by shifting Social Security from a government-guaranteed benefit to a personal investment subject to the risks of the market.

Bush is near the end of a 60-day nationwide campaign to build support for his private-accounts proposal. Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee started hearings on April 26 on Social Security's long-term solvency.

In 2004, the combined programs of Social Security provided benefits to 48 million people, including retirees, the elderly and eight million people with disabilities. Survivor benefits supported more than five million children, according to the statement released by the religious groups.

"Without this basic income security, over 50 percent of women and 40 percent of men over age 65 would likely be living in poverty," it said. "The Social Security system has demonstrated the positive role that government can play in advancing the common good. Future generations deserve nothing less."

The groups that joined with the Washington Office in endorsing the principles included the United Methodist Church; the Episcopal Church USA; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and the United Church of Christ.

The religious leaders said that any changes to the Social Security system should:

The full text of the statement:

April 26, 2005

To Preserve and Strengthen Social Security:
Religious Organization Statement of Principles

We the undersigned religious organizations come from diverse traditions, yet our communities speak with one voice on the importance of providing compassionate care for the elderly, widows, orphans, and persons with disabilities. It is the birthright of each person to live a life with dignity and with access to the basic necessities of life. It is because of our deep moral concern for the most vulnerable in our society that many of our organizations actively supported the creation of the Social Security system in 1935 and many of its later improvements.

Today we celebrate the tremendous success of the Social Security system. For over 60 years, it has provided the foundation for a compassionate society by providing basic economic security for all participants. Its present overall structure — universal, compulsory, an earned right, wage-related rather than means-tested, and protected against inflation — has served our country well. In 2004, the combined programs of Social Security provided benefits to 48 million people, including retirees, survivors, and eight million people living with disabilities. Survivor benefits supported more than five million children. Without this basic income security, over 50 percent of women and 40 percent of men over age 65 would likely be living in poverty. The Social Security system has demonstrated the positive role that government can play in advancing the common good. Future generations deserve nothing less.

It is our common concern for the economic well-being of future generations that brings our nation to its current discussion of the future of the Social Security system. It is a timely and appropriate discussion. It warrants careful reflection concerning the basic principles upon which the present system was founded and the moral values which bring us together in common purpose as a nation. We seek to contribute to this discussion by offering the following principles, informed by our moral beliefs and religious experience, as a basis for evaluating proposed changes to the Social Security system.

Compassion. As citizens and residents of this country, we have a collective responsibility to care for one another. The federal government should continue its important, effective, and efficient role (of) promoting a compassionate society through the Social Security system.

Economic security. Social insurance should remain a basic part of our society. Disability and survivor insurance must be maintained. Security for the elderly, survivors, and persons with disabilities should not be left to the vagaries of fragile family support systems, voluntary charity, or economic cycles.

Equity, fairness, and progressivity. The present overall structure of the Social Security system —universal, compulsory employee and employer contributions, an earned right, wage-related rather than means-tested, and protected against inflation— should be preserved and strengthened. Overall, the costs and benefits should be distributed progressively in proportion to each person’s ability to pay and level of need. Care must be given to assure that segments of the population are not systematically disadvantaged due to gender, race, or marital status.

Savings and pensions. Social Security is intended to be the third leg of a three-legged stool, the other two legs being personal savings and employer-provided pensions. Congress should encourage personal savings and employer pensions in addition to (not as a substitute for) the current system, and, especially, it should explore ways to help low- and middle-income households save more for their future.

Stewardship of the public trust. Congress has a moral obligation to fulfill its trust responsibilities to those who have contributed through their payroll taxes to the Social Security trust fund. Congress must also assure that future beneficiaries will receive benefits sufficient to meet their basic needs, that trust fund revenues and expenditures balance over time, and that future generations will not be unfairly burdened by this generation’s debts.

We believe the strength of our country is measured best by the compassion we show to one another in our times of greatest need and vulnerability. In the months ahead, we will continue to look at new proposals to modify the Social Security system through the framework of our moral beliefs and religious experiences. We will seek to engage with members of Congress and the public to help discern the best way to strengthen and preserve the Social Security system so that future generations may continue to benefit, as we do now.

African Methodist Episcopal Church
Call to Renewal
Church Women United
Episcopal Church USA
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Council of the Churches in Christ in the USA
National Council of Jewish Women
NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Washington Office
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries
The United Methodist Church — General Board of Church and Society

by Jim Wallis

The following is an open letter written by Jim Wallis as convenor of Call to Renewal, a coalition of churches and faith-based organizations working to overcome poverty. The letter was distributed last week to all members of the U.S. Congress as the House and Senate begin hearings on Social Security, and outlines the moral framework with which Social Security should be discussed.

from SoJo Mail – a weekly e-mail zine of spirituality, politics and culture
 

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land..." (Exodus 20:12)

As discussion about Social Security reform begins in the Senate Finance Committee, beware of those who tell you that God spoke to them and they have the "fix" for Social Security. To guarantee the solvency of this bedrock institution in American life will not be easy; it will require our best bipartisan thinking and collaboration. But one aspect of this debate does indeed raise some fundamental moral - and even religious - issues that we ought to consider.

The Judeo-Christian faith tradition has much to say about intergenerational commitments. The Old and New Testaments could not testify more clearly that we must "honor thy father and thy mother" - and care for widows and orphans, the ill, and the disabled. And there is no trust more sacred to biblical faith than the injunctions to care not only for our immediate families but also the larger family of all humanity, especially the least, the last, and the lost. In Jesus' words from Matthew 25, "As you have done to the least of these, you have done to me."

We are commanded to "Honor your father and your mother," which is linked to our own well-being and security, "so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12). Deuteronomy 5:16 repeats the commandment and adds the motivation "that it may go well with you," again connecting the generations in a mutual sense of responsibility for one another. Proverbs 23:22 tells us to respect the generation that has gone before: "Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old." Proverbs 28:24 goes further and warns against any economic ill treatment: "Anyone who robs father or mother and says, 'That is no crime,' is partner to a thug." Ezekiel 22:7 extends the warning to "orphans and widows." The Christian New Testament picks up the same themes and in Matthew reminds us again to "honor your father and your mother." Ephesians 6:1-3 says: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother,' this is the first commandment with a promise, 'so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.'"

The constant theme is that the well-being of our parents and the next generation is spiritually connected to our own. Social Security is a major way in which our society honors the previous generation by representing a civilized nation's answer to the age-old problem of old-age poverty. This covenant assures the old in our community that growing old should not be a tragedy, and this commitment is strongly interwoven into the fabric of American society. Without Social Security, nearly half of elderly Americans would be in poverty; with it, only 10 percent are. For nearly two-thirds of the elderly, Social Security provides the majority of their income. In addition, over one-third of benefits from Social Security go to non-retirees, increasing opportunity for families facing unpredictable challenges. Social Security helps more low-income children than welfare (TANF), providing support to children who have lost a parent to death or disability. And when a worker becomes disabled or dies, the entire family is protected from poverty by benefits. There are now more than 4.5 million widows and widowers who depend on Social Security.

Privatizing Social Security threatens to dismantle our nation's commitment and breach a covenant held between child and parent, worker and retiree, employed and unemployed, able and disabled. Casting it aside disrespects the biblical covenant. Social Security offers a guarantee of security for the elderly and many others that the stock market can never provide. President Bush's plan to privatize Social Security would take a significant portion out of the Social Security benefits that so many Americans depend upon and divert it for private investment in the stock market. Turning what was a public promise into a private gamble could create a serious breach in the covenant between generations and raises deep questions about the moral priorities of our society. Social Security privatization could easily "rob" mother and father. Our faith requires that we consider carefully how privatization would hurt children, women, and people with disabilities.

Social Security is about we, not me, and us, not I. It is a common thread for the common good, a tie that binds a nation's people together. Social Security is about faithfulness to a covenant between "we the people" not to forsake our parents, grandparents, children, and neighbors. It is a modest but critical bedrock of hope. To go from assuring the elderly and needy of this critical and dependable support to offering "private accounts" is a potential risk to seniors, a boon to the stock market, and an uncertain "prize" for younger generations. Putting our commitment at risk and increasing debt for a transition to a private system has implications for the old and young. For the old, the danger is the anxiety of potential poverty; for the young, the danger is in endangering their own children with massive debt.

Social Security is an expression of national values - and for Christians, our biblical priorities. It is about protecting the American dream, but also honoring God's community by providing opportunity and dignity. Fostering dignity for families, children, and elders in need is the true measure of our compassion, the true measure of our commitment to - and covenant with - the common good. Those who want to radically change a system that has worked so well are saying, in principle, that "me" is better than "we," that private solutions are better than shared responsibility. They want to weaken and shrink the places where we solve problems in common. They would rather each of us seek our own private solution to the issues of security, which always works to the detriment of the most vulnerable.

That’s what NYTimes columnist Paul Krugman calls the President’s current proposals for "fixing" Social Security. "Sure enough," he says, "a close look at President Bush's proposal for "progressive price indexing" of Social Security puts the lie to claims that it's a plan to increase benefits for the poor and cut them for the wealthy. In fact, it's a plan to slash middle-class benefits; the wealthy would barely feel a thing."