Lawmakers must act responsibly on behalf of all Americans - AMAC & Marketwatch
Max Richtman, president and CEO of the nonprofit National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, has an op-ed here imploring members of Congress to be responsible as they wrestle with Social Security’s financial woes. Richtman is quite critical of past and current conservative reform proposals and heavily favors liberal ideas like expanding benefits, though those plans do not extend Social Security’s solvency by 75 years, which is the usual metric of good reform. He detests privatization, though there do not appear to be any voices even calling for that now. He blames conservatives in the 1980s for sowing the seeds of mistrust and fear among younger groups that they will never receive Social Security. Read his full op-ed here.
The Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) believes Social Security must be preserved and modernized. This can be achieved with no tax increases by changing cost of living adjustments, the retirement age, and delayed credits. AMAC advocates for a bipartisan compromise, “The Social Security Guarantee Act,” taking selected portions of bills introduced by former Rep. Johnson (R-TX) and current Rep. Larson (D-CT) and merging them with the Association’s own research. One component is Social Security PLUS, a voluntary plan to allow all earners to have more income at retirement. This component is intended to appeal especially to younger workers. AMAC is resolute in its mission that Social Security be preserved and modernized and has gotten the attention of lawmakers in DC, meeting with a great many congressional offices and their staffs over the past several years. Read AMAC’s plan here.