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Enemy of Social Security Reform? Public Apathy - Goliad Advance-Guard
Despite all the media warnings about Social Security solvency and possible across-the-board benefit cuts in about a decade, a recent Gallup poll suggests that 53% of Americans still think they’ll get everything they’re entitled to when it comes time for them to apply for Social Security benefits. We’ve emphasized many times in this forum the importance of reforming Social Security now, as have other media outlets who have keen interest in this topic. And now, as we enter this federal election year, Social Security solvency is likely to take center stage as a hot topic of political discussion. But, will all this media noise and election rhetoric result in Congressional action to reform the nations most important retirement program? Not likely, according to Brenton Smith, writing for the Goliad Advance-Guard, because if politicians perceive a lack of urgent concern by voters, then they’re not likely to actually do anything to solve the problem. Click here to read Mr. Smith’s article suggesting that “if you don’t care about Social Security, neither will politicians.”
As an example of the leading thoughts on reforming Social Security, the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC, Inc.) believes Social Security must be preserved and modernized. This can be achieved without tax increases by slight modifications to cost of living adjustments and payments to high income beneficiaries plus gradually increasing the full (but not early) retirement age. AMAC Action, AMAC’s advocacy arm, supports raising the thresholds at which benefits are taxed and then indexing for inflation, and calls for eliminating the reduction in people’s benefits for those choosing to work before full retirement age. AMAC is resolute in its mission that Social Security be preserved for current and successive generations and has gotten the attention of lawmakers in D.C., meeting with many congressional offices and staff over the past decade.