Social Security is the most successful retirement insurance program this country has ever seen.  Without Social Security over half the elderly would live in poverty.  Congress should strengthen Social Security to ensure the continuation of this essential program; and ensures that Social Security remains a universal, mandatory, contributory social insurance program that is not subject to the whims of the stock market.  Congress should reject efforts to weaken the program by allowing workers to divert a part of the payroll tax to individual accounts, which transfer risk to each worker, instead of sharing risk among all workers as in the current system.

Whereas; Social security provides American workers with universal, contributory, wage related, inflation-proof benefits in the event of the retirement, disability or death of a primary wage earner; and

Whereas; Social Security is more than a retirement program—it is a family program.  Without Social Security, about 54% of America’s seniors and more than 15 million beneficiaries overall would be living in poverty.  About 98% of children under age 18 can count on monthly cash benefits if a working parent dies; and

Whereas; The long-term solvency of Social Security can be ensured for future generations with reasonable adjustments to the program made by Congress;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that

Social Security is the most successful retirement insurance program this country has ever seen.  Without Social Security over half the elderly would live in poverty.  Congress should strengthen Social Security to ensure the continuation of this essential program; and also ensure that Social Security must remain a universal, mandatory, contributory social insurance system that is not subject to the whims of the stock market.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that

Congress should reject efforts to weaken the program by allowing workers to divert any part of the payroll tax to individual accounts, which transfer risk to each worker, instead of sharing risk among all workers as in the current system.