BYRD’S EYE VIEW: Standing Strong for Social Security
From the desk of U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-WV
Washington, DC (HNN) -- In 1935, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the law creating the Social Security system, he stated that Social Security would "give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age."
For more than 70 years, Social Security has been the ultimate financial protection for the American people. But now, there is another threat to the long-term strength of the traditional Social Security program.
Earlier this year, the White House included a proposal in its budget to divert $700 billion in Social Security funds for the President’s scheme.
That plan was met with widespread opposition by the American people.
Unfortunately, the White House is not listening to the people. In recent speeches and news interviews, President Bush revealed his plan to take another run at privatizing Social Security -- but not until after the November elections. The White House seems committed to gambling Social Security protection for our elderly on the whims of Wall Street.
Let me be clear: I will fight to protect Social Security and not allow it to be jeopardized on some risky privatization scheme. There is little good that can come from placing our seniors’ Social Security benefits at the mercy of the stock market. Social Security should not become some Wall Street baron’s plaything. We have to work to strengthen Social Security for this generation and generations to come, and not place that safety net at risk.
Recently, with Senator Rockefeller, I signed the “Golden Promise” petition -- a pledge to fight to protect Social Security and not risk it with dangerous, politically motivated schemes. Hundreds of people gathered at the Capitol to launch the petition drive, all of us committed to the effort to protect Social Security. To join the effort and sign the petition, visit www.americansunitedforchange.org.
More than 400,000 West Virginians rely on the Social Security program for assistance. For many of these people, Social Security is their sole source of income. That is why we cannot allow Social Security to be jeopardized. The stakes are simply too high for this White House gamble.
Social Security is a gift from the World War II Generation to this and every coming generation. It was forged from their suffering and resiliency during the Great Depression, and the task now falls to us to preserve that gift for generations to come.