Social Security much more than budget numbers

To the editor:
    On Aug. 14th, Americans can celebrate 77 years of Social Security. In a time of financial insecurity, it’s hard to overstate the critical role that Social Security plays in helping people pay their bills every single month.
    Yet you would hardly know it from the rhetoric in Washington. If you listen to some of the political insiders, you would never know that more than half of older Americans rely on Social Security for more than half their income. You would not know that in Maine, more than one third of Social Security beneficiaries 65-plus rely on their benefit for 100 percent of their income.
    You might even get the idea that Social Security is only about budget numbers and nothing else. But at AARP we disagree. Decisions about its future will affect people’s lives and well-being. That’s why we launched “You’ve Earned a Say,” to make sure older Americans have a voice in the political debate over the future of Social Security, and to give a platform to share their ideas on how to keep it strong.
    We seek a truly national conversation about enhancing retirement security in a time when it is declining. To help, we’re providing straightforward facts about Social Security and balanced summaries of the issues at the website www.earnedasay.org. We’ve also enlisted experts from organizations that typically represent different sides of the issues to offer a range of views, so each of us can have easy access to what’s on the table in Washington and can make up our own mind.
    For nearly 50 years, AARP has worked to protect and strengthen Social Security, so that its vital benefits will always be there. In the emerging political debate, we remain committed to clear-cut principles that have made Social Security so effective for so long. As I’ve traveled the state listening to Mainers’ concerns about the future of Social Security, I’ve become even more aware that finding solutions to make the program stronger for the future has never been more important.
    What is unique about Social Security is its reliability. Companies can go out of business. Company pensions can be terminated. The stock market can take a nose dive. But Social Security benefits are there in good times and in bad. No other form of retirement benefit can play this role. With a few meaningful changes, we can ensure future generations receive the benefits they’ve earned and have the critical foundation they will need for their own retirement security.
    For 77 years, America has kept its promise to workers and their families by keeping Social Security strong. Now it is up to our elected leaders to keep that promise for another 77 years – and longer.
Lori Parham, director
AARP Maine