[nfb-talk] {Disarmed} Social Security Fw: Website Contact Form Submission From Kenneth Chrane

[Kenneth Chrane]

 ?letterdate ?Social Security:

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Congressman Elijah Cummings 
To: kenneth.chrane at verizon.net 
Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2010 10:34 AM
Subject: Re: Website Contact Form Submission From Kenneth Chrane



      December 2, 2010 

       

       

      Mr. Kenneth Chrane 

      6839 Parsons Avenue 

      Gwynn Oak, Maryland 21207 

       

       

      Dear Mr. Chrane: 

       

      Thank you for writing and sharing your concerns about the future of Social Security.  I share your concerns and will continue to keep them in mind should Congress consider any proposals or legislation affecting this vital and successful program. 

       

      Like you, I believe that Social Security is a binding promise between government and its citizens.  American workers pay into Social Security throughout their working lifetimes, to provide a safety net for those who came before them, with the assurance that the same support will be provided to them upon their retirement.  Any effort to reduce benefits represents a breach of that promise to the American worker. Moreover, Social Security benefits are modest, averaging less than $13,000 a year, but for millions of Americans, Social Security is not just a cushion, it is a lifeline which keeps them out of poverty.   Particularly for low-wage and manual laborers who may be in poorer physical health, Social Security retirement benefits do not come a moment too soon.  That is why I have joined 135 of my colleagues in a letter to President Obama, expressing my strong support for Social Security and opposing any potential forthcoming recommendations from the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform that might propose reducing benefits, raising the retirement age or privatizing this system.  In addition, I am an original cosponsor of H. Res.1670, which expresses opposition to raising the Social Security retirement age. 

       

      As you may know, contributions to Social Security from employers and employees are deposited into a trust fund, which also accumulates interest income on any loans made from its fund.  By 2023, Social Security will have built up a $4.3 trillion surplus, and without any action, the system is projected to be able to pay full benefits until 2037; it is projected to be able to pay at least 75 percent of promised benefits thereafter.  While these projections do not constitute a crisis, I do believe that policymakers must make the solvency and stability of Social Security a top priority, and I will closely study any proposal that has as its objective the strengthening of the program.  However, I do not believe that Social Security should be looked at as an avenue to address the nation's larger fiscal challenges, since the program does not have borrowing authority, and does not contribute to the federal deficit.  

       

      Thank you again for taking the time to write and share your views on this important issue. I wholeheartedly agree with you that we must preserve and strengthen Social Security for future generations, and we must not break the mutual promise between government and the American worker that this system embodies.  Please do not hesitate to be in touch if I can ever assist on this or any other matter.    

       


      Sincerely,
       
      Elijah E. Cummings
      Member of Congress