When I interviewed potential mayoral candidate Noel Radomski, he lamented the neglect of the 75th anniversary of Social Security, a program he credited academics in the UW community, such as former Prof. Edwin E. Witte, for establishing.
Apparently Rep. Ron Kind got the memo.In a column today, the western Wisconsin Dem celebrates the social insurance legacy in his district, and, perhaps more importantly, makes clear that not all members of Congress can be counted on to fight for its preservation.
In 2005, when some members of Congress tried to privatize the program, I fought hard with my colleagues to save Social Security from this effort to destroy it, putting our seniors' financial security at risk. If in 2005, President Bush and others had been successful in privatizing Social Security, seniors would have lost billions of dollars in Social Security income along with any retirement savings they had when the economy collapsed at in 2008. When the stock market plunged and the housing bubble burst, there was one thing America's seniors could count on -Social Security.
Social Security is a winning issue for Democrats. I will note, however, that Democrats may want to be cautious when celebrating the 75th anniversary. It strikes me as a convenient segue into an argument for raising retirement to a similar age.
