July 05th, 2007

S4's New Hampshire team was highlighted in a recent article in the Hartford Courant called Activists Playing Face-To-Face Politics:

"The week of the Giuliani event, Jo Jensen seemed to be everywhere in the Granite State, wearing the same smile, the same shirt, and asking the same question about the future of the Social Security system. Jensen, a Bow, N.H., native, is an activist. Fresh out of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., she is executive director of a new, nonpartisan, nonprofit group called Students for Saving Social Security."

Read the entire article here.

The Louisiana Weekly, a newspaper dedicated to the “interests of Louisiana's African-American community” recently published an article about the influence of the current Social Security system on African-Americans. The future is not looking good!

“Research indicates that many future retirees, including an estimated 77 million Baby Boomers, will have difficulty maintaining an adequate standard of living. For African- Americans, this problem is exacerbated by various factors.

Recent data indicates that 45 percent of all African-American workers did not have access to employer-based retirement benefits, and of the other 55 percent who did have access to those benefits, only 41.5 percent participated. Additionally, many African-Americans rely greatly on Social Security, and for one out of three African-Americans over the age of 65, it is the only source of income.”

It is great to see people concerned with this pressing issue. Check out the entire article by clicking here!!

S4 celebrated Independence Day yesterday with barbecue and fireworks...and dreams of personal retirement accounts! America was founded on the principle that ordinary people deserve control over their own money and their own lives...which is exactly the principle that personal retirement accounts are based on!

From everyone here at S4, we hope you had a wonderful holiday, and we wish America a happy 231st birthday!

July 02nd, 2007

A poll released at the end of last week says that nearly 90% of voters believe that their retirement will be adversely affected by the large problems that lie ahead in Social Security and Medicare.  Here are two more relevant insights from the report (emphasis ours):

1. "An overwhelming 96% of voters say it is important that a candidate for President in 2008 concentrates on the present and future problems with Social Security and Medicare by discussing and demonstrating a realistic plan to provide retirement security for current and future retirees."

2. "Seven in ten voters (71%) approve of changing our current retirement system so that all American workers have a retirement security system where their payroll taxes are placed in a secure account that they own and control and are allowed to grow until the retire when they can withdraw the funds as they need for income and healthcare expenses."

Good thing S4 is out talking to the presidential candidates about personal accounts!

S4 had the opportunity to speak with Senator Dodd, Congressman Kucinich, former Senator Gravel and Governor Richardson! We asked each candidate what his specific plan was to fix Social Security.

S4’s video of each candidate's response will be up shortly, but in the meantime here is a preview of what the candidates said:

 Dodd:

“Putting the Social Security Trust Fund on sound footing is fairly easy to do.”

Gravel:
“ No tax increases, we don’t need them.”

Kucinich:
S4: “Mr. Kucinich, I’m from Students for Saving Social Security.”
Kucinich: “That’s a good idea.”

Richardson:
“The first thing I would do is stop raiding the Social Security Trust Fund.”

June 29th, 2007

A rockstar S4 member from Southern California, Darin Schemmer, recently pointed out how Ronald Reagan was an advocate for Social Security reform…even way back in 1964!   Check out a few excerpts from his famous speech, "A Time for Choosing."

Reagan, after touching on the "fiscal shortcomings" of Social Security says:

"A young man, 21 years of age, working at an average salary -- his Social Security contribution would, in the open market, buy him an insurance policy that would guarantee 220 dollars a month at age 65. The government promises 127. He could live it up until he's 31 and then take out a policy that would pay more than Social Security. Now are we so lacking in business sense that we can't put this program on a sound basis, so that people who do require those payments will find they can get them when they're due -- that the cupboard isn't bare?"

YAY for Reagan sounding off on many of the same ideas we promote today, like utilizing the "open market" to get a better rate of return than what the current system is promising.   Reagan goes on to bring up the principles of ownership and choice…two of our favorite concepts here at S4!

"At the same time, can't we introduce voluntary features that would permit a citizen who can do better on his own to be excused upon presentation of evidence that he had made provision for the non-earning years? Should we not allow a widow with children to work, and not lose the benefits supposedly paid for by her deceased husband? Shouldn't you and I be allowed to declare who our beneficiaries will be under this program, which we cannot do?"

It's great to see how such a beloved man upheld the same ideas and principles that we here at S4 are fighting for — a system of Social Security that allows more ownership and control of our tax dollars and utilizes the open market to provide a better rate of return.   I think Reagan's greatest point, when referring to Democrats and Republicans, was when he emphasized that "there's no such thing as a left or a right, there's only an up or a down."   Too often public policy is driven by partisan politics; let's hope our elected leaders can remember Reagan's wisdom and work together, regardless of party affiliation, to solve the problems facing Social Security and bring true retirement security to our generation.

Written by Evan Dent

June 27th, 2007

Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Ryan, Megan, and I attended the third annual Campus Progress National Student Conference hosted by the Center for American Progress yesterday. Our mission was to see if the students, whose motto was “Our Time is Now,” were interested in mobilizing our generation to fix the Social Security problem now.

The short answer is no. The conference agenda focused on climate change, the war in Iraq, and health care reform.  Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Russ Feingold (D-WI), and Keith Ellison (D-MN) were among the most notable speakers.

We had no luck in our search for Social Security reform lovers.  We did, however, get free food, tote bags, and T-shirts!

Jo Jensen is featured in an expert Q&A by For Our Grandchildren.  Here is Jo explaining the urgency of reform:

"S4 is talking to presidential candidates in order to give them an opportunity to explain the specifics of how we ought to reform Social Security. Even though our retirement is a long way off, we need to understand that reform will take place in the next 10 years. Reform must take place in the next 10 years, or else the program will not have enough money to cover benefits in 2017."

Read the full interview here.

June 25th, 2007

Last Wednesday at the Take Back America conference, three members of our S4 team went inside to see if Senator Clinton’s speech might mention Social Security reform. Meanwhile, three of us stayed outside — two in full ostrich costume - to encourage people to question Clinton about her plans for Social Security.

“Are you worried about your Social Security?” we asked people walking by into the conference. “If you’re worried, don’t you think your presidential candidates ought to have a plan for it?”

Many people told us that, yes, they were very worried about their Social Security benefits. They promised to ask Clinton her position on the issue if they got a chance. Let’s all keep asking our candidates to step up and show some leadership on this issue!