Social Security

Christopher Gorham Gives the Remarkable Anna Marie Rosenberg the Bio She Deserves

by Kathryn Smith

From the New Deal's NRA to the Manhattan Project's labor needs, and from the launch of Social Security to JFK's famous birthday party featuring Marilyn Monroe, Rosenberg was a master facilitator who had a hand in many of the policies that shaped modern America, as a compelling new biography explains. 

Republicans Have a History of Weaponizing 'Socialism.' But Do They Understand what it Is?

by Kevin M. Kruse

“Socialism,” Harry Truman argued in 1952, “is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.”

Frances Perkins: The Unsung Creator of U.S. Social Security

Author Kristin Downey covered Social Security for years, which has driven her to correct the tendency to overlook Frances Perkins's key contributions to the most important social welfare program in America.

U.S. cruises toward record-breaking debt on Trump's watch

Congress’ recent tax and spending laws — along with ballooning costs of government programs have jacked up federal spending in President Donald Trump’s first term.

Americans Didn't Always Keep Their Social Security Numbers Secret

by Olivia B. Waxman

Here's what changed.

The GOP’s Pattern of Denial Is Usually Followed by Acceptance

by Bruce W. Dearstyne

That’s what happens with Social Security.

Resurrecting Another ‘Big Lie’: The Myth of Social Security as ‘Ponzi Scheme’

by Bernard A. Weisberger

This especially ugly lie resurfaces periodically like the Loch Ness Monster and the Abominable Snowman and is just as devoid of proof, but at least those fakes are harmless.

U.S. Paid Residents Linked to Nazi Crimes $20 Million in Benefits, Report Says

The millions of dollars paid out indicate the ease with which thousands of former Nazis managed to settle into new lives in the United States with little scrutiny after the end of World War II.

Why You Should Celebrate Social Security’s 75th Anniversary

by Philip Moeller

Social Security has been under almost constant attack since day one. But in the 75 years since its first benefit checks went out, the program has transformed retirement.

House OKs Measure Stopping Social Security Payments To Former Nazis

The vote was unanimous.  

401(k)s are retirement robbery: How the Koch brothers, Wall Street and politicians conspire to drain Social Security

by James W. Russell

The decades-long tale of how the Kochs, Reagan, Wall Street and even Democrats have tried to gut Social Security

Why the Social Security Rollout Worked Better

by David Stebenne

Public-private partnerships can at times do things better than government alone.

Here’s How GOP Obamacare Hypocrisy Backfires

by Michael Lind

GOP base doesn't understand right wants to turn Medicare, Social Security and more into a very similar program.

Social Security

by Rick Shenkman

Download this backgrounder as a Word documentWorth ReadingWhen Did Social Security Become the Third Rail of American Politics?BackgroundSocial Security is the nation's largest social program. More than 50 million people receive benefits totalling more than $600 billion a year. Originally established to provide retirement benefits, the program was extended to widows, the disabled, and children in some cases. It is estimated to keep 40 percent of the elderly out of poverty. Currently, retirement benefits are paid to people when they reach the age of 65, though younger people will have to wait until they are 66 or 67, depending on the date of their birth.

Social Security

by Zografia Polemikos

Download this lesson plan as a Word documentDuration:  One 35-45 minute lesson.Goal:Students will understand the modern political issues associated with Social Security.Objectives:By completing a written response at the end of the lesson, students will be able to show understanding of political issues associated with Social Security.Students will participate in a Social Security simulation.Essential Question: What are the financial problems with Social Security?NCSS Themes:Theme 10- Civic Ideals and PracticesProcedures:Attention Getter: 

Robert D. Parmet: Review of Eric Laursen's "The People's Pension: The Struggle to Defend Social Security Since Reagan" (AK Press, 2012)

Robert D. Parmet is professor of history at York College of the City University of New York.In 1964 Barry Goldwater discovered that suggestions to reduce or replace Social Security can be politically hazardous. Twelve years later Ronald Reagan lost the Republican presidential primary election in Florida in part because he attacked Social Security. Nevertheless, the assaults persisted, and since Reagan’s election in 1980 have become increasingly sophisticated and intense. In more than seven hundred pages of text, Eric Laursen describes these efforts in great detail, presenting the provisions of proposed legislation, the campaigns to substitute alternate retirement schemes, and the coalitions of politicians, businessmen, and financiers who to the present day have sought to subvert the landmark social legislation of the New Deal. With Social Security and Medicare major issues in this presidential year, this book provides the background for anyone who wishes to be well-informed.