Social Welfare By Caroline Hutchinson, Kateryna Bilonog, and Mia Muench

The Goal… Social Welfare policies strive to create a more balanced income level among citizens to foster the betterment of lives through entitlements and means-tested programs. The distribution of wealth and definition of poverty depend on the views of the political leaders in office.

Two Different Kinds of Social Welfare… Entitlements: benefits regardless of need – Social Security – Medicare Means-Tested Programs: benefits to those with specific needs – Food Stamps – Medicaid

History of Social Security FDR began Social Security in 1935 post the Great Depression era called the Social Security Act of 1935 FDR began Social Security in 1935 post the Great Depression era called the Social Security Act of 1935 At the time, it was a necessary measure to liberate elderly and needy Americans from inevitable poverty At the time, it was a necessary measure to liberate elderly and needy Americans from inevitable poverty Social Security is an entitlement program Social Security is an entitlement program Ida Fuller of Brattleboro, VT received the FIRST Social Security check in January 1940… Ida Fuller of Brattleboro, VT received the FIRST Social Security check in January 1940…

History of Social Security When it was instated the life expectancy of Americans was 62 When it was instated the life expectancy of Americans was 62 Thus, to avoid entering debt, citizens were eligible for Social Security when they turned 65 Thus, to avoid entering debt, citizens were eligible for Social Security when they turned 65 The entire Social Security system was financed with 3% tax on payrolls and 50 workers to support each Social Security beneficiary… The entire Social Security system was financed with 3% tax on payrolls and 50 workers to support each Social Security beneficiary…

Social Security Today… Must be either 65 or older, blind, or disabled Must be a US citizen or a certain category of US alien Some people claim to have limited incomes or resources in order to receive social security benefits Children whose parents die when they are under 18 also try to receive social security Beginning with the birth year of 1938 or later, the age of 65 gradually increases to 67 until people born in 1959, this was called the Social Security Amendments of 1983

Ages to Receive Full Social Security Benefits Year of BirthFull Retirement Age 1937 or earlier and 2 Months and 4 Mo and 6 Mo and 8 Mo and 10 Mo and 2 Mo and 4 Mo and 6 Mo and 8 Mo and 10 Mo

People Who Are Not Eligible for Social Security… Fugitives Someone imprisoned or in jail Someone in a public institution Someone who gives away their own resources Noncitizens

Common Criticisms of Social Security 5/6 of all money for social programs goes to SS and Medicare Only 17% of this money goes to programs that target the poor Social welfare is extremely expensive Social welfare is very unevenly distributed

Democratic/Republican Democratic: – broad social welfare programs – most should be entitled to receive benefits for government and look to increase the governmental scope Republican: – “each man for himself” view of government – limit the governmental scope (low taxes and less benefits) – Support the privatization of Social Security

Resolutions Further the Social Security Amendments by continuing the increase of retirement age by 3 months every birth year until the retirement age of 72 Increases the federal revenue that goes toward Social Security in comparison to the federal expenditures for Social Security – current Social Security expenditures are not sustainable – ensure that the deficit will be decreased

Branch Affected With our resolution to the Social Security dilemma, strong policy implementation would be a necessity Our social security amendment bill would be written and signed by Congress (the legislative branch) and then passed into law by the president (executive branch) Congress would have the final say on how much money goes to SS and how much citizens will be taxed for social security- “power of the purse” The judicial branch would see that there would be no offenders to the amendments

Branch Affected The president’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) would also advise the president on the budget The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) would advise Congress on the budget and work to formulate a solid pecuniary plan The House Means and Ways Committee also discusses economic issues and would formulate how much money goes to and from SS. They work with the Senate Finance Committee

Winners/Losers? Winners: – American taxpayers – All of the disabled/elderly who need social security to retire – Future generations Losers: – Anyone cheating the American SS system – Those looking for an unnecessarily early retirement – Those hoping to live off of the government once they reach the retirement age

Topic Discussion Questions Do you think raising the retirement age is enough to eliminate the SS crisis? What else do you think could be done by our federal government to alleviate the stress of SS taxes, welfare, and debt? Do you think that it would be right to ONLY offer SS to those in poverty? Or do you think all senior citizens deserve a social security check once they retire? How else can we encourage people to invest money into a 401k so we can limit those people relying on SS checks?

“The Gridlock Where Debt Meets Politics” memo.html?_r=1&ref=socialsecurityus Why do you think that it is important to view the topic of Social Security through a philosophical standpoint? Why do you think that gridlock occurs when politicians discuss Social Security? Given our economic crisis, do you think Obama is correct for vowing not to raise taxes on households making less than $250,000?

ity_us/index.html ity_us/index.html Article 2 1.Why did President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security fail? 2.In what ways did President Obama attempt to reform Social Security? Do you agree or disagree with his decisions? 3.Why do you think Governor Rick Perry recently attacked Social Security, calling it a failure? 4.What problems does Social Security still pose today?

Works Cited Agresti, James D. "Social Security Facts." Just Facts. Just Facts. Web. 10 Dec Edwards, George C., Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy. Fifteenth ed. Boston: Longman, Print. Leonhardt, David. "The Gridlock Where Debt Meets Politics." New York Times, 5 Nov Web. 10 Dec Ohlemacher, Stephen. "Social Security Approaches Insolvency Cartoon." Oathkeepers. Associated Press. Web. 10 Dec "Social Security: Social Security Benefits." AARP. Web. 10 Dec "Social Security." The United States Social Security Administration. US Government. Web. 10 Dec Spitler, Eric. "Four Lies About Social Security Cartoon." Impact Press. Web. 13 Dec