Is Social Security a Disgrace?

According to John McCain “It’s an absolute disgrace and it’s got to be fixed”.
Social Security celebrated its 73rd birthday this August. On August 14, 1935. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. Among other things it was designed to “protect the average citizen against poverty-ridden old age”. And since that time it has been working to do just that. Some of our elderly rely solely on their social security checks to pay for food. housing, medicine, etc.. Others of us need it to supplement modest pensions from our previous employers.

If Social Security is a disgrace what does John McCain propose as an alternative? He agrees with George Bush that Social Security should be privatized. He favors individual retirement accounts with the money invested in the stock market. With little knowledge of the stock market, except an awareness of its inherent dangers and ups and downs, I could never choose wise investments that I could depend upon. There are many people like me, and even some of us that could be scammed into shady investments. Especially today we know how risky the stock market can be. Younger people can continue to work to recover some losses but what would elderly retires do if the Social Security money did not continue to come to pay their bills?

Despite John McCain’s views towards Social Security media reports say that he received $23, 157 in Social Security benefits in 2007 , an average of $ 1,929.75 a month I guess that he could easily manage a loss of that income considering his other extensive assets. But what about the rest of us who receive so much less from Social Security than he does? We cannot depend upon private accounts and the fluctuations of the stock market.