July 24, 2008
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The Candidates’ Positions
Hillary Clinton
U.S. Senator from New York.
Barack Obama

U.S. Senator from Illinois.
John Edwards
Former U.S. Senator from North Carolina.
Mike Gravel
Former U.S. Senator (AK)
    >> More on Election 2008

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Fast Facts
  1. Poverty amoung the elderly is decreasing while poverty among children is increasing.
  2. In 2004, Social Secuirty paid out more than $500 billion in benefits.
  3. The American Express Company started the first employee pension plan in 1875, but only disabled workers over sixty-five with at least twenty years of experience were eligible.
  4. There are more than 8 million disabled workers and dependents receiving Social Security benefits.

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Social Security   

The U.S. Social Security system provides benefits to the elderly, retirees, the disabled, the unemployed, and children. The Social Security taxes that workers pay go toward benefits for people who have already retired. This system worked well when the population included 1 retiree for every 120 workers. However, by the 1970s, the ratio of retirees to workers was 1 to 5. Payments now exceed contributions from taxes, and the system faces serious funding problems.

Social Security Overview

Many nations operate social security programs to assist their citizens financially and protect them from poverty. The United States, for example, has a social security system that provides benefits to the elderly, retirees, the disabled, the unemployed, and children. Although social security enjoys strong support among Americans, it has nevertheless…>> (read more)

 

Social Security Points of View


 

Social Security in the News

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She has ruled out cutting benefits, raising the retirement age, or establishing personal accounts to fix Social Security. Barack Obama has followed suit and suggested…>> (read more)

At a conference on April 16, Richard Fisher, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, warned that the U.S. economy could be facing trouble…>> (read more)

When Social Security was created in the 1930s, intelligent observers said it would fail.

Its first recipient, Ida Fuller, contributed less than $25. After 35 years of…>> (read more)


Read More Articles on Social Security
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Social Security Statistics