Synopses & Reviews
A growing chorus of prominent voices in Congress and elsewhere are calling for the expansion of our Social Security systempeople who know that Social Security will not go broke” and does not add a penny to the national debt.
Social Security Works! will amplify these voices and offer a powerful antidote to the three-decade-long, billionaire-funded campaign to make us believe that this vital institution is destined to collapse. It isnt.
From the Silent Generation to Baby Boomers, from Generation X to Millennials and Generation Z, we all have a stake in understanding the real story about Social Security. Critical to addressing the looming retirement crisis that will affect two- thirds of todays workers, Social Security is a powerful program that can help stop the collapse of the middle class, lessen the pressure squeezing families from all directions, and help end the upward redistribution of wealth that has resulted in perilous levels of inequality.
All Americans deserve to have dignified retirement years as well as an umbrella to protect them and their families in the event of disability or premature death. Sure to be a game-changer, Social Security Works! cogently presents the issues and sets forth both an agenda and a political strategy that will benefit us all. At stake are our values and the kind of country we want for ourselves and for those that follow.
Review
Praise for Social Security Works:
"A call to arms to defend Social Security from sneak attack. . . . A hard-hitting kickoff to the 2016 election campaign."
Kirkus Reviews
A balanced yet passionate defense of our social-security system.”
Booklist
"Social Security Works! puts expanding Social Security front and center on the national agenda, where it belongs. Everyone who has a stake in the debate should read this important book."
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
"This book is an important shout-out to the U.S. Congress. Social Security Works! explains how and why expanding Social Security is the solution to our nations retirement income crisis."
Richard L. Trumka, President, AFL-CIO
"Social Security Works! shows why expanding Social Security is a top priority for MoveOn.org's millions of members."
Anna Galland, Executive Director, MoveOn.org Civic Action
"Altman and Kingson cut through the fog of calculated confusion and outright lies about Social Security, showing that it is the best funded of all federal programs, has a huge surplus and with minor changes will be sound forever. But they go beyond to show how it would be economically efficient, smart and moral to expand the most popular government program ever."
David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author
"Social Security Works! makes clear that Social Security is an extraordinarily important womens issue. A must-read for everyone who cares about economic justice for women."
Terry ONeill, President, National Organization for Women
Synopsis
A growing chorus of prominent voices is calling for the expansion of our Social Security system. This, despite decades of claims that the vital institution is going bankrupt.
Social Security Works! illuminates how Social Security is a solution for all generations, notwithstanding a three-decade-long, billionaire-funded campaign to undermine confidence in its future. How an expanded Social Security helps to solve important challenges, including a looming retirement crisis, the collapse of the middle class, growing pressure on families squeezed from all directions, and an upward redistribution of wealth, resulting in a perilous level of inequality. And why now is the time to expand it.
A call to action, Social Security Works! explains that everyone has a stake in the debate, which is about much more than demographics and mathematics. At stake are our values, the kind of country we want for ourselves and those that follow. A roadmap for the American public and their representatives, the book sets forth an agenda and political strategy to benefit all generations.
About the Author
Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson founded Social Security Works and co-chair the Strengthen Social Security Coaltion. Altman is a lawyer and the author of The Battle for Social Security. She resides in Bethesda, Maryland. Kingson is a professor at Syracuse Universitys School of Social Work in Manlius, New York.
Table of Contents
ContentsPart I: The Facts
Chapter 1: The Changing Conversation
Chapter 2: Social Security Works for All Generations
Part II: The Challenges
Chapter 3: The Precarious Lives of Todays Old
Chapter 4: The Coming Retirement Income Crisis
Chapter 5: The Debt Owed to Those Who Care
Chapter 6: The New Gilded Age
Part III: The Solutions
Chapter 7: Expand Social Security for All Generations
Chapter 8: Paying the Bill
Part IV: The Threats
Chapter 9: The Billionaires War Against Social Security
Chapter 10: The Conventional Wisdom” is Just Plain Wrong
Part V: Next Steps
Chapter 11: The Threat is Great, The Stakes are High
Chapter 12: Passing Social Security Forward: A Legacy for All Generations
Appendix I: Additional Explanation about How Social Security Works
Appendix II: Additional Information about Social Security Works All Generations Plan and Other Proposals, including Cost and Revenue Estimates
Appendix III: Descriptions of Various Social Security Expansion Legislative Bills and Experts Plans
Appendix IV: Leading Organizations Working to Expand Social Security