Social Security and Older Adults

A statement from the Radical Age Movement about Social Security and the Short Changing of Older Adults.

If you are not outraged, you should be.

Yippee! We’re finally getting a COLA (cost of living adjustment) from Social Security. And, sit down, it’s a whopping 0.03%, which will amount to less than a $5.00 increase in our monthly Social Security checks. Now, don’t get too excited. It will probably cover the Medicare increase that is coming down the pike.

When someone tells you that they’ve never been affected by ageism, ask them what they think the short-changing of older adults in America is all about. As The Radical Age Movement has been saying, systemic ageism is rampant in our society. I mean, why give money to old people…they’re going to die anyway.

A little history about Social Security that you need to know. Social Security was initiated to lift older people who were not in the workforce out of poverty and provide some security in their later years, and it worked.

Prior to Social Security, older adults were one of the largest marginalized group of people living in poverty in the United States. Old people were not considered a constituency and really had nothing in common that would politicize them and turn them into an important voting block. Until Social Security changed that, and older and elder adults became a constituency whose vote was courted by both Democrats and Republicans alike.

So, what happened? In recent years when the cost of everything, including vital services like healthcare and food security has gone up, Social Security has remained flat. Our older citizens cannot survive on Social Security alone, yet many of us do. So back into poverty we slide.

What is going on here? There have been so many reports on increased longevity as well as the growing percentage of older adults in our society now and continuing into the future. And, yet, our government has decided that 0.03% is sufficient. It’s time to ask for our FAIR SHARE.

Are you outraged now? Write or visit your legislators and demand our FAIR SHARE!