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If we didn't have Social Security, our seniors would live mostly in poverty. You'd have another 18 million people in poverty.

Since Social Security was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 to ensure economic security for American workers, poverty among American seniors has dramatically declined.

Imagine a country where the vast majority of seniors live in poverty, a country where for many there are no golden years, but a time of struggle and dependence. That was the United States before the creation of Social Security, which has proven to be one of the most effective and important government programs in our history.

Without Social Security, poverty rates for African American seniors would more than double.

Medicare and Social Security have created the healthiest and most financially secure generation of senior citizens in American history.

Social Security is the only thing most Americans can count on to keep them out of poverty during retirement.

Research by James Poterba at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology finds that the wealth of the U.S.'s elderly is highly skewed. About half of retirees have little or no financial wealth when they retire and depend almost entirely on Social Security for their income.

Only a small rich fringe hates Social Security for disincentivizing 80-year-olds from seeking full-time employment.

Most people understand life expectancy has changed since Social Security started in 1937 when folks lived to be 59 years old. Today, they live to be 77 years old.