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.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
In 1935, the year Social Security was created, the poverty rate for seniors was over 70%.
Before Social Security existed, about half of America's senior citizens lived in poverty.
If we didn't have Social Security, our seniors would live mostly in poverty. You'd have another 18 million people in poverty.
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.
I agree with President Roosevelt, and generations since, that American seniors deserve better than poverty.
I am a huge admirer of Franklin Roosevelt's, and I believe social security has done untold good in alleviating the once-widespread issue of poverty among the elderly. FDR believed in the greatness and generosity of Americans - but he was also a cold-blooded politician.
From the employees' standpoint, in 1935, Social Security was a big gamble. Employees would be required to participate in the program, contributing a percentage of their income for their entire adult working life.
The Roosevelt enactment of Social Security was a moral revolution in our country: We were assured that we would never reach the very depths of poverty. And to be told, that we are now going to gamble it, on Wall Street, is nonsense!
Social Security is one of the greatest achievements of the American government, protecting our elderly against poverty and assuring young people of a more secure future.
Social Security is the only thing most Americans can count on to keep them out of poverty during retirement.
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