Just received word about this from Senator Brian Schatz's (D. HI) campaign:
Here's what I told a group of Hawaii's seniors at a press conference in Honolulu today:
Let me be clear...I oppose any and all cuts to Social Security.
That's why I'm proud to be joining Senator Tom Harkin, a true champion for seniors, by co-sponsoring the Harkin-Schatz bill that will expand and enhance Social Security while also extending the life of the Social Security Trust Fund.
But we need your support, too. Will you stand with us to defend and strengthen Social Security?
Sign on as a citizen co-sponsor of the Harkin-Schatz bill to expand and enhance Social Security today!
http://action.brianschatz.com/...
Social Security is a sacred trust that President Franklin D. Roosevelt first established 78 years ago to ensure that seniors can retire with the dignity and security they deserve. Now it's up to us to uphold that trust.
Unfortunately, Social Security is in danger. Some in Congress want to cut benefits in hidden ways like enacting the so-called "chained CPI" or by privatizing the program altogether. They want to balance the budget on the backs of our seniors -- and that's wrong.
Men and women from all walks of life are worried. They are concerned that they will not be able to save enough money for retirement. And with pensions shrinking, many of them will depend heavily on Social Security.
Hawaii's seniors need our help. We cannot allow our parents and grandparents to fall into poverty when they can no longer earn a paycheck.
Sign on as a citizen co-sponsor of the Harkin-Schatz bill to expand and enhance Social Security today!
http://action.brianschatz.com/...
I will keep working to protect Hawaii seniors and ensure that Social Security is strengthened for years to come, because every American deserves to live out their golden years with dignity.
Cutting Social Security is not the answer. In fact, strengthening and expanding Social Security is the answer.
That's why I am glad that so many concerned men and women from Hawaii joined me in front of the Federal Building today to support the Harkin-Schatz bill. And I hope you'll stand with us.
Sign on as a citizen co-sponsor of the Harkin-Schatz bill to expand and enhance Social Security today!
http://action.brianschatz.com/...
Aloha,
Brian Schatz
U.S. Senator
Here's some more info about the Schatz-Harkin bill:
http://www.civilbeat.com/...
Backing the Social Security proposal by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, could help Schatz in a number of ways. The measure, which would raise benefits by about $60 or $70 a month, and then provide for higher annual cost-of-living increases than those currently given. These changes are much more palatable to progressives than proposed reforms that would cut benefits and reduce cost-of-living increases.
So, to pay for the increases — and to raise money for a program that’s on course to run out of money in 2035 — the proposal would make the rich pay more. In this case, the Harkin proposal would remove a longstanding cap that exempts people who make more than $130,000 from having to pay into Social Security.
"Social Security is a promise made by the federal government to the American people, and yet, we find so many retirees barely staying afloat," the statement quotes Schatz as saying. "It is our responsibility to ensure that retirees are receiving Social Security checks that reflect the cost of living and that the program remains solvent for future generations."
The Harkin Social Security reform proposal comes amid a national debate over what the Bipartisan Policy Center called Social Security’s “unsustainable” fiscal outlook. The near-future retirement of the Baby Boom generation will increase the number of people who receive Social Security.
And while people are living longer, workers are retiring earlier. The result: less money is being paid into Social Security and more is being taken out. Additionally, the policy center said, the growing disparity between rich and poor also means that more people are exempt from paying the Social Security tax.
Although Social Security formerly collected more money in taxes than it paid out, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that Social Security’s deficit will reach nearly $40 billion this year and exceed $900 billion within a decade. Without changes, the policy center said, the trust fund will be exhausted in 2035, forcing an an across-the-board 25-percent cut in monthly benefits. - Honolulu Civil Beat, 8/8/13
You can click here to sign the petition:
http://action.brianschatz.com/...
And how about we thank Senator Schatz by guaranteeing him a full term in the Senate next year. He deserves it:
https://secure.actblue.com/...