You might want to check this site out for info on Social Security and
other issues. Below is some intro info and a CUTTING, not the whole
page. Much there to investigate....



Subject: Social Security -- EPI Guide

On the side of education, in case you wish to read....


[I jumped to the EPI from BuzzFlash.com offering of February 11, 2005
on how to talk to a conservative about Social Security, found at
http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=206 ]

About EPI
"Research and ideas for Working People"
from http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/about
Also see their info on Social Security at
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/issueguide_socialsecurity and
excerpted after this intro, ABOUT EPI

The Economic Policy Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank
that seeks to broaden the public debate about strategies to achieve a
prosperous and fair economy.

View EPI's 2001-2002 Annual Report. [PDF, 3.5 MB]

View the latest EPI Journal and EPI News.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is EPI's mission?
The mission of the Economic Policy Institute is to provide high-quality
research and education in order to promote a prosperous, fair, and
sustainable economy. The Institute stresses real world analysis and a
concern for the living standards of working people, and it makes its
findings accessible to the general public, the media, and policy
makers.

EPI's staff and its network of researchers have a proven capacity for
high-quality scholarship, a demonstrated ability to communicate to
diverse audiences, a commitment to a free exchange of ideas, and a
willingness to challenge conventional thinking.

EPI works to strengthen democracy by providing people with the tools to
participate in the public discussion on the economy, believing that
such participation will result in economic policies that better reflect
the public interest.

When was EPI established, and why?
EPI was established in 1986 to broaden the discussion about economic
policy to include the interests of low- and middle-income workers.
Today, with global competition expanding, wage inequality rising, and
the methods and nature of work changing in fundamental ways, it is as
crucial as ever that people who work for a living have a voice in the
economic debate.

Who founded EPI?
EPI was founded by a group of economic policy experts that includes
Jeff Faux, EPI's first president; economist Barry Bluestone of
Northeastern University; Robert Kuttner, columnist for Business Week
and Newsweek and editor of The American Prospect; Ray Marshall, former
U.S. secretary of labor and professor at the LBJ School of Public
Affairs, University of Texas-Austin; Robert Reich, former U.S.
secretary of labor and professor at Brandeis University; and economist
Lester Thurow of the MIT Sloan School of Management.

What makes EPI unique?
EPI was the first — and remains the premier — organization to focus on
the economic condition of low- and middle-income Americans and their
families. Furthermore, it adheres to strict standards of sound,
objective research and analysis, and couples its findings with outreach
and popular education.

What does EPI do?
EPI conducts original research on economic issues, makes policy
recommendations based on its findings, and disseminates its work to the
appropriate audiences.

Its research is focused on five main economic areas:


* Living standards/labor markets

* Government and the economy

* Globalization and trade

* Education

* Retirement policy


Within these categories, its work spans the full range of economic
issues, such as trends in wages, incomes, and prices; part-time and
contingent "nonstandard" work; welfare reform; labor market problems;
work organization; budget, tax, and fiscal policies; health care;
education; the consumer price index; Medicare; Social Security; rural
and urban policies; state-level economic development strategies; trade
and global finance; comparative international economic performance; the
health of manufacturing and other key sectors; competitiveness, jobs,
and the environment; and urban sprawl, to name a few. Its research is
varied, but a common thread runs through it: EPI examines issues
through a "living standards" lens by analyzing the impact of policies
and initiatives on the American public.

From its findings, EPI publishes books, studies, issue briefs, popular
education materials, and various other publications; sponsors
conferences and seminars; briefs policy makers at all levels of
government; provides technical support to national, state, and local
activists and community organizations; testifies before national,
state, and local legislatures; and provides information and background
to the print and electronic media. Over the course of a year, EPI is
called upon hundreds of times to inform policy debates, citizens' group
meetings, and educational forums. Moreover, EPI is typically cited more
than 3,000 times a year in the print media alone, and its staff is seen
or heard by approximately 85 million television and radio viewers and
listeners.

How does EPI ensure the credibility of its research findings?
EPI has always demanded a high standard of quality in its research
because of its desire to be a credible participant in public debates
and a reliable source of information and analysis for policy makers,
the press, community activists, academics, corporate leaders, labor
union officials, and the general public. Its methods for ensuring that
its research methodologies and outcomes are exemplary include the use
of highly qualified researchers and multiple reviews by outside
experts, including those who are known for disagreeing with EPI's
values. In-house researchers maintain their standing in the academic
community by publishing findings in prestigious peer-reviewed academic
journals, like the American Economic Review and the New England Journal
of Medicine.

How many people work at EPI?
EPI's staff of about 50 includes more than 10 Ph.D.-level researchers,
as well as administrative, communications, development, executive, and
finance professionals. In addition to its in-house staff, EPI also
works closely with a national network of prominent scholars.

Who supports EPI?
EPI is a 501(c)(3) corporation. A majority of its funding (about 60% in
2001) was received through grants from foundations. EPI also receives
support from individuals, corporations, labor unions, government
agencies, and other organizations.

 ============


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Last updated February 2005

An introduction to Social Security

Social Security is one of America's most important and successful
programs, providing over $471 billion in benefits to more than 47
million people in 2003. While Social Security is often considered
simply a retirement program, about one-third of its beneficiaries are
not retirees. The Social Security system provides three distinct types
of benefits for workers and their families: lifetime retirement
benefits for retirees who have worked at least ten years, their
spouses, and their children; disability insurance for workers, their
spouses, and their children; and survivors' insurance for the families
of deceased workers. Social Security guarantees working and retired
Americans and their families economic stability that keeps them out of
poverty.

Social Security benefits are part of a social insurance program and its
benefits are distinct from employer-provided pensions, Individual
Retirement Accounts (IRAs), or other forms of savings. Retired workers
are guaranteed an inflation-indexed payment for their entire lifetime.
Other forms of saving have much more risk. For example, an employer
pension program may go bankrupt, private investments face substantial
risk if there is a market downturn, and workers' savings may run out.
The disability insurance provided by Social Security protects workers
and their families against a physical or mental disability that renders
someone unable to work; the survivors' insurance provides benefits to
the families of deceased workers.

The Bush Administration has been making alarming claims that the
current Social Security program is "in crisis" and is unsustainable.
These exaggerations simply are not true. Estimates by the Social
Security trustees (using rather pessimistic assumptions) and the
nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) indicate that the trust
fund is solvent for another 38 to 48 years if we do nothing. In other
words, Social Security is not going broke anytime soon. Despite the
fact that the Social Security trust fund is as robust today as it has
been in recent years, the administration proposes to radically change
the Social Security program by cutting benefits while at the same time
allowing workers to create individual private accounts. While the exact
provisions are not clear, any privatization proposal will not, in and
of itself, do anything to ameliorate the shortfall projected in 2042 or
2052.

The administration has said that it considers Model 2 proposed by the
President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security a "good blueprint"
for reform. That proposal does not "fix" Social Security but instead
imposes significant new costs on the existing program coupled with
significant cuts in benefits. First, the government will have to borrow
trillions of dollars to pay for "transitional" costs since fewer
revenues will be available to pay for current beneficiaries. Second,
the administration's plan will significantly cut Social Security
benefits (even for those who choose not to create a private
account)—with the exception of those who are at or near retirement
today. For example, the CBO estimates that Model 2 would cut benefits
under current law by 45% for average earners retiring in 2065. It is
only through benefit cuts that the administration can pretend to
address the shortfall that the Bush Administration's Social Security
trustees predict when huge payroll tax revenues are diverted into
private accounts. Many workers will be unable to make up these benefit
cuts with their returns on their private accounts. And women,
minorities, and low-income wage earners will be particularly hit by
these changes. Finally, beneficiaries of the disability insurance and
survivor portions of Social Security will have their benefits cut as
well, with no way to close the gap.

The Bush Administration's privatization proposal will not "save" Social
Security but will do just the opposite—it will erode a vital social
insurance program that provides American workers and their families
with a core level of income during retirement, disability, and early
death.

General Information on Social Security

Social Security - facts at a glance

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Social Security

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Social Security Privatization

Key Tables and Charts


* Portion of Social Security benefits payable under existing program

* Changes in trustees' projections over time


Key Publications
Links To Other Organizations

See epinet.org guide on social security for the rest of this. Go to
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/issueguide_socialsecurity




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