THE SOCIAL SECURITY

THE SOCIAL SECURITY…

Uno de los grandes éxitos sociales y económicos del principio del siglo 20, fue el esfuerzo conjunto para establecer leyes substanciales de seguridad social. En los años 30, ser viejo significaba frecuentemente ser pobre; muchas personas de ambos sexos confrontaban los que llegó a llamarse "el horror absoluto de una vejez sin un centavo y sin esperanza". La ley de Seguro Social de 1935 llegó a cambiar todo eso. Cuando el presidente Franklin Delano Roosevelt firmó la ley original dijo, "La civilización de los últimos cien años, con sus increíbles cambios industriales, ha tendido a hacer la vida más y más insegura. Los jóvenes han empezado a temer lo que será de ellos cuando les llegue la vejez". Hoy, gracias al Seguro Social, la gente sabe que tendrán una base de ingresos fija cuando se jubilen; solamente el 11% de nuestra población están en la pobreza.

Igualmente importante, desde 1935, los programas del Seguro Social se han incrementado para incluir sobrevivientes, incapacidad, salud y ajustes automáticos del costo de vida. Es un programa dinámico que ha ido cambiando con el tiempo para ajustarse a las circunstancias. Y, debido a esa flexibilidad, el Seguro Social se ha convertido en el programa doméstico de más éxito y más popular en la historia de la nación.

El siglo 21 trae con el nuevos desafíos, incluyeno el de una nación que se avejenta y la necesidad constante de proveer ingresos seguros a los trabajadores y sus familias en la jubilación o en el caso de incapacidad o muerte del cabeza de familia. Creo que esta breve historia del Seguro Social nos ayudará a ver con perspectiva y comprensión el papel de la seguridad social en la vida americana y nos ayudará a construir un programa que responda a los cambios necesarios de un nuevo siglo.

The Social Security program that would eventually be adopted in late 1935 relied for its core principles on the concept of "social insurance." Social insurance was a respectable and serious intellectual tradition that began in Europe in the 19th century and was an expression of a European social welfare tradition. It was first adopted in Germany in 1889 at the urging of the famous Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck. Indeed, by the time America adopted social insurance in 1935, there were 34 nations already operating some form of social insurance program(about 20 of these were contributory programs like Social Security). Philosophically, social insurance emphasized government-sponsored efforts to provide for the economic security of its citizens. The tradition of social insurance would come to be seen as the reasonable, practical alternative to the radical calls to action represented by Townsend, Long, Sinclair and the others.

Although the definition of social insurance can vary considerably in its particulars, its basic features are: the insurance principle under which a group of persons are "insured" in some way against a defined risk, and a social element which usually means that the program is shaped in part by broader social objectives, rather than being shaped solely by the self-interest of the individual participants. Social insurance coverage can be provided for a number of different types of insured conditions, from disability and death to old-age or unemployment. We may find it obvious to think of death, disability or unemployment as conditions causing loss of income and which can be ameliorated by pooling of risk. It is at first a little odd to think of old-age or retirement in these same terms. But that is precisely how the early social insurance theorists conceived of retirement, as producing a loss of income due to cessation of work activity.

One of the first American books on social insurance was by a Columbia University economics professor named Henry Seager. Seager explained the principle of old-age security based on social insurance in his 1910 book, "Social Insurance, A Program of Social Reform":

On February 17, 2009, the President signed H.R. 1, the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" (Public Law 111-5). This law appropriated an additional $1 billion to the Social Security Administration's administrative budget, $500 million of which is to be used to replace the National Computer Center, and the information technology costs associated with such Center; and $500 million for processing disability and retirement workloads, including information technology acquisitions and research in support of such activities. The bill also provided special a one-time economic recovery payment of $250 to adults who were eligible for benefits from one of the four following Federal benefit programs: Social Security, Railroad Retirement, Veterans Disability, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

On September 18, 2009, the President signed into law H.R. 3325, the “" which became Public Law 111-64.

This legislation extends, through fiscal year 2010, funding authorization for the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program and the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security program.

On December 15, 2009, President Obama signed H.R. 4218, the “No Social Security Benefits for Prisoners Act of 2009”, which became Public Law 111-115.

The bill prohibits the payment of any retroactive Title II and Title XVI benefits to individuals while they are in prison, are in violation of conditions of their parole or probation, or are fleeing to avoid prosecution for a felony or a crime punishable by sentence of more than one year.