In one of my old cookbooks, I found this quote about the length of a human life. It is dated 1898. “The average of human life is about 33 years. One quarter die before the age of six, one-half die before reaching seventeen. To every one thousand persons only one reaches one hundred years of life. To every one hundred only six teach the age of sixty-five and not more than one in five hundred live to eighty years of age.”

This got me thinking about Social Security and the impact our age has to do with it. When the Social Security Act was passed in 1935 those age expectancy rates had not changed much. FDR signed it into law on August 10, 1935. The Act set a system of old-age benefits for workers, victims of individual accidents, and unemployment insurance.

Not long before this act was signed into law the country had experienced the Great Depression. I think that fact made the act seem more favorable.

Social Security is not a welfare program. Workers contribute a portion of their paycheck to cover this. The current working generation pays into the program to finance the retired generation’s benefits.

At the onset self-employed persons, field hands, and domestic workers were not covered.

In 1960 Dwight David Eisenhower approved legislation to allow Social Security benefits for disabled workers and their dependents. In 1965 medical benefits were added to the monthly stipend. The “Medicare” program offered people sixty-five and older the chance to purchase supplemental medical insurance.

Cost-of-living benefits were part of legislation signed into law by Richard Nixon. They were to help with inflation.

President Reagan passed a law requiring the raising of the age eligible to retire. I recall that I had to 66 ½ to get full retirement benefits. Since my husband died, I was eligible to collect from his Social Security. Since he never collected any money, I knew he would be happy that I at least could get something. Once I reached 66 ½ I started collecting my own.

In 1977 legislation requiring employers to pay into the system was passed. That bill was passed to keep the program afloat.

George W. Busn passed legislation in 2001 for Social Security reform. Disability benefits could go to qualifying immigrants as well as food stamps. Medicare was expanded to include prescription drug coverage.

In 2011 and 2012 the Obama administration reduced the Social Security tax rate from 6.2% to 4.2%. This did little to keep the system going, but it was popular with workers since they had more money in their paychecks.

In 2018 an increase of 2% cost-of-living was added to monthly benefits.

Part of the trouble with Social Security is that people are no longer working and contributing. There are too many perks that they can access. They lose money if they go to work.

The other problem is the longevity of the people. When the system was started life expectancy was much lower. Today many people live into their 80s and 90s. Even though people wait longer to collect benefits, most of the older people have collected more than they put in. With salaries reaching all-time highs, there should be plenty of money going into the system.

There are no easy answers. I knew from the beginning that I would not be able to live on Social Security benefits alone. I prepared. I set money aside while I worked so that I would have a next egg to live on. Many, however, did not do this. They spent all they earned and then some. Today they are forced to live on their benefits alone. Factoring in the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs it is not easy.

There are many programs in place to help people. There is home health care, assistance to pay utility bills, and Medicaid to assist with their health care. There is subsidized housing too.

I am not sure what we are doing wrong, but there have to be some answers to all of the homelessness and poverty.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell. Contact her at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.