Bernie's Op-Ed in the Des Moines Register: Social Security: Expand it, don't cut it [View all]

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Republicans are trying to convince voters that Social Security is in crisis. Let's not kid ourselves: We do have an urgent problem on our hands, but it's not Social Security. Millions of middle-class Americans are facing a retirement crisis as a result of inadequate income and growing wealth inequality. Social Security isn't the problem. It's an essential part of the solution.

How did this crisis develop? There was a time when traditional corporate pension plans paid a fixed income after retirement, but today only one in five working Americans has that kind of plan.

Today many households live from paycheck to paycheck, according to surveys, and more than half of all Americans have less than $10,000 in savings. How can people save for retirement under these conditions? Economists used to describe retirement security as a "three-legged stool" made up of savings, employee pensions and Social Security. With two of those legs cut off, why are some politicians sawing away at the third?]

The truth is that Social Security is a success story. Without it, nearly half of seniors, and 1 million children, would be living in poverty today. It's financially self-sufficient, forbidden by law from adding to the federal deficit, and its operating costs are far below those of private-sector retirement plans.

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http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/caucus/2015/04/28/sanders-social-security-caucus/26549215/

It's about the issues. Give 'em hell, Bernie.