European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 25, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Social Security an erosion of Confidence by Robert Pear new York times As they marked the 50th anniversary of social Security earlier this historians and economists declared their biggest task was to halt the erosion of Confidence in americas most important and most successful social in signing the social Security act on Franklin Roosvelt said it was designed to protect especially the against the hazards and Vicissitudes of that is exactly what it has in a the government has paid trillion in social Security benefits to 115 million including million now on the but Confidence in the system has been undermined by four years of debate Over the financing of social its near bankruptcy in 1982 and proposals to freeze or restrict younger workers express doubts about whether the program will exist when they retire in the 21st a poll conducted by Skelly and White for the american association of retired persons found that Only about one in eight of All americans expressed Strong Confidence in the future of social among people aged 25 to two thirds said they were not too confident or not at All confident in the the interviews were conducted by Telephone with adults from april 20 to May the maximum sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage the people who created and guided social Security Hope to use its Golden anniversary to restore Confidence in the which now accounts for on fifth of All Federal James a spokesman for the social Security said we Are using the 50th anniversary Celebration to Shore up Confidence in social to emphasize that it is not just a retirement but also provides people with insurance Protection against loss of income due to disability and in numerous speeches this social Security officials Are stressing that government actuaries have concluded that the program is adequately financed to keep paying benefits Well into the next these Are some of the major issues facing the program in its second Hal Century perhaps the biggest immediate Challenge is to straighten out the disability thousands of lawsuits have been filed by people who say that the government improperly used a 1980 Law to Cut off their disability the Agency must Issue Many new regulations to carry out a 1984 Law overhauling the disability there is wide concern about the treatment of women under social working wives often get Little or no their retirement benefits May end up to be about the same As a spouses benefits they could draw if they had never worked outside the in some say the benefits for divorced women Are social Security officials say the changes needed to meet these concerns would be Complex and the social Security administration has installed new computer equipment at its Baltimore Headquarters and Field but Federal auditors say there still Are critical deficiencies and chronic in the 1960s and Ronald Reagan criticized social suggesting that participation should be and his 1981 proposals to Cut social Security benefits caused a in the 1984 Reagan said that social Security in on its 50th he says that social Security has proved to be one of the most successful and popular programs Ever established by the Federal Margaret the Secretary of health and human Calls the social Security act the most significant piece of Domestic legislation enacted in the 20th social Security was created with the United states in the Depths of a Roosevelt Cabine level committee on economic whose recommendations formed the basis for the social Security reported that friends and relatives bore the major Cost of supporting the but it added Many children who previously supported their parents have been compelled to cease doing and the great majority will probably never resume this the depression has largely wiped out wage earners social Security often is described As a Middle class because benefits Are paid without regard to financial but studies show that it is also the most effective Antipoverty about two thirds of the elderly get at least half their income from social according to the social Security the program is largely responsible for the fact that the poverty rate for the at recent in is less than the Overall National rate of the poverty rate for the elderly was twice the National rate As recently As when the figures stood at percent for the elderly and percent Congress voted in 1972 to protect social Security benefits against inflation by establishing an automatic annual costo living when he signed the social Security Roosevelt said that it represents a Cornerstone in a Structure which is being but is by no Means even before the first monthly checks were Congress in 1939 voted to expand the program by providing benefits for dependents of As Well As for the survivors of workers who died in their productive this began the transformation of social Security into a family insurance in the social Security coverage was extended to groups not included in the original program farm Domestic the the military and some state and local government in Congress established a Cash Benefit program for disabled workers age 50 or in dependents of disabled workers became eligible for and in the age requirement was dropped the architects of social Security considered including a health insurance but dropped the idea for fear it might jeopardize not until 1965 did Congress establish the medicare program for the elderly and which receives a portion of social Security payroll Alan Pifer and Forrest who have studied the history of social said that Roosevelt believed the payroll tax would create a continuing political constituency for the because it would give people the feeling that they had earned and were entitled to in current retirees often get Back More than they contributed in payroll but Martha the acting commissioner who has worked for the Agency since said this concept of earned right was perhaps the most fundamental source of Public support for social the benefits Are related to but the formula is weighted in favor of Lowe paid they receive a larger proportion of past earnings in the form of on the theory that they need the extra at according to James a spokesman for the social Security the average monthly Benefit for an individual retired worker is for a retired the average is a Page 18 the stars and stripes Secretary of labor Frances Perkins stands behind president Roosevelt As he signs the social Security August 1985 up photo