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Social Security Anti-Poverty

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Social Security just turned 80 years old this year and it still remains the single most effective anti-poverty program ever created in the United States.
Throughout history, mankind has struggled with the welfare of the elderly and disabled. Before social security was available, many in the United States were unable to accumulate enough wealth to support themselves in the later years of their lives. The elderly and disabled would become a burden to the family and society. Unless you happen to die before you get old, everyone grows old and eventually just about everyone will not be able to continue work and earn an income at some point in their life.
Before major portions of the population lived in organized societies, the old and disabled …show more content…
Older family members who could no longer preform the hard work necessary on a farm, would help out as well as they could by gardening, sewing, cooking, etc. Starting in the late 1920’s through the end of the Great Depression, many farms were forced into bankruptcy and many farm workers were left without a means to support themselves. Factories and businesses were closed as well. This left 20% of the work force and millions of Americans with no income and very little hope except for the charity of others. It was especially difficult on the elderly. They were forced to rely on family, friends, religious organizations or the goodwill of strangers for food and shelter. Those without a network of friends and family were forced to live on the …show more content…
For instance, in 1981 the government phased out the student benefits program, which stopped parents from receiving social security income when their child reached the age of 16. It also limited the lump-sum death benefit and reserved payment of benefits if you were earning income before the normal retirement age up through the age of 70. A cap on disability payments was made and changes to the minimum social security benefit. Penalties for misuse were increased and for reporting of late death notices, which offend amounted to two social security checks going to one household after a spouse passed away. In the 1990’s, bills were passed that required all Social Security payments to new beneficiaries to be made through Electronic Funds Transfers instead of mailing a check at the beginning of each month. They also added measures to prevent new non-citizens from receiving benefits and all existing non-citizens would eventually stop receiving benefits. Lastly a new counterfeit resistant Social Security card was

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