Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans

Thank you to Congressman Rep. Tom O'Halleran for celebrating Social Security's 83rd birthday with us and our labor brothers and sisters today in Phoenix. Thank you to the local members of the AFT, Teamsters, IBEW, IUEC, NATCA, NALC, and UA469 for joining us!

AZ Alliance member Vic Peterson gave the following remarks:

"Our Social Security System is about to celebrate its 83rd birthday, and as a retiree I get upset when I hear politicians in Washington talk about cutting and privatizing the program to trim the federal budget.

Social Security is paid for by American workers and employers; it doesn’t add a penny to the deficit.

These days it’s hard enough for retired folks to get by. We face a retirement security crisis. Pensions are disappearing; the middle class is shrinking; it’s harder than ever to save for retirement.

Cutting the Social Security benefits we earn would only serve to push millions of seniors into poverty.

Keeping Social Security healthy is a critical part of stopping this crisis from getting any worse. We should be looking to strengthen Social Security, not cut it. By simply having all Americans, including the super-rich, pay their fair share into the Social Security system, we can extend the life of the Social Security trust fund and modestly increase benefits for most beneficiaries."