Business Week has an interesting special on the faces of Social Security.
Safety netters' fear of social unraveling comes amid some disquieting trends. Big swings in family income, according to studies by Yale University political scientist Jacob S. Hacker, have increased markedly over the past two decades as the finances of two-earner households have been stretched thin. Even houses -- most Americans' entrée to the Ownership Society -- are increasingly in hock: In the past 15 years, mortgage and home-equity borrowing has risen from 35.1% of home values to 43.9%. That has made families, especially those with unskilled workers, more vulnerable to a catastrophic jolt such as job loss or serious illness. Personal bankruptcies increased fivefold from 1980 to 2002, with many filers citing a layoff or medical emergency as the tipping point.
As income volatility has grown, government -- prodded by free-market Republicans out to reverse the New Deal -- has been offloading ever more responsibility onto individuals.
A little sampling below the fold:
"Just like the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures your money in the bank up to $100,000, the government should insure your health with universal health insurance."
George Silli, 66, is a waiter at the Sheraton Great Valley Hotel in Frasier, Pa. His first job, at age 13, was bus boy at Turin Grotto, a now-defunct Philadelphia restaurant. He worked as a waiter at the General Wayne Inn in Merion on Philadelphia's tony Main Line for 43 years. His wife Marjorie's drug bills for diabetes and heart problems run more than $6,000 a year. And their daughter Georgina, 30, has been disabled since the age of 4. Silli's mutual funds-his retirement nest egg--dropped 60% in the aftermath of the 2000-2001 market bust, and he fears that private accounts will create a nation of burned investors. A political independent, he voted for Democrat John Kerry in 2004.
"The stock market is at a slow crawl," she says. "I'm not counting on any big gains there. I have lost a lot of confidence in Wall Street because of what's gone on in Corporate America."
Ramona Valencia, 42, of West Des Moines, Iowa, traded a commercial real-estate career for motherhood 11 years ago. A marketing major at Notre Dame University, she has four children, including 11-year-old twin daughters. A prototypical Security Mom, she cares about homeland security. But, she adds, "I'm also concerned about retirement security, economic security, and health-care security." She thinks that Social Security private accounts are a "huge risk."
"A one-week stay in the hospital for [my son] is $100,000-plus. Some of his prescriptions run between $100 and $200 a week."
Bruce Zeestraten, 46, of Hugo, Minn., is a quality-control inspector at a Ford Motor assembly plant. His 22-year-old son, Anthony, suffers from cystic fibrosis. A UAW member who voted for Bush and describes himself as "more conservative than a lot of people," Zeestraten worries that the Health Savings Accounts the President favors would transfer too heavy a burden to individuals.
"I don't think anyone can guarantee against major economic reversals. You can do everything right and still have everything come out wrong."
Cyl Proulx, 53, of Waterford, Mich., is a part-time customer-service rep for a suburban Detroit bank. Her husband's job as a graphic artist was eliminated, throwing their retirement plans into disarray. And their mutual funds have dropped 15% since the bubble burst. An economically conservative and socially liberal independent, she voted for Bush.
Go read the article here BusinessWeek
If the Democrats want real talking points, they should read this article and start talking to AND HIGHLIGHTING real people (Rep, Dem, Ind, Green) and their very real concerns.