Joe’s Story

This week we asked you to share your Social Security stories with us. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond.

Joe shared how Social Security was there for his family when his father died:

Many people are unaware that Social Security provides survivor benefits for the children of wage earners who die with dependents. My father passed away suddenly when I was sixteen. I had five brothers and sisters, four younger than me — my youngest sister was not quite 8 years old. My mother had not been in the work force for a quarter century. Every month after my father’s death she got a check from Social Security for each of her children. Before my father died we had been a middle class family and, while our family’s economic position declined considerably after his passing, we were able to hang on largely because of these Social Security survivor benefits. My older brother, who was a freshmen in college when my father died, was able to stay there. I and my younger siblings, working in the summer and taking out loans, were each able to attend college in turn. Social Security is more than a vital program for seniors — it’s a critical part of our social safety net for children and families in need.

Please stand with me in defending Social Security from misguided privatization schemes. The Social Security that you paid into is not a chip for Wall Street to gamble. Donate $10, $25, or $50 today to make our voices heard.

Social Security is a bedrock of American prosperity. We must protect it for generations to come, so that it will be there for families like Joe’s when they need it.

Stand with me today to tell Washington that Social Security must be protected.

Thank you for all you do,
Kyrsten

P.S. Without Social Security, my grandmother and Joe’s mother and millions of other families would not be able to survive. Join us today in fighting for Social Security.