My Grandma
These days Washington forgets that politics is really about people.
I have listened to the recent debate over Social Security, and I’ve been shocked at politicians who want to throw away this program that has worked successfully for 75 years. Sometimes they say that people should be able to walk away from Social Security, keep their money and invest it themselves. Other times, they want to turn it into a stock market plan so Wall Street can make money off the elderly.
I wish those politicians could meet my Grandma.
My Grandma, Dorothy Wiley, was born in 1927. After high school, she and my grandfather got married and had three children. When my mom was just 4 years old, my grandfather died of tuberculosis. At the age of 27, my grandma suddenly became both a widow and a single mom, raising three young children and working full-time at Furrs Cafeteria in south Tucson. Grandma worked hard to raise my uncle, my mom and my aunt on her own. She never remarried, and she never did make it to college. After decades of working at Furrs Cafeteria, Grandma retired. And when she retired, Social Security was there for her.
I can only imagine how my Grandma would have survived without Social Security and Medicare. If people my age could simply opt out and walk away, would there be enough money to support retirees like my Grandma? Of course not. Or what would have happened in 2008 if her Social Security had been invested in Wall Street stocks like AIG or Lehman Brothers? Could her check have been cut in half?
We cannot let this current Congress gamble Social Security in a volatile stock market. Please stand with us.
Sincerely,
Kyrsten