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| National Dialogue |
| General Discussion |
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| National Dialogue |
| General Discussion |
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Author Index |
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This summary will cover the topics discussed in the Values forum from May 11-18th and the off-topic material from the Why Reform Now discussion from May 11th to its close on the 17th.
Note on Direction- Because we would like to encourage more people to participate, we would like to focus on the more general questions of social security reform in this forum. If you are new to the Dialogue, we would like your views on Carolyn Luckensmeyer's opening day question on values and your response to Bob Carlitz's April 27th question on what values should underlie the Social Security System. Therefore I am deferring summarizing the ongoing debate on the unfunded liabilities of the Social Security Trust Funds for the moment. We will return to this issue shortly when the Moderator will post a question on this topic for discussion.
Michigan Seniors Weigh In- A group of 16 Michigan seniors have met twice to discuss the values questions raised in this forum and they offered us their consensus. They think it is important that seniors should live independently with dignity without worrying about being a burden to their children. They see value in a safety net for those who have no pension or savings and in providing security for the disabled and widows through survivor's benefits.
On the financial side, this group worries about the program's durability and expresses concern about Congress's past practice of borrowing from the trust funds to lower budgetary deficits. They think it important that there be no worries about Social Security benefits not being there when needed.
They are also worried about medical security and express an equal if not greater concern about Medicare's future.
On reform, they think that all Americans should contribute to the program and participate in the reform effort. They think Congress should engage in a bipartisan effort to hammer out a solution now but they are not confident that their representatives will do so. Finally they do not think that the trust funds should be used for any other purpose than Social Security. [Karen O'Connor-5/14]
Reform is about more than money- Another participant argued that it was important to focus on issues other than money when discussing reform. He suggested that the participants look at a recent book by Mary Pipher entitled Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders.
Disability Issues- Two contributors with work experience in the disability area offered recommendations for reform. A disability benefits counselor objected to the disincentives in the present system that discourage the disabled from being gainfully employed to the maximum extent practicable. A former examiner of disability claims recommends certain steps to improve the detection of fraudulent claims. She thinks that the Social Security Administration needs an active enforcement arm empowered to investigate fraudulent claims and suggests that investigators could be employed to work on a percentage basis. She thinks that SSA could save millions with an organized effort in this area.
Barbara Brandon
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