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1. Because Social Security is specifically designed to boost the retirement income of low earners with a progressive benefit formula, the program has played an enormous and necessary role in keeping Latinas out of poverty.
2. For people who have for been putting their hard-earned money into the system for years, the president’s idea would replace their safety net with a risky gamble with no assurance of a stable return of investment.
3. Because of my own experience with market fluctuation, I recognize the great risks one takes on investments. This converts the Social Security safety net into a risky proposition many cannot afford to take.
4. We must work to stabilize Social Security. We must not gamble with our nation’s social insurance program, one of our most popular and effective federal programs that has remained dependable and stable for the past 70 years.
5. Latinas’ life expectancies are relatively long. When a current retiree hits 65 and begins receiving her benefit check, she can expect to live another 22 years. That life expectancy is higher than white women or men.
6. Latinos are disproportionately more likely to be injured on the job than other ethnic groups.
7. We must take the time to do what needs to be done now, what is right, instead of passing a bad bill.
8. We must level with the people and explain to them that Social Security will first face funding problems in 2042 that can be fixed now with changes that do not undermine and ultimately drain from the entire program.
9. Because of their low earnings and family obligations, Latinas would not be putting much money into private investment accounts. An average Latina could wind up losing thousands of dollars under this proposal.
10. There is a need for Social Security reform to ensure its stability, and Congress must act.
11. Almost half of all Latinas currently on Social Security rely exclusively on their benefit check in retirement.
12. Even without reforms, the Social Security fund will be able to meet 100 percent of its obligations until 2042.
13. Social Security has been effective for 70 years; prior predictions of its demise have been totally overstated.
14. I am not criticizing investing in the stock market; I am an investor.
15. The president’s claim that Social Security is going broke is misleading at best. The sky is not falling, although there is no doubt that the system needs to be strengthened.
16. A Congressional Budget Office report released as recent as June 2004 says the system will be able to pay full benefits until 2052, and 80 percent after that.
17. We must explain the truth: There is no free lunch.
18. President Bush has consistently used rhetoric, and that is not convincing given his past record.
19. If Congress doesn’t raise taxes, you cannot get a private investment account without forgoing a portion, possibly all, of your guaranteed benefit check.
20. Our Hispanic community needs to understand how important the Social Security system is for not only its retired citizens, but also its disabled workers.