Social Security - reform (BenefitsLink.com)Headlines re Social Security - reform, gathered by BenefitsLink.comObama warns seniors on Social Security Reform Proposals- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Hours before being greeted by the biggest crowd of his campaign, Democrat Barack Obama quietly told a small group of seniors Sunday that Republican John McCain would threaten the Social Security they depend on because he supports privatizing the program." (New York Times)http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-Democrats.html Obama's Remarks on Retirement Security- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Here's my plan. Right now, the Social Security payroll tax only applies to the first $102,000 a worker makes. I think the best way forward is to adjust the cap on the payroll tax so that people like me pay a little bit more and people in need are protected. " (RealClearPolitics)http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obamas_remarks_on_retirement_s.html Why Do Married Men Claim Social Security Benefits So Early Ignorance or Caddishness (Researcj Report)- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Most married men claim Social Security benefits at age 62 or 63, well short of both Social Security's Full Retirement Age and the age that maximizes the household's expected present value of benefits (EPVB). . . . But financial education has not been especially effective in changing behavior. Policymakers should thus consider other initiatives to assure a survivor benefit greater than that produced by an age 62 or 63 husbands' claiming age. " (Center for Retirement Research)http://crr.bc.edu/working_papers/why_do_married_men_claim_social_security_benefits_so_earl... Opinion Walter Reuther Was the Prophet of Pensions; His Ideas Need Revisiting- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Recently, i heard three European journalists express astonishment at the primitive state of America's social safety net. 'Do you have private pensions' they asked. The system is unraveling, I explained. 'Healthcare' Some folks get it, some don't. 'Public pensions' Vastly underfunded. When I mentioned that Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are touting innovative ideas for government savings plans, in the form of a national 401(k) -- the journalists harrumphed. Holland and...http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-lowenstein11-2008may11,1,6559553.stor... Opinion Building on Social Security's Success - The Retirement Debate- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Social Security is an excellent tool to meet the economic risks working families face. Given its proven track record, wise policy will balance Social Security finances without cutting benefits and then seek to restore the adequacy of benefits." (Virginia P. Reno via The Wall Street Journal)http://www.retirementdebate.com/2008/05/07/building-on-social-security%E2%80%99s-success/#... Call for Proposals: Innovative Policies to Strengthen Social Security for Vulnerable Populations- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) is launching the Social Security Innovative Policy Program to generate innovative policy analyses of options to strengthen Social Security for vulnerable populations. Scholars and analysts are invited to submit proposals from such varied disciplines as political science, law, actuarial science, sociology, social work, economics, psychology and philosophy. Project results will be shared with the new administration and Congress early..http://www.nasi.org/publications2763/publications_show.htm?doc_id=683767 Reform Options for Social Security- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The most prominent options for improving Social Security's financial picture are described in this AARP Public Policy Institute Insight on the Issues, with a focus on improving the funding status of Social Security over the next 75 years. The 14 reform proposals fall into three broad categories: raising revenues, reducing benefits, and investing part of the trust fund assets in equities or corporate bonds." (AARP)http://www.aarp.org/research/legis-polit/ssreform/i3_reform.html Social Security Reform: Mechanisms for Achieving True Pre-Funding (PDF)- (Found June 24, 2008 ) 16 pages. Excerpt: "This is the fourth in a series of Treasury issue briefs on Social Security reform. It expands on a point introduced in the second issue brief; namely, that making Social Security reform fair to future generations requires building up and safeguarding resources in the near term that can be used to fund future benefits as the number of retirees per worker increases." (U.S. Department of the Treasury)http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/reports/ss_issuebrief_no.4.pdf Congress in no rush to fix Medicare and Social Security- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Lawmakers are preparing to get serious about the long-term solvency of America's Social Security and Medicare programs but not until the next Congress convenes. The latest annual report on the prospects for Social Security and Medicare projects a $42.9 trillion shortfall over the next 75 years, at current levels of benefits and taxation. The message Congress is taking away from the report is that there's still time to build bipartisan consensus for reform." (The Christian...http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0327/p02s02-usgn.html Opinion Opinion: A 'Floor Plan' for Protection and Partial Privatization of Social Security (PDF)- (Found June 24, 2008 ) 12 pages. Excerpt: "Social Security's expected future financial woes have been well publicized . . . . In response, in 2001 President Bush convened the Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Social Security. This Commission focused on three purely privatized alternatives to the present benefit structure. . . . The following is a creative response and a compromise solution to the issues examined by that Commission, one which is intended to meet the needs of all of the stakeholders in the...http://benefitslink.com/articles/guests/floor_plan_for_social_security.pdf |