By Barbara Altman
On June 20 in Waukegan, Brad Schneider, the Democratic candidate for Congress from the 10th District, hosted a Senior Roundtable with Max Richtman, President and CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare. One of the reasons Richtman was in Waukegan was to announce his organization’s endorsement of Brad Schneider for Congress.
Declaring that Brad has shown that he will fight tirelessly to preserve these crucial programs, Richtman presented him with a pair of boxing gloves. The well-padded gloves bear the logo of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare.
Richtman called Brad’s opponent, Republican Congressman Bob Dold, someone who “clearly is not a friend of seniors.” The Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare scored Dold at zero for his voting record on those programs. Richtman said that Dold did not respond to his organization’s invitation to defend his record on Social Security and Medicare.
Brad believes that Social Security and Medicare are promises we’ve made to our seniors and that they are promises worth keeping. He opposes Republican efforts to turn Medicare into a voucher program—something Richtman called “Couponcare”—and he backed up that opposition when he served in Congress by voting against the Ryan budget. Brad understands that prior to Medicare, only 50 percent of seniors had health insurance, and 50 percent lived in poverty.
Brad also supports strengthening Social Security, and he opposes raising the retirement age. Brad recognizes, as Richtman explained at the roundtable, that those seniors whose financial condition is most precarious are also those with the shortest life expectancy. Thus, to raise the retirement age is to take benefits away from the most vulnerable; the higher the retirement age the less likely low-income seniors are to live to draw their benefits.
As Brad understands, prior to Social Security over half of America’s elderly lacked sufficient income to be self-supporting. Still today, barely half of all workers have access to retirement plans at work, and millions reach retirement age without enough private savings to provide an adequate living in retirement. Today, nine out of 10 people over age 65 receive Social Security benefits, and nearly two out of three of them receive more than half of their income from Social Security. Social Security is the only source of income for nearly 20 percent of seniors. Without Social Security over half of all older Americans would fall into poverty.
Brad understands all this and will fight to protect the program. That’s why he earned the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare’s endorsement.
And how did Bob Dold earn his 0 score on protecting Social Security and Medicare?
In 2010, Dold announced his support for Paul Ryan’s Roadmap for America’s Future. This Roadmap included plans to:
- Privatize Social Security
- Privatize Medicare and Medicaid and gradually eliminate both programs
- Eliminate the Children’s Health Insurance Program and replace it with vouchers that decline in value
In 2010, Dold told the Chicago Tribune editorial board that he was in favor of transforming Social Security so that it would not be available to those younger than 55. “I would propose amending the current program for future beneficiaries by drawing a firm line at 55 – those younger than 55 would have a different plan,” Dold said.
Dold continued, “The age must be raised gradually to reflect the life expectancy adults are achieving today. Additionally, I would propose allowing a portion of Social Security payments (not more than 25%) to be put into Government authorized individual retirement accounts that would be able to be passed to heirs if not used.”
And again in 2014, Dold was willing to guarantee Social Security benefits only to those already 55 years of age or older. That narrow guarantee is, of course, Republican code for doing away with the promise of the Social Security safety net by pitting one generation against another.
In 2010, Dold didn’t stop with targeting Social Security. He also proposed to deprive those under 55 years old of the promise of Medicare when they turn 65. Dold said, “Like Social Security, Medicare needs to be amended for future generations if we are to have a solvent system. I would agree with plans proposed to keep our promises to our seniors while amending the plan for those younger than 55.”
And how did Dold propose amending Medicare? Why, he advocated turning Medicare into Couponcare. “I would be in favor of providing benefits up to $9500.00 (adjusted based on income with more assistance for low-income participants) to provide seniors choice in private plans best suited for their needs. I also am in favor of having tax-free Medical savings accounts for all beneficiaries with some funding available for low-income beneficiaries,” Dold said.
Think about that. If you were 54 years old in 2010, you’re 60 years old today. Are you content to forgo Medicare at age 65? Do you think a government payment of $9,500 per year would give you healthcare benefits equivalent to what Medicare beneficiaries enjoy today? And just how alarmed would you be at the prospect of not receiving Social Security benefits until age 70, or beyond? Would you prefer that your financial wellbeing during your retirement depended entirely upon the performance of the markets, with no safety net? And if that’s okay for you, is that the future you want for your children?
Social Security has made it possible for millions of Americans to avoid poverty in their old age while Medicare has enabled them to access affordable, quality health care. The programs are solvent, and with some tweaking would endure for decades. Yet, ever since George W. Bush’s reelection in 2004, Republicans have been trying to convince Americans that Social Security is in danger and that the only way to save the program is to privatize it, for the benefit of Republican big-money donors. And Dold has been right there with his party, peddling that same malarkey.
During his two terms in Congress, Bob Dold voted for the Republican budgets put forth by Paul Ryan every time one came to the floor of the House. Every one of these budget proposals that Dold supported would have eliminated Medicare as we know it, turning the fee-for-service program into a voucher program. Republicans also would reopen the “donut hole,” increasing costs for Medicare beneficiaries with high prescription drug costs. The Affordable Care Act—Obamacare—eliminated the donut hole. Dold consistently has voted with his party to repeal Obamacare and reinstate the donut hole.
Whatever Dold is saying today, as he fights to retain his seat during what promises to be a wave year for Democrats, remember what he’s said in the past, how he’s voted, and what his party stands for.
Unlike Dold, Brad Schneider will fight to protect Social Security and Medicare. Just look at those boxing gloves.
Jane Austen didn’t write about politics. She stuck to what she knew—the narrow society of the early 19th century English gentry. But the themes she explored through that society are still instructive today—even when applied to the 2016 Presidential campaign!
