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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2011)
December 7, 2011 ®l* Jlnrtlanò CObseruer Page 7 O pinion Social Security is a Woman’s Issue Benefit critical for those who need it M erle B aisden Som e conservative p o liti cians want to get rid o f Social Security as we know it. They call it a bad idea, a handout that lessens self-reliance, a giant Ponzi schem e. These politi cians aren't ju st m isguided, they're wrong, and maybe they don't know how critical Social S e c u r ity is fo r A m e ric a n w om en. Social Security is a woman's issue because m ore w om en by than men rely on it. Talking to some women at the Hillsboro and Forest Grove Se nior Centers about Social Secu rity recently, I heard these com ments: "A life saver, Necessary for my livelihood, Allows me to stay in my home, I couldn't pay my bills without it, and A founda tion for working middle-class folks' retirement." These wom en spent most of their em ployable years raising children. Som e thought be cause th eir husbands m ade good m oney they'd be well taken care o f in retirem ent. Bankruptcy, but divorce and health problem s changed their circu m stan ces co n siderably, and they are im m ensely grate ful for their Social Security checks. G iven that women, on aver age, still do not make as much m oney as men, and will prob ably continue to outlive men, today’s working women will have the same need for Social Security in their retirem ent as our current retirees. Charged to find ways to reduce the federal deficit, Congress defi nitely should not include an attack on Social Security. Social Security did not cause the deficit; it is funded by con tributions made by em ployees and em ployers. These contri butions are paid out im m edi ately, m ostly to current retir ees. The rest of the m oney goes to the U .S. T reasury, where it is spent on other items. The Treasury sends the Social Security Administration an IOU called a "special issue" bond in return for this money. Money for Social Security should not be re-directed, and this process is a threat to the future solvency of Social Security. A nother threat is the two percent reduction in the pay roll contributions to Social Se curity for the year 2011, as an a tte m p t to s tim u la te th e econom y. This "holiday" de prived the fund of $ 120 billion. It should not be renew ed or spread to em ployers. P resently, Social Security will fully fund benefits until 2037. It is not broke. But this valuable safety net for the eld erly, the disabled and children needs to be strengthened and preserved. Please tell Congress you want Social Security to be there for those who need it. People who care only for themselves will be trying to tear it down, being very vocal about their ideas. We can not let them prevail. M erle Baisden is treasurer o f the A m erican A ssociation of U n iv e r s ity W om en, H ills b o r o - F o r e s t G ro v e b ra n c h . Save College Aid for the Disadvantaged Some colleges are misusing funds J udge G reg M athis O ftentim es it seem s th a t th o se w ho n eed som ething the least are the most likely to receive it. Indeed, three asset m anagers from Connecticut recently won a $254 million lottery drawing. It ju st d oesn’t seem fair. M ore unjust and more seri ous is the recent announce ment that colleges and univer sities are giving $5.3 billion in aid to students who, according to the fed eral g o v ern m en t, don't need financial help. A ccording to study from the C o lle g e B o a rd , A m e ric a n schools are using 20-percent o f the total federal financial aid pot to woo high-achieving by students who also have high earning parents who could eas ily pay the tuition them selves. In ad dition, these same families also receive an additional $4 bil lion in federal tuition tax credits. C ollege costs are rising, and the am ount of stu dent aid available to low -in com e students has declined in the last decade. To learn that these much needed federal fi nancial aid dollars are going to students from fam ilies earning more than $ 100,000 per year is disheartening. That same m oney could be used to help send more low- income students to college, giv ing a broader range of people access to higher education. C ertainly, universities have the rig h t to co m p ete for the best stu d en ts, but they should |Jorthntb (DhserUvr Established 1970 USPS 959-680 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 Charles H. Washington E d ito r -M ich a e l L e ig h to n D istribution M anager : M a rk W ashington C reative D irector : P a u l N e u fe ld t E ditok - in -C hief , P ublisher : P ostmaster : Send address changes to Portland Observer, P 0 Box3 1 3 7 , Portland, OR9 7 2 0 8 not be allow ed to use g o v right some of the wrongs and ju stic e . H is life sto ry o f a ern m en t funds to lure high- that everyone has a chance. street youth who rose fro m incom e stu d en ts to th eir p ri Ju d g e G reg M a th is is a j a i l to ju d g e has p ro v id e d v a te u n i v e r s i t i e s . T h e s e longtim e advocate fo r equal hope to m illions. sc h o o ls hav e e n d o w m e n ts they could tap into for these p u rp o ses, or they could also call on th e ir d istin g u ish e d alum ni for assistan ce. O ur young people, rich or poor, are our nation's most pre cious resource. We m ust work to ensure they have the tools they need to finish school and to go out into society and be com e productive citizens. That said, we must also re alize that society does not al w ay s b e n e fit the n e e d ie s t am ong us. It is our duty to do what we can to level the play Portland: (503) 244-2080 ing field as much as possible. M aking sure federal finan Hillsoboro: (503) 244-2081 cial aid dollars are used for Facsimile: (503) 244-2084 low -incom e students and low- incom e students only will go a Email: Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com long way in making sure we THE LAW OFFICES OF Patrick John Sweeney, P.C. Patrick John Sweeney Attorney at Law 1549 SE Ladd Portland, Oregon The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. 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