By profession, I am a Social Security disability claimant advocate - I help people get Social Security disability benefits. I fell into this profession by accident about 8 years ago and have come to love it. I help good, honest people who are unable to work get benefits they deserve (Shameless plug for firm website - click here).
As this is meant to be a place for people to share views from all sides, I let it be known I tend to lean to the right. To my shock and jolt to obvious reality, I recently attended a convention of Social Security claimant representatives and discovered I was an anomalous right amidst a mass of left-leaning lawyers! And suddenly, my simple mind put a handful of puzzle pieces together and realized I am a huge proponent of something fairly leftish (although studies show most people on both sides support Social Security to a point).
In any case, I do feel there is a place for Social Security. I also feel the government and all of its programs are poorly managed, inefficient, and cost taxpayers far more than private counterparts - but that's another topic entirely. On Social Security's website, there is a pretty-darn-good history on Social Security, which, though biased in origin, does outline how society through history was led to necessitate some type of system to protect old (and disabled) individuals from poverty. And like it or not, there is a reality facing us that there are many individuals who are unable to work, whether due to old-age or disability, and some of them live exclusively on the meager portions Social Security allots them. And, though the system is far from perfect, I am glad it is there. I would rather know people are living "off the government" than starving, sick, and homeless.
What are your thoughts about the basic principle of Social Security? If you could invent your own system to replace it, how would it be different?
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