How Can We Help Social Security?

Every politician likes to talk about problems, but they don't always have the solution.

“the moral test of Government is how that Government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped”

— Hubert Humphrey

When you’re running for the U.S. Senate, part of the job is hearing folks’ problems on the campaign trail. That process is tough. I’ve heard parents talk about struggling to provide for their children through rising costs of gas, groceries, and healthcare. I’ve heard veterans contemplate the meaning of their military service, seeing the direction our nation is heading and wondering “what was the point?” I’ve heard farmers talk about tough growing seasons, unstable markets, and reckless policy.

One of the most heartbreaking things to hear is “I support you, but I’m on Social Security. I’m sorry I can’t afford to help you, because I can barely afford to help myself.”

In that one statement, there is an absolute selflessness. These folks want to pitch in to my campaign, and feel they’re the ones who have to apologize for not being able to. No, there’s nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry that our system designed to help you has not done so. I’m sorry that your government isn’t serving you as it should. Thank you, your support is all I need.

If you’ve kept up with any political campaign of the last twenty years (and even longer), eventually candidates start talking about Social Security. Usually, it’s just a vague promise to protect it from cuts. In many cases, I find it appalling. Folks on Social Security aren’t pawns in some political game to get votes, they are people.

There are a lot of ways to keep Social Security afloat in the years to come, but there’s one that I find to be the easiest and most obvious: Remove the limit on Social Security’s portion of FICA taxes. Keep the benefit calculations the same as before, but expand the tax base. This bolsters Social Security and buys us a few decades to address other issues in the meantime. We can fight for regular folks to have better healthcare, more affordable grocery bills, or whatever else. Then, when the time comes for Congress to take another look at Social Security to keep it going, it’ll have a stronger foundation to work from.

Hey folks, Brian Bengs’ campaign team here! We’re interrupting this article to let you know that it’s Brian’s birthday today! We’re closing the polling gap and we’ve had some great interviews in the past few days, so we’d love if you could help us round it all off with a big birthday surprise for Brian. Thank you for your support!

Here’s something that may be difficult to hear: Social Security is not designed to be completely “fair,” in the sense that it was never meant to benefit everyone equally. It is intended to set the floor, to create fairness for retirees who would otherwise be at the absolute bottom. A rising tide lifts all boats, but some boats were already a bit higher to start.

As with most big issues, the solutions lie within a web of interconnected policies. Ensuring the future of Social Security, Medicare, and other programs also means approaching other problems. That’s why I want to unrig the tax code that stands in favor of the ultra-wealthy, so that they’re paying their fair share without jumping through loopholes to avoid it. It’s why I want to get Big Money out of politics, so our politicians can focus on their constituents’ needs rather than the personal financial interests of their biggest donors.

I really like looking at Social Security as an issue because it helps me to pin down other prominent issues. Social Security is already so simple as an idea (at least, relative to how other government projects are funded and operated) that attempts to “fix it” have to complicate it. It cannot be fixed in isolation, because the problems Social Security faces are problems we see across the whole system nationwide.

We can’t keep it solvent if the tax base isn’t big enough, and the tax base isn’t big enough because our tax code is completely tilted towards the interests of mega-corporations and the ultra-wealthy. The benefits aren’t enough for recipients because healthcare costs are too high, grocery bills keep climbing, or housing is too expensive. Suddenly, we’ve got new targets to focus on.

However, these are only concerns if our politicians are willing to do anything about it. If they don’t take in the bigger picture, all they’ll do is kick the can down the road, as the road cracks and falls apart. That’s where I differ. I see the bigger picture.

As South Dakota’s Independent Senator, I’ll fight to actually protect Social Security. I’ll work to solve the issues that folks on Social Security struggle with, and I’ll help fix what’s broken in our political and economic systems so we can address this nation’s problems instead of simply using them to score re-election points in November.

Thank you for reading.

Brian L. Bengs, Lt Col (Ret)

Independent Candidate for U.S. Senate

Today is Brian’s birthday! We’re arranging a special surprise for him, and we need your help to make it perfect. This campaign has been picking up momentum, so we want to keep it up all the way through the end of the month. Please consider contributing to Brian’s independent campaign to help make this birthday one to remember! Thank you for your support.