[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 20, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H5739]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
75TH ANNIVERSARY OF SOCIAL SECURITY
(Mr. ALTMIRE asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute.)
Mr. ALTMIRE. Mr. Speaker, next month marks the 75th anniversary of
Social Security, which has been there for generations of Americans and
will be for generations to come.
Social Security is a bedrock promise to all Americans. You have paid
into the system, the money is yours, and it is our responsibility to do
everything we can to guarantee that it will be there for you when you
retire.
That's why we are so fortunate that our friends on the other side of
the aisle were unsuccessful in their attempt to privatize Social
Security at exactly the time the American financial markets were
nearing collapse. 401(k)s and IRAs lost one-third of their value during
the stock market plunge of 2008 and 2009. Imagine what would have
happened to those retirees' income if their Social Security earnings
had also been gambled away in the stock market.
Mr. Speaker, rather than risk a lifetime of savings, Social Security
will continue to be the stable, reliable, safety net that it was
created to be 75 years ago.
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