techs
Lifer
http://www.thetandd.com/articles/2005/03/13/news/doc42351597bc1c4771265243.txt
Few people remember the time before Social Security. And, nobody wants to read about it.
Around the home tables and in the gathering places in the town of Brandon, Vermont, the people discussed that horrid President Roosevelt's latest "New Deal" program. The Social Security Bill passed on Aug. 14, 1935. Employers would have to "kick in" money for their employees' retirement. It would ruin businesses. Everybody knew that only the rich retired to a leisure lifestyle, not farmers, tradesmen, or businessmen.
Those same people seemed to forget that in the case of this town, there was the Town Farm, or another name was The Poor House, paid for by these same people. The Town Farm residents had no homes, families or incomes and were "housed" at the farm. They had the minimal necessities, but no medical care.
The stagecoach inn-like house was a two-story house with an L-extension, where the poor people lived. The front of the house contained the manager's quarters. The poor lived in small, single rooms with a bed, chair and a hook to hang their few belongs. It opened into a large, all-purpose room, where they ate. The women sat around doing handiwork when they weren't helping prepare huge meals for the residents. The men passed the time playing cards at night in that room.
The men had a full schedule working on the farm if they were able. A large barn of beautiful registered Ayrshire brown-and-white cows were milked and fed by the men. The gardens were tended and the wood chopped and brought in for the fires.
These poor people had no homes or relatives and were forced to go to the Town Farm or live in town in the filthy coal bins.
Another program for the poor community was the distribution of flour, sugar, salt, coffee, some cloth and other items these people were financially unable to buy. The goods were housed in my mother's living room for safety and for keeping rodents at bay. Men walked ? they couldn't afford cars ? to pick up what was absolutely necessary for their families. Each recipient was listed on the annual March Town Report, along with the amount they received. These proud people asked for as little as possible, not to appear greedy.
With President Roosevelt's Social Security plan, the Town Farm was eliminated The property was sold. Down the road, the recipients of the new plan maintained their rural homes and lived frugally, but with pride, and independently. Many would have had to go to the Town Farm had they not had these funds. Grace, Emma, Hazel and others continued to be contributing citizens economically and in the community when they received their Social Security checks. They had the pride of their own homes and managing their own lives.
None of these people who were in the labor force in their youth had any idea of the stock market. They only knew about the crash of l929 and how the farm commodities sold for almost nothing. They would not have been interested in repeating that scenario by investing in the private accounts.
In the last decade, we have seen Wall Street and even local businesses crash. Retirees who thought they were set for the good life in retirement discovered they had no funds.
Most of us are not of the economic persuasion to accumulate great wealth, and the Social Security System is reliable, basic insurance. Reading the predictions of when the Social Security system will go broke is like reading a fairy tale. Former Sen. Fritz Hollings has said that if the Washington politicians would keep their hands out of the fund, the Social Security fund would still be intact. Having used much of it for other programs, the politicians do not want to pay the money back into the fund.
We have a large population, which is living below hand-to-mouth right now, and all the tax credits and investments won't do anything for the eventual poverty of these people if they do not have Social Security checks when they need them.
It would be wonderful if we all had bundles of money stashed away to do all the things we would like. That doesn't seem to be realistic. Social Security gives us dignity, and some money to live, which in the end spurs the economy.
Its important to remember there was a time before Social Security and what it was like.
Few people remember the time before Social Security. And, nobody wants to read about it.
Around the home tables and in the gathering places in the town of Brandon, Vermont, the people discussed that horrid President Roosevelt's latest "New Deal" program. The Social Security Bill passed on Aug. 14, 1935. Employers would have to "kick in" money for their employees' retirement. It would ruin businesses. Everybody knew that only the rich retired to a leisure lifestyle, not farmers, tradesmen, or businessmen.
Those same people seemed to forget that in the case of this town, there was the Town Farm, or another name was The Poor House, paid for by these same people. The Town Farm residents had no homes, families or incomes and were "housed" at the farm. They had the minimal necessities, but no medical care.
The stagecoach inn-like house was a two-story house with an L-extension, where the poor people lived. The front of the house contained the manager's quarters. The poor lived in small, single rooms with a bed, chair and a hook to hang their few belongs. It opened into a large, all-purpose room, where they ate. The women sat around doing handiwork when they weren't helping prepare huge meals for the residents. The men passed the time playing cards at night in that room.
The men had a full schedule working on the farm if they were able. A large barn of beautiful registered Ayrshire brown-and-white cows were milked and fed by the men. The gardens were tended and the wood chopped and brought in for the fires.
These poor people had no homes or relatives and were forced to go to the Town Farm or live in town in the filthy coal bins.
Another program for the poor community was the distribution of flour, sugar, salt, coffee, some cloth and other items these people were financially unable to buy. The goods were housed in my mother's living room for safety and for keeping rodents at bay. Men walked ? they couldn't afford cars ? to pick up what was absolutely necessary for their families. Each recipient was listed on the annual March Town Report, along with the amount they received. These proud people asked for as little as possible, not to appear greedy.
With President Roosevelt's Social Security plan, the Town Farm was eliminated The property was sold. Down the road, the recipients of the new plan maintained their rural homes and lived frugally, but with pride, and independently. Many would have had to go to the Town Farm had they not had these funds. Grace, Emma, Hazel and others continued to be contributing citizens economically and in the community when they received their Social Security checks. They had the pride of their own homes and managing their own lives.
None of these people who were in the labor force in their youth had any idea of the stock market. They only knew about the crash of l929 and how the farm commodities sold for almost nothing. They would not have been interested in repeating that scenario by investing in the private accounts.
In the last decade, we have seen Wall Street and even local businesses crash. Retirees who thought they were set for the good life in retirement discovered they had no funds.
Most of us are not of the economic persuasion to accumulate great wealth, and the Social Security System is reliable, basic insurance. Reading the predictions of when the Social Security system will go broke is like reading a fairy tale. Former Sen. Fritz Hollings has said that if the Washington politicians would keep their hands out of the fund, the Social Security fund would still be intact. Having used much of it for other programs, the politicians do not want to pay the money back into the fund.
We have a large population, which is living below hand-to-mouth right now, and all the tax credits and investments won't do anything for the eventual poverty of these people if they do not have Social Security checks when they need them.
It would be wonderful if we all had bundles of money stashed away to do all the things we would like. That doesn't seem to be realistic. Social Security gives us dignity, and some money to live, which in the end spurs the economy.
Its important to remember there was a time before Social Security and what it was like.
