Printable Version
New Hampshire Retirees Concerned About Threats to Social Security
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
NEW HAMPSHIRE ALLIANCE FOR RETIRED
AMERICANS
161 Londonderry
Turnpike - Hooksett, NH 03106 - (603)
623-7302 http://www.retiredamericans.org/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Hampshire Retirees
Concerned about Threats to Social
Security
Privatization Too
Risky, New Hampshire Alliance Says
New Hampshire retirees, at a time of rising economic anxiety, are calling upon their state’s congressional delegation to oppose the privatization of Social Security.
“Times are harder than ever for New Hampshire retirees. It is tough to make ends meet when the prices of health care, gasoline, and groceries keep going up. We worry about the falling value of our homes and wonder what will happen to our Social Security and our pensions. Granite State seniors need stability, not risk,” said John Mendolusky, president of the New Hampshire Alliance for Retired Americans.
“We should not be throwing our hard-earned Social Security benefits onto the roulette wheel of the stock market. Wall Street firms would collect the service fees and reap large windfall profits off these private accounts – while seniors in New Hampshire and across the country would take on huge risk in these already uncertain times,” Mendolusky said. More than 234,000 New Hampshire residents receive Social Security benefits, he noted.
The New Hampshire Alliance’s warning coincides with the recent release of a report from the national Alliance for Retired Americans detailing the voting record of every U.S. senator and representative on key issues affecting current and future retirees. The document is available at http://www.retiredamericans.org/
The Alliance voting record examines 10 key
Senate votes and 10 key House votes in 2007,
showing the roll calls on blocking Social
Security privatization, lowering Medicare
costs, expanding access to affordable health
care, stopping oil price gouging, and
protecting voting rights.
Senator Judd Gregg was 10 for 10
in voting against New Hampshire’s seniors,
while Senator John Sununu voted against New
Hampshire’s seniors 9 out of 10 times.
Representatives Paul Hodes and Carol Shea
Porter had perfect scores of 100%, having voted
favorably on all 10 issues in the interest of
New Hampshire’s seniors.
Senators Gregg and Sununu voted in favor of Social Security privatization in 2007 [S. Con. Res. 21, Roll Call No. 89, March 22, 2007]. While the U.S. House of Representatives did not vote on privatization in 2007, Hodes and Shea-Porter’s first years in Congress, both have publicly expressed their opposition.
Twice in 2007, both Hodes and Shea-Porter voted to increase funding for the Social Security Administration to help reduce claims backlogs and make other improvements in service. [H. Con. Res. 99, Roll Call No. 212, March 29, 2007 and H.R. 3043, Roll Call No. 686, July 19, 2007].
The Alliance’s voting record is a, “valuable resource for older Americans,” according to national Alliance President George J. Kourpias, who commented, “what is at stake is nothing less than the future of retirement in America. As our leaders in Washington vote on prescription drugs, Medicare, Social Security, health care, and pensions, politically savvy seniors need to know how their elected officials vote on these important issues.”
“The goal of the New Hampshire Alliance,” Mendolusky said, “is to create a coalition of retiree organizations and community based groups that will become a powerful voice advocating for New Hampshire’s seniors so their golden years are not tarnished by callous disregard and neglect.”
Contact: John Mendolusky
(603)
882-0482
Michael Buckley (202) 637-5190
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The New Hampshire Alliance for Retired Americans is a non-profit, non-partisan organization representing senior activists and retired workers throughout the state. It is a state affiliate of the Alliance for Retired Americans, a national grassroots organization representing over 3.5 million retirees.