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John --
Before we dive in today, we're making a slight change. Over the past few months, we've been coming to you each week asking your thoughts on all the biggest issues facing America and calling it Controlling What You Can.
Today, we're officially rebranding this initiative.
Instead of focusing on presenting changes that we think are achievable, we instead want to think about the future where America continues to grow and become the best version of itself. We think of democracy as a verb, and that means everyone who loves America needs to work to improve it.
As we think about this positive vision for America, we're going to keep asking ourselves some key questions. How can we improve our our communities? How can we build better lives for ourselves? What do we owe to each other (our families, neighbors, communities, country)? How can we plan for the unforeseen? How can we build a just, fair, and honest government that represents Americans? It's going to take Forward Thinkingfrom us all, so that's the new name of this collaboration with each of you. Welcome to it: let's get thinking!
Back to the topic at hand, this week, we asked you about Social Security reforms.
Looking at the results, two things stick out to us.
First, the top two answers both reflect a general desire to focus the program on helping low-income individuals. The program was designed to help keep America's elderly out of poverty, and it has an outsized effect at lower incomes. 80% of you believed that the tax cap should be eliminated, and benefits should be reduced or eliminated for the wealthy, suggesting that you think those at the top end of the income distribution should pay more into it, while benefits should primarily go to those who need them in retirement. This is reinforced by the relatively low selection of increasing the SS tax rate across the board, reflecting that most of you believe it's only those at the top of the tax bracket who should be contributing more.
Second, there was more than a baseline level of support for raising the retirement age. We'll dig more into notes around that below, in our summary of the responses.
Social Security reform is complex, and so there were many comments left to dive into more detail:
Privatization and Opt-Out Proposals
- Many highlighted that their main issue with the program is that it's managed by the government. A significant segment of the responses suggested that money paid into the system be put into private retirement accounts.
- Others called for an opt-out process, allowing individuals to leave the system altogether. This would decrease the inflow of cash to fund it while also decreasing the amount of money that would need to be paid out.
Raising the Retirement Age
- For those that selected raising the retirement age, it was noted that we have a longer healthy life expectancy than we did when the program was created. Raising the retirement age, you argued, would have people contribute longer and withdraw for less time, thus alleviating some of the financial pressure on the system.
Replace Social Security with SomethingElse
- Some of you even called for the end of the program, shifting the resources to something such as a UBI or a flat pension for everyone. That's certainly ambitious!
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June 17 | A Juneteenth Conversation With Speaker Terrance Carroll
Join us for A Juneteenth Conversation with Speaker Carroll, a powerful virtual gathering hosted by the Forward Party’s Black Voters Committee, honoring the history of Juneteenth and exploring the future of Black leadership and civic power in America.Register → <[link removed]>
June 17 | NOVA FWD Social
Meet up with NOVA Forwardists for food, drinks, & conversation at a fun location in Fairfax County. Bring your questions, ambitions, and thirst! Why not grab a few friends to come with you, too? Register → <[link removed]>
June 21 | Young Forwardists Chapter Meeting
Join the Young Forwardists team at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST for our Chapter Information Meeting! Chapters are the backbone of the Young Forwardists. As our political divisions continue to grow, it's up to every student at every high school and college to lead the charge toward change!Register → <[link removed]>
June 23 | BVC Events Committee Meeting
Join the FWD BVC Events Committee for our bi-weekly planning session! This meeting is all about organizing impactful events that amplify Black voices, engage our communities, and support our endorsed candidates.Register → <[link removed]>
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