This book illuminates the politics and policy of the current
struggle over Social Security in light of the program’s compelling
history and ingenious structure. After a brief introduction
describing the dramatic response of the Social Security
Administration to the 9/11 terrorist attack, the book recounts
Social Securityâ??s lively history. Although President Bush
has tried to convince Americans that Social Security is designed
for the last century and unworkable for an aging population,
readers will see that the President’s assault is just another
battle in a longstanding ideological war. Prescott Bush, the
current Presidentâ??s grandfather, remarked of FDR, 'The only
man I truly hated lies buried in Hyde Park.’ The book traces the
continuous thread leading from Prescott Bush and his contemporaries
to George W. Bush and others who want to undo Social Security. The
book concludes with policy recommendations which eliminate Social
Security’s deficit in a manner consistent with the program’s
philosophy and structure.
Spis treści
Chapter 1: From the Poorhouse to Free Parking.
Chapter 2: Social Security’s Grandfather.
Chapter 3: Essential Insurance, Poor Welfare.
Chapter 4: Bold Woman, Cautious Men.
Chapter 5: A Teeny-Weeny Bit of Socialism.
Chapter 6: Dirty Tricks.
Chapter 7: Ready, Set, Start Again.
Chapter 8: Dr. Win-the-War Replaces Old Dr. New Deal.
Chapter 9: Third Time’s the Charm.
Chapter 10: All American Program (Minus a Tiny Splinter
Group).
Chapter 11: Visible Gains, Subterranean Tremors.
Chapter 12: The Sky is Falling and Social Security Is Bust.
Chapter 13: Aging Gracefully.
Chapter 14: A Leninist Strategy.
Chapter 15: The Drumbeat Finds a Drummer.
Chapter 16: The Ideal, Pain-Free (For Almost Everyone) Way to
Strengthen Social Security.
Chapter 17: From FDR’s Vision to Busg’s Gamble.
Acknowledgments.
Notes.
Recommended Reading.
Index.
O autorze
NANCY J. ALTMAN is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Pension Rights Center. From 1977 to 1981, she was advisor to Senator John C. Danforth (R-Mo.) on Social Security issues. In 1982, she was assistant to Alan Greenspan when he chaired the bipartisan commission that produced the 1983 Social Security amendments. From 1983 to 1989, Altman was on the faculty of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and taught courses on Social Security and private pensions at the Harvard Law School.