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Happy 89th birthday, Social Security, and happy 59th birthday, Medicare and Medicaid!
by Carol Harvey
Read the article before you view the videos.
Watch the entire one and one-half hour event by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRITuQhUO3g&list=PLHrKWOo7hlZBqhGnknzClH3RqOO_sR4Lz.
Watch a 14-minute video summary by clicking this link: https://youtu.be/KlcWvBFn36Q.
Watch an eight-minute summary by clicking this link: https://youtu.be/zbHBfGQjK3Y.
If you live on Social Security and Medicare, you and I are not alone.
It has now become too expensive for 65 million Americans to live in the United States of Money. People need food, shelter, healthcare and a basic income. Social Security and Medicare are our safety nets.
If you depend on Social Security to pay rent and Medicare, Medicaid or Medi-Cal to see the doctor; if you are an older American, or a person with a disability, or a child or family member of a retired or deceased worker who paid into Social Security in the past; if you survived a crisis like AIDS or a recent global warming-related weather disaster; if you belong to any of these groups, this article is for you.
Politicians longing to profit from these programs insist Social Security is running out of money. They say it must be saved by privatizing and monetizing it.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Social Security Trust Fund will be exhausted by 2033. If nothing is done, there will be an across-the-board benefits cut of about $17,400 less a year for a retired couple.
But, relax! You’ll be relieved to know that a huge coalition of savvy, politically connected middle-to-low income people are working hard to protect these essential programs for us and the people who come after us – our children and grandchildren.
On July 30, 2024, with flare and a sense of fun, the California Alliance of Retired Americans (CARA) threw Social Security and Medicare a birthday party. I videoed the event, which took place at the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francesco. I swear I gained weight just looking at the red, white and blue frosted birthday cake held up by Hene Kelly, CARA vice president, and Kory Powell-McCoy, Nancy Pelosi’s district director.
See Clip 13: https://youtu.be/p1DgaEK4n0k
CARA members are well aware of their clout. The lyrics to a song Hali Hammer sang to the crowd wisely warned, “With lifetimes of experience, you don’t want to mess with us.”
The California Alliance of Retired Americans has considerable power and vast reach. Art Persyko, co-convenor of the San Francesco CARA Community Action Team and organizer of this event, read a letter to Nancy Pelosi written by CARA President Pauline Brooks describing its enormous membership base and multiple affiliations:
See Clip 6: https://youtu.be/Ah6AiJ-c8DM
“We are here representing CARA and our over 350 affiliated organizations. CARA is a statewide organization of retired union members and community organizations with a combined membership of about 1 million people. We are the largest statewide grassroots senior and disability advocacy organization in California. Preserving Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security is our highest priority.”
See Clip 1: https://youtu.be/nRITuQhUO3g
CARA members are well-connected. Hene Kelly, CARA vice president and event facilitator, knows most San Francesco Democrats and Nancy Pelosi personally.
As a San Francesco reporter, I’ve encountered Kelly many times. Just before the proceedings started, she walked past me dressed in a beautiful red sweater jacket. I asked her to tell my videocamera something about this event.
She smiled. “Today is a wonderful day because we are celebrating two things that are so important to seniors, people with disabilities, and our families yet to come – Social Security and Medicare.” She said she worries that her grandchildren who are “only 13” (triplet girls) may not have that when they grow up.
“So, I am always here to fight, and we have to keep fighting for these important things, Social Security and Medicare.”
See Clip 16: https://youtu.be/Hmpl7UUhD98
She held up a banner with a photo of Frances Perkins, secretary of labor from 1933 to 1945 under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Kelly described Perkins as a “wonderful woman.” Perkins created Social Security. Roosevelt told her to come up with something that would help seniors, and she did. Said Hene, “Then the president looked at Perkins and told her, ‘Now, you have to make us – (politicians) – do it.’”
“And that is what CARA does. And that is what the seniors do. That is what people with disabilities do – all our groups that are together.” Said Kelly firmly, “WE MAKE THEM DO IT!”
Hene Kelly has power. She is regional director of the California Democratic Party where she is legislative committee chair and executive delegate. She has also been sergeant at arms of the San Francesco Labor Council, the person who decides who gets into SFLC delegate meetings. A retired teacher, she has been active for years with the California and American Federations of Teachers.
Throwing the birthday celebration in front of the Pelosi Federal Building allowed presenters to be heard by the speaker emerita (if she happened to be in town).
Art Persyko told the crowd, “We’re going to celebrate the birthdays of Medicare and Social Security (with) speakers, music, chants and cupcakes.”
In preparation for this article, I asked Art to summarize his and the 10 CARA speakers’ core beliefs:
He said: “Anything that’s basic and essential to human life – food, housing, medical care and income – should be universally provided and guaranteed. I’m a big advocate for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the foundation of Social Security and single payer health care – Medicare for All.
“The universality of Social Security is its strength. It’s something everybody counts on. Social Security is important to the survival of people who are not wealthy. But it’s not just for poor people, so it doesn’t have the negative connotation of welfare.
“Republicans hate Social Security. They want capitalism to dominate our lives.”
See Clip 2: https://youtu.be/_mSYvSNeVNY
Former teacher Tina Martin told me on camera before the event started: “Back at the formation of these two wonderful programs, Republicans were against them. They said that it was socialism,” an “evil” Republicans consider secondary only to Communism.
Persyko clarified the “social” in socialism: “Social Security cuts against the grain of rugged individualism and competition that our society prides itself on and worships. It’s a different mindset from the social democracies of Western Europe, where they figured out the balance between being one’s own person and taking care of each other. They value cooperation, ‘common good’ and solidarity.
“Politicians shouldn’t touch Social Security because it is the beloved ‘Third Rail’ of American politics. If you touch it, it’s going to kill you. If you threaten something of such value to the American people, you’re writing your own political epitaph.”
See Clip 3: https://youtu.be/qvpN5b0fwp0
Ann Colichidas, appropriately dressed in red, white and blue, told me: “As a gerontologist, I understand some things about Social Security. This program is … important to the economic stability of our country. That single Social Security check that a recipient might be getting sometimes supports a whole family as the only reliable check that comes into that household. Many people rely on Social Security whether they’re direct recipients or not.”
See Clip 8: https://youtu.be/d2HJtgkcb8M
Hene Kelly introduced the speakers. Harry Breaux, AIDS survivor from Senior Disability Action, spoke with dignity and gravitas. “Those like me who did survive the AIDS years and are living on Social Security ,,, would like to see it continue well into the future for those who will come behind us because HIV and aging is a new reality.”
See Clip 7: https://youtu.be/SusAeSNTL7Y
Standing authoritatively at the mike, Kim Tavaglione, San Francesco Labor Council executive director, asserted: “Our society depends deeply on safety nets. The greatest safety net of all time was Social Security and Medicare. Without these two programs, our homeless population would increase drastically.
“These two programs saved people (in) Arizona and Nevada, where hundreds of people died during these recent heat waves, because they can’t afford air conditioning.
“There’s a lot of things that seniors do without while they’re retired. It’s supposed to be their Golden Years. It’s definitely not golden. It’s not even copper if you ask me.”
“It’s lead,” yelled someone from the crowd.
Smiling, Tavaglione continued, “It is sad that we throw our seniors away, and we don’t make sure that they have what they need to live on.
“This safety net – we need to protect it, expand it and make sure that it is there for future generations, like mine. I hope to retire some day.”
Persyko read CARA President Pauline Brooks’s encouraging words:
See Clip 1: https://youtu.be/Ah6AiJ-c8DM
“Under the guise of there being a crisis in the funding for Medicare and Social Security, there are those who would end the solemn commitment made to seniors and working people …
“The crisis that many cite as a reason to cut or privatize the programs is non-existent. Medicare would be solvent if we stopped the privatization and profiteering by corporations and Wall Street investors – and if we Scrap the Cap.”
“Scrap the Cap” signs were everywhere. So what’s the cap?
All contributors to Social Security are covered, but they don’t contribute equally. Rich people’s taxes are “capped.” This year their taxes will be collected only on the first $168,000 of their 2024 earnings. People with investment incomes pay no Social Security tax on them. So the wealthy pay taxes at a lower rate.
What is the simple solution to this unjust system? If millionaires paid the same tax rate as middle class families, Social Security’s long term finances would drastically improve and protect this essential program for future generations.
See Clip 12: https://youtu.be/-bom3Q6B2jo
Michael Lyon, health advocate with the San Francesco Gray Panthers, presented a brilliant timeline of our parents’ and grandparents’ decades-long struggle for Social Security and Medical benefits.
“We need to firmly and strongly fight against life-threatening cuts to our food, housing, medical and income programs,” he said.
“Working people forced these programs into existence. They expand or contract depending on our overall strength. When we’re strong, they cover more people with better benefits. When we’re not strong, they get cut.”
See Clip 14: https://youtu.be/WOeB_968L5U
Ana Malinow, MD, retired pediatrician, member of Physicians for a National Health Plan and lead organizer in the movement to prevent privatization of Medicare, spoke directly to Pelosi about the vast CARA membership and affiliates:
“We gotta really squeeze in here because we’ve got to fit over 1 million CARA members right in this square.
“Congresswoman Pelosi, can you see the millions of people here? I’m so happy you can hear us because we’re here to demand three things:
“Number One: You have got to protect Medicare from being privatized and sold to Wall Street!”
Two: Protect seniors and people with disabilities from being scammed and denied by the Medicare “Disadvantage” Plans.
“Three: Protect public retirees from being swindled from their promised benefits and being forced into Medicare ‘disadvantage’ plans.
“While we’re here, we’re going to ask for one more thing: … improve and expand Medicare for everybody because we know health care is a human right. Health care must be free from profit. Everybody in, nobody out!”
See Clip 15: https://youtu.be/FfJ-4Q3kqwM
Howard Egerman, American Federation of Government Employees and union representative for all Social Security employees in San Francesco, explained that “due to budget cuts, only three Social Security offices remain open in San Francesco. We don’t have enough people to do the work.”
Egerman talked about the outsourcing of Medicare “Advantage Plans,” echoing Malinow’s ironic “(Dis) Advantage” Plans. Medicare “Advantage” Plans capitalize on the program by charging out-of-pocket costs.
Wily politicians enlisted celebrities to pump ‘Advantage’ Plans. Egerman said, “Joe Namath used to be dealing with Noxzema and pantyhose. Now, he’s selling hearing aids and Medicare Advantage. So is Joe Montana. Tom Brady is almost born on my birthday – I think Aug. 3; he’s like 45. So, if we all live 40 years more, he’s probably going to do the same thing.”
See Clip 11: https://youtu.be/WDn0OAf8Jt4
Hene Kelly’s relationship with Pelosi may have prompted the Congresswoman to send District Director Kory Powell-McCoy. This boyish, genuinely nice guy’s words were music to everybody’s ears. Standing beneath his boss’s window, he echoed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights drafted in 1945 at the 50 United Nations Plaza Federal Office Building near San Francesco City Hall. The declaration enshrined social security, health and adequate housing as equal rights that a human being “deserves.” Shelter and medical care are not privileges to be hoarded by elites.
To loud cheers, McCoy said, “Guided by President Biden’s vision of equity and justice, Speaker Emerita (Pelosi) and House Democrats remain committed to realizing the bedrock promise of Medicare and Medicaid – that healthcare is a right, not a privilege.”
As campaigning continues, it will be interesting to see whether Kamala Harris, the first Black female presidential candidate, keeps this promise if she’s elected president.
Carol Harvey is a San Francisco political journalist specializing in human rights and civil rights. She can be reached at carolharvey1111@gmail.com.
