Social Security And Its Enemies: The Case For America's Most Efficient Insurance Program

By Max J. Skidmore

Most Americans would be astonished to discover that the most efficient insurance program in the world--in the history of the world, in fact--is the United States Social Security system. No private insurance company can come close to the returns Social Security has generated--ninety-nine cents on every dollar that comes in. Moreover, Social Security has never failed to send checks when they fall due, a sterling record that private industry cannot begin to match. Yet Americans have been told for years that Social Security is going bankrupt, that all of its funds will be exhausted in a matter of years. Social Security and Its Enemies explains why these widely held beliefs are mistaken, and how it is that much of the public has come to accept them.In a book remarkably free of technical or social science jargon, Max Skidmore examines the politically contentious passage of the original Social Security Act in 1935, and the continuous political and ideological battles the program has faced over the last 60 years. Without resorting to polemical debates comparing conservative and liberal views of Social Security, Skidmore demonstrates exactly why Social Security is in no danger of going bankrupt and proposes a series of incremental adjustments that will allow the system to support future generations even better. Social Security and Its Enemies shows that, far from being a system on the verge of collapse, Social Security in fact does exactly what it was created to do: keep America's aged (and later her infirm, disabled, or orphaned) out of poverty without prejudice and with universal access.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813336635
• ISBN13: 9780813336633
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

The Real Deal

I can't top some of the great reviews here, but let me just say this is a readable and even fun debunking all the smear efforts of conservatives, business interests, and libertarians who want to "save" social security.Too often I've heard intelligent people quote distorted and misleading information about social security gleaned from the press (which itself parrots anti-social security thinktanks). I'm sad to say I was one of those people.Then, as the bankruptcy date was revised to be later and later, I began to suspect something was not quite right with the doomsayers. I hoped Skidmore's book would tell the real story, and it did.One cautionary note: though published less than two years ago, some of the information in the book is now dated. For instance, Skidmore reports that in 1998, the trustees moved the dreaded depletion year from 2029 to 2032. While that is true, new readers should be aware that the date has since been moved to 2038!

Much Needed Information to Counter Propaganda Campaign

In this short, easy-to-read book, Skidmore persuasively argues the case for the continued existence of Social Security. No political issue has been more lied about, with malicious intent on the part of opponents, than the so-called Social Security "crisis." Time and again the Social Security Trustees' pessimistic projections have been repeated in the media, but very rarely are the assumptions behind the projections explained. Skidmore explains how the Trustees arrived at the various scenarios, and how the current projections are highly unrealistic and unlikely to come to pass.The truth, though, doesn't hold sway with SS opponents. They are opposed to the system because they oppose any governmental program regardless of its success. Skidmore shows the reader the history not only of Social Security but also of its opposition. He shows us the motives behind chicken littles such as Peter Peterson, Senator Bob Kerrey (who has gotten contributions from anti-SS organizations), and rightwing think tanks such as the Cato Institute and the Concord Coalition. He also touches on how the media have been irresponsible in its reporting and its tendency to print or repeat conservative think tank policy papers without comment.Brief and always to the point, this book is one of the best sources on the Social Security system and its critics available.

Social Security Myths Exposed

Max Skidmore makes a solid case on behalf of the Social Security system as one of the most efficient income-maintenance programs in the United States. The book presents a very scholarly and systematic examination of some of the myths surrounding Social Security and exposes the covert propaganda war waged by conservative ideologs against the Social Security system since the program's inception. This book should be on the reading list of anyone who is concerned about protecting one of the most important safety-net programs in the United States. The book is written in a manner that allows a lay person to understand the arguments surrounding the program. At the same time, Skidmore supports his arguments with scholarly documentation and evidence.

Social Security System Myths Exposed

Max Skidmore makes a strong case by arguing that the U.S. Social Security system is one of the most efficient insurance programs. The case he makes is very compelling because it is done in a scholarly manner and he provides solid arguments and evidence. Furthermore, Skidmore carefully documents the covert war against Social Security that has been carried out by its enemies from the inception of the program. The book systematically examines the propaganda designed to destroy Social Security and the sources of that propaganda.This book should be on the reading list of every serious and thoughtful person who wants to understand the nature of political and ideological warfare wedged against the Social Security program by its enemies.