Get the facts

As the late senator Patrick Moynihan said, "everyone is entitled to his own opinion but not to his own set of facts." Here are some facts about Social Security:

* Without Social Security about half of the elderly would live below the poverty line.

* For two-thirds of the elderly SS provides the majority of their income. For one-third it provides nearly all their income.

* SS does more to reduce poverty among children than any government program other than the Earned Income Tax Credit. It lifted 1 million children above the poverty line in 2002.

* SS is particularly helpful to women, who make up 57 percent of adult beneficiaries. They pay 39 percent of SS payroll taxes, yet receive 50 percent of the benefits.

* SS is an efficient government program, with administrative costs at only 0.6 percent of retirement and survivors benefits.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

COPYRIGHT 2005 The Christian Century Foundation
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