Patricia Ford, 72, of Philadelphia, remembers a time not long ago when politicians would argue lightly about Social Security, let alone threaten budget cuts, because it didn’t make sense: the elderly, many of whom rely on welfare. Security revenue is a trustworthy constituency and would respond in the voting booth.
“I think about the option of cuts to Social Security, and it’s so ridiculous,” Ford told the Capital Star. She said she had been running since she was 16 and didn’t need her children to have to take care of her, so she could take care of herself. ” If this factor were brought up and brought up over and over again, I think a lot of seniors would faint and vote. “
However, he said he was not entirely surprised to learn that former President Donald Trump had given the impression of opening the door to cuts in social security systems such as Social Security.
“There’s a lot that can be done in terms of entitlement, in terms of reduction, but also in terms of theft and mismanagement of rights,” Trump said in a March 11 interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box.
Since then, Trump and his crusade have tried to reframe or oppose those comments, saying the former president focused on “cutting back on tea. “Trump gave an interview Thursday to conservative media outlet Breitbart in which he said, “I will never do anything that compromises or harms Social Security or Medicare. “
But in the meantime, Biden’s crusade has mobilized voters in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, adding Ford, for news conferences in which seniors and Social Security recipients have explained what cuts to the program would mean for them. Ford attended a press conference with the representative. Steven Kinsey (D-Philadelphia) in the Germantown community of Philadelphia.
“I am a beneficiary of Medicare and Social Security. I can assure you that during my life as a runner, my husband and I have contributed to either of those systems with the hope and confidence that we would be able to take advantage of them when we retire. ” said Mary Lou Alsentzer of Lancaster at a press convention Wednesday in Harrisburg. We can’t allow Donald Trump to take one more thing away from us. We, the people, will have to rise up.
William Byrnes, an elderly Social Security recipient who lives in Wilkes-Barre, told a news convention Tuesday in Lucerne that he began contributing to the Social Security formula as a teenager in 1966.
“One of the things my wife and I dread is that doctor’s appointment that can annihilate you,” Byrnes said. “Donald Trump has a habit of hardening the other people who paint for him, it is very much in his character that he hardens other Americans about the benefits brought and paid for through the works of our lives. “
Biden’s crusade also took aim at Trump’s past statements, adding to his presidency, when he warned that rights like Social Security were on the table. In August 2020, Trump said he would make permanent a transitory pandemic-era pause on payroll taxes that fund Social Security. and Medicare if re-elected. And even earlier, in a 2000 e-book titled “The America We Deserve,” he called Social Security “a vast Ponzi scheme. “
Even before Trump’s recent comments, Social Security was already on the political radar of Democrats. In his March 7 State of the Union address, President Joe Biden made clear that he would seek to salvage any attempt to cut welfare programs.
“If you’re looking here to cut Social Security or Medicare, or raise the retirement age, I’m going to stop it,” Biden said.
Biden Warns ‘Freedom and Democracy Are an Attack’ in Fiery State of the Union Address
In a pivotal state like Pennsylvania, where 20% of the population is 65 or older, suggesting cuts to Social Security is politically unwise.
“More than 2 million Pennsylvanians rely on Social Security and Medicare, and Donald Trump needs to leave them with fewer benefits and give more tax cuts to his wealthy friends and big corporations,” said Pennsylvania State Rep. Patty Kim (D-Dauphin). at the Harrisburg news conference on Wednesday.
Ford said he researched the history of Social Security and discovered a word he didn’t know in President Franklin D’s message. Roosevelt in Congress in 1934 on the program. He said that it is a social security, that is, a coverage that opposes the hazards and ‘vicissitudes’ of life,” he said. “It means a difficulty and anything that happens out of your control. The older ones make the paintings, it’s anything that belongs to them. , that’s because of them. It’s up to them as if they go into the picture every day.
Ford will celebrate his 73rd birthday in November, the day after Election Day. He said he hoped seniors would take Trump’s comments on Social Security as a wake-up call to run for office. “I hope enough people perceive that this is not the case. ” The question is whether we’ll get some votes here and whether we’ll get some votes there,” he said. “It has to be a landslide overall victory. “
by Kim Lyons, Pennsylvania Capital-Star March 17, 2024
Patricia Ford, 72, of Philadelphia, remembers a time not long ago when politicians would argue lightly about Social Security, let alone threaten budget cuts, because it didn’t make sense: the elderly, many of whom rely on welfare. Security revenue is a trustworthy constituency and would respond in the voting booth.
“I think about the option of cuts to Social Security, and it’s so ridiculous,” Ford told the Capital Star. She said she had been running since she was 16 and didn’t need her children to have to take care of her, so she could take care of herself. ” If this factor were brought up and brought up over and over again, I think a lot of seniors would faint and vote. “
However, he said he was not entirely surprised to learn that former President Donald Trump had given the impression of opening the door to cuts in social security systems such as Social Security.
“There’s a lot that can be done in terms of entitlement, in terms of reduction, but also in terms of theft and mismanagement of rights,” Trump said in a March 11 interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box.
Since then, Trump and his crusade have tried to reframe or oppose those comments, saying the former president focused on “cutting back on tea. “Trump gave an interview Thursday to conservative media outlet Breitbart in which he said, “I will never do anything that compromises or harms Social Security or Medicare. “
But in the meantime, Biden’s crusade has mobilized voters in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, adding Ford, for news conferences in which seniors and Social Security recipients have explained what cuts to the program would mean for them. Ford attended a press conference with the representative. Steven Kinsey (D-Philadelphia) in the Germantown community of Philadelphia.
“I am a beneficiary of Medicare and Social Security. I can assure you that during my life as a runner, my husband and I have contributed to either of those systems with the hope and confidence that we would be able to take advantage of them when we retire. ” said Mary Lou Alsentzer of Lancaster at a press convention Wednesday in Harrisburg. We can’t allow Donald Trump to take one more thing away from us. We, the people, will have to rise up.
William Byrnes, an elderly Social Security recipient who lives in Wilkes-Barre, told a news convention Tuesday in Lucerne that he began contributing to the Social Security formula as a teenager in 1966.
“One of the things my wife and I dread is that doctor’s appointment that can annihilate you,” Byrnes said. “Donald Trump has a habit of hardening the other people who paint for him, it is very much in his character that he hardens other Americans about the benefits brought and paid for through the works of our lives. “
Biden’s crusade also took aim at Trump’s past statements, adding to his presidency, when he warned that rights like Social Security were on the table. In August 2020, Trump said he would make permanent a transitory pandemic-era pause on payroll taxes that fund Social Security. and Medicare if re-elected. And even earlier, in a 2000 e-book titled “The America We Deserve,” he called Social Security “a vast Ponzi scheme. “
Even before Trump’s recent comments, Social Security was already on the political radar of Democrats. In his March 7 State of the Union address, President Joe Biden made clear that he would seek to salvage any attempt to cut welfare programs.
“If you’re looking here to cut Social Security or Medicare, or raise the retirement age, I’m going to stop it,” Biden said.
Biden Warns ‘Freedom and Democracy Are an Attack’ in Fiery State of the Union Address
In a pivotal state like Pennsylvania, where 20% of the population is 65 or older, suggesting cuts to Social Security is politically unwise.
“More than 2 million Pennsylvanians rely on Social Security and Medicare, and Donald Trump needs to leave them with fewer benefits and give more tax cuts to his wealthy friends and big corporations,” said Pennsylvania State Rep. Patty Kim (D-Dauphin). at the Harrisburg news conference on Wednesday.
Ford said he researched the history of Social Security and discovered a word he didn’t know in President Franklin D’s message. Roosevelt in Congress in 1934 on the program. He said that it is a social security, that is, a coverage that opposes the hazards and ‘vicissitudes’ of life,” he said. “It means a difficulty and anything that happens outside of your control. The older ones make the paintings, it’s anything that belongs to them. , that’s because of them. It’s up to them as if they go into the picture every day.
Ford will celebrate his 73rd birthday in November, the day after Election Day. He said he hoped seniors would take Trump’s comments on Social Security as a wake-up call to run for office. “I hope enough people perceive that this is not the case. ” The question is whether we’ll get some votes here and whether we’ll get some votes there,” he said. “It has to be a landslide overall victory. “
Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a grant-subsidized nonprofit news network and donor coalition as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains its editorial independence. Please contact Editor Kim Lyons if you have any questions: info@penncapital-star. com. Follow the Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Facebook and Twitter.
Kim Lyons is a veteran journalist from Western Pennsylvania who has covered personalities and trends in politics and business for national publications. Follow her on discusiones@social_kimly.
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