Ludlow write-up

 ...is here. It includes observations about the United Church’s remarkable Shingle Style building, longtime Ludlow resident Ida May Fuller (recipient of the first-ever Social Security check, who eventually received 925 times her total contributions), and, via Don Quixote, the relation between activism and mental health. 

When I told the bit about Social Security to my physical therapist, she said “...and that’s why there will be nothing left for us.” So, first of all, no; Social Security is pretty secure, and could be completely paid for decades into the future with just modest changes like raising the income cap on contributions. 

But more importantly, why should the Social Security program have to break even? Do we expect federal highways to pay for themselves, without general revenue funds? What about the Department of Defense? 

The linkage of Social Security benefits to a payroll tax was, as much as anything, a political move on the part of President Roosevelt. It was a way to overcome resistance to the idea of a social safety net by making the benefit into something that each worker has to at least partly earn by paying into the system. 

The link is real, both in the sense that tons of money flows into the federal government through payroll taxes, and in that individual benefits are tied to the length and amount of individual contributions. But that does not change the facts that the linkage has its origins in overcoming American resistance to the idea of unearned government aid, and that there is no reason the program should be expected to cover 100% of its expenses any more than any other public service has to.

Where was I? Oh yes, the write-up has pictures, descriptions, and clips of the concert, also, too.