Christian seniors: Social Security reform 'common sense'
by Ed Thomas
February 14, 2007
(OneNewsNow.com) - - A faith-based alternative to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) called the Christian Seniors Association says it's working to help get co-sponsors for two Social Security reform proposals in Congress that are designed to stop what the group calls the "squandering" of entitlement funds. The two new bills, introduced by U.S. Representatives Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-California), contain provisions that Christian Seniors Association (CSA) executive director Jim Lafferty believes many Americans would see as basic common sense.
Congressman Paul's reform legislation is the bill HR 219. "What it says," Lafferty explains, "is that any money taken out of paychecks for Social Security should be used to pay Social Security."
Then there is Congressman Rohrbacher's bill, known as HR 736, which deals with Social Security credit and "denies any credit for work performed by people who are illegal non-citizens," the CSA spokesman notes. "All of us get credits for years that we work and pay into the Social Security System," he points out; but HR 219 "denies that for people who are illegal."
Lafferty says it strikes him as "a very commonsense notion that if you're in this country illegally, [the government] shouldn't give you Social Security payments for doing something illegal." To do so, he asserts, is comparable to "giving Workman's Compensation to a bank robber who's been shot by police."
Both HR 219 and HR 736 are "commonsense" bills, Lafferty contends, because they actually codify what many citizens assume is being done but which most do not realize is not happening. Social Security funds being used only for that entitlement and not for other non-related projects, or illegal aliens not being given Social Security credit for illegal work are perfect examples, he suggests, of the kinds of measures many people would expect to be already in place.
Even with the common sense nature of Paul's and Rohrabach's proposals, however, Lafferty says all involved expect it will be tough to find support for any move of reform in the traditionally resistant Congress.
