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7-29-08, 11:07 am
Last week, media reports revealed that presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain gets almost $2,000 per month in Social Security checks, a system, he told an audience at a campaign stop earlier this month, which he finds to be an "absolute disgraceful."
These revelations prompted the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) to launch a campaign to educate its members and voters generally about McCain's anti-Social Security views and to get the Arizona Republican to return his Social Security checks.
Speaking at a July 7 town hall meeting in Denver, McCain said, “Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace, and it's got to be fixed.”
McCain favors privatizing Social Security and cutting benefits for retirees, the disabled, and their dependents.
Despite McCain’s views on Social Security, public records show that he received $23,157 in Social Security benefits in 2007, an average of $1,929.75 each month, according to an e-mail alert from the ARA.
“Forty-two million Americans receive Social Security benefits – these are our nation’s elderly, our widows and widowers, and our young children who have seen a parent die. Helping them is not a disgrace,” said ARA Executive Director Edward F. Coyle in a telephone press conference with labor and other progressive groups to discuss McCain’s statement.
“Social Security has kept millions out of poverty, and is one our nation’s greatest success stories,” Coyle added.
The ARA, last week, launched a TV ad campaign responding to McCain's comments, which ran in Pennsylvania to coincide with McCain's visit to that state. ARA members also organized events in Florida, Ohio, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon to protest McCain's apparent hypocrisy.
Coyle stated, “The Alliance intends to make McCain’s comments a major issue for every elected official in 2008. We will keep you updated as more events are planned, and we encourage members everywhere to join us in standing up for Social Security.”
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