OPINION Page 4 -t- Thursday, February 12, 1981 The Michigan Daily Et aag btudenatTe nig an t Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan In defense of Social Security' Vol. XCI, No. 114 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, M1 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Self-appointed apostles hard at work once more HALK UP ANOTHER one for the Moral Majority. This time those defenders of the faith, along with several other fundamentalist groups, have set out to purge San Francisco of its homosexuals. The coalition plans to buy adver- tising to promote anti-gay feeling in the community and persuade homosexuals to give up their lifestyles. "I agree with capital punishment and I believe homosexuality is one of those that could be coupled with mur- ders and others sins," said Dean Wycoff, a spokesman for the Santa Clara Moral Majority. Wycoff termed San Francisco the "Soddom and Gomorrah" of the nation. To even consider retribution against one group of individuals because of a different sexual orientation seems ab- turd to clear-thinking people. But tolerance and clear thought have never been tenets of the dogma of the Moral Majority and other fledgling fun- 'damentalist groups. The Moral Majority's warped logic, however, is disturbingly clear in this case. These "God-fearing Christians," as if by some divine inspiration, have deemed that members of another group are sinners. Therefore, the world must be rid of these sinners-or so fundamentalist logic tells us. In this particular case, the "sinners" are the gays in San Francisco-and woe come to him or her who tries to stop the moral purge. In addition to mailing leaflets to ad- vertisers in the gay newspaper, The Advocate, members of the group have warned they will watch for those lawmakers who support legislation favoring gays or gay rights. Undoub- tedly, those legislators will incure the wrath of the moralists at the next elec- tion. Unfortunately, efforts such as these are typical of the self-righteous lunatic fringe that seems to be increasingly crawling out of the woodwork. When George B., began his career as a bookkeeper in 1937, he also began making contributions to a life insurance and pension program. He has been paying into that program ever since. But with retirement just on the horizon, and a lifetime of paid premiums behind them George and millions of other hard-working Americans are about to lose a substantial part of the benefits they were led to expect. For a great many of them, that prospect means enforced poverty in old age. The name of the insurance program? Social Security. Contrary to what many Americans now believe, its major component is not social welfare - charity - but bonafide insurance, based on regularly scheduled payments and extended to the vast majority of U.S. workers. It is the only such program in existence not subject to the whims of the investment market, or to the administrative abuses whichhave caused scandals in many private pension and insurance plans. Moreover, it is run at an unparalleled low cost. Just 1. percent of total benefit paymen- ts funds the operating budget of Social Security. Nevertheless, the program is under fire, thanks to misunderstandings about its nature, the rising number of the aged, and Reagan Administration promises to cut back on federal spending. Ironically, the Social Security umbrella may be partially closed to the very people who paid for it: the first generation to spend its entire working life paying the premiums. George B., who is struggling with a decision on whether to retire now-with reduced Social Security and workplace pensions - or wait for full benefits at age 65, willhardly welcome a recent announcement that a Reagan- appointed Task Force on Social Security favors raising the full-benefit age to 67 or 68 years. The Task Force may also recommend revision of the index formula used to calculate retirees' initial benefits so that they will average 25 percent of covered pre- retirement pay. The average is now 40 per- cent. Despite 22 years on his present job, growing weary of the pressures and sufering from a mild but chronic heart ailment, George wonders if he can make it if he retires now. Most of the Georges of this country clearly prefer earlier retirement. Since 1962, when Social Security benefits first became available for men at age 62, more than half By Gregory Bergman have chosen an earlier age than 65, according to the Social Security Administration, even though they receive reduced benefits and don'tcome under Medicare health insurance until age 65. Reagan's Task Force proposes to phase in the older-age-for-pension provision over a period of years so as to give due notice of the change and obviate inequities. Nonetheless, it flies in the face of a worldwide trend toward earlier retirement according to data in the government publication "Social Security Throughout the World." For example, the pensionable age is 55 for women and 60 for men in Japan, the Soviet Union and Italy. Finally, the Task Force proposes to reduce the annual Cost of Living Allowance through using the Wage Index as a base instead of the Consumer Price Index, or whichever is lower. Reagan himself, last June, questioned whether the Consumer Price Index figure may not be too high for the elderly, since it in- cludes, he said, "many things no longer ex- penses for the elderly, like buying homes." In contrast, Laurie Fiori, Legislative Representative of the 12.5 million member American Association of Retired Persons says there is "significant evidence" that the, Consumer Price Index understates the effect of inflation on the elderly. Oldsters concen- trate their expenditures on necessities, especially in food, fuel and utilities, and medical care, she says, all of which rise faster than the Index. "It's unfair to focus on the elderly in any budget cutting action," saysFiori "throwing them into the front lines in the inflation bat- tle." Inflation also is creating a "downward thrust" pushing many middle income elderly toward the near poverty level, says Fiori. Job-related and other pensions, for example which coo not adjust for inflation, lose real value each year. Besides the old age pension, Social Security also provides many other services such as Aid to the Blind, Crippled Children's Services, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and survivor's benefits, all of which are affected by the Cost of Living Allowance. One answer for Americans threatened by such cutbacks is to organize and fight it out politically. They might begin by challenging assertions that the Social Security system is facing insolvency. There was just a 1.2 per- cent deficit in 1979, according to a recent Joint Economic Committee study: contributions were $103 billion, while benefits payments amounted to $104.3 billion. The main factor creating the imbalance, says the Committee's report, is that contributions, which come en- tirely from payroll taxes, were down due to unemployment, while benefits rose to keep pace with inflation. Syndicated economics columnist Sylvia Porter maintains that the Social Security system is basically safe, if in need of some reform. "There are long term concerns over the red ink," she says, "and in the 1980s we'll have to depend increasingly on general government revenues. There's no reason we shouldn't. The system wasn't set up to be sup- ported out of contributions only - or to pay for all the social benefits and Medicare added since it was initiated ... an unfair burden." In fact, the tax source of Social Security could be the central issue in a fight over proposed reductions. Complete dependence on the payroll tax provides a narrow and un- stable base, with an income decline during periods of high unemployment. Thus, all of the the organizations representing the elderly and the workers paying the payroll taxes - the National Council of Senior Citizens, the National Retired Teacher's Association, the AARP, the Gray Panthers, and the AFL-CIO - favor partial funding from general gover- nment revenues. However, all of them favor payroll taxes as the main source of revenue so as to maintain the principle of insurance, of benefits coming as a result of contributions related to wages earned, as a matter of right, not charity. In any case, in 1981 retirees will be "fighting literally for their lives" in the face of "a president who has promised lower taxes and huge military expenditures as well as a balanced budget," says William Hutton, Executive Director of the National Council of Senior Citizens. At stake for them, after all, is not simply the immediate future - retirement in an era of rising prices and a shrinking dollar. It is also the past - four decades of faithful con- tributions to the nation's largest insurance program. Another Israel landgrab M Gregory wrote this Service. Bergman, a freelance writer, article for the Pacific News HE REAGAN administration has wisely reiterated its position op- posing the expansion of Israeli set- tlements in occupied' territories. The official statement comes after President Reagan himself issued con- fusing cross-signals on the issue that some observers say may have triggered the largest Israeli expansion in history. In an interview with reporters last week, Reagan said he did not consider the Israeli settlements in occupied territories illegal, a postion that con- flicts with the official stance the United States has taken since Israel captured the land in 1967. Some observers believe Reagan's ill-considered statement has given the green-light for unchecked Israeli expansionism. Israel, in what is probably the last months of the rightist leadership of Prime Minister Menachem Begin, is reported to be closing off enormous tracts of land on the occupied West Bank for Jewish settlement. Represen- tatives of Palestinians who own land on the West Bank have called Begin's ex- pansion drive "the biggest Israeli land grab since the 1967 war." Begin's motives behind the last- minute expansion are obvious. The Labor Party administration which will very likely accede to power after the election this June has adopted a less expansionist stance. It is likely that the Labor Party administration, once in power, would restrict further expan- sion but would not disband those set- tlements already established. If Begin can dramatically expand settlement before the new government is expected to come to power, he may permanently establish a greater Jewish presence in the area. But, yesterday the Reagan ad- ministration issued its strongest criticism yet of Israeli expansionism. This denouncement is overdue, especially in light of Reagan's con- Tusing statements to the contrary last week. Continued Israeli occupation and settlement of t1oe territory it captured during the 1967 Six-Day War can only promote Arab-Israeli tension and ef- fectively destroy any chance for lasting peace in that area. The fact that Israel is an important military ally must not blind the United States to the Israeli violation of the Palestinian right to self-government. LETTERS TO THE DAILY: Guard protects w . w i V, public 0l To the Daily: I would like to offer a reply to a letter by Gregg Wolper (Daily, Feb. 7). Mr. Wolper attacked the exhibit "The National Guard Heritage" now on display in the UGLI. He assails the display for "glorifying the military." The display notes acts of heroism and accomplishments of the Guard. Is that such a crime? What Mr. Wolper misses is the fact that National Guardsmen are not professional soldiers but average citizens. Their sacrifices in time of war are no less than those of Washington's army at Valley Forge, the Marines at Belleau Wood in WoId War I, the 101st Airborne "Division at Bastogne, the Marines at Guadalcanal in World War II, or the eight men who died in the at- tempted rescue of the hostages in Iran. The concept of the citizen- soldier goes back to the days of the Minute Men who were not professional soldiers but citizens who answered the call to arms in time of crisis. The mission of today's Guard and Reserve is to provide a large, combat-ready, easily mobilized force in the event of a national emergency. The alternatives to having the Guard and Reserce are, on the one hand, a large standing army. This is; economically undesirable as it bids resources away from the traditionally more productive private sector. Were we to go to this we would find ourselves in much the same boat as the Soviet Union. We would have a centralized economy with virtually no con- sumer goods (luxuries like cars, Levis, and appliances) as well as shortages of staples (I refer here to food, not the devices that hold two or more pieces of paper together). , On the other hand, we could do away with the military entirely. Great, I'd love ,it. We could all grab a six and lay out onethe though desirable, is simply not realistic. Thus, we are stuck with the Guard and Reserve. Wolper belittles Abraham Lin- coln's recount of his experience with the Illinois Militia. Why? My experiences in the Army helped me to develop skills in leadership and management, and gave me an appreciation of the sacrifices our men in uniform make. Today's soldiers are volunteers who join mostly for two reasons-lovemofscountryrand a desire to improve themselves. (This is my experience, not a recruiting pitch). We reward these men with low pay, sub- standard housing and ridicule. Perhaps the rising pro-military feelings Wolper speaks of will allow soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines to make a decent living in the absence of the ridicule of people like Wolper. On the matter of Kent State I offer no excuses or apologies. I wasn't there so they're not mine to give. I personally feel that whatever good that may have come in the way of increased awareness in future dealing bet- ween the Guard and the public can never compensate for the deaths of the students at Kent State. However, I do feel Wolper's sarcastic reference to the in- cident was uncalled for. For me to make such a reference would be to call the students "radical punks" which they were not. They were American citizens exercising their rights of free speech and peaceful assembly. I too believe in these rights. I offer my service in the military as proof. I wore a uniform every day and now wear it one weekend a month and two weeks in the Summer so that all Americans (you too, Gregg) can enjoy the rights af- forded them by the Constitution I am sworn to defend. In return I ask no thanks, just an understan- w Budget cuts are reality 1 -- OK,CIIEF! WEVE WORKEP OUT A"91T LIST" TO SHAPE ViNtiS UF AROUNDH ERE ! W T FIRST, WE'LL TRIM MEDICAID BY $1 BILUON! TIENWE'LL (UT OUT THIS"MINIMUM" SOCIAL SECURITY FOR OLD FOLKS! To the Daily: I want to commend you on your editorial concerning Monday's rally in the Diag (Daily, February 11). Your acknowledgement that there is a budget problem that the Univer- sity has to grapple with, is the realistic first step toward con- ditioning ourselves for changes on campus. It should not be a shock to anyone that severe budget restraints mean that' large alterations have to be made in University programs. This idea seems to be elementary and quite easy to grasp. Unfortunately, this rather sim- ple truth seems to be beyond the comprehension of the Michigan Student Assembly, our supposed representatives. Maybe the Assembly members have been neglecting their intellectual development while devoting so much time to "governing" the stiudent body. N nn, c,,ipnt avprnmpn It seems to be that if MSA President Marc Breakstone were -given a black mask, white cowboy hat, revolver, and horse, he would make an ideal "Lone Ranger." Rather than a head-in-the-sand approach of "let's protest and fight the administration's plan even though we have no alter- native," I believe that MSA would make better use of its time and effort by realistically developing useful recommen- dations on how the budget-cutting process could be made optimal. I came to the University because of its academic ex- cellence. I hope that in the future I can say "I'm a graduate of Michigan" and still be proud of its high acade nic standards. If this means that the University can no longer be everything to everybody, so be it. I applaud the administration's forward-looking attitude and ap- nrn,n in t e .d Anncin h4,m 0 :;i :- M EN WE LL CUT FOOD STAMPS BY $26 BILLION >7* 7 NOW, ABOUT YOUR SABLE ALLOWANCE FOR NANCY.... RUGT! WE MUST SPREAD THE SACRIFICE AROUND! ONLY ONE COAT NEXT YEAR? CDT(HA ! (,Ii I 11 1 II A I A