My Letter to Congress: S.484 Social Security Fairness Act of 2009

I am writing as your constituent in the 9th Congressional district of Illinois. I am writing as your constituent in the 9th Congressional district of Illinois. I support S.484 - Social Security Fairness Act of 2009 (and H.R. 1332: Social Security Fairness Act of 2011), and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability because having lived and worked in three different countries, the US, the Netherlands and the UK, in non-overlapping periods of my life and having paid toward social security in all of these countries, I am surprised and dismayed that my US social security will be reduced because I am getting my rightful benefits from these other countries over the time that I lived and worked there. I understand that if I had worked longer, 30 years, in this country I would not be penalized for having worked and lived in other countries. I think this a very unfair way of penalizing those that worked abroad, i.e., I got a note that I will have to repay the SSA about $1800 and that from now on my social security will be reduced by over $200/month. I hope that the bill passes so that this oddity will be removed. I phoned the Dutch equivalent of the SSA and the Dutch Embassy in this country and the "penalty" was totally unknown to them and not reciprocal, i.e., if I would live in The Netherlands I would not be penalized.

Sincerely,
Bert Menco

Dear Friend:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me. I appreciate and welcome
your thoughts. While we experience a high volume of incoming e-mails,
we read each message sent and if you are a resident of Illinois we will
respond to you with an e-mail as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Mark Kirk
United States Senator

Dear Dr. Menco:



Thank you for contacting me regarding Social Security. I appreciate
hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond. Social
Security is an important promise to Seniors, and I look to keep the
program healthy for many generations to come.



As you may know, the Social Security Act became law on August 14, 1935.
For generations Social Security has provided seniors with benefits, as
well as instituting other important social insurance programs. The
Social Security Act has changed on many occasions. From the inclusion
of many new types of workers in 1954 to the introduction of a
cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 1972, the Social Security code has
changed over its life. Benefit or contribution levels were changed in
each of the following years: 1939, 1956, 1961,1965, 1972, 1977 and
1983. Even with the many changes to the code, Social Security has
stood as a crucial support system for Seniors. My goal is to protect
and preserve benefits for current recipients while keeping the program
solvent for future recipients.



We have a moral obligation to preserve Social Security benefits for
current and near-term recipients. Individuals who have been promised
these benefits have planned their retirements in anticipation of these
benefits. Removing needed benefits from current recipients or those
about to receive benefits is wrong, and I will not support any plan
that jeopardizes this right. Furthermore, the Social Security trust
fund is for one thing and one thing alone: future payments of social
security benefits. I will oppose any plans that raid the Social
Security trust fund.



However, we must make sure that Social Security remains solvent so that
future generations are able to receive benefits and have a stake in its
existence. As demographics continue to change, our Social Security
surpluses will be depleted and the Social Security trust fund will run
a negative balance. In 1950, there were 13 beneficiaries per 100
working aged people. Today, there are approximately 22 beneficiaries
and in 2030 there will be approximately 35 beneficiaries per 100
working aged people. As these numbers continue to grow, Social Security
will teeter toward insolvency and will need to be paid for by other
funds. Though it is not currently a driver of deficits, Social Security
will become one in the future if adjustments are not made.



Perhaps the best example of Social Security reform was that done under
President Ronald Reagan. In 1983, Social Security was nearly out of
money and was close to facing a crisis. President Reagan and Democratic
Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill came together in a bipartisan fashion
to enact legislation to amend Social Security, averting a looming
crisis. If changes are proposed to the Social Security code, I hope
Congress considers President Reagan's model and works in a bipartisan
fashion to preserve and strengthen Social Security.



Thank you for taking the time to contact me on this issue. Please feel
free to contact me at (312) 886-3506 or online at
if you have any questions or concerns before
Congress or the federal government. It is an honor to serve you in the
Senate.



Very truly yours,

Mark Kirk
U.S. Senate




To receive updates on Congress, please sign up to receive regular
e-Newsletters
from
my office.