" >
What happened to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s idea of securing the elderly through contributory annuities? He had three concepts; shelter, livelihood, and security for people’s future. The New Deal plan was to be based on these concepts. The Social Security was to be a volunteer basis. States and the Federal government together were to set-up plans with business companies who wanted to utilize the contributory insurance. Although at the beginning some these companies did not come on board, the companies which did all employees were involved in the contributory insurance. This means if a person worked at a company, which was participating in the insurance they too would contribute to the insurance. The theory was to put it simple an investment for those who participated in the insurance, giving them the opportunity to care for themselves when they became elderly. He understood there were elderly people the government would need to assist at the time of the proposal. He believed like Abraham Lincoln, that “The legitimate object of Government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done but cannot do at all or cannot do so well for themselves in their separate and individual capacities.”
Now today are those same principles being achieved? Stop and think about the elderly now. Some have to decide between feeding themselves and buying their medicine. And what happens when they get sick; Medicare/Medicaid does not cover the medical bills. So they have to get insurance and still there are costs. Of course, when it is time they cannot live alone anymore…where do they go? The nursing facilities are under staff because the funding will not give sufficient support. Sometimes one must wonder if the government does sets up so people will disappear and therefore no longer be a burden. When did it happen we became so callous of the elderly or people in general? Franklin D. Roosevelt announced, “I am not for a return to that definition of Liberty under which for many years a free people were being gradually regimented into the service of the privileged few. I prefer and I am sure you prefer that broader definition of Liberty under which we are moving forward to greater freedom, to greater security for the average man than he has ever known before in the history of America.”
