政府为我们做了我们个人无法做的事情。1935年，富兰克林·d·罗斯福总统签署了一项经济保障计划，为低收入家庭、失业者和老年人提供援助，他说，保护他们免受危险和沧桑的生活。社会保障制度至今仍保留着65年前的既定目标:承诺为老年人提供经济保障。政府负责防范无法消除的不幸。与任何长期存在的经济援助体系一样，改革和创新是保护社会保障未来的可靠性和偿付能力所必需的。副总统阿尔·戈尔(Al Gore)正是考虑到今天的年轻人，才提议设立私人退休账户和税收抵免，以与个人储蓄相匹配。戈尔说:“我正在提出一项计划，为家庭提供他们所需要的真正帮助，为他们自己和他们的孩子创造更好的生活。”“我的私人储蓄和投资计划与其他人在这次选举中提出的计划非常不同。它不会以牺牲社会保障为代价。它是社会保险之外的。"\nThe retirement accounts, called Retirement Savings Plus, would go beyond Social Security's guaranteed benefit. The accounts would be based in the private sector and not managed by the government. They would build on the solid base Social Security now provides, while allowing one to invest more in his or her retirement, without any chance of losing benefits in poor economic times. \nRoosevelt's plan to assist the elderly in 1935 was in response to a poor economic situation. To allow, through private investment, the potential for people to lose those benefits would nullify the purpose of Social Security. It should be there for seniors when they retire, regardless of their luck, or lack thereof, on the stock market.\nPrivate investments should be in addition to, not part of, Social Security. They should be encouraged, as Gore's plan proposes, allowing seniors the potential for a better fiscal situation upon retirement. \nUnder the current system, everyone gets by on a basic guaranteed benefit. Gore's plan allows for savings and investment, with tax savings, on top of that base benefit. Republican plans for partial privatization of Social Security take away that guarantee and open up Social Security to the ups and downs of the economy. \nWith the strong economic situation we now enjoy, it might sound good to allow individuals to invest their benefits in the stock market. But, the markets can, and do, go down. The Republican plan would create winners and losers. \nWhat happens to seniors who retire when the economy is in a lull or, worse yet, a depression? When they most need the financial assistance now provided by government, it might be much less than what they would get today from Social Security.\nGore's Retirement Savings Plus plan, however, provides for flexibility and increased investment, while maintaining the base benefit of Social Security. Young people would have a lifetime to enjoy the plan's retirement savings program, building on their base benefit without risking it in the process.\nRoosevelt said in a 1934 message to Congress, "Security was attained in the earlier days through the interdependence of members of families upon each other and of the families within a small community upon each other. The complexities of great communities and of organized industry make less real these simple means of security. Therefore, we are compelled to employ the active interest of the nation as a whole through government in order to encourage a greater security for each individual who composes it."\nGovernment, through Social Security, helps ensure we will be secure in our retirement. Let's not allow risky Republican schemes to take away that security.
