Public Pensions and Employee Benefits.

"Seven Reasons to Care about Social Security"

Steisel, Sheri

State Legislatures, January 2000, pp. 28-31.

Many state lawmakers do not think the problems with funding Social Security will have an effect on state governments. However, with the insolvency of the program predicted by 2034, the author argues that states will likely be affected by the policies federal lawmakers enact to fix the problem. In this report, seven reasons for states to be concerned about the solutions federal policy makers enact are presented. Nearly 70 percent of all Americans are either paying into Social Security or receiving benefits. Many of these people are likely to be voters, and beneficiaries (those over age 65) typically have the highest voting rates. Furthermore, state governments are employers, and additional payroll taxes would raise the 50 percent contribution that employers are required to make...