| Sumario: | The writer examines the role of social security for older people in U.S. society. In the opinion of many conservatives, private sector mechanisms can be reintroduced to promote economic opportunity and security among older people. It is the responsibility of liberals and progressives not to allow the debate over the future of social security to be constructed in this manner: The role of social insurance in U.S. life cannot be recast as dated, aberrational, and not in keeping with core U.S. values about society and security. Although privatizers seek to portray social security as a prime example of public sector excess because well-off older people now receive benefits, advocates must point to social security's unmatched success in reducing poverty among older people.
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