Congress, Keep Your Hands Out Of Our Pockets!
In today’s climate of toxic partisanship, it’s natural to wonder whether polls and surveys have any real effect on how Congress votes. But your opinion counts a lot more than you may be giving yourself credit for — and can swing votes in Congress.
There’s a lot at stake. Can we depend on getting a fair annual cost- of – living adjustment that accurately represents retirees’ costs, not those of younger working adults? What happened to the money borrowed from the Social Security Trust Fund? Will that money be repaid in full to finance benefits, or will Congress cut benefits first?
Social Security benefits are no gift from the federal government — Americans pay for their benefits through years of payroll tax deductions from their earnings. Yet today the majority of retiree households must pay taxes on their Social Security benefits — a real double jeopardy affecting even people with the most modest of incomes.
Members of Congress are accountable to their constituents for each and every vote they make. During the recent campaign, incumbents were regularly asked to explain why they voted the way they did. Most Members spend a great deal of time getting an idea of how the majority of their constituents feel about specific legislative proposals. And no matter what party banner they run under, Members of Congress have a responsibility to represent the majority of their constituents.
Non-partisan polls and surveys, like The Senior Citizens League's annual Senior Survey, play an important role in helping to convey the opinion of the wider electorate. The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) shares the results of our Senior Surveys in our meetings with Members of Congress, and the first place Members may hear the opinion of older voters is in the news.
Make your opinion count. You can take the survey online today! Help us tell Congress the way it is with retirees. Join TSCL in telling your elected lawmakers, “Congress, keep your hands out of our pockets!”
