This study is an examination of public reaction to the Social Security Act of 1935 and its various provisions, and to the proposals for its extension, from its enactment to the fall of 1965. Lt is an examination of the way in which these provisions were understood, the degree to which they were accepted, and the underlying attitudes toward poverty that are presumed to be associated with them. The basic data analyzed in this study were obtained in nationwide public opinion surveys that have been taken by a variety of agencies since 1935, notably those conducted by the American Institute of Public Opinion (the Gallup poll), Elmo Roper (principally for Fortune Magazine), the National Opinion Research Center (now affiliated with the University of Chicago), and the Survey Research Center of the University of Michigan. This study was undertaken in the conviction that whatever information is available on these matters ought to be retrieved and assimilated, because inevitably it will improve our understanding of the process by which a free, competitive society can solve the paradox of poverty amid abundance.

A Documentary History tells the story of the creation and development of the U.S. Social Security program through primary source documents, from its antecendents and founding in 1935, to the controversial issues of the present. This unique reference presents the complex history of Social Security in an accessible volume that highlights the program's major moments and events.

This volume represents the most important work to date on one of the pressing policy issues of the moment: the privatization of social security. Although social security is facing enormous fiscal pressure in the face of an aging population, there has been relatively little published on the fundamentals of essential reform through privatization. Privatizing Social Security fills this void by studying the methods and problems involved in shifting from the current system to one based on mandatory saving in individual accounts. "Timely and important. . . . [Privatizing Social Security] presents a forceful case for a radical shift from the existing unfunded, pay-as-you-go single national program to a mandatory funded program with individual savings accounts. . . . An extensive analysis of how a privatized plan would work in the United States is supplemented with the experiences of five other countries that have privatized plans." —Library Journal "[A] high-powered collection of essays by top experts in the field."—Timothy Taylor, Public Interest

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,0, University of Leipzig (Institut für Amerikanistik), language: English, abstract: The writing of this paper was initiated by a seminar on the various forms of social policy in the United States from the nineteenth century to the present day. Throughout the sessions of the seminar it became clear that the need for some public assistance has always existed in the United States. Together with three of my fellow students I prepared a presentation on the Great Depression and the introduction of Social Security during the New Deal. Doing research for our presentation in class I took notice of the enormous pressure under which the Committee on Economic Security, which became the central institution in the drafting process of the novel program, had to work and the great obstacles they had to overcome on their way to the actual passing of “their” Social Security Act in 1935. Consequently, out of this specific encounter I attempt to discuss two main points in this paper: one is the difficulties and obstacles that needed to be overcome when the Social Security Act was first developed and the second constitutes its introduction to the American public with its particular and distinguished programs. In order to fulfill these tasks, I will start out by giving an overview of the historical background, that of the Great Depression. In this context I will also consider, for instance, public opinion or rather its change in regard to Social Security during the New Deal.

The future of disability in America will depend on how well the U.S. prepares for and manages the demographic, fiscal, and technological developments that will unfold during the next two to three decades. Building upon two prior studies from the Institute of Medicine (the 1991 Institute of Medicine's report Disability in America and the 1997 report Enabling America), The Future of Disability in America examines both progress and concerns about continuing barriers that limit the independence, productivity, and participation in community life of people with disabilities. This book offers a comprehensive look at a wide range of issues, including the prevalence of disability across the lifespan; disability trends the role of assistive technology; barriers posed by health care and other facilities with inaccessible buildings, equipment, and information formats; the needs of young people moving from pediatric to adult health care and of adults experiencing premature aging and secondary health problems; selected issues in health care financing (e.g., risk adjusting payments to health plans, coverage of assistive technology); and the organizing and financing of disability-related research. The Future of Disability in America is an assessment of both principles and scientific evidence for disability policies and services. This book's recommendations propose steps to eliminate barriers and strengthen the evidence base for future public and private actions to reduce the impact of disability on individuals, families, and society.