Imagine if Social Security were put on trial. We've all seen enough movies to know how it would begin: jury selection.
Now imagine a room filled with potential jurors. There is a talkative one who stands out. He's calling senior citizens "greedy geezers," and those with lower incomes, "lesser people." He says too many Social Security beneficiaries drive their luxury cars to the restaurant to get their seniors discount. He tells a policy advocate for older women to "call when you get real work."
And there is more. Our prospective juror says he thinks Americans are too dependent upon Social Security. He calls it a "milk cow with 310 million tits."
But this isn't some Law and Order re-run. The trial is the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, and the "juror" is Alan Simpson, the panel's co-chair.
There isn't a judge in the land that would let Alan Simpson stay on this jury. And we shouldn't let him stay on the commission.
The Alliance for Retired Americans is calling upon President Obama to replace Simpson with someone who can, like a juror, weigh the evidence without bias.
The millions of Americans who count on Social Security to make ends meet deserve a fair trial.
Barbara J. Easterling is president of the Alliance for Retired Americans. She was previously the secretary-treasurer of the Communications Workers of America. For more information, visit www.retiredamericans.org or call 1-800-333-7212
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