Raging Grannies Sing Praises to Social Security

At noon today I spoke at a rally in Westlake Park about the 70th anniversary of Social Security. Gail and I were talking at dinner last night about how our parents and grandparents all enjoyed the benefits of a secure retirement system, backed by the government. Our great-grandparents and all previous generations weren't so blessed. We quickly forget that for most of human history to be old and without family meant to be living in grinding poverty. Childless widows in the Bible were the object of great compassion by Jesus. Now we take for granted that elders can make do on modest pensions, backed by their own hard work and the government's promise. It's a system that's worth protecting, and any tinkering in Washington should be done only to safeguard it.

The Raging Grannies joined our Social Security 70th Anniversary event at Westlake Park. Here they are, in full regalia, sharing their song: "I've been working toward retirement, all the live long day . . . " We also heard from Mayor Greg Nickles, several from the City Council, and many others. My comments are included below.