After you have worked for 40 to 50 years, raised your family and paid off your mortgage, you should be able to retire, right?

Wrong.

Unless your circumstances have allowed you to save money, have a pension, or have excessive assets, then your only financial path to retirement is what is called Social Security.

Let me be clear in saying Social Security is not an entitlement of any kind. All who work, pay into that fund so that when we retire, we will have something to show for our labors in life.

Unfortunately, there are a few issues with the program. One is a serious underfunding of the program.

The income thresholds need to be increased to generate more revenue into the program. Right now, a person stops paying more into Social Security once he earns $113,000. That number should be much higher.

Another issue is the reduction of COLAs. These cost of living increases allow for your retirement benefit to grow with the rate of inflation — nothing more, nothing less. COLAs are a must.

Social Security is the only financial lifeline for many retirees. When we retire, we don’t stop eating, paying taxes, taking medications or clothing ourselves. Those things do not magically disappear from our lives.

The bottom line is that the program of Social Security is our life when we retire and needs to be protected and enhanced to the fullest.

Lawmakers must do more to continue the public’s safeguard between retirement and true poverty.

Joseph Mailey, Auburn

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