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KRYZAN CALLS FOR "SECURING OUR FUTURE"
Recognizes the 73rd Anniversary of the
Passage of the Social Security Act

August 14, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Anne Wadsworth
(716) 580-3013

Amherst, NY – Today marks the 73rd anniversary of the passage of the Social Security Act. When President Roosevelt signed the bill into law, he said that it would provide "protection to the average citizen and to his family." And it has, lifting hundreds of thousands of seniors out of poverty and insuring the financial security of millions of working men and women.

Social Security is an important intergenerational compact, part of the larger social compact between business, government, and the American people that lasted through the 20th Century. Its bedrock principle: If you worked hard and played by the rules, you would be able to earn a decent wage, provide for your family, and build a better future.

Today, however, that compact has been strained almost beyond recognition. Rising healthcare costs, declining benefits, and stagnant wages for the middle class have left many Americans feeling insecure, and rightly so. But this doesn't have to be the case. We live in the greatest country in the world: we can and must have a society that works for everyday Americans, not just the rich.

That's why I will work to reinvigorate the social compact, helping the people of Western New York to achieve the security and prosperity they have worked so hard to earn. I will be a strong advocate for Social Security, ensuring it will be there for all seniors. But we must do more. That’s why I will fight for affordable quality healthcare for every American, so people know that they will be taken care of when they are sick. I will make sure we invest more in our children and their education, preparing them for the jobs of the 21st century.

I will work to bring the good-paying jobs of the fast –growing alternative energy industry to Western New York. And, I will support policies that ensure a sustainable energy future - our newest intergenerational compact – in order to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and make sure our children can enjoy a safe and clean environment.

More than 70 years ago in a Message to Congress, President Roosevelt advocated for Social Security saying that it was “not a change in values but rather a return to values lost in the course of our economic development and expansion . . .". It's time to rediscover those values: values that put the public interest over special interests, values that reward those who work hard and play by the rules.

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