- United States
- Iowa
- Letter
I have worked my entire life, paying into Social Security with every paycheck, just like millions of other hardworking Americans. This isn’t a handout. It’s money we’ve earned—our own contributions—meant to ensure we don’t fall into poverty as we age or face unexpected hardships. Now, billionaires like Elon Musk want to undermine this system with misleading attacks, and I refuse to stand by while my future, and the future of millions, is put at risk.
Social Security has been one of the most successful programs in American history, preventing millions of seniors, disabled workers, and surviving family members from falling into poverty and homelessness. Nearly 40% of retirees depend on it for most of their income, and for many, it’s the only thing standing between them and financial disaster. Yet, Musk—who will never need Social Security and who benefits from tax loopholes that everyday Americans don’t—calls it a “Ponzi scheme” and spreads false claims to fuel distrust in the system.
One of his most misleading statements is that Social Security is riddled with fraud, pointing to so-called 150-year-old recipients still receiving benefits. This is flat-out wrong. Those numbers come from outdated record-keeping, not fraud, and his claim is nothing more than an attempt to erode public trust in a system that works.
Here’s the real issue: When other major government programs face difficulties, we don’t abandon them—we fix them. Take the F-35 fighter jet program. It went massively over budget, faced serious performance issues, and still Congress and the Pentagon spent billions to correct the problems instead of recklessly scrapping it. Why? Because national defense is considered too important to fail. Well, so is Social Security. If politicians can find unlimited funding to fix costly military programs, they can certainly find solutions to strengthen Social Security without gutting it or selling it off to Wall Street.
I’m demanding that you stand up for people like me who have spent decades paying into this system. Social Security is not up for debate—it’s a commitment made to the American people. Do not let billionaires’ biased, self-serving claims be used as an excuse to steal what we’ve rightfully earned. Our futures depend on it.
Sincerely,
