Social Security and Maine's Future: Keeping the Promise to All Generations

March 22nd, Alan Greenspan’s Former Aide to Debunk Myths Surrounding Program’s Future

Augusta, Maine (Thursday, March 17, 2011)—As Congress considers proposals to cut Social Security, more than 30 organizations will host nationally acclaimed pension expert Nancy J. Altman at USM/Portland on March 22nd. Altman, a leading authority on Social Security and author of the book, The Battle for Social Security, will debunk myths and misconceptions surrounding this high-impact “social insurance” program. Assistant to former Federal Reserve System chairman Alan Greenspan during his tenure as chair of the 1983 bipartisan National Commission on Social Security Reform, Altman warns that Social Security has a significant impact on state economies, including Maine’s. She also exposes the fallacy that Social Security has any connection to the federal deficit.

“As Maine confronts its own economic challenges, we wanted to make sure the public appreciates what’s working in our favor,” said Christopher St. John, executive director of Maine Center for Economic Policy, one of the event cosponsors. “Contrary to what we have been encouraged to believe, Social Security remains strong and reliable. Let’s not fix something that is not broken.”

Prior to Altman’s speech, the Newcastle-based Frances Perkins Center will host a reception from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to celebrate the publication of the Center’s new book, A Promise to All Generations: Stories & Essays about Social Security and Frances Perkins. In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt named Perkins Secretary of Labor, the first woman to serve in a Presidential Cabinet. Daughter of native Mainers, Perkins drafted the legislation which ultimately established Social Security in 1935. Altman, who contributed an essay to the Center’s project, will be on hand, as well as several other editors and authors. Partial funding for both the book and the March 22 event comes from the National Academy of Social Insurance.

Sponsors include: Maine Center for Economic Policy, Frances Perkins Center, Maine Women’s Lobby, Disability Rights Center, Maine People’s Alliance, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Alliance For Retired Americans, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Maine Bar Foundation, National Alliance on Mental Illness Maine, Maine Children’s Alliance, Maine Association for Area Agencies on Aging, League of Women Voters, Alzheimer’s Association-Maine Chapter, Maine Parent Federation, Maine Council of Churches, Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, AAUW Maine, Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Maine Equal Justice Partners, Maine AFL-CIO, Maine State Employees Association SEIU Local 1989, Syntiro, The Iris Network, Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, Maine’s University Center for Excellence In Developmental Disabilities, Legal Services For The Elderly, Maine Women’s Health Campaign, Speaking Up For Us, Maine Women’s Policy Center, MaineCite Coordinating Center, USM Muskie School of Public Service, Maine Association of Community Service Providers, Choices CEO Project, Maine Centers for Women Work And Community, United Cerebral Palsy of Northeastern Maine

Social Security and Maine’s Future: Keeping the Promise to All Generations