In 1971, the iconic songwriter John Lennon penned the lyrics to his famous song “Imagine,” asking us to picture a world in total peace and harmony. Although it was a call to imagine what life would be like in a utopian world, it was also, perhaps, overly optimistic given the realities of that time—realities which are largely similar today, over five decades later.

Nevertheless, it is always good to imagine life as it might be. And that goes both ways—we can and should always picture life in a better world, but we might also take pause, at times, to picture how life might be worse. How often have we lamented that “things could be much worse” when confronting adversity in our daily lives? So, today I’d like to suggest that you picture what life would be like without Social Security.

First, some statistics

Social Security provides benefits to about 70 million Americans, senior citizens as well as those not yet old enough to be so designated. That’s about 20 percent of the entire U.S. population. The benefits offered are financial, providing usually crucial money to those fortunate enough to be eligible. That includes those who have earned benefits by working and are old enough to claim, and others—such as minor or disabled adult children—who have not personally earned a benefit but are dependent on a parent who has. Benefits are also available for dependent spouses, ex-spouses and sometimes dependent parents. And let’s not forget that even working Americans who become disabled often find financial relief at a younger age with the Social Security disability insurance program. 

Fact is, Social Security provides a “major” source of income for a majority of senior Americans and, in most cases, those collecting say it is critical to their ability to make their financial ends meet. In a nutshell, a large majority of Social Security recipients say Social Security is critically important to their financial well-being. 

But what if Social Security were to go away?

What if Social Security went away?

Well, that’s not something we like to think about, because it would negatively impact so many millions of people. Senior citizens would suffer harshly, because the poverty rate for those aged 65 and over would jump from around 10 percent to nearly 40 percent. That means another 22 million people would be added to the total 36 million who already live below the U.S. poverty line. And statistically, the ones most affected would be older women, people of color and children (about four million of whom receive Social Security benefits). Another nine million-or-so Americans who collect Social Security Disability Insurance benefits would also be seriously affected.

What would American life be like without Social Security? As a student of U.S. history, I can imagine what it was like in the 1930s—the decade of the so-called Great Depression. The years immediately preceding the advent of FDR’s Social Security program were a time of abject poverty in the United States. Many Americans had very little money and scant resources; men wandered from town to town to find work to provide food for their kitchen table. Many wore tattered clothing, often the only clothes they had, and minor children had to work (if they could) to help the family survive. 

That was the environment that gave birth to the U.S. Social Security program. And the program, funded by taxes on workers and their employers, worked well. Starting when monthly Social Security benefits began flowing in 1940, the program has continued to sustain America’s seniors and their dependents for about 90 years. In other words, Social Security is an extremely effective anti-poverty program that would devastate millions if it went away. 

But what are the chances that Social Security will actually go away?

Will Social Security ever go away?

For the answer to this question and more, read the full column at www.riverreporter.com/stories/imagine-no-social-security,248254?.

Russell Gloor is a certified Social Security advisor for the AMAC Foundation, a nonprofit senior advocacy organization. This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit www.amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory or email ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.