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Steve Lynch on Social Security

Democratic Representative (MA-9)

 


Fight against privatizing Social Security

Lynch will fight President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security. He would allow people to voluntarily set up a insurance program with their employers that will allow their parents and grandparents to buy prescription drugs. He will fight to extend health insurance coverage so that no one is denied access to the best medical resources just because they cannot afford them. He will support greater health insurance portability so that workers don’t lose their medical coverage when they change jobs.
Source: Candidate Website , Sep 8, 2001

Deny no one access to insurance and best medical resources

On Beacon Hill

He supported expanding insurance coverage to cover mental illness and the equipment and supplies to treat diabetes. He fought to increase funding for breast and prostate cancer research. He stood for greater investment in the community health centers.

On Capitol Hill

He will propose a bill that will allow people to voluntarily set up a insurance program with their employers that will allow their parents and grandparents to buy prescription drugs. He will fight to extend health insurance coverage so that no one is denied access to the best medical resources just because they cannot afford them. He will support greater health insurance portability so that workers don’t lose their medical coverage when they change jobs.
Source: Candidate Website , Sep 8, 2001

Reject proposals for private saving accounts.

Lynch co-sponsored rejecting proposals for private saving accounts

To reject proposals to partially or completely substitute private saving accounts for the lifelong, guaranteed, inflation-protected insurance benefits provided through Social Security. The Congress finds the following:

  1. President Bush promised to partially privatize Social Security, and appointed a commission to develop a plan on his behalf.
  2. The commission developed three alternative plans that would partially privatize Social Security.
  3. The plans divert substantial monies from the Social Security Trust Funds to pay for the private accounts, which threatens benefits for current beneficiaries by significantly weakening the financial condition of the Trust Funds.
  4. The plans' cuts in disability and survivor benefits directly contradict the President's promise that disability and survivor benefits would be preserved under privatization.
  5. Furthermore, these reductions in guaranteed benefits apply to all workers, regardless of whether they chose to have an individual account or not.
  6. Substituting private accounts for guaranteed Social Security benefits increases financial risk for retirees, disabled workers and their families.
  7. Moreover, other proposals to privatize Social Security, such as the 'Social Security Guarantee Plus' plan or the 'Social Security Ownership and Guarantee' plan, establish private accounts that directly or indirectly reduce Social Security benefits.
Source: H.R.4780 02-H4780 on May 21, 2002

Rated 100% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record.

Lynch scores 100% by the ARA on senior issues

The mission of the Alliance for Retired Americans is to ensure social and economic justice and full civil rights for all citizens so that they may enjoy lives of dignity, personal and family fulfillment and security. The Alliance believes that all older and retired persons have a responsibility to strive to create a society that incorporates these goals and rights and that retirement provides them with opportunities to pursue new and expanded activities with their unions, civic organizations and their communities.

The following ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.

Source: ARA website 03n-ARA on Dec 31, 2003

Reject privatization; don't raise the retirement age.

Lynch signed the Social Security Protectors Pledge

Some 200 Democratic House and Senate candidates have signed on to a pledge rejecting any effort to privatize or scale back Social Security benefits or raise the retirement age. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee sponsored this pledge among Congressional candidates.

Source: PCCC Survey 10-PCCC on Aug 11, 2010

Sponsored keeping CPI for benefits instead of lower "Chained CPI".

Lynch co-sponsored Resolution on CPI

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION expressing the sense of the Congress that the Chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) should not be used to adjust Social Security benefits.