Social Security Administration (SSA)

The Depression ravaged worker's incomes, forcing multitudes of layoffs. Factories and banks failed drastically, and the whole of America fell into a paranoid state. Farmers and their crops were rendered useless due to overproduction and extreme price deflation. Franklin D. Roosevelt dealt with the task of recovering the American lifestyle that they had once flourished in. He proposed a New Deal to slowly regain a stable financial standing. What many called, "Alphabet Soup," was the attempt - in which many companies such as the CCC, TVA, and FDIC were formed - to regain, recover, and reform that which was lost.

The Social Security Act was made in order to protect and assure the people from having another economic collapse. The Social Security Administation raises revenue and supply benefits to the aged, crippled, victims of industrial accidents, and disabled. They required that the Social Security sent to them be completely used by the end of the month, so as to perpetuate the flow of revenue.

"An act to provide for the general welfare by establishing a system of Federal old-age benefits, and by enabling the several States to make more adequate provision for aged persons, blind persons, dependent and crippled children, maternal and child welfare, public health, and the administration of their unemployment compensation laws; to establish a Social Security Board; to raise revenue; and for other purposes" (2)

The Social Security Act was also hated by conservatives, for the SSA's purpose is ideal for liberals. As a whole, conservatives believed that the system was financially unstable, making citizens lazy and too dependant on the system. Should the system collapse, several would suffer as a result of the backlash. They suggest a more efficient way by using privatization or managing one's own money. Liberals, on the other hand, believe that Social Security is a safety net keeping many people who are poor or are incapable of doing work from collapsing under the rising prices made by Roosevelt's other reforms. They want to protect the Act as much as possible, with no reductions in benefits either. (3)