Signing this petition addresses the need to eliminate the tax on Social Security benefits to better serve our elderly who have paid taxes their entire lives and are now in their golden years.  Social Security is NOT a handout, but a program created many years ago to ensure those most in need would have a guaranteed income in their later years.  Rest assured, this is not a red vs blue issue because it affects everyone who is or is expecting to receive Social Security benefits.

Taking care of our most vulnerable population has got to be a top priority. The elderly and veterans who become eligible for Social Security benefits are overburdened. So why do conservative politicians keep coming up with ways to chip away at it?  Social Security MUST NOT BE TAXED!  This is how it was prior to Reagan approving taxation of these benefits and it should never have been changed.

Inflation has hit the aging U.S. citizens in our population the hardest.  Even without significant hyper inflation, the increasing cost of day-to-day living for those on a fixed income who can least afford it is overwhelming to manage.  

The small yearly adjustment given to Social Security recipients has not been enough to help the senior citizens of this country for far too long.  Furthermore, the small bump in benefits is routinely absorbed by Medicare Part B also increasing in cost.  How is this helpful to anyone except those touting a win for the elderly when the net result is usually only a few dollars actually being received?

There are far too many in our government who claim the small yearly increase in Social Security benefits is quite generous.  These same individuals claim it is impossible for they themselves to live on $180,000 a year along with other significant monetary perks including top tier health and dental insurance.  They receive healthy increases they vote on and pass for themselves without consent of the American people.  A large portion of these lawmakers receive an undeserved living wage while leaving those living near poverty levels and unheard to suffer.  How is this fair and equitable?

There has also been much rumbling about Social Security becoming insolvent, being unsustainable or needing to be cut. This is constantly brought up with no mention of more than a trillion dollars taken during the presidency of George Bush, or as they say borrowed, from the Social Security fund that was supposed to be paid back sometime in the distant future.  This was a gross mismanagement of these funds.  This money must be returned to the fund as it belongs to the elderly who have worked to receive it and should not ever be used for any other purpose moving forward.  Social Security is an earned benefit, not a handout from the government.

Change needs to happen and it needs to happen now.  We need legislation passed to eliminate the tax on Social Security benefits without negatively impacting other programs for our seniors as well as the elimination of payment for Medicare Part B.  Doing so will go a long way in easing the burden now and in the future for our most vulnerable U.S. citizens.