We must protect Social Security

Donald Trump has signed an executive order that, he says, will stop payroll taxes from being deducted from pay checks. He says nothing about what the danger to Social Security would be as a result of the loss of those funds.

I am always amazed to see the numbers of Americans who would like to do away with Social Security. As of May 14, 2020, the Social Security Trust Fund had $2.9 trillion in reserves. In 2017, there was just a $44 billion surplus.

Those dollars are invested in interest-bearing treasury reserves. Some 63 million Americans received Social Security benefits in 2019. With the good that this program has done to help Americans, how could anyone be against it? The dollars are guaranteed by our government!

Then the cynic in me took over. Let's see: $2.9 trillion. How could that money be invested in other ways? Oh, yes! The stock market! If Americans did not pay into Social Security they could invest in the stock market! Who would benefit? What could go wrong?

I think you can figure out the answer to these questions for yourself. If not, ask Donald Trump and those who patronize to Mar-a-Lago. Do you want to entrust your last resort retirement funds to those people?

Karen Wagner

Rolling Meadows