Ask my 94 year old father if Social Security and/or Medicare should be “transformed.”
He was born in 1916 and raised by his uncle on a farm where he worked until he dropped out of high school. His family was not only poor, as he always said, “we were so poor, we pronounced it ‘pore’.” His grandmother offered him room and board at her house if he went back to school, so he did while working at a local department store.
After graduating from high school, he was admitted into an NYA (National Youth Administration) program, where he was elected student body president.
Soon afterward, his uncle helped him enroll in an aircraft mechanic program in Wichita, Kansas. While there, he was drafted into World War II. The company arranged for a deferral for him—twice. The third time, he decided he wouldn’t accept another deferral and he served in England as an aircraft inspector until after VE Day.
Following WWII, he enrolled at Okla. State University (then Oklahoma A&M). He enrolled in the architecture program and, in the next four years, completed two five year degrees—Architecture and Architectural Engineering.
After working about seven years for other architectural firms, he decided to go into business for himself. So, in 1957, he opened his own office.
Work was sporadic for many years and, although he was paid well upon completion of a project, he never had a steady salary, retirement, or company insurance. My mother worked her whole life, until it was cut short by cancer when she was 49 years old, with two daughters ages 17 and 18. Her Social Security benefits allowed both to attend college.
My father retired when he was in his 80’s and has lived entirely on his Social Security and Medicare since. Fortunately, those programs, along with his VA benefits, have enabled him to live with dignity. What, though, would have happened to him if he hadn’t had them?
My father has been a Republican all his life, but he would not support the “transformation” of these programs!
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