First published 2001
Social Security reform commands widespread public support, but politicians lag behind public opinion. Rasmussen examines American attitudes toward retirement security rather than diving into policy mechanics. He traces how the reform movement emerged from popular culture years before Washington noticed. The analysis reveals an ironic twist: Franklin Roosevelt planted the seeds for today's reform movement when he created Social Security itself. FDR persuaded Americans that workers earn their benefits through workplace contributions over their careers. Modern workers accept this framework but want to control their own investment decisions. They build on Roosevelt's original concept rather than rejecting it. Rasmussen uses accessible stories to show how this consensus developed organically across American society. The book demonstrates that calls for individual investment accounts represent the natural evolution of ideas Roosevelt introduced, not a departure from them.
Genres: american, political-science, economics, non-fiction, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: evolution-of-ideas
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
129 pages · Paperback · Rasmussen Reports