For 85 years senior citizens across the United States have depended on Social Security as a safety net in old age. Signed into law by President Roosevelt in 1935, the Social Security Act created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement.

Social Security is the bedrock of elevating the standard of living for millions of Americans. The income it provides isn’t much. You don’t live like a king on Social Security. But if you are a working class senior just try living without it.

I am 70 years old. Like all workers, for years I paid into Social Security through the payroll tax. Now Social Security is a necessary supplement to the money I managed to save over the years. Without Social Security I could not afford to pay my property taxes. I could not continue living in the community I’ve called home for 37 years.

Despite Trump’s campaign promise to “not touch” Social Security, he has proposed billions in cuts to it. His latest attack on Social Security is his recent executive order deferring the payroll tax, which funds Social Security. Even worse, Trump insists his goal, if reelected, is to cut the payroll tax permanently. This is a devious attempt to defund Social Security benefits, putting the well-being of millions of older and disabled Americans in jeopardy.

Trump and his rich cronies may not depend on Social Security, but I do. Please vote to protect Social Security. Vote for Biden and Democratic candidates right down the ticket.