Happy birthday to guaranteed pensions

Ninety years ago today, FDR signed Social Security into law:

In his public statement that day, FDR expressed concern for “young people [who] have come to wonder what would be their lot when they came to old age” as well as those who had employment but no job security. Although he acknowledged that “we can never insure one hundred percent of the population against one hundred percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life,” he hoped the act would prevent senior citizens from ending up impoverished.

Although it was initially created to combat unemployment, Social Security now functions primarily as a powerful safety net for retirees and the disabled, and provides death benefits to taxpayer dependents. The Social Security system has remained popular and relatively unchanged since 1935.

Alas, the Republican Party has wanted to end or privatize Social Security since, oh, 1935, and they're getting closer to doing so. (Just look what they did to schools in Texas.) It would be the biggest heist in history and it would risk the retirement security of millions of senior Americans. As I get closer to the age when I will start taking payments from the system, I really hope the thieves in the party opposite don't succeed.