Social Security Saves Iowans from PovertyIowa Policy Project
Facts Can Help Public, Policymakers in Current Debate
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (March 7, 2005) – Almost 1 in 5 Iowans receives benefits from Social Security, according to a new publication that shows the New Deal program to be a critical tool that not only keeps Iowa seniors out of poverty but also helps children and disabled workers.
Using information from two respected, independent Washington think tanks, the Economic Policy Institute and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Iowa Policy Project (IPP) released a Social Security fact sheet for Iowa for use by policymakers, the media and the public.
“We are circulating this information because the Iowa Policy Project is focused on encouraging better policy debate in our state. Our leaders should make decisions based on true information. Decisions on Social Security are important to Iowans,” said David Osterberg, executive director of the IPP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy analysis organization based in Mount Vernon.
“Some numbers really stand out from this fact sheet,” Osterberg continued. “I’m not sure how many Iowans realize that 19 percent of people in the state receive Social Security benefits of some sort.
“I think some might be surprised as well to learn that without Social Security, more than half of Iowa seniors – 53 percent – would be in poverty. With it, that drops to just over 7 percent.”
Osterberg said those figures alone carry great implications for the current debate over Social Security.
“Surely with that many people in Iowa who rely on Social Security, our leaders must be extremely careful not to risk their economic security,” Osterberg said. “Any policy choices must be made on facts, not just ideological guesswork. Too many futures are at stake.”
The Social Security fact sheet and more information about the impact of federal and state policy choices on Iowans is available at the IPP website, www.iowapolicyproject.org, and the Iowa Fiscal Partnership website, www.iowafiscal.org.
