Perhaps the single biggest difference between Ponzi schemes and Social Security is you and your vote. Voters have a tremendous influence in the choices that elected Members of Congress make to ensure that the program remains sound today and in the future. Social Security has been in continuous operation since 193Ponzi's scheme lasted barely 200 days. .The plan that Simpson and Bowles outlined this week includes 0 billion in federal health care spending cuts, including a number of Medicare modifications like raising the eligibility age, increasing means testing for high earners, and reducing payments to providers. Simpson and Bowles also recommended the adoption of the "chained" CPI for the calculation of Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). The two wrote in a joint statement this week: "This plan begins where the president and the Speaker left off. It's more health care than the Democrats would like, and more revenue that Republicans support. But in our view, it is the minimum size necessary to put the debt on a clear downward path." .Because the economic fluctuations were highly unusual and unforeseen, logic dictates that Congress could not have intended the benefits that Notch Babies actually received. The disparities in benefits under the actual conditions of double-digit inflation are illustrated in the following chart, which was not developed until 199Even if Congress had developed this chart in 1977, however, they would have seen benefit differences of only 10%-14% shown on the left-hand side of the chart. Instead, the effects of inflation are reflected by benefit differences of 13% to 30% shown on the right. In effect, the actual benefit reductions for many retirees were more than double what original projections would have been at the time. .Second, in October, Congress passed legislation to strengthen Social Security's Disability Insurance (DI) program. Many of the recommendations that TSCL made to the House Ways and Means Committee back in August were signed into law, including provisions that will ramp up fraud prevention and test new work incentives for beneficiaries. Most importantly, the law prevents a 20 percent benefit cut that was scheduled to hit 11 million disabled beneficiaries in December 201A cut of that size would have been truly devastating for enrollees, and TSCL applauds Members of Congress for averting it. .The real danger of traveling isn't the flight itself. However, going through security and waiting at the gate for your plane to dock are both likely to put you in close contact with people and increase your chances of contracting the virus. In addition, boarding — when the plane's ventilation system is not running and people are unable to stay distanced from one another — is one of the riskiest parts of the travel process. "Minimizing this time period is important to reduce exposure," wrote Corsi. "Get to your seat with your mask on and sit down as quickly as possible." .With about 1 million supporters, The Senior Citizens League is one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors groups. Located just outside Washington, D.C., its mission is to promote and assist members and supporters, to educate and alert senior citizens about their rights and freedoms as U.S. Citizens, and to protect and defend the benefits senior citizens have earned and paid for. The Senior Citizens League is a proud affiliate of TREA The Enlisted Association. Please visi more at or call 1-800-333-8725 for more information. .The good news is that reducing drug costs appears to have bipartisan support. Two critical congressional committees – the Senate Finance Committee and the House Oversight and Reform Committee – have launched investigations into the pricing practices of the pharmaceutical industry. .Since passage of Medicare in 1965 all seniors received the same benefits for the same standard premium. But in 2003, Congress took the unprecedented step of passing legislation that required "upper-income" seniors to pay increased premiums for Medicare Part B. Forcing these seniors to pay more for the same Medicare benefits is known as the "means test." .Congress should restrict price increases of prescription drugs to no more than the rate of inflation. — 83 percent support, 13 percent not sure, and only 5 percent opposed.