Seniors' issues have another voice

Sam Burnett, right, discusses his trip to Washington, D.C., with Linden Kuhn, left, and Cathy McVicker, at the Eleanor Kahle Senior Center in West Toledo. Mr. Burnett pitched the importance of Social Security benefits to residents here in the Toledo area. THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Toledoan Samuel Burnett has stories to share.

Armed with well-researched data, narratives of how some must choose between food and medicine, and a list of congressmen to see, Mr. Burnett traveled to Washington, D.C., recently to share the concerns of area senior citizens.

And while he admits his timing -- in the midst of the dizzying debt discussions -- was not ideal, the longtime seniors' advocate said he accomplished his mission. Specifically, he went to talk, and be heard, about Social Security.

"The whole purpose of my meeting was to go to talk about Social Security," he said, adding that he shared information from three national organizations with which he works. "Even though the debt fight was going on, I wanted them to know how important Social Security is to our seniors."

Mr. Burnett, 79, said he spent July 27 and 28 visiting various offices on Capitol Hill. He met personally with Democratic party leader Nancy Pelosi of California and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio). He also met with staff members in the offices of U.S. Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo); Bob Latta (R., Bowling Green); Jim Jordan (R., Findlay); and House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio), as well as a staff member of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio).

He used names and real-life stories to make his message clear. And he used a bright yellow highlighter pen to direct his audiences' eyes to the important aspects of the literature he's sharing.

Noting that as a volunteer for national organization that represents millions of senior citizens, Mr. Burnett said he wanted Washington to know that an elderly demographic of reading and voting citizens was watching closely

"[Seniors] are very concerned because of the inability for Congress to make decisions on Social Security issues. Seniors wonder all the time, 'Am I going to get my check?' " Mr. Burnett said.

"The average Social Security check is $1,171 a month, which means half of our seniors get below that," he added. "This is their life, they live paycheck to paycheck. So yes, our seniors are very concerned about what Washington is thinking about them."

According to national research, 90 percent of those people over age 65 are getting their sole incomes from Social Security, which equates to about 54 million monthly checks. And Americans want to preserve it.

Information provided by the National Academy of Social Insurance indicates at least 70 percent of workers in every age group want to preserve Social Security, even if it means increasing working American' contributions.

"Seniors are on a very fixed income. They know that if the price of one thing goes up, they'll have to compensate with something else," said Cathy McVicker, executive director of the Eleanor Kahle Senior Center. "They want to know what is going to be done with Social Security and how will it affect them."

Justin Moor, vice president of communications and operations for the local Area Office on Aging, said his agency is a member of state and national advocacy groups that speak on behalf of senior concerns. He noted by focusing the message, the concerns of seniors won't get "muddied."

And one strong voice can be heard over several weak ones, he added.

But although they have identified their concerns and they know people like Mr. Burnett attempt to share them with lawmakers, local seniors realize there is no magic fix.

Mr. Burnett said his goal is to keep this large group of people -- and, more importantly, its fears -- on decision-makers' minds.

And to let seniors know that they are not being ignored, he added.

"We know that Social Security is going to be the next big fight, and so I tried to provide them with information and an understanding of what we believe," he said of his time meeting with legislators.

"We really want to preserve it, protect it, and pass it on."

Contact Erica Blake at: eblake@theblade.com or 419-213-2134.