Pols Seek To Boost Social Security $$$

A roomful of seniors at the Middle Village Adult Center joined City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and Rep. Anthony Weiner for a rally on Monday, Oct. 26, in support of legislation that would provide a cost of living adjustment to elderly recipients of monthly Social Security benefits. (photo: Joseph Epstein) City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and Rep. Anthony Weiner joined seniors for a rally on Monday, Oct. 26 at the Middle Village Adult Center to call on the U.S. Social Security Administration to increase social security payments for New York City’s elderly citizens.

As noted, a petition campaign was launched by Crowley has launched a petition campaign in support of Weiner’s “Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Fairness Act,” which would create a new benefit aimed at keeping Social Security benefits in line with the rising costs in New York City and other urban areas across the country. The push for a regional COLA comes in response to the Obama administration’s proposal to rescind any cost of living adjustments for Social Security beneficiaries in fiscal year 2010 and 2011 due to the pronounced recession.

“New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the entire world to live,” said Crowley. “And the cost of living continues to go up year after year. To provide seniors in New York with the same social security payment to live on as seniors in Idaho simply does not make sense. Social Security payments should be proportional to the varying cost-of-living standards in cities and towns across this country. The federal government needs to conduct a regional assessment of the cost of living and base social security payments accordingly.”

The petition campaign within Council District 30 is part of a borough wide initiative to support the COLA Fairness Act If enacted, New York’s seniors would receive an additional 2.1 percent in Social Security benefits over a five-year time period.

“To say that the costs for Queens seniors will not go up for two years is to pretend that the laws of economic gravity don’t apply to older people,” said Weiner. “Rent is up.