This is my reply to Murphy's fictional account on the history of the Social Security program.  Nobody read it as a reply to his post, so I'm making it a whole new post subject.

It's boring, BUT Guaranteed to be 100% accurate.

In 1935 FDR set up a commision to devise a plan for Americans to contribute (through payroll taxes) into an Old Age Security and Disability Insurance Program.  It was hoped that this would move the elderly poor from government welfare programs into a program  paid for by themselves.  The Social Security Act of 1935 provided that

• -   1% of wages would be taxed in the years 1937 - 1941
• -   2% of wages would be taxed in the years 1942 - 1945
• -   2 1/2 % of wages would be taxed in the years 1946 - 1948
• -   3% of taxes would be taxed starting December 31, 1948

An amendment to the Social Security act was created in 1939 to guarantee that the spouse and dependent children would receive a deceased workers benefits.

In 1950 an amendment was enacted to increase the amount of benefits for retirees.

President Eisenhower created an offshoot to the Social Security Program for disabled workers on August 1, 1956.  By 1960, 559,000 people were receiving disabilty payments.

In 1961, under JFK, an Amendment lowered the age of retirement to 62.

In 1965 LBJ created the Medicare portion of Social Security.

In 1969 Richard Nixon reformed the disabiltiy part of Social Security by creating SSI.

An 1972 Act created C.O.L.A.S.

A 1977 amendment raised the payroll tax to 7.65%

The Greenspan Commision, under Ronal Regan made three  landmark changes to Social Security

1. Social Security benefits became taxable
2. Federal Employees starting paying into Social Security
3. The retirement age was raised

Bill Clinton removed SSI from Social Security when he signed a bill into law on August 14, 1994.  The provisions of this bill changed the philosophy of the disability program as follows.

1. It took away drug addiction and alcoholism as qualifying disabilites.  All of these benefits were terminated on 1/1/1997
2. It doubled the earnings limitations on retirees from 14,760 to 30,000.
3. It terminated SSI eligibility for non-citizens.  Previously, lawfully admitted aliens could receive SSI if they met other entitlement criteria.  Clinton's Bill ended this. 
4. Children receiving SSI, who no longer had a qualifying disability, would be removed from the program.

The Act of 1977 allowed those on Social Security disability to do a limited amount of work.  It also set up rehab programs to enable the disabled to find work.

George Walker Bush set up a Social Security Commission on May 2, 2001.  He declared that he would make social security his top priority.

To date, George Walker Bush has accomplished nada on Social Security.  (This last statment wasn't on the official Social Security Website.  I just tossed it in on my own).