Grace Napolitano

President Bush has consistently used rhetoric, and that is not convincing given his past record.

Latinos are disproportionately more likely to be injured on the job than other ethnic groups.

I am not criticizing investing in the stock market; I am an investor.

Latinas' life expectancies are relatively long. When a current retiree hits 65 and begins receiving her benefit check, she can expect to live another 22 years. That life expectancy is higher than white women or men.

We are still waiting for the president to introduce a concrete plan. He has just hinted at what he is thinking about doing, but no one has seen a proposal.

Because of my own experience with market fluctuation, I recognize the great risks one takes on investments. This converts the Social Security safety net into a risky proposition many cannot afford to take.

Our Hispanic community needs to understand how important the Social Security system is for not only its retired citizens, but also its disabled workers.

Almost half of all Latinas currently on Social Security rely exclusively on their benefit check in retirement.

Because Social Security is specifically designed to boost the retirement income of low earners with a progressive benefit formula, the program has played an enormous and necessary role in keeping Latinas out of poverty.

Even without reforms, the Social Security fund will be able to meet 100 percent of its obligations until 2042.

Our political leaders must be honest and forthcoming with data that will allow citizens to use facts and figures to judge for themselves what state Social Security is in.

Social Security has been effective for 70 years; prior predictions of its demise have been totally overstated.