#Giulia Carbonaro

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Too Hot to Work? America's Next Big Labor Battle

— By Giulia Carbonaro | August 14, 2023

A Newsweek photo graphic showing, from left, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Joe Biden and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown. Newsweek; Source Photo; Brandon Bell/Getty; Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP Via Getty; Angelo Merendino/Getty Images

American workers are dying, local businesses are reporting a drop in productivity, and the country's economy is losing billions all because of one problem: the heat.

July was the hottest month on record on our planet, according to scientists. This entire summer, so far, has been marked by scorching temperatures for much of the U.S. South, with the thermometer reaching triple digits in several places in Texas between June and July.

In that same period, at least two people died in the state while working under the stifling heat enveloping Texas, a 35-year-old utility lineman, and a 66-year-old USPS carrier. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 36 work-related deaths due to environmental heat exposure in 2021, the latest data available. This was a drop from 56 deaths in 2020, and the lowest number since 2017.

"Workers who are exposed to extreme heat or work in hot environments may be at risk of heat stress," Kathleen Conley, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told Newsweek. "Heat stress can result in heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, or heat rashes. Heat can also increase the risk of injuries in workers as it may result in sweaty palms, fogged-up safety glasses, and dizziness. Burns may also occur as a result of accidental contact with hot surfaces or steam."

While there is a minimum working temperature in the U.S., there's no maximum working temperature set by law at a federal level. The CDC makes recommendations for employers to avoid heat stress in the workplace, but these are not legally binding requirements.

The Biden administration has tasked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) with updating its worker safety policies in light of the extreme heat. But the federal standards could take years to develop—leaving the issue in the hands of individual states.

Things aren't moving nearly as fast as the emergency would require—and it's the politics around the way we look at work, the labor market, and the rights of workers in the U.S. that is slowing things down.

A Deep Political Divide

"There's remarkably little in terms of regulation, and of course, given our divided political views in this country—on the right, Republicans in general, are trying to resist more regulation that's premised on continuing global warming," Gregory DeFreitas, Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for the Study of Labor and Democracy at Hofstra University, New York, told Newsweek.

There's a bill, initially introduced in 2019 and now revived by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, a Democrat, that would move in the direction of setting a federal standard for temperature levels, and other heat-related requirements.

The Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act would create a universal heat standard requirement through OSHA for workers threatened by hot working conditions.

"No worker should have to endure life-threatening heat to provide for their family. This would be an important step to protect Ohio workers on the job," said Brown in a statement available on his website. "We know too many workers still work in dangerous conditions, putting their health and safety on the line every day to provide for their families. There's not much dignity in a job where you fear for your health or your life."

Newsweek has contacted Brown for comment by phone but did not receive a response.

"Given the political divisions, it's hard to say what its chances of passage are, although you'd think that another record-setting year in heat would put more pressure on taking similar action," DeFreitas said.

Members of the Hays County Emergency Service Districts and the Kyle and Buda Fire Departments rest together while combatting a wildfire during an excessive heat warning on August 08, 2023 in Hays County, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

This political division over safety regulations in the workplace, according to DeFreitas, started during Donald Trump's presidency. "The minute Trump got in office, he declared war on regulations," he said. "In 2017, he cut OSHA's job safety rules, employers were not required to make as frequent accident reports, there were to be no surprise inspections of factories and workplaces," he said.

"As a result what you have is a weakened federal agency, but that fits with the idea of deregulating businesses and giving them more freedom—the so-called voluntary self-regulation, which was common under both the Bush and the Trump administration."

He added: "That's a deep philosophical orientation of the current Republican Party, regardless of what the dangers are, whether it is climate change or anything else, they want to cut as much regulation and regulatory steps as they can." Newsweek contacted OSHA but did not receive a prompt response.

Billions Up in Smoke

As well as harming or losing people, the country is losing money to the heat.

According to a recent study by the Adrienne-Arsht Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, housed at the Atlantic Council, the U.S. is already losing approximately $100 billion on average every year from the drop in labor productivity caused by the current level of heat.

That's "approximately the annual budget for the Department of Homeland Security ($51.7 billion) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development ($44.1 billion) combined (U.S. Government Publishing Office 2019)," researchers write.

The study estimates that, if no significant effort is made to reduce emissions or adapt to extreme heat, labor productivity losses could double to nearly $200 billion by 2030 and reach $500 billion by 2050.

For labor experts, there's no doubt that the extreme heat, which is becoming more frequent due to climate change and our collective failure to bring down carbon emissions on a global level, calls for drastic changes in the way Americans work.

"It's a huge but under-appreciated issue that we're dealing with, not just with outdoor workers, but also oil and gas field workers, people working in warehouses, construction workers," Kurt Shickman, director of Extreme Heat Initiatives at the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, told Newsweek. "It's a huge swath of our economy that's already increasingly affected by the heat today."

When it's really hot outside, people work more slowly and they are more prone to make mistakes and have accidents, said Shickman. "You may have situations where the weather is so dangerous that you just physically can't have people outside, so you lose work hours," he added.

"We're going to need all kinds of dramatic changes in terms of factory design, warehouse design, and workplace design," said DeFreitas. "The bill is going to be very, very high unless we do something dramatic soon."

Shickman thinks that change is going to depend on regulation. "I don't think we can count on this being self-policed by businesses. It hasn't been so far."

A State-Level Battle

In the immediate future, protecting workers from heat stress—when it's so hot that the body can't keep its ideal internal temperature and can suffer heat stroke and exhaustion—is then up to state lawmakers and the businesses themselves.

California, for example, has set a maximum temperature at which outdoor workers can safely do their job, as well as introducing other regulations aimed at protecting employees, like more frequent periods in the shade and water breaks. More action has been taken in this direction in a handful of states including Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, and New York.

But while states like California have succeeded in introducing effective safety regulations, in other states similar attempts have been rebuffed by the opposition of industry groups and lobbyists.

In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott recently approved a law rescinding city and county ordinances requiring mandatory water breaks for construction workers—a move that generated much controversy and backlash from Texas Democrats. Supporters of the bill, on the other hand, said the law will help rein in local and county officials that have exceeded their authority and will give small businesses the consistency they need to invest and grow.

Heat waves cause distortion on the horizon as a pedestrian walks along South Las Vegas Blvd in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 30, 2023, as temperatures reach more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP Via Getty Images

In Nevada, lawmakers for months have put off giving final approval to heat safety regulations adopted by OSHA, as the state's Department of Business and Industry discusses the concerns of industry groups over the new policies, as reported by The Washington Post.

"With our workers outside during extreme heat, requiring basic water and rest breaks is just common sense—and it will save lives," Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, told Newsweek. "As we continue to experience record heat waves, we need to hold employers accountable and protect workers across the country."

The Cost of Change

Investing in making the workplace safer for employees might cost companies more than they're willing to spend, even as they are losing workers' productivity and hours.

"A lot of the generalized skilled work, what we would call lower skilled work, is in warehouses," Lindsey Cameron, an assistant professor of management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, told Newsweek. "Warehouses are big, massive football fields. It costs a lot of money and a lot of infrastructure to try to cool down. And sometimes it's just impossible because you have all these trucks going in and out and people going in and out."

Some businesses have already moved to protect their workers from heat, knowing that the cost of ignoring the issue could eventually be higher than trying to fix it.

A construction worker moves materials as people sit and drink water along the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. Brenden Smialowski/AFP Via Getty Images

Jose Garza, the national environmental health and safety leader at California-headquartered general contractor DPR Construction, told Newsweek that the company—which has over 10,000 employees—has implemented heat safety procedures that go beyond the state-mandated regulation, including introducing cooling stations, handing out electrolyte drinks, and giving more breaks to workers.

"We see it as the cost of taking care of people and the right thing to do," he said. "You can either plan for it or react to it, because if you're not planning for it, those breaks are going to happen when the worker is no longer able to work, when they're sick, when they're well beyond the point where their bodies are unable to cool themselves down."

Garza said that employers who care about their workers should go "above and beyond" available regulation to protect them from heat.

'A Long Time' Coming

Experts agree that change won't come from the businesses—and will likely not come soon unless there's committed political action.

"It's really going to take both state and federal movement on this," DeFreitas said. "And I'm hoping that certainly in states like New York, where there does seem to be more attention to workplace safety, that they can move in the direction of the federal bill that's now stuck in progress."

"I don't think the United States has such a great backbone when it comes to climate issues," said Cameron. "We pulled out of the Paris Agreement [under former President Trump in 2017, but rejoined in 2021 under President Joe Biden]. I think there's going to be a lot more attention given to climate change, but it may take a long time to be able to see those changes."

#Newsweek #Too Hot Climate #America’s 🇺🇸 Next Big Labor Battle #Giulia Carbonaro #Scortching Heat #U.S. South #Texas #Bureau of Labor Statistics #Kathleen Conley #Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) #Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) #Political Divisions #Republicans #Gregory DeFreitas #Study of Labor and Democracy at Hofstra University | New York #Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio (D) #The Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act #Adrienne-Arsht Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center #Department of Homeland Security #Department of Housing and Urban Development #Kurt Shickman #Minnesota | Washington | Oregon | New York #Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) #Nevada #The Washington Post #Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D)

[kp777]

By Giulia Carbonaro

Newsweek

Nov. 10, 2022

Nationwide protests continue in Iran for the 53rd straight day, despite nearly 15,000 Iranians having been arrested in connection to the demonstrations and who are now facing the death penalty.

As thousands continue to rally across Iran's capital city of Tehran, defying a brutal crackdown by Iranian forces, on Tuesday, the country's parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of the death penalty for protesters.

The decision came after recent calls from within the Iranian government to punish protesters in a way that would quell the demonstrations. In a letter signed by 227 out of 290 members of parliament cited by Iran's state-run Press TV on Sunday, lawmakers asked to teach those arrested "a good lesson" so as to deter others from joining them.

"We, the representatives of this nation, ask all state officials, including the judiciary, to treat those, who waged war [against the Islamic establishment] and attacked people's life and property like the Daesh [terrorists], in a way that would serve as a good lesson in the shortest possible time," the letter read.

Lawmakers added that such a punishment – the methods of which were not specified – would "prove to all that life, property, security and honor of our dear people is a red line for this [Islamic] establishment and that it would show no leniency to anybody in this regard."

#iran #protests #death penalty

[christinamac1]

Nuclear Bomb Map Shows Impact if Biden's New Weapon Dropped on Russia

NewsWeek, Nov 03, 2023 By Giulia Carbonaro, US News Reporter  nuclear bomb being developed by the Biden administration could wreak havoc in Moscow, according to a simulation analyzed by Newsweek. The creation of a new U.S. bomb, a variation of the B61 gravity bomb developed in the 1960s during the Cold War, was announced by the Department of Defense (DoD) last week. A news release by…

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[kragnir]

Cool! And, at the same time, the Challengers can plow away any landmines in their path.

[sguardimora]

Chiara Bersani in residenza per “Sottobosco”

19 Marzo 2023 - 29 Marzo 2023 

Inizia oggi la residenza creativa per la ricerca e la composizione del nuovo spettacolo di  Chiara Bersani. Bersani è l’artista selezionata per l’ottavo Tandem di produzione che vede coinvolti come coproduttori Teatro di Sardegna, Cagliari (Italia); Bunker, Ljubljana (Slovenia). La selezione è avvenuta attreverso una call aperta il 29 aprile e chiusa il 27 maggio 2022; la seconda delle due call promosse dal progetto per artisti residenti in Italia.

Sottobosco

[2° inverno di pandemia – inizio campagna vaccinale italiana. A causa di una mancanza di linee guida nazionali sulle categorie prioritarie da vaccinare, le regioni iniziarono a muoversi autonomamente ponendo professionisti/e della giustizia, giornalisti/e, politici/e (…) come prioritari rispetto alle persone fragili e vulnerabili]

No, non c’è alleanza tra i corpi ora. È calato il silenzio nelle ossa, le pieghe delle articolazioni creano grotte cave. Toccarti è sovversivo, fare l’amore è carbonaro e a chiunque mi chieda una parola di conforto io riservo lo sguardo più feroce. No, non c’è alleanza e non c’è conforto. Non posso essere culla accogliente perché mi avete resa selvatica. In biologia è classificata come “vulnerabile” quella specie, animale o vegetale, a rischio di estinzione. Questo tempo mi ha incoronata tale. Sono crollate quelle strutture le cui lunghe dita accarezzavano la mia testa sussurrandomi all’orecchio che ero ben accolta, ben accettata. No, non c’è alleanza, non c’è conforto, ma se ti arrendi mi posso prendere cura di te. Perché le ferite sono un fatto, le fratture sono un evento concreto e noi che non abbiamo nemmeno una priorità vaccinale non ti confortiamo, no, ma ti curiamo se serve. Tu però ti devi adagiare. (Chiara Bersani)

Un gruppo di bambini con disabilità si perde nel bosco. O forse sono stati abbandonati. Forse inseguivano un amore. Forse il bosco, un giorno, gli è semplicemente cresciuto attorno. Cosa potrebbe accadere? Cosa ne sarà dei loro corpi? Cosa dei loro cuori? Delle carrozzine e delle stampelle? Cosa guarderanno i loro occhi? Che lingua parleranno? E chi li trova per caso o desiderio, come deve avvicinarli? Può farlo? Saprà chiedere permesso?

Sottobosco costruisce un ambiente in cui gruppi estemporanei di persone con disabilità si potranno incontrare e diventare comunità. Di questo ambiente, ad oggi, conosciamo solamente la stratificazione. Ci sarà un cielo sopra le nostre teste, inaccessibile e orizzontale, nel quale si muoveranno suoni e luci con la stessa inesorabile andatura dell’universo che si espande. Ci sarà un sottobosco che vivrà sotto quel cielo e sarà abitato dai performer, dal pubblico, da altri suoni e altre luci che vivranno tremanti come i corpi e le piante. Cosa ci sia tra il cielo e il sottobosco ancora non lo sappiamo. La dimensione sonora della performance rimanda al tracciato multiforme e multidimensionale che può percorrere un meridiano, dal polo nord al polo sud. L’evoluzione del suono durante l’opera ospita un movimento iperbolico che attraversa stati, spazi di luce e di oscurità, texture di materie differenti, pulite e nebbiose, vuote, largei o strette. Micro suoni, mondi piccolissimi che abitano queste macroforme, dettagli che costruiscono un ambiente spaziale vivo e in ascolto, in continua trasformazione.

SOTTOBOSCO di Chiara Bersani con Elena Sgarbossa suono e supporto alla drammaturgia Lemmo spazio, luce e direzione tecnica Valeria Foti costumi Ettore Lombardi drammaturgia Giulia Traversi / Chiara Bersani promozione e cura Giulia Traversi childcare Chiara Boitani logistica e organizzazione Eleonora Cavallo comunicazione e ufficio stampa Dalila D’Amico amministrazione Chiara Fava

produzione corpoceleste c.c.00# co-produzione Theaterfestival Boulevard (s-Hertogembosh, Olanda), Centrale Fies (Dro, Italia), Tanzt Im August HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin, BE), Rosendal Teatre (Trondehim, NO) , Le Gymnase CDCN Roubaix – Hauts–de-France (FR), Kunstencentrum VIERNULVIER vzw / Arts Centre VIERNULVIER, Gent (BE), Snaporazverein, Samaden (CH), Stronger Peripheries: a southern coalition, Santarcangelo Festival (Santarcangelo Di Romagna, ITA), Tanzhaus nrw (Düsseldorf, DE). con il sostegno di Skånes Dansteater (Malmo, Svezia), IntercettAzioni – Centro di Residenza Artistica della Lombardia (Milano, Ita), Homonovus Festival (Riga, Lettonia), IntercettAzioni – Centro di Residenza Artistica della Lombardia. spettacolo vincitore di Toscana Terra Accogliente, un progetto di R.A.T. Residenze Artistiche Toscane, in collaborazione con Teatro Metastasio, Fondazione Toscana Spettacolo, Virgilio Sieni Danza, Fabbrica Europa. dal 2020-2024, Chiara Bersani è un’artista supportata da apap – FEMINIST FUTURES, un progetto co-fondato con Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.

Tandem 8 #Connecting Dots

#residenza creativa #sottobosco #chiara bersani #performing arts #tandem 8 #stronger peripheries #connecting dots

[likarotarublogger]

Taormina incorona Krizia Moretti Ragazza per il Cinema: "Sogno di diventare la nuova Sophia Loren"

La romana Krizia Moretti ha vinto l'edizione 2021 di Una Ragazza per il Cinema. La finale del concorso di Antonio Lo Presti e Daniela Eramo si è tenuta al Teatro Antico di Taormina.

Allieva del corso teatrale di Vincenzo Bocciarelli, l'attore protagonista di recente di Senza limite alla Valle dei Templi di Agrigento, Krizia succede alla messinese Alice Carbonaro. Nell'albo d'oro del concorso due ragazze siciliane poi divenute attrici, Giusy Buscemi di Menfi, che vinse nel 2010 e due anni dopo conquistò anche il titolo nazionale di Miss Italia, e Giulia Todaro di Palermo, che si aggiudicò Ragazza per il Cinema nel 2014.

Allieva del corso teatrale di Vincenzo Bocciarelli, l'attore protagonista di recente di Senza limite alla Valle dei Templi di Agrigento, Krizia succede alla messinese Alice Carbonaro.

Nell'albo d'oro del concorso due ragazze siciliane poi divenute attrici, Giusy Buscemi di Menfi, che vinse nel 2010 e due anni dopo conquistò anche il titolo nazionale di Miss Italia, e Giulia Todaro di Palermo, che si aggiudicò Ragazza per il Cinema nel 2014.

Krizia Moretti ha 19 anni, studia Biologia all'Università ed è una sportiva, ha praticato l'atletica leggera, ma anche il pentathlon moderno e il tiro a segno. Due anni fa ha vinto la fase nazionale di The Look of the Year.

Lavora nel mondo della moda da due anni e ha girato qualche spot pubblicitario finito sulle reti Mediaset. «Sono testimonial del farmaco Okitask e a breve lo sarò anche per Imetec Bellissima, la piastra per i capelli».

Primi passi di rilievo davanti a una telecamera per Krizia, che compirà vent'anni il 21 settembre e sogna il cinema. È entrata in contatto con il mondo del grande schermo alla cerimonia di premiazione dei David, sul suo profilo Facebook si vede un video in cui consegna la statuetta a Diego Abatantuono. Ora il titolo di Ragazza per il Cinema potrà spianarle la strada e lei già si pone un traguardo dal sapore vintage: «Riportare al cinema una bellezza che ricordi gli anni Sessanta, grazie ai lineamenti del mio viso e alla mia fisicità». Qualche esempio? «Sophia Loren e Anna Magnani, sono le mie preferite», risponde Krizia Moretti. «Ho grandi obbiettivi - aggiunge senza timore - e sono molto determinata, ma consapevole del lavoro che dovrò fare per raggiungerli».

Grandi ambizioni, ma carattere da brava ragazza. «Amo la semplicità, la purezza e la spontaneità. Mi piace essere sempre me stessa e rimanere umile». Guarda molti film per carpire i segreti del cinema e non ha un genere preferito. «Spazio molto in realtà, però non amo gli horror e i film di azione con troppi effetti speciali, a volte mi sembrano un po’ finti». E Krizia invece ama le storie vere, tangibili, anche se a volte assomigliano un po' alle favole. Come la sua, quella di una ragazza romana che ha imparato a recitare sotto la guida di Bocciarelli e ora a Taormina, ha vinto un titolo che ha già portato su set prestigiosi, oltre che le siciliane Giusy Buscemi e Giulia Todaro, anche la piemontese Alessia Debandi, vincitrice nel 2016 e oggi nel cast del Paradiso delle Signore.

Buona fortuna dalla Sicilia, Krizia, che la favola continui. Anche Sophia Loren del resto è stata la protagonista di un grande film diretto da Francesco Rosi dal titolo C'era una volta, come comincia ogni fiaba che si rispetti. Era il 1967, proprio il decennio che tu ami di più...

Tra le 109 finaliste nazionale '' Una Ragazza Per il Cinema 2021'' a Taormina c'è era anche Giulia Ruggeri da Tivoli, Lazio (finalista del concorso Una Ragazza Per il Cinema Lazio di Massimo Meschino.

Giulia Ruggeri a solo 15 anni è una bravissima studentessa ma il suo sogno è di diventare l'attrice.

Giulia è la madrina dell'evento Ventotene Fashion Week by E&R di Elena Rodica Rotaru la sua amata stilista.

Giulia Ruggeri è il testimone del profumo '' Rotaru Privé'' donna.

Giulia è una indossatrici che sfila per tanti stilisti nazionali e internazionali.

Il concorso Una Ragazza Per il Cinema 2021 a Taormina, per lei è stato veramente una bellissima esperienza nel settore della moda è del cinema, la sua strada continua avendo solo 15 anni.

@unaragazzaperilcinemaufficiale

@likarotarufashion #fashionblogger @elenarodicarotaru-blog

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Young Americans Turn Against Boomers Over Social Security

— December 18, 2023 | Newsweek | By Giulia Carbonaro, US News Reporter

Younger Generations in the U.S., including millennials and Gen Zers, are much more likely to believe that the Social Security system needs reforming than those in their 60s and 70s, according to a recent survey conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies on behalf of Newsweek.

A majority of 63 percent of Americans "strongly agreed" (28 percent) or "agreed" (35 percent) that the Social Security system needs to be reformed, according to the Redfield & Wilton Strategies/Newsweek poll. Only 10 percent "strongly disagreed" (5 percent) or "disagreed" (another 5 percent).

The poll was conducted on December 8 among a sample population of 1,500 eligible voters in the U.S.

Some 40 percent of respondents said they believe that the Social Security program currently pays out more to retirees than it is receiving in Social Security tax payments, while 26 percent disagreed with this statement.

Shoppers walk around Twelve Oaks Mall on November 24, 2023 in Novi, Michigan. A majority of millennials think that the Social Security program is making more payments than it receives taxes, according to an exclusive Newsweek poll. Emily Elconin/Getty Images

Millennials (those aged between 27 and 42), Gen Zers (those aged between 18 and 26), and Gen Xers (those aged between 43 and 58) were more likely than boomers (those older than 59 years old) to think that Social Security should be reformed.

According to the poll, 56 percent of Gen Zers, 76 percent of millennials and 69 percent of Gen Xers believed the system should be reformed, against 50 percent of boomers.

There were also overwhelmingly more millennials (52 percent) thinking that the system isn't getting as many tax payments as it was handing out benefits to retirees than any other generations, including Gen Z (39 percent), Gen X (25 percent) and Boomers (39 percent).

"In general, millennials and plurals—our name for Gen Z—are skeptical that Social Security benefits as robust as those retirees like me currently enjoy will be available to them when they retire," Morley Winograd, author of three books on the millennial generation, told Newsweek.

"They have been told by Republicans in Congress, seconded by deficit hawks in think tanks, that the money will run out before they can claim it," he said. "None of that is true. But, luckily, the younger generation's skepticism of experts and politicians will help prevent the kind of unnecessary tinkering with future, never present, Social Security payments that some older folks advocate."

While boomers are the richest generations on the planet, millennials remain burdened by the debt "many of them incurred by paying excessive and economically unjustified tuition prices when we decided to make them the first generation in American history to have the majority of the burden of paying for higher education fall on them and their parents," Winograd said.

The older generation has on average a net worth 12 times higher than millennials, who are worth an average of $100,000.

What's the State of the Social Security Program?

Social Security is currently facing an uncertain future as it is expected to face a 23 percent across-the-board benefit cut in 2033, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, unless something changes until then. For an average newly retired couple, that means $17,400 less.

Fixing the Social Security system is becoming an increasingly urgent issue, according to Richard Johnson, director of the Program on Retirement Policy at the Urban Institute, a Washington-based think tank, told Newsweek.

"By law, Social Security payments cannot exceed the program's resources. The program now pays out more in benefits than it collects in revenue," the expert said.

While the Social Security's trust fund is currently making up the difference, this trust fund is widely expected to run out by 2034. "When that happens, Social Security will be able to pay less than 80 percent of promised benefits," Johnson said, citing the conclusion reached by several experts.

"Unless policymakers fix Social Security's finances in the next 10 years, millions of retirees and people with disabilities would plunge into poverty."

For Johnson, the solution might involve cutting benefits or increasing taxes—a change that would be unpopular among retirees, but necessary. "Fixing Social Security sooner rather than later would share the pain of any benefit cuts or tax increases among more people, reducing the pain for later generations," Johnson said.

Winograd is a little more positive on the outlook of the program, saying that a resilient U.S. economy could keep Social Security afloat.

"Whether or not Social Security is able to maintain its current levels of payments or not depends on what assumptions you make about the performance of the U.S. economy in the future—an impossible thing to predict with any degree of accuracy," Winograd said.

"But, for instance, if the economy were to grow at the 5.2 percent rate GDP grew in the third quarter of this year, there would be no problem with Social Security benefits in the foreseeable future," he said.

"Of course, this is a difficult rate to sustain, but with disruptors like AI now starting to change the productivity rates of the U.S. economy in ways as profound as the internet and personal computing did in the go-go 1990s, there is no reason to believe that the U.S. economy won't continue to outperform the expectations of most economists, who are still waiting to see if the recession they forecasted for last year and the year before arrives," he added.

"And, besides, if the system does turn out to need more money, it can be quickly and equitably raised by simply removing the income cap on paying Social Security taxes, which is one of the more egregious regressive elements of our current tax laws and very unpopular with young voters now flooding the electorate."

— Generation Names

1– The Greatest Generation: Born: 1901 — 1927. ...

2– The Silent Generation: Born: 1928 — 1945. ...

3– The Baby Boomer Generation: Born: 1946 — 1964. ...

4– Generation X: Born: 1965 — 1980. ...

5– Millennials Born: 1981 — 1996. ...

6– Generation Z: Born: 1996 — 2012. ...

7– Gen Alpha: Born 2013 — 2025.