Today's Social Security program has its roots in theGreat Depression of the 1930s. With 22 millionunemployed, many Americans lived in poverty, andmany elderly workers lost all their pension fundswhen their companies went bankrupt.

如今的社会保障计划在20世纪30年代的经济大萧条时期就有其历史根源。在大萧条时期有两千两百万人失业，许多美国人在贫困线上挣扎。各类公司纷纷倒闭，致使许多老年人失去了所有的养老基金。

As part of the government's response, known as the "New Deal," President Franklin Rooseveltcreated an advisory panel to make recommendations to Congress for a program to protectworkers from losing their pensions or retirement savings.

作为政府的应对措施，即“新政”的一部分，富兰克林·总统设立了顾问小组，专门为国会提供建议，以保护工人的养老基金和退休金不受损失。

In January of 1935, Congress began its consideration of the Social Security Act. Not everyonethought it was a good idea. There was a lot of opposition expressed during the congressionaldebates and in the opinion pages of the nation's newspapers.

1935年1月，国会开始考虑成立社会保障法。这一法案并没有得到每个人的支持。国会就这一问题进行了激辩，美国各大报纸的舆论页面也出现许多反对声。

Supporters praised it as a form of social responsibility, while others found it "dangerous andunconstitutional," imposing too much government in the private economic sector. Yetproponents carried the day, and the House and Senate passed the Social Security Act.Expanded by Congress over the years, Social Security has had a major impact on the lives ofolder Americans.

支持者赞美这项法案体现了一种社会责任，然而反对者则称这是“危险的、违反宪法的”，称其在私企强加了过多的政府干涉。然而支持者占优势，众议院和参议院通过了这条法案。许多年来，社会保障体系对老年美国人的生活产生了重大影响。

Without it, almost half of all Americans over 65 would be living in poverty. Often consideredone of government's greatest achievements, it is also the single most costly federal program;and the system's continued financial viability is currently a major issue of national concern.

如果没有这项法案，近一半的65岁以上的老人将会生活在贫困中。社会保障常被视为政府最伟大的成就，但它也是联邦各项计划中最昂贵的一项。目前社会保障体系的财务可行性将成为一个国民主要关注的问题。