Doug Hart

Doug Hart is an active retiree in Tempe, Arizona and President of the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans.  Doug is an activist and a fighter and knows how much Social Security and Medicare mean to the livelihoods of hardworking Americans.

Like many people, Doug faced adversity in his life.  After his father died in World War II, Doug’s mother went to work cleaning houses, waiting tables, and finding any work that she could to put food on the table.  His father’s social security benefits are largely what kept the family afloat and allowed Doug to work hard and finish his schooling.

Doug later went to work as an Iowa State Employee and was a proud member of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).  Doug became an organizer for AFSCME and then SEIU.  He is proud of the work that he has done to keep the middle class strong but is worried about the livelihoods of working people in the current economy.

“Programs like Social Security and Medicare make it possible to pay the rent for so many retirees.”  Says Doug,  “It’s not much, but for so many people it is the difference between survival and poverty.” 

Doug’s mother is still alive and lives solely off of her Social Security benefits.  “She has been on this earth a long time and worked hard her entire life,” Doug reflects.  “If not for the Social Security check and Medicare benefits, she would live in poverty and not be able to even afford groceries. “

Doug worries about the future and the possibility of privatizing Social Security or Medicare.  “It’s hard enough to just meet the basics on a fixed income, but so many of us rely on that check every month.  If we privatize Social Security, the people who are just getting by, won’t be able to survive," says Doug.  “We can do better in America.”