The Social Security Administration started in the 1930s as a result of the Great Depression although few people are familiar with that history. The agency's purpose then, as now, is to help provide the nation's citizens with economic security during rough times. Although the commissioner of the Social Security Administration and many of its employees work at the administration headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, the SSA has more than 1,300 offices nationwide.

Contact with the agency begins at birth. Hospitals within the United States now require parents to request a social security number for newborns before leaving the hospital. People use the social security number to identify themselves throughout life to track employment, show credit history, and perform other basic functions.

This number is an identifier that helps keep track of a person from birth until death, but it is not all that the Social Security Administration handles. Many people refer to this number as a "national identification card," but Americans are not required to carry it with them at all times as would be the case with ID cards. In fact, guarding one's social security number has been an oft-discussed issue with its connection to identity theft.

According to the historical origins of the SSA, the administration should provide a supplemental retirement income for retirees, which it does. The problem right now is that the money employees must pay into the system throughout their lives is not earmarked for them. That means that the Baby Boomers, which far outnumber their children, could drain the system. Another issue is that the Social Security Administration now provides benefits to people who are disabled as well as providing Medicare, or insurance, coverage to the elderly.

This assistance provides economic benefits to people who are disabled whether through birth or accident. It provides a monthly stipend to help cover living expenses for people who cannot afford it on their own. The minor children of the deceased also receive financial assistance through their eighteenth birthday.

The problem in essence is not that the Social Security Administration provides this assistance to people who need it. The concern is over how the administration is funded. There is little doubt from the discussions among politicians that the SSA and its funding are approaching a breaking point, and that as the population ages, administration will continue to be a hot-button political topic.