For people who have for been putting their hard-earned money into the system for years, the president's idea would replace their safety net with a risky gamble with no assurance of a stable return of investment.

Because of their low earnings and family obligations, Latinas would not be putting much money into private investment accounts. An average Latina could wind up losing thousands of dollars under this proposal.

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

The president's claim that Social Security is going broke is misleading at best. The sky is not falling, although there is no doubt that the system needs to be strengthened.

A Congressional Budget Office report released as recent as June 2004 says the system will be able to pay full benefits until 2052, and 80 percent after that.

There is a need for Social Security reform to ensure its stability, and Congress must act.

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