I have been both puzzled and disappointed by the Kamala Harris campaign’s failure to put strengthening Social Security at the center of its message. This is an issue that transcends race and region, and appeals to a large majority of voters.

Currently, about half of all American seniors rely upon Social Security for most of their retirement income. Ever since its beginning during the New Deal, Social Security has been the most successful anti-poverty program in our history. Yet as wages for 90% of American workers have stagnated in recent decades, the incomes of the top 10% have soared. In 1983, the last time we had a major reset of the program, about 90% of the nation’s income was subject to Social Security taxes; today that figure is about 80%, a reflection of growing income inequality.

The easiest and fairest way to strengthen Social Security is to raise or eliminate the cap (currently set at $168,600) on income taxed for the program. It’s hard to understand why Democrats have not been out front on this winning issue. While conservatives call for raising the retirement age and cutting benefits, the Harris campaign should insist that Social Security faces a political crisis, not an economic one. Emphasizing this issue in the last days of the campaign could well put her over the top.

Daniel Czitrom

South Hadley