Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 18, 1990 TAG: 9005180839
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A/1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
"The employees of Social Security care about their jobs and care about the quality of their work," King told the Special Senate Committee on Aging. "My goal is to build upon their record of success and raise [the agency's] level of service to even greater heights."
King said she welcomes constructive criticism but vowed to "avoid having our course disrupted by criticism that serves no constructive purpose."
She was more blunt in an interview just one day earlier, when she lashed out at congressional critics for a steady stream of criticism that she said has been counterproductive in some cases.
"Talk is easy," she said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press. "It's harder to make a difference."
King said she found it "particularly galling" that congressional critics have been soliciting horror stories from Social Security caseworkers.
"You have to look at the big picture and not focus on all the anecdotes that you can muster," she said in the interview. "Social Security is, across the board, serving people, answering telephones, handling problems and it's amazing to me how well they're doing."
The agency, whose staff was slashed by 20 percent during the Reagan administration, has been faulted for declining service, providing inaccurate information and frequent busy signals on its toll-free telephone network.
King, who took over the agency in August, said her frustration was not aimed solely at Congress. She alluded to negative media coverage of the agency and cited disgruntled employees who come in "with gripes and criticism that may have been relevant a year ago."
"From every sector you will find people zeroing in on a microcosm of problems, anecdotal in nature and certainly needing fixing," King said. "While we care about every single person . . . I do have to keep the big picture in mind."
King said she welcomes constructive criticism. But she expressed concern that unfair reports could undermine public confidence in Social Security.
"You're going to get people frightened and concerned about whether the system is going to be there to serve them," she said. "The impression left of a stumbling, inept agency down on its knees is one that really does translate into a real problem."
by CNB