Anniversaries -- for institutions from marriages to businesses to states and nations -- are appropriate times to celebrate accomplishments and cherish memories, to plan and look forward to the future. Today marks the 70th anniversary of the creation of Social Security, one of the great successes of 20th-century American government, and there's never been a more important time to plan for a future that builds on the program's history of success so that it will be there for our children and grandchildren.

This milestone for Social Security will take place during the congressional August work period, while members of Congress are in their home districts. It's a date they should mark with their constituents, because Social Security is a program that impacts every single American.

When members of Congress go back to Washington, D.C., in September, they will return to a full plate of important issues, from the Supreme Court nomination to the war on violent extremism.

But these immediate issues are only part of the job; a government that does not also plan for the future of its citizens is not a responsible one. The president has made protecting and preserving the promise of Social Security a high priority. Reforming Social Security for our children and grandchildren must stay at the top of the 2005 legislative agenda. Their future is simply too important to let partisan politics stand in the way.

On this 70th anniversary, we should first look back: Since President Franklin D. Roosevelt founded the program in 1935, Social Security has reduced poverty among the elderly and provided retirement security to millions of American families. This is a proud legacy.

But most importantly, we must look forward. Today, President Bush has called on Congress to strengthen and modernize the program. In its current form, the program cannot deliver on its promises to younger generations. Since current retirees' benefits are paid by those who are still working (a "pay-as-you-go" system), our demographics can make or break the Social Security budget. For many decades, demographics underpinning the system were sustainable with many more people paying into the Social Security fund for every retiree. Today, as people live longer (drawing more benefits than ever before) and have fewer children (fewer workers to pay into the system), the program faces a precarious financial future.

Perhaps worst of all, extra dollars that are collected by Social Security while it has been solvent -- the Social Security "surplus" that you've heard about -- are spent on other government programs, not saved for future beneficiaries of Social Security!

The government can protect those surplus dollars, and make smart changes to the program that will give Social Security a future that lives up to its name: secure.

Allowing workers to put some of their Social Security taxes into personal accounts would be the ultimate "lock box" for that money. It would have his or her name on it; the government would no longer be able to take that money and spend it on other programs.

These optional personal accounts would give working Americans the opportunity to build a secure nest egg of retirement savings that they own. For millions of Americans who never before had the opportunity to save or invest, this would be a great financial milestone on the road to a secure retirement. Personal accounts would mean that our children and grandchildren would have ownership and control over their hard-earned retirement dollars -- a luxury that we simply don't have under the current Social Security system.

Another proposed change to the program that the president has embraced, called progressive benefit growth, would address Social Security's budget and solvency problems. It would allow all future retirees to receive larger benefit checks than similar retirees receive today, even after inflation. However, these benefits would grow at a rate that won't break the Social Security budget. Lower- and middle-income workers would receive the largest growth in benefits, while those earning the most would see their benefits grow more slowly. This would go a long way toward solving Social Security's funding problem and closing the hole in the safety net.

Every anniversary merits its own special tribute. As we the people mark our 70-year relationship with Social Security, let's make sure we raise our glass to a stronger future as we appreciate a historic past. Our children and grandchildren deserve a modernized system; Congress should give it to them as an anniversary gift.