Lateefah Simon: “Yes, Mr. President, I thank my colleague for yielding. If I may, this will sound like a politician talking when I say I…”

“Yes, Mr. President, I thank my colleague for yielding. If I may, this will sound like a politician talking when I say I think Senator Conrad and Charles Krauthammer each has a very valid point. The point that Senator Conrad makes that we should be balancing the budget without using the Social Security trust fund to do so I think is a very valid point, and it is a point that he and his colleague, Senator Dorgan, have made very forcefully. The point Mr. Krauthammer makes is that the great threat to Social Security is debt, because we are headed toward monetizing our debt and devaluing our dollar. We are headed down the Mexican route right now. The only way I see of stopping that is the balanced budget amendment. So, what I favor is passing that balanced budget amendment. I hope, somehow, we can get some statutory modifications that can satisfy some who, like Senator Conrad, are very genuinely sincerely concerned about the Social Security trust funds and protecting them. His point is valid. The Krauthammer point, that the real threat to Social Security is debt, is also a very valid point.”