Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the body to discuss the Nation's number one antipoverty program for the elderly and the Nation's number one antipoverty program for children. That is Social Security. Mr. Speaker, I know you know this, but can you imagine that Congress hasn't made an adjustment to Social Security in more than 53 years? Richard Nixon was President of the United States the last time that Congress enhanced benefits for the country. Imagine that, Mr. Speaker, as 10,000 baby boomers a day become eligible for Social Security. The fund is about to be cut by 20 percent in two ways. If Congress does nothing, by 2034, according to the latest report, it will be cut 20 percent. Basically, the Nation's number one antipoverty program for the elderly will be cut by 20 percent if Congress does nothing, and it hasn't done anything in more than 50 years. There are some proposals, including Social Security 2100, that would extend and pay for this. There are others, like the Republican Study Committee, that say what they want to do is raise the age. The idea is that people are living longer. Well, that is true. That is a good thing. If people are living longer, they should be working longer and should be getting less. I don't know how that makes sense, that if you are living longer, when you retire, you should be receiving less. As you know, Mr. Speaker, for every year you raise the age, that is a 7 percent cut in benefits. Raising the age to 70 is a 21 percent cut.…”