Connie Mack: “I think it is a vital one. It is truly a debate about whether we are committed to the belief that the era of big…”

“I think it is a vital one. It is truly a debate about whether we are committed to the belief that the era of big Government is over. The reason there is such a debate about this issue is because it really is fundamental to that. I make the claim that probably the most significant way to protect Social Security is, in fact, to pass a balanced budget constitutional amendment. My feeling is that, in fact, it is a risky gimmick, I think, to be taking Social Security off budget. For that matter, I think it is to be proposing that a whole series of programs be taken off budget. We need to address the balanced budget constitutional amendment from the standpoint of all the expenditures, all the income and all the expenditures of the Federal Government, not separating them off into different accounts and considering only one group of expenditures at a time. Again, I think it is a risky gimmick to take Social Security off budget.”