Greg Ganske: “My constituents back in Iowa tell me that as we look at the surplus, the number 1 thing that they want us to do with it…”

“My constituents back in Iowa tell me that as we look at the surplus, the number 1 thing that they want us to do with it right now is to pay down the debt, number one; number 2, to secure Medicare and Social Security; and number 3, in the context of the surplus, to do some tax relief. And I am just suggesting tonight that there might be a solution between the Republicans and the Democrats that could come about on Social Security, too, where we focus on trying to increase the net worth of every American by letting them keep a little bit of that payroll tax, making up the difference from the surplus, as part of a tax cut, or focused on a payroll tax cut. This, I think, gets around a lot of the debate that we have seen on where do you put that tax cut, and how the numbers exactly would work out neither the gentlewoman nor I have that data right now, because there are lots of variables that the Congressional Budget Office and others would have to look at in terms of projections for economic growth, and exactly what the dollars would be coming into the Social Security trust fund or not be there if you had that 2 percent reduction. I am just saying that I think that Republicans and Democrats on both sides of the aisle that have some shared goals, and the number one shared goal I think is Social Security solvency; number 2, maintaining the safety net for those elderly women; number 3, helping every American become richer.”