Political Quotes

“Social security, as we see on this chart, now is the largest expenditure of the Federal Government. It uses 20 percent of all Federal Government funds. Medicare is 11 percent, but within the next 35 years Medicare, the way it is growing, will actually grow faster and be a larger percentage of the budget than social security. Over the last 6 years I have introduced three social security bills, each one scored by the social security actuaries, to keep social security solvent for the next 75 years. I am very concerned what is happening in this presidential campaign. The Wall Street Journal reports that the chairman of the Democrat House campaign committee has sent a memo urging Democrat candidates to bash and criticize Governor Bush for proposing social security reforms. These election year tactics I think are very dangerous because it will discourage fact-centered dialogue about what the real problem is: How we are going to keep social security solvent to pay benefits for future retirees. Instead, they use fear-based rhetoric to reduce this important issue to demagoguery for political gain. I think American workers deserve better. Many will have payroll taxes taken from their paychecks for 40, maybe even up to 50 years. When it is time for them to retire, the promises made by candidates who demagogued during the 2000 elections will not produce the money to pay benefits at the levels that current retirees receive. Only real reform is going to do that.”