Deborah Koff Ross: “I believe H.R. 2 is a good start, but I also do not believe that it goes far enough. I believe we all agree on the need…”

“I believe H.R. 2 is a good start, but I also do not believe that it goes far enough. I believe we all agree on the need for a lockbox for Social Security and Medicare. This bill has too many loopholes, too many keys, if you will, that can open the lockbox. There is a lot of talk these days about surpluses, a lot of talk these days about the need for tax cuts. I support a tax cut for working families. There is not much talk, unfortunately, these days, about the debt, some $5 trillion. When we talk about the surplus, let us not take Social Security and Medicare into account. Let us take it off the table. Yesterday I was in southeast Arkansas, the Delta region, one of the poorest regions in the country. People young and old were telling me that they want the politicians to keep their hands off of Social Security and Medicare. This is a personal issue with me. You see, my grandfather died when I was a year old. My grandmother first learned how to drive a car, she got her GED, and then she went to nursing school. She is 89 now. She is blind, and she lives from Social Security check to Social Security check. That is why I, along with the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore), have offered an alternative, a meaningful lockbox initiative that protects both the Social Security and Medicare surpluses. It is H.R. 560. It has no loopholes; it has no keys to unlock the box.”