Byron Dorgan: “I would join the Vice President in saying that it is not good public policy for our country to give up on the important…”

“I would join the Vice President in saying that it is not good public policy for our country to give up on the important task of reforming Social Security. The Social Security program has been a critically important program for our country. It has made life so much better for so many older Americans for so long. The problems of our Social Security system are born of success--not failure. The success is that people are living longer and better lives in our country. At the start of this century, you were expected, on average, to live to be 48 years old. Now, at the end of the century, you are expected to live on average to about 78 years of age--a 30-year increase in life expectancy. For a lot of reasons--better nutrition, breathtaking breakthroughs in medical science, better medical facilities--a whole series of things contribute to the success. But the result of the success is that people are living longer, and that puts strains on the Social Security system.”