David Thomas: “I will continue discussing the issue before the Senate, Social Security, which in the last several weeks has been talked…”

“I will continue discussing the issue before the Senate, Social Security, which in the last several weeks has been talked about in Washington, DC, and throughout the country. Reactions have been interesting--many without much information about the alternatives, the needs. I suspect the most important thing we can do is to talk about the situation as it exists, the situation as it will exist if we do nothing, what the options are and what the impacts will be. It has become, right or wrong, the principal issue. I don't think anything will happen too quickly because there needs to be time taken to explore the issue, to get people to understand the issues. Everyone is meeting at home with their constituents. I met last weekend in Cheyenne, WY, with the AARP and exchanged some ideas. We have to continue that. In my view, the President has properly brought forth the issue. He has indicated, if we do not do something now it will be even more difficult to do it in the future years. I don't think anyone argues the idea that our prime purpose is to maintain Social Security so it fulfills what has been laid out for people in the future, so it does not affect those in retirement on Social Security or affect those closer to that age. It is naive to imagine a program put into place in the 1930s will go on for another 100 years without having some changes.”