Brad Carson: “I rise today, along with several of my colleagues, to discuss the most pressing domestic issue of our time, that of…”

“I rise today, along with several of my colleagues, to discuss the most pressing domestic issue of our time, that of Social Security. Our Nation faces incredible challenges; this we all know as we stand united in a war on terrorism. This afternoon I stand before this House to talk about one of the most pressing domestic issues of our time, an issue that cannot be ignored even as we fight a war abroad, and that is Social Security. Around the world as populations of developed countries grow older, the cost of paying for pension and health benefits rise. In the United States, more than 44 million people collect benefits from our Social Security system. Social Security represents one of the most important and depended-upon programs in this Nation's history. Social Security is a great American success story, having reduced the percentage of poverty among our Nation's retirees from over 50 percent to 11 percent since the program's inception in 1935.”