Tom Coburn: “What we can do is we can save 100 percent of the money and start working on a program that allows some flexibility in…”

“What we can do is we can save 100 percent of the money and start working on a program that allows some flexibility in the options for the younger generation. We can do that by never threatening and never putting at risk any seniors' Social Security or any near seniors' Social Security. So we can meet the obligations that we have. We can devise a plan where we can work our way out of the Social Security quagmire that we have. I want to make one other point before I go to option two. Why are we in the problem we are in? It is not all just demographics. This body has the habit of doing things that are politically pleasing but not asking people to pay for them. So we vote increased benefits and programs but say it is not ever going to cost. What that is, it is a half truth. A half truth, my daddy always told me, was a whole lie, because all these increased benefits are going to be paid for by my grandchildren and my colleagues' grandchildren. All these benefits that have been passed and increased without accounting for a way to pay for them was an untruthful thing to do to the next two generations. It got a lot of people reelected because reelection was more important than being truthful with the American public. That is what this debate is all about, absolutely making sure they understand where we are on Social Security. Second option, we can repay the money taken from the Trust Fund, and we can raise everybody's income taxes.”