Mike Conaway: “Well, I spent 30-plus years as a CPA working for a variety of clients and situations, and it has been my experience with…”

“Well, I spent 30-plus years as a CPA working for a variety of clients and situations, and it has been my experience with those clients that, as Congress has reduced taxes, as tax bills have gone down, that most employers use that money to invest in new employees and invest in new equipment, in new process, to expand their businesses, and as the gentleman pointed out, when taxes go up, somebody loses a job. I would also like to point out one other thing while we are talking about Social Security and, that is, current beneficiaries and near-term beneficiaries. Every chance I have gotten, every chance I hear of anyone talking about a plan, it includes a clear, unequivocal statement that if you are on Social Security benefits, if you are a near-term beneficiary, those benefits will continue; you will continue to get your checks. So whatever it is, whatever solutions we come up with, I will be able to look at my mom and dad, who are current beneficiaries, and tell them that on the 3rd of every month, that direct deposit is going to hit the bank, just like it did last month and the month before that. You will not, Mom and Dad, be able to outlive your Social Security benefits because, in my mind, Social Security is a contract with ourselves. We are not going to breach Social Security. It is a public policy issue that I think has served this country well for 75 years.…”