Burgess Owens: “I salute the gentlewoman's sense of urgency. I think the message is quite urgent and my appeal is that we stop the…”

“I salute the gentlewoman's sense of urgency. I think the message is quite urgent and my appeal is that we stop the business as usual approach in life and death matters. Gun control certainly is a life and death matter far more immediate than school construction. In the long run we are talking about life and death of children, life and death of our society. I think the President started at the right place when he talked about Social Security and the concern of people and what happens to our Social Security. But I think we also understand that, and I am not one of those who thinks our Social Security is endangered, that we are facing the possible bankruptcy in 30 years, I think that is all propaganda, but the President certainly, by making Social Security the highest priority with the utilization of the surplus, has challenged those people and we can finally deal with it. If we really need the money, then the surplus should be directed in that direction. But Social Security is threatened if we do not have a work force, a work force that can keep our economy going.”