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December 13, 2007 04:30 pm
Social Security: Where the candidates stand
CNHI News Service
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Joe Biden (D)
"A bipartisan effort is needed to keep Social Security solvent. Raising the income cap on what people pay Social Security on is the best option.''
Hillary Clinton (D)
“As president, I will honor Social Security’s sacred promise to our seniors by first restoring fiscal discipline and then addressing its long-term challenges in a bipartisan fashion.”
Chris Dodd (D)
"I will ensure that Social Security is strong for generations to come | not through privatization, but by getting our fiscal house in order."
John Edwards (D)
"I will protect Social Security, not privatize it, and extend its life so every American can retire with dignity."
Rudy Giuliani (R)
"I recognize the importance of a bipartisan solution to modernizing Social Security that preserves benefits and provides long-term solvency, without raising taxes.''
Mike Gravel (D)
"I want to put real money, rather than borrowed money, in the Social Security Trust Fund, investing it properly and identifying the interests of individual beneficiaries so they can leave their surplus funds to their heirs."
Mike Huckabee (R)
"I support the option of personal accounts and also buying annuities with the money in Social Security accounts."
Duncan Hunter (R)
Did not respond.
Dennis Kucinich (D)
"I would begin by returning the top 1 percent of taxpayers to the tax rates of the 1990s, and keeping the estate tax for those leaving $3 million or more.''
John McCain (R)
"I believe addressing Social Security's financial problems can be done without raising taxes, and I will work to do so.''
Barack Obama (D)
"I will preserve Social Security, forge a bipartisan Social Security coalition, prevent privatization, and be honest about possible solutions.''
Ron Paul (R)
"To fix Social Security, the $1 trillion being spent overseas should be used instead to soften the landing of an obviously broken retirement program.''
Bill Richardson (D)
“Cutting benefits and privatization would be off my table. I will keep the promise of Social Security by unleashing the potential of the American economy.”
Mitt Romney (R)
"I prefer personal accounts, and I'm willing to consider indexing Social Security payments for higher income individuals to the consumer price index, rather than the wage index.''
Tom Tancredo (R)
"Younger workers must be empowered to invest some of their payroll taxes into private accounts so we can move away from the unsustainable approach of Social Security.''
Fred Thompson (R)
"The indexing of benefits, from wages to prices, is one way to avoid future generational warfare, where we have to fight over higher taxes or benefit cuts.''
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