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Addressing the Issues: Social Security Save Email Print

(Information courtesy of OnTheIssues.org)

Joe Biden on Social Security

    * Raise the $97,500 cap, but don't raise retirement age. (Sep 2007)
    * Prevent senior fraud by educating seniors about caution. (Nov 2002)
    * Voted NO on Social Security Lockbox & limiting national debt. (Apr 1999)
    * Voted YES on allowing Roth IRAs for retirees. (May 1998)
    * Voted NO on allowing personal retirement accounts. (Apr 1998)
    * Voted YES on deducting Social Security payments on income taxes. (May 1996)
    * Rated 89% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)

Sam Brownback on Social Security

    * Supports personal Social Security accounts. (Feb 2007)
    * Voted to stop the raid on the Social Security Trust Fund. (Feb 2007)
    * Voted YES on establishing reserve funds & pre-funding for Social Security. (Mar 2007)
    * Voted YES on Social Security Lockbox & limiting national debt. (Apr 1999)
    * Voted YES on allowing Roth IRAs for retirees. (May 1998)
    * Voted YES on allowing personal retirement accounts. (Apr 1998)
    * Rated 0% by the ARA, indicating an anti-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)

Hillary Clinton on Social Security

    * Have a bipartisan commission on Social Security and its tax. (Oct 2007)
    * $1000 matching tax credit for first $1000 in 401(k) deposit. (Oct 2007)
    * Solvent until 2055 under Bill Clinton; now has lost 14 years. (Sep 2007)
    * Nothing else on table until fiscal responsibility returns. (Sep 2007)
    * Make sure nobody ever tries to privatize Social Security. (Aug 2007)
    * Soc.Sec. one of greatest inventions in American democracy. (Oct 2006)
    * Social Security protects families, not just retirees. (Feb 1999)
    * All should join the debate now to preserve future solvency. (Feb 1999)
    * Voted NO on establishing reserve funds & pre-funding for Social Security. (Mar 2007)
    * Rated 100% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)

Chris Dodd on Social Security

    * Achieve solvency but don't go so far as to raise the cap. (Sep 2007)
    * Readjust the Social Security tax including raising the cap. (Sep 2007)
    * No privatization; but raise earning cap over $97,000. (Jul 2007)
    * Voted NO on establishing reserve funds & pre-funding for Social Security. (Mar 2007)
    * Voted NO on Social Security Lockbox & limiting national debt. (Apr 1999)
    * Voted NO on allowing Roth IRAs for retirees. (May 1998)
    * Voted NO on allowing personal retirement accounts. (Apr 1998)
    * Voted NO on deducting Social Security payments on income taxes. (May 1996)
    * Rated 90% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)

John Edwards on Social Security

    * Raise cap with "protective zone" from $97K to $200K. (Sep 2007)
    * We can't grow our way out of Social Security crisis. (Sep 2007)
    * Social Security has lifted 13M seniors out of poverty. (Apr 2007)
    * Maybe raise the cap from $90,000, or eliminate the cap. (Feb 2007)
    * We have social contract to not raise retirement age. (Feb 2007)
    * Don't divert payroll taxes to private accounts. (Mar 2004)
    * Keep stock market out of Social Security. (Sep 2003)
    * Federal match for every dollar put into savings. (Sep 2003)
    * Voted NO on using the Social Security Surplus to fund tax reductions. (Jul 1999)
    * Voted NO on Social Security Lockbox & limiting national debt. (Apr 1999)
    * Rated 100% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)

Rudy Giuliani on Social Security

    * Supports adding private accounts for Social Security. (Oct 2007)
    * Get a consensus behind private accounts. (Oct 2007)
    * FactCheck: Hillary never proposed giving $1000 to everybody. (Oct 2007)
    * Trust me on Social Security reform, but no details yet. (Aug 2007)

Mike Gravel on Social Security

    * Put real money in the Trust Fund & invest it properly. (Dec 2006)
    * Let beneficiaries leave surplus funds to heirs. (Apr 2006)

Mike Huckabee on Social Security

    * Personalization of retirement funds, not privatization. (Oct 2007)
    * Personal retirement accounts allow investing in one's future. (Sep 2007)
    * Replace payroll tax & fund Social Security with FairTax. (Sep 2007)
    * Maintain long-term solvency of Social Security and Medicare. (Aug 2001)
    * Maintain federal funding of Social Services Block Grants. (Sep 1999)

Duncan Hunter on Social Security

    * Address entitlement programs with trade policy. (Oct 2007)
    * Personal retirement accounts allow investing in one's future. (Sep 2007)
    * Voted YES on raising 401(k) limits & making pension plans more portable. (May 2001)
    * Voted YES on reducing tax payments on Social Security benefits. (Jul 2000)
    * Voted NO on strengthening the Social Security Lockbox. (May 1999)
    * Rated 11% by the ARA, indicating an anti-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)
    * Reduce taxes on Social Security earnings. (Sep 1994)

Dennis Kucinich on Social Security

    * Raise the cap to protect Social Security. (Sep 2007)
    * Strengthen protections for private pensions. (Sep 2007)
    * Privatization is off the table-I'll block it. (Sep 2003)
    * Return retirement age to 65-we're solid thru 2041. (Sep 2003)
    * Restore retirement age to 65. (Aug 2003)
    * Safe retirement is part of American Dream. (Aug 2003)
    * Double standard between employers & employees must end. (Aug 2003)
    * Stop privatization and return retirement age to 65. (May 2003)
    * Voted NO on raising 401(k) limits & making pension plans more portable. (May 2001)
    * Voted YES on reducing tax payments on Social Security benefits. (Jul 2000)
    * Voted YES on strengthening the Social Security Lockbox. (May 1999)
    * Rated 100% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)

John McCain on Social Security

    * We need personal savings accounts. (Oct 2007)
    * Willing to compromise on raising cap above $90K. (May 2007)
    * Save benefits by bipartisan agreement; but without new tax. (Apr 2007)
    * Trust Fund is a ticking time bomb, set to go off in 2014. (Jan 2000)
    * More believe in Elvis than in getting Social Security check. (Jan 2000)
    * Option to invest 20% of payroll taxes in private accounts. (Jan 2000)
    * Every dollar off-budget - no ifs, ands, or excuses. (Sep 1999)
    * Disallow using Trust Fund for “emergency” spending. (Jun 1999)
    * Allow workers to invest privately. (Jun 1999)
    * Earnings test penalizes productivity in retirees. (Jun 1999)
    * Eliminate the “earnings test” which taxes benefits. (May 1999)
    * Lock up Trust Fund; devote 62% of budget surplus to it. (May 1999)
    * Put surplus into Trust Fund; fulfill promised benefits. (Jul 1998)
    * Voted YES on using the Social Security Surplus to fund tax reductions. (Jul 1999)
    * Voted YES on Social Security Lockbox & limiting national debt. (Apr 1999)
    * Voted YES on allowing Roth IRAs for retirees. (May 1998)
    * Voted YES on allowing personal retirement accounts. (Apr 1998)
    * Voted YES on deducting Social Security payments on income taxes. (May 1996)
    * Rated 40% by the ARA, indicating a mixed record on senior issues. (Dec 2003)
    * Supports individual savings accounts and work incentives. (Sep 1998)

Barack Obama on Social Security

    * The wealthy should pay a bit more on the payroll tax. (Oct 2007)
    * Privatization puts retirement at whim of stock market. (Sep 2007)
    * Stop any efforts to privatize Social Security. (Aug 2007)
    * No privatization; but consider earning cap over $97,500. (Jul 2007)
    * Stock market risk is ok, but not for Social Security. (Oct 2006)
    * $2000 tax credit for Working Families Savings Accounts. (Jul 2004)
    * Voted NO on establishing reserve funds & pre-funding for Social Security. (Mar 2007)

Ron Paul on Social Security

    * Allow young people to get out of the system. (Oct 2007)
    * Personal retirement accounts allow investing in one's future. (Sep 2007)
    * Federal government won't keep its entitlement promises. (Mar 2007)
    * Voted YES on raising 401(k) limits & making pension plans more portable. (May 2001)
    * Voted YES on reducing tax payments on Social Security benefits. (Jul 2000)
    * Voted NO on strengthening the Social Security Lockbox. (May 1999)
    * Rated 30% by the ARA, indicating an anti-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)

Bill Richardson on Social Security

    * Don't raise the cap; it's a 15% tax on middle class. (Sep 2007)
    * Stop talking about privatization; stop raiding trust fund. (Jul 2007)
    * Focus budget reform like Soc. Sec., avoiding future burden. (Nov 2005)

Mitt Romney on Social Security

    * Favors private accounts; prepared to be entirely bold. (Oct 2007)
    * Private accounts work better than extending retirement age. (Oct 2007)
    * Reform entitlements by negotiating behind closed doors. (Aug 2006)
    * Honor expectations of recipients, but take action for future. (Aug 2006)

Tom Tancredo on Social Security

    * Give people the ability to control their own money. (Oct 2007)
    * Private Social Security accounts needed to end deficit. (Oct 2007)
    * Personal retirement accounts allow investing in one's future. (Sep 2007)
    * There is no question that the system is broken. (Sep 2007)
    * Voted YES on raising 401(k) limits & making pension plans more portable. (May 2001)
    * Voted YES on reducing tax payments on Social Security benefits. (Jul 2000)
    * Voted NO on strengthening the Social Security Lockbox. (May 1999)
    * Rated 30% by the ARA, indicating an anti-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)

Fred Thompson on Social Security

    * Present mandatory spending cycle is unsustainable. (Oct 2007)
    * Benefits ok in short-term, but we're eating our seed corn. (Oct 2007)
    * Index benefits to inflation instead of indexing to wages. (Oct 2007)
    * FactCheck: Yes, inflation-index pushes imbalance years away. (Oct 2007)
    * Deficit financing is unsustainable; it's the future's money. (Sep 2007)
    * Obligations will sap revenues; can't pass that to kids. (Aug 2007)
    * Social Security & Medicare are generational wealth transfers. (Jun 2007)
    * Voted YES on Social Security Lockbox & limiting national debt. (Apr 1999)
    * Voted YES on allowing Roth IRAs for retirees. (May 1998)
    * Voted YES on allowing personal retirement accounts. (Apr 1998)
    * Voted YES on deducting Social Security payments on income taxes. (May 1996) 
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