Quotable Quotes -- Reform Opponents

[Reform Advocates]  [Reform Opponents]

"Social Security, unlike Medicare, is about sacrifice. It's not about handing out additional goodies, but about making cuts. It's tougher and will require a strong bipartisan consensus to make it work."
-- John Rother, director of policy and strategy for AARP, quoted by National Journal's Julie Kosterlitz in "Social Security in Play in 2004."

"Hold on to your hat. Today, Medicare. Tomorrow, Social Security."
-- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) during his filibuster against the GOP-written Medicare bill

"I think it's great if individuals invest in the stock market, but not as a substitute for ensuring the solvency of Social Security. We're going to get Social Security right first. And then, we're going to put in place the measures so that individuals can save and invest on top of Social Security."
-- Gen. Wesley Clark, Democratic Candidates Debate, September 25, 2003

"I'm just trying to say it's not as complicated as some people think it may be. I will not touch the [social] contract. The contract, in my judgment, is sacrosanct between generations."
-- Sen. John Kerry, NBC's Meet the Press, August 31, 2003

"I'm not for means testing ... I'll tell you what I won't do before I'll tell you what I'll do. I am not going to privatize Social Security. I am not going to lift the retirement age or make it harder for hardworking Americans to retire. We ought to try to retire earlier in America. And I'm not going to means test. ... I think we have to look at how we make it more progressive, and all I said was, 'Today, there's a cutoff at $86,000.' Now, I wouldn't start with the people at $86,000. I'd start with the wealthiest people in the country if you need to..."
-- Sen. John Kerry, NBC's Meet the Press, August 31, 2003

"I have never favored Social Security retirement at the age of 70, nor do I favor one of 68."
-- Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, AFL-CIO Democratic presidential candidate forum, August 5, 2003 (See Dean's February 25, 1995 statement below)

"I'm not ever going to cut Social Security benefits... I also would entertain taking the retirement age to 68. It's at 67 now. I would entertain that."
-- Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, NBC's Meet the Press, June 22, 2003

"The best way to balance Social Security budget right now... is to expand the amount of money that Social Security payroll taxes apply to ... You don't have to increase the amount of the payroll tax, you increase the salary that it's applied to. You see what I mean? $85,000, maybe you raise it to $100,000 or whatever the numbers are."
-- Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, NBC's Meet the Press, June 22, 2003

"Two things we ought to do about young people's concerns: strengthen the financial viability of Social Security by adding more fiscal responsibility. Just by stopping the tax cut on the top 1 percent we can lengthen the life [of Social Security] for the next 75 years. Two, we ought to have a program that allows you to save in addition to Social Security."
-- Sen. John Edwards, Edwards for President Campaign Event, Davenport, Iowa, April 18, 2003

"I do have a proposal called Social Security Plus, that will be an incentive for people to save, but it's not in place of Social Security."
-- Sen. John Edwards, Edwards for President Campaign Event, Davenport, Iowa, April 18, 2003

"We're willing to sit down with the president at any moment, but he needs to come up with a viable plan, and not just say he won't cut benefits and won't raise taxes."
-- Rep. Robert Matsui (D-CA) quoted by National Journal's Julie Kosterlitz in "Social Security Play in 2004."

"We think they're inappropriate for the foundation of retirement income. They also create a very large cash-flow problem for Social Security, unless they're fully financed outside Social Security. We think individual accounts a great thing. They're just not a replacement for what Social Security is about."
-- MIT professor Peter Diamond promoting his study, "Reforming Social Security: A Balanced Plan," co-authored with senior economic fellow Peter Orszag at the Brookings Institution December 10 event, "Social Security: Which Way to Reform?"

"When we say saving Social Security, we mean saving it both from its financial problems and from those who would use those financial problems as an excuse to completely overhaul a system that we think in structure is actually a fairly good one."
-- Peter Orzsag promoting his study, "Reforming Social Security: A Balanced Plan," co-authored with MIT professor Peter Diamond at the Brookings Institution December 10 event, "Social Security: Which Way to Reform?"

"I am very pleased to hear Bob Packwood because I absolutely agree we need to reduce the-I mean, to increase the retirement age."
-- Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, CNN's Crossfire, February 28, 1995