The President insists he will return to pushing Social Security Privatization after the elections.
But there’s a second part of the equation to dealing with the current account budget deficit and that is how we spend your money. Now, I’m going to talk about discretionary spending in a minute, but I just want you to understand that a significant problem we face is in our mandatory programs. And I know you know that. Those would be programs called Medicare and Social Security and Medicaid.
As you might recall, I addressed that issue last year, focusing on Social Security reform. I’m not through talking about the issue. I spent some time today in the Oval Office with the United States senators, and they’re not through talking about the issue either. It’s important for this country — (applause) — I know it’s hard politically to address these issues. Sometimes it just seems easier for people to say, we’ll deal with it later on. Now is the time for the Congress and the President to work together to reform Medicare and reform Social Security so we can leave behind a solvent balance sheet for our next generation of Americans. (Applause.)
If we can’t get it done this year, I’m going to try next year. And if we can’t get it done next year, I’m going to try the year after that, because it is the right thing to do. It’s just so easy to say, let somebody else deal with it. Now is the time to solve the problems of Medicare and Social Security, and I want your help. I need the Manhattan Institute to continue to agitate for change and reform. You’ve got a big voice. You got creative thinkers, and if you don’t mind, I’d like to put this on your agenda, and let you know the White House and members of the Senate and the House are anxious to deal with this issue and get it done once and for all.
The Daily Herald’s Patterson made fun Duckworth’s campaign asking what would Roskam do about Social Security, but never seemed to have gotten Roskam on the record on privatization. Given the President and the likely new Chair of the Ways and Means Committee are publicly touting new efforts for the next session, maybe that might be a good idea for a reporter to get for the voting public.