The Star ran an article this week giving candidates for U.S. Congress in Districts 2 and 3 a chance to talk about their views on Social Security, following comments made by Reps. Ron Barber and Raúl Grijalva on the 77th anniversary of the government program.
Now it's time for candidates in District 1 to have a say.
"Social Security has a self-sustaining $2.6 trillion surplus, and I will not let GOP extremists cut this key source of income that our nation's seniors earned and paid into, their whole working lives.
People are also reading…
In 2010, my Primary election opponent voted Yes to extend the Bush tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, during which time Republicans like Paul Ryan were working to severely cut Social Security. This is unacceptable, and I am committed to strengthening the retirement, disability, and survivors' protections so that the program remains strong for all Americans."
Patrick Gatti (R)
"Social Security is a fund that anyone who has worked for any legal company and paid into and if they are 55 or older should receive the benefits that exist today, unless there becomes an option for something better. The idea that was put forth once, that a percentage of your 'fund' could be dedicated to some kind of mutual fund like account. This results in a far better return on each others account. The Federal Government needs to return the monies that have been stolen from the Social Security Fund, twice, for government use, and the SS system needs to be redesigned."
Ann Kirkpatrick (D)
"Millions of Americans rely on Social Security and Medicare every day. They paid into the programs with the promise of an honorable retirement. And now extremist Paul Ryan, the GOP nominee for vice president, is threatening to break that promise. I will fight to protect Social Security and Medicare.
I've been talking with seniors in the district over the last couple of days, and I know now more than ever that the Paul Ryan announcement demonstrates the extremist GOP's misguided priorities once again.
My carpetbagging, payday-lending lobbyist opponent shares these misguided priorities. 'Payday Paton' will hurt our district, leave middle-class families behind, and derail our priorities of protecting Social Security and Medicare."
Jonathan Paton (R)
"I pledge to the voters of Congressional District 1 that I will work to preserve and protect Medicare and Social Security. I oppose any legislation that makes changes to benefits or care for those at or near retirement, that cuts benefits or that privatizes either program. Seniors have paid into these programs for years, and we must fulfill our promise to them. That starts with repealing ObamaCare and its more than $700 billion in Medicare cuts, which I completely oppose.
Ann Kirkpatrick's vote for ObamaCare in 2010 cut more than $700 billion from Medicare, according to the latest report from the Congressional Budget Office. By raiding Medicare, Kirkpatrick pushed the program closer to bankruptcy, not only putting Medicare in danger moving forward but also impacting benefits for current seniors. In Arizona, more than 900,000 seniors rely on Medicare."
Stay tuned to the Pueblo Politics blog throughout 2012 for news, updates and information about Arizona politics. You can follow Arizona Daily Star reporters Brady McCombs and Becky Pallack on Twitter.
