By Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

The Hill Congress Blog

I would like you to imagine a scene that took place in Congress over a controversial bill.

One congressman from Ohio called the bill “nefarious.” His colleague from Pennsylvania condemned it as an “orgy of ruthless spending.”

These lawmakers weren’t fighting about health care, border security or stimulus spending. And the debate that sparked their fury wasn’t even recent.

No, this debate took place 75 years ago this month as the House of Representatives debated and finally passed Social Security legislation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who conducted a tireless fight during the dark days of the Great Depression, to pass the legislation, signed it into law on Aug. 14, 1935.

In the ensuing three-quarters of a century, Social Security often has been misunderstood and frequently blamed for many perceived ills of the federal government. But with all due respect to the program’s early congressional opponents, Social Security has proven to be resounding success.

Social Security is the foundation of the modern U.S. pension system. It never was intended to provide an individual’s complete retirement income, but rather to be part of a three-legged income stool, supplementing an employer’s pension and an employee’s personal savings.

From its inception, some critics felt Social Security was an ill-advised interference with personal liberty that would undermine self-reliance. But the program, born in an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion, has worked remarkably well.

Social Security has drastically reduced poverty among elderly and disabled Americans, constituting more than half of the income of nearly two-thirds of retired Americans. For 1 in 6 Americans, Social Security is their only income.

Without Social Security, the number of older Americans living in poverty would be 1 in 2. Because of Social Security, it is only 1 in 12. In Arizona alone, Social Security is preventing 235,000 older people from living in poverty.

Nonetheless, Social Security is not without its critics – including those who call for the partial or even complete privatization of the system.

The impetus for such a dramatic change is clear. Up until this year, tax receipts and other income to the Social Security trust fund have exceeded expenditures. But that trend is slipping away.

This year and next, expenses and payments will exceed revenue. The system is expected to operate in the black for a couple of years after that, but in 2015 – only five years from today – benefits payments will start exceeding tax collections for the foreseeable future.

This is due largely to the inescapable demographic trend created by the Baby Boom generation. Between 2010 and 2030, the number of people aged 65 and older is projected to grow by 76 percent while the number of workers supporting the system is projected to grow by only 6 percent. This spike in Social Security beneficiaries will create a deficit in the Social Security Trust fund beginning in 2037.

But it is important to put the problem in perspective. Experts have projected that if revenue were increased by about one-half of 1 percent, it would make Social Security stable well into the 22nd century.

The president’s deficit commission, which is charged with developing a bipartisan plan to stabilize the soaring national debt, is evaluating a wide range of options to ensure the long-term stability of Social Security.

We can and we will find reasonable ways to make Social Security stable without switching to a risky privatization system. I am unwilling to gamble with seniors’ financial security in the stock market.

While the stock market may – and I stress may – return higher returns over a long period of time, one need only look at the wild gyrations in the past couple of years to see the kind of immense damage privatization could do to seniors too old to wait for a rebound.

For three-quarters of a century, we have proven the critics of 1935 wrong. Social Security is hardly “nefarious.” This “orgy of ruthless spending” has become America’s most successful retirement protection program – and it continues to serve Americans well.

I am dedicated to strengthening Social Security’s long-term finances so that it continues to provide a guaranteed base of retirement, disability and survivor’s income for current and future generations. Seniors have put in a lifetime of hard work, helping to make our economy grow and make our nation great. I refuse to play games with their security and well-being.

Sierra Vista Herald –

By U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

A leading national business magazine has crowned Arizona the nation’s Solar Energy King — a prestigious honor that portends explosive growth in our state’s rush to embrace power from the sun instead of power from petroleum.

(more…)

Tucson, Ariz. – Jonathan Paton, Jesse Kelly and Brian Miller are locked in a bitter fight for the Republican nomination, but they have one issue they can all agree on: Social Security must be privatized and gambled on Wall Street.

This Saturday, August 14, Americans will commemorate the 75th birthday of Social Security. Most 75th birthdays are marked with family dinners, birthday cakes and homemade cards from grandchildren. But CD8 GOP candidates Jonathan Paton, Jesse Kelly and Brian Miller have a different idea for Social Security.  They want to privatize it. They refuse to explain where the money for current retirees will come from if people under 55 can opt out of the system in favor of Wall Street.

(more…)

Sierra Vista Herald

Candidates for House of Reps, CD 8, were asked to address the following:

1. Please tell why do you believe you are the best qualified among candidates for your position.
2. What do you believe currently is the most important issue facing the winner of the office you seek?
3. Please provide your opinion for or against bipartisanship action in the House of Representatives.
4. If Congress has overstepped its constitutional bounds in making laws and if it did, why?

Gabrielle Giffords
Political affiliation: Democrat
Current employer: The People of Arizona’s 8th District
Occupation: U.S. Representative, CD-8
Age: 40
Home: Tucson
Family: Spouse, Mark Kelly, U.S. Navy Captain and NASA astronaut; step-daughters, Claudia and Claire Kelly

1. I’ve lived up to my promise to fight for the people I represent by cleaning up Washington, including ending the influence of lobbyists and corrupt earmarking. Running my family’s tire company, I know the meaning of hard work and the importance of small business. Since 2007, I’ve successfully pushed for doubling Border Patrol agents and deploying National Guard along the border, passing the new GI Bill and modernizing the VA. To better understand my priorities in Congress and work on key committees, please visit www.giffords.house.gov.

2. Ending Washington’s partisan gridlock. Americans need more leaders who will do their jobs — not simply obstruct progress for short-term personal or political gain. All elected Republicans and Democrats need to start by working together to secure our border.

Border security is national security. I have called for tough border security measures, including more Border Patrol agents and mobile surveillance systems on the border and tough penalties for employers who hire illegal workers. Action by our federal government to secure our border is long overdue, and it’s time for both parties to do their jobs and to do it together.

3. Every year our country gets more divided and bipartisanship feels more like a thing of the past. This isn’t good for the future of our nation and isn’t a productive way for elected officials to work. America’s problems are bipartisan, so our solutions must be bipartisan.

I’m a strong believer in bipartisanship — and not just during election years. The lion’s share of the bills I’ve introduced, like the New Employee Verification Act, a bill to toughen laws governing how employers must verify the citizenship of prospective employees that I introduced with Texas Republican Sam Johnson, have a Republican co-sponsor.

4. Even the smallest government is excessive if it doesn’t work for the people it’s supposed to serve. I fight every day to make government work for Southern Arizonans. That’s why I voted to stop abuses by Wall Street and cut middle class taxes. That’s why I believe we should fix Social Security, not privatize it; BP should be held accountable for devastating the Gulf and the federal government must secure our border. Voters have a choice on Nov. 2. No matter how big the ax we take to government, it won’t matter without leaders who put the people over politics.

Forty-five minutes into the CD8 GOP primary debate on KUAT on July 30, 2010, host and moderator Bill Buckmaster asked the candidates if they support privatizing Social Security.  Read their responses for yourself:

Jonathan Paton: “I think we also need to make sure that younger people at least have an option to set aside some of that money to invest it as they see fit. They should have that choice.  Not, not – it shouldn’t be mandated and it shouldn’t be the entire amount, but they should have that choice.”

Jesse Kelly:  “We must… It’s not an option.”

While Gabrielle Giffords stands up for Southern Arizona, her opponents’ commitment to rejected ideas and failed policies was absolute. Neither of them bothered to explain how current retirees’ benefits could be met under the privatization plan. With no new ideas of their own, they would take Southern Arizona backwards.

Click here to contribute $250, $150 or $50 today to help Gabrielle win in November and ensure that Southern Arizona keeps moving forward not backwards.

The Hill Congress Blog

It was Ronald Reagan who famously said, “I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.”

That may have been the case in 1981 when Reagan took office. But today, the deficit is so bloated – more than five times what it was at the beginning of Reagan’s presidency – that it is far too corpulent to care for itself.

(more…)

Dear Friend,

As a businessman, I put a high priority on honesty, transparency and fair play. I support Gabrielle Giffords because she fights for these values every day.

Only 18 months ago, the recklessness and greed of some on Wall Street devastated the life savings of Southern Arizona families and seniors, caused record job losses and forced many Southern Arizona businesses to close their doors.

Yesterday, our country took a big step towards restoring economic fair play when the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act became law. Gabrielle voted twice for these reforms that hold Wall Street accountable for its abuses, protect consumers and level the playing field in the market.

We are lucky to have Gabrielle on our side, taking on Wall Street greed and fighting for hardworking families and the honest businesses in our community.

Thank you, Gabrielle, for standing up for Southern Arizona families and fair play!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeff Britt

President and CEO of Tucson-based Global Solar

At the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 13, Commissioner Bud Selig was heavily pressured to move next year’s game from Phoenix because of Arizona’s immigration law.

To his credit, Selig refused to accede to the demands, correctly pointing out that neither keeping the game in Phoenix nor moving it would affect Arizona lawmakers.

“We’ll do things when baseball can influence decisions,” Selig wisely told The New York Times. “I’ll say that very clearly. And this situation will be solved in the political process at the appropriate time.”

Good for Bud Selig.

(more…)

It’s time for the GOP primary candidates in CD8 to come clean with Southern Arizonans about where they stand.  Do they support ending the Wall Street abuses that wrecked the US economy and hurt tens of thousands of Southern Arizona families, or will they side with the traders on Wall Street?

Gabrielle Giffords voted twice to protect Southern Arizona consumers and hold Wall Street accountable for its reckless abuses that brought our economy to a screeching halt in 2008. Now these new protections are poised to become law when the President signs the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act on Wednesday, July 21.
(more…)

Giffords’ work fighting to stop boycotts, rebuild Arizona’s economy recognized at statewide tourism conference.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has gained statewide recognition as Arizona’s biggest champion for tourism for her work to stop the misplaced and harmful economic boycott against Arizona.

Brian Johnson, managing director of Loews Ventana Canyon Resort located in Giffords’ district in Tucson, and other tourism industry officials at last week’s Governor’s Conference on Tourism lauded Giffords for her fight against the boycott.

As reported by The Arizona Republic‘s Dawn Gilbertson on Sunday, July 18, Johnson “singled out U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., as the industry’s biggest supporter during the backlash. She has gone on national television to tout the industry’s economic impact in Arizona and to argue against boycotts. She also has called, at individual hoteliers’ requests, groups that are thinking of canceling meetings because they don’t want to face the controversy. ‘She has really stepped up to the plate as our tourism champion,’ Brian Johnson said. He and others suggested that attendees write her a thank-you note and/or make a campaign contribution.” (“Tourism industry: Elect candidates who back us,” The Arizona Republic, Jul. 18, 2010.) Read the full article here.

Gabrielle strongly opposes any boycott of Arizona. These boycotts are ill-conceived and counterproductive.  They harm innocent workers and businesses just as our state’s economy is beginning to recover from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Boycotts will drain needed tourism and tax dollars from our already struggling state and hurt Arizona hospitality workers more than any other segment of our economy. In recent weeks, Gabrielle has written to 43 cities and organizations and two federal agencies urging them to support Arizona’s workers and reverse plans to boycott in protest of Arizona’s new immigration law.