[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 63 (Thursday, May 16, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H2515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            SOCIAL SECURITY

  (Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, our country is aging. The baby boomer 
generation is retiring soon. I am part of that generation, and more 
will be retiring.
  Social Security will become a necessity for our seniors. Republicans 
are trying to bankrupt Social Security, so we will have no choice but 
to privatize, I say privatize; but privatizing forces benefit cuts, 
increases risks, and removes the guarantee that Social Security will be 
there for seniors when they need it.
  I believe that working families have earned a secured retirement. 
Without Social Security, how will our seniors pay for medication, rent, 
food? They are on a fixed income. Privatizing Social Security breaks a 
promise to working families that if you work hard and pay into the 
system, no matter how rich or poor, Social Security will be there for 
your retirement when it is necessary.
  Privatizing Social Security, especially for hard-working minorities, 
women, and working family folks will mean less savings for them. It is 
time that we start caring about the 95 percent of the population that 
do not have a trust fund, who live on a check-by-check basis, feed 
their families, and pay for expenses with no money to save or invest.

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