[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 17 (Monday, May 2, 2005)]
[Pages 696-707]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in a Discussion on Strengthening Social Security in Falls 
Church, Virginia

April 29, 2005

    The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome. 
Thanks for coming today. I want to thank the Northern Virginia 
Technology Council for hosting this event. Sudhaker Shenoy is the 
chairman. Thank you, Sudhaker, I appreciate it very much. Bobby Kilberg 
is the president. Obviously, you've stacked the audience with--
[laughter]--I appreciate you coming.
    We're here to talk about an important subject, and that's going to 
be the future of--what the future holds for younger Americans, you know, 
is whether or not we've got the will and courage to make sure the Social 
Security system works for a younger generation.

[[Page 697]]

    Before we get there, I do want to say a couple of things. One, I'm 
sorry Laura is not with me. She is--she's doing a fabulous job as the 
First Lady. I'm proud of her. I love her dearly.
    I appreciate Bill Howell, who is the speaker of the house from the 
great Commonwealth of Vriginia. Mr. Speaker, thank you for coming. I 
appreciate you being here. Where's the Speaker? There he is. Thanks for 
coming, Speaker. Appreciate you serving.
    I want to thank Tony Griffin, the Fairfax County executive. I'm 
honored you're here, Tony. Thank you for coming. I want to thank the 
local and State officials who are here. I appreciate you're willing to 
serve your community and your State. I want to thank the Department of 
Community and Recreation Services, Pat Franckewitz and Joyce White, for 
opening up this beautiful facility. And I want to thank our panelists 
for joining us here to have a discussion about Social Security.
    Look, I--a lot of people have said, ``Why did you bring this up, you 
know? Why do you want to talk about the issue of Social Security when 
you don't have to? After all, the problem is down the road.'' I think 
the job of a President is to recognize reality and, if a President sees 
a problem, have the willingness to step up in front of the American 
people and say, ``We have a problem,'' explain the problem, and then go 
to the United States Congress and say, ``Let's work together to fix the 
problem.'' The job of the President is to confront problems.
    I think the American people--I know the American people expect those 
of us who have been elected to hold office to have set aside party 
politics and focus on solutions to problems confronting our country. 
That's what I know they expect. And that's the spirit in which I enter 
this debate. On one hand, my job is to confront problems; on the other 
hand, it's to call people together to solve them. And here's the problem 
with Social Security.
    First, I want to praise one of my predecessors, Franklin Delano 
Roosevelt. He did a very smart thing when it came to creating a 
retirement system to help people have dignity in their final years of 
life. And Social Security has worked for a lot of folks.
    The problem is, the math is changing on Social Security, and the 
reason the math is changing is because there are a bunch of baby boomers 
like me getting ready to retire. I reach retirement age in 4 years. 
That's a convenient time. [Laughter] Do you realize today there are 40 
million retirees, and when the baby boomers fully retire, there's going 
to be 72 million retirees. In other words, there's a baby boomer bulge, 
and the group of folks here very soon, will be getting ready to count on 
a younger generation to pay its benefits that we've been promised.
    The problem is, the benefits we've been promised are greater than 
the benefits promised to a previous generation, and those benefits rise 
faster than the rate of inflation. And to compound the problem is, we're 
going to live longer. You got a lot of people, living longer, getting 
greater benefits.
    I'm sitting up here with some folks who are going to be paying into 
the system. What has changed about the payers into the system is that 
the number of payers are shrinking relative to those who are going to 
receive benefits. In 1950, 16 workers were paying into the system for 
every beneficiary. In other words, the load was pretty light. Today, 
there are 3.3 workers per beneficiary. Soon there's going to be two 
workers per beneficiary. Fewer workers paying greater benefits to more 
people living longer--that's the change in the math. That is what has 
changed from the time Franklin Roosevelt set up the program.
    And what it means in terms of budgetary terms is that in 2017, the 
pay-as-you-go system goes into the red. ``Pay-as-you-go'' means, by the 
way, money comes in, and it goes out. You pay, and we go ahead and 
spend. And we spend not only on retiree benefits, but we spend on every 
other program. And all that's left is file cabinets full of IOUs. You 
know, the people think, well, the Government has collected our money, 
and they're going to hold it for us, and then when we retire, we'll give 
it back to you. That's just not the way it works. It is a pay-as-you-go 
system. And therefore, when you have a lot of baby boomers living 
longer, getting greater benefits, in a pay-as-you-go--and more and more 
of us are getting what the

[[Page 698]]

Government said, the system goes into the red because you've got fewer 
payers.
    In 2027, the obligations of the Federal Government to retirees will 
be $200 billion greater than the payroll tax receipts. See, starting in 
2017, the system goes into the red, and it gets worse every year--2027, 
200 billion. About 2030-something, it's 300 billion, and eventually, 
2041, it's broke.
    And the temptation, by the way, in Washington is to say, ``Well, 
gosh, that seems like a long way down the road.'' But 2017 is not very 
far down the road. And if you're a younger worker and you start paying 
into the payroll system today, and 2041 is about the time you start 
retiring, I'm telling you, the system is going to be bankrupt unless we 
do something about it. In other words, you're working all your life; 
you're putting money in; and by the time it comes for you to get ready 
to retire, there's nothing there. That's a problem, folks, and it 
requires a solution. It requires people coming together to make this 
work.
    And so my strategy has been, one, travel around the country, explain 
to the American people we have a problem. And they now understand we 
have a problem. The debate in Washington has shifted, by the way. Early 
on this year, people were saying, ``It's not really a problem. You know, 
we don't have a problem in America.'' I don't think you hear that 
anymore. Oh, there may be a few isolated voices saying, ``It's not a 
problem.'' Most people now understand we've got a problem.
    My other mission early on in this--in the debate was to make it 
clear to seniors, you're going to get your check. There are a lot of 
people in this country counting on their Social Security check. And a 
lot of people are saying--as a matter of fact, I went to the computer 
class and a lady said, ``You make sure I get my check.'' She's counting 
on it. And I recognize there's been a lot of propaganda. There's been 
propaganda in political campaigns saying, ``If old so and so is elected, 
you're not going to get your check.'' And I'm sure there's some 
propaganda out there working its way through the system now, trying to 
frighten seniors.
    But our seniors have got to understand the system is solvent for 
them. Nothing changes for people who were born prior to 1950. It's those 
born after 1950 that need to ask our elected Representatives, ``There is 
a problem, and what you going to do about it?''
    I want to tell you what I think we ought to do about it. I think we 
ought to come together in good faith and discuss good ideas. I laid out 
some ideas. I have been laying out ideas about what I think we ought to 
do. First, I know that we ought to be able to say in a new system, as we 
fix the safety net for future generations, that you must receive 
benefits equal to or greater than the benefits enjoyed by today's 
seniors. In other words, any reform has got to say that to those who are 
paying into the system.
    Secondly, I think the country needs to set this goal for future 
generations, that if you've worked all your life and paid in the Social 
Security system, you will not retire into poverty. And there's a way to 
make that happen, and that is to have the benefits for low-income 
workers in a future system grow faster than benefits for those who are 
better off. If Congress were to enact that, that would go a long way 
toward making the system solvent for a younger generation of Americans.
    I have a duty to put ideas on the table. I'm putting them on the 
table, and I expect Republicans and Democrats to do the same kind of 
thing, and so do the American people. The American people expect us in 
Washington, DC, to do our duty and not play politics as usual with an 
issue as important as Social Security. When Congress comes together to 
discuss this issue, it's important for us to permanently fix Social 
Security. The reason I say that is because some of us were around in 
1983 when Ronald Reagan called Tip O'Neill and said, ``We got a 
problem,'' and they came together and put together a 75-year fix. That's 
what they said, ``We got us a 75-year fix.''
    The problem is 25 years--or 22 years after 1983, we're still talking 
about it. The 75-year fix lasted about 22 years. And so now is the time 
to permanently fix Social Security. Any solution that comes forth out of 
Congress must permanently fix it.
    As we permanently fix it, we have a great opportunity to make the 
system a better deal for younger workers. And here's how: Younger 
workers should be allowed to take some

[[Page 699]]

of their own money, some of their own payroll taxes they pay into the 
system, and set it aside in a personal savings account. Now, this isn't 
the Government telling you what to do, the Government saying, ``You must 
set aside a personal savings account.'' This is the Government saying, 
``You should have the option, if you so choose, to take some of your own 
money, some of the money that you've earned, and put it aside in a 
personal savings account.''
    And here's the benefit from such an idea. One, the Government does 
not--doesn't get a very good return on your money when we take it from 
you. If you were to put your money in a conservative mix of stocks and 
bonds, you would get a better rate of return. And that rate of return, 
over time, will make an enormous difference to somebody who wants to 
build a nest egg. Do you realize that stock investments have returned 
about 9 percent more than inflation per year since 1983, while the 
Social Security real return is only about 2 percent. That means if you 
were to invest a dollar in the market in '83, it would be worth $11 
today, while your dollar in Social Security is worth 3. Think about what 
that means if you put a fair amount of money aside over time. It means 
your own money would grow better than that which the Government can make 
it grow. And that's important.
    It's an important part of being a part of a vibrant--a retirement 
system. You're going to get a check from the Government. The question 
is, how big? If you're allowed to take some of your own money and watch 
it grow faster than the rate at which Government can grow it, it means 
you've got a bigger nest egg.
    Secondly, I like the idea of people owning something. We want more 
people owning their assets in America. You know, there's kind of a 
concept around that says maybe only a certain kind of people should own 
assets, an investor class, maybe only the rich. I firmly reject that 
idea. That's not how I view America. I want more people owning things, 
owning their own home, owning their own business, owning their own 
retirement account, owning assets that they can pass on from one 
generation to the next. The more people that are able to do that, the 
better off America is.
    Thirdly, the system today is patently unfair for families if a 
spouse is to die earlier than expected. Think about this kind of system 
we have today. You work all your life; your husband or wife works all 
their life, and one of you dies before 62 years old, or after 62. If 
they die before 62, you get no survivor benefits. You get a little 
stipend to help bury your spouse, period. All the money goes in, waits 
until you reach retirement age. When you reach retirement age, if you 
have worked as well, you get either your spouse's benefits or your 
benefits, which are ever higher, but not both.
    So if one of the two of you have worked all your life--or worked 
your life and put money in, you don't get anything as result of your 
labor. I think it will make sense to allow people to set aside some of 
their own money in a personal account so they have their own assets, and 
if they happen to die early, they can pass it on to their wife or 
husband. In other words, your assets just don't disappear like the 
current system encourages.
    But you've got something you call your own, finally. I like an 
idea--remember, this is a pay-as-you-go system. People are going to be 
counting on future Congresses to make decisions what to do with your 
money. I like the idea of you being able to have an asset base that the 
Congress can't take away. The Congress doesn't get to spend on your 
behalf, because it's your asset. You own it. It is your nest egg.
    Personal savings accounts make a lot of sense to me. They also make 
a lot of sense to a generation of Americans that are used to investing. 
I was telling the folks up here that when I was in the twenties, I don't 
remember spending a lot of time thinking about my 401(k). It's because 
they didn't exist. Think about what's happened in our society. A lot of 
people are becoming accustomed to watching their money grow. There's a 
new and--a group of investors from all walks of life that are 
comfortable with watching their assets grow and expect to be able to 
manage their own assets. The culture has changed when it comes to 
investing.

[[Page 700]]

    Now, people often ask me, you know, ``Can I--are there going to be 
wise ways to set up these savings accounts?'' Of course there will be. 
I'm not going to say, ``You can--we want you to have a retirement fund. 
You can take your money and put it in the lottery.'' In other words, 
there's a conservative mix of bonds and stocks that will be available. 
If you're risk-adverse, you can buy Treasury bonds, as far as I'm 
concerned.
    You know, people say, ``Well, you know, what happens if I'm getting 
close to retirement and there's a market swing?'' Well, when you get 
close to retirement, there are ways to diversify out of a mix of bonds 
and stocks and get into strictly bonds--Government-backed bonds. People 
can manage your money in smart ways. And the role of--it seems like to 
me a proper role for the Government is to say, ``Here are the guidelines 
in which you can--should be allowed to invest,'' but there's a lot of 
flexibility so you can choose how best to manage your own assets.
    So this makes sense, and Congress needs to hear the voices of people 
who believe it is right and fair to give them the option to watch their 
own money grow. And we've got some people up here today that have got a 
pretty good idea about what they want to do with their own money.
    Oh, by the way, just as an aside, I think it'll interest you to know 
that this isn't a new idea I'm discussing. As a matter of fact, Congress 
has given themselves the same opportunity that I think ought to be 
available for younger workers. There's what they call a Thrift Savings 
Plan in Washington, DC. It's available for Federal workers. It says that 
if you're unhappy with the Government's rate of return, you ought to be 
able to set aside some of your own money--manage your own money in a 
retirement account. Seems like to me that if a Member of the United 
States Congress thinks it's okay to manage his or her money, that same 
privilege and opportunity ought to be extended to workers all across 
America. What's good for the Congress ought to be good for the working 
people in the United States.
    Doctor Olivia Mitchell is with us. She's an expert on the subject. 
Ph.D.?
    Dr. Olivia Mitchell. Yes, sir.
    The President. For those of you who are younger, I just want you to 
look at the examples being set here. Olivia is a Ph.D. I was a C 
student. [Laughter] Olivia is the expert. I'm the President. [Laughter] 
Anyway, thanks for coming. A couple of B's, a couple of B's, yes. 
[Laughter]
    Tell us what you do, Olivia.
    Dr. Mitchell. Yes, sir, thank you. It's a great pleasure to be here 
with you today. I teach pensions in Social Security at the Wharton 
School at the University of Pennsylvania. I've been teaching in this 
area for 25 years, and the one thing that I've noticed is this year, the 
students are paying attention, finally, and I thank you for that. You're 
a great educator.
    The President. They ought to be paying attention. The Social 
Security trustees estimate that for every year we wait, it costs another 
$600 billion. It is conceivable that if we do nothing, that the payroll 
tax will get up to 18 percent for younger Americans.
    Anyway, go ahead.
    Dr. Mitchell. So it's absolutely correct. The system is running into 
trouble. Within 13 years, the payroll tax coming in will not be 
sufficient to pay benefits.

[At this point, Dr. Mitchell continued her remarks and concluded as 
follows.]

    Dr. Mitchell. As a former member of your Commission to Strengthen 
Social Security, I watched with great attention to the press conference 
last night, and I was very encouraged, because I heard several things; 
One, that you're going to try to reduce the rate of growth of benefits 
to restore solvency--that's essential--two, that benefits will never 
fall below today's benefits--I think that's key--and third, the thing 
you've spent a lot of effort focusing on, personal retirement accounts. 
Those, to my mind, are a central element--diversified, low cost, and 
offer people the opportunity to manage their money. So I congratulate 
you for it.
    The President. Yes, I asked Olivia to join a council headed by 
Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Unfortunately, he has gone on. But he ran a 
bipartisan Commission in 2001.
    Dr. Mitchell. He and Dick Parsons.
    The President. Yes, Dick Parsons--and they took a look at this in a 
very sober way,

[[Page 701]]

in a nonpolitical way, and came up with some serious recommendations, 
many of which are now being discussed in Congress. And I want to thank 
you for serving on that.
    The Commission shows what is possible when people set aside partisan 
politics and focus on solving America's problems. And that's what we 
need to do in Washington. There's too much kind of ``gotcha'' politics, 
you know, ``We can't work here because somebody may look good.'' But 
eventually what's going to happen in this debate is that if--those who 
block meaningful reform are going to be held to account in the polls. 
See, the more people who understand the problem, the more young people 
who understand inaction by this Government is going to saddle them with 
enormous taxes--will be going to the polls. They're going to be saying 
to the people running for office, ``How come you didn't do anything 
about it? Where were you when it came time to come up with fair reform 
that take care of the poor, that make sure that younger workers have got 
a better deal?'' And so I want to thank you for your hard work on that 
issue, Olivia. And thank you for joining me again.
    Kristin Seitz is with us. Kristin welcome?
    Kristin Seitz. Thank you.
    The President. Do you make a living?
    Ms. Seitz. I do. My name is Kristin Seitz. I'm 23 years old, and I'm 
actually the executive coordinator at the Northern Virginia Technology 
Council.
    The President. Good.
    Ms. Seitz. I graduated in 2004 from the Ohio State University, and 
NVTC is my first job since graduating.
    The President. Great, yes. Are you concerned about the fact that the 
mighty Texas Longhorns will be playing at Ohio State this year? 
[Laughter]
    Ms. Seitz. I actually got my alumni tickets yesterday in the mail.
    The President. You did? Good.
    Ms. Seitz. And unfortunately, I will not be at the Texas game, which 
is a real shame.
    The President. Anyway--[laughter]--back to the subject at hand. You 
told me that you contribute to a 401(k)?
    Ms. Seitz. I do. I contribute up to 3 percent. We get matched at 
NVTC----
    The President. Right.
    Ms. Seitz. ----for up to 3 percent. I actually invest up to 4 
percent.
    The President. Good.
    Ms. Seitz. I'm also looking at----
    The President. Why are you doing that? Why did you decide to do 
more?
    Ms. Seitz. Because I like the idea that I'm able to grow my money. I 
can invest it, and the faster it grows, the more money I'm going to 
have, the better I'm going to be in the future.
    The President. Yes. And at age 23, that seems like an awfully young 
age for people to be investing. ``Investing'' is kind of a powerful word 
for a lot of people in America. They wonder, ``Can I possibly figure out 
how to invest?'' And I'm just curious, have you found it to be a 
burdensome experience----
    Ms. Seitz. I have not.
    The President. ----a nerve-wracking experience, an easy experience?
    Ms. Seitz. I very much enjoy it. I like being able to go through and 
see what is doing well, what is not. My boyfriend, George, who is 
actually from Texas----
    The President. Boyfriend, George?
    Ms. Seitz. My boyfriend, George, who is from Texas--[laughter].
    The President. Where is he? Big George? Where is George from Texas, 
do you know?
    Ms. Seitz. He's in San Antonio.
    The President. San Antonio. Awesome, George. You got a little 
notoriety here. [Laughter] Maybe the folks back home are watching C-
SPAN, you never know. [Laughter]
    Ms. Seitz. He just started a career recently in personal finance and 
sells mutual funds, so I was looking into investing in a mutual fund as 
well.
    The President. Yes, good. But you're paying attention to it. It's a 
subject that is--you're comfortable in talking about investment, which 
is an important thing for people to understand. Sometimes you hear what 
these personal accounts--I mean, asking people to do something they're 
not capable of doing. Frankly, it's kind of an elitist point of view, 
isn't it? Plenty of people are capable of learning how to watch their 
money, particularly since it's their money.

[[Page 702]]

    Give me your views on Social Security. Have you got any thoughts on 
that?
    Ms. Seitz. I have noticed, since this is my first full-time job out 
of college, how much money is taken out of my paycheck each pay period 
for Social Security that I may not see when it comes to my retirement.
    The President. Yes, see, it's interesting. It's the biggest tax a 
lot of people pay. And younger Americans are saying, ``I'm not so sure 
I'm going to see it.'' The benefits of putting into it--and I appreciate 
that. A lot of--I like to quote the--some youngster told me about the 
survey that said, many young people are--think it's more likely they're 
going to see a UFO than get a Social Security check. [Laughter] I don't 
know if you're one or not. [Laughter]
    But it's an interesting dynamic, isn't it? A lot of young people are 
beginning to say, ``It's taking a big bite out of my check, and I'm 
putting into a system I'm not sure I'm going to see anything back 
from,'' which says to me that people who have been elected to office 
better be wary of not taking care of the system, because when a lot of 
young people--see, when their grandparents realize they're going to get 
the check, nothing changes, and a lot of young people are starting to 
say, ``I'm putting something into the system that may not be around when 
I retire,'' it creates an interesting set of dynamics, doesn't it? A lot 
of young people are beginning to pay attention to the issue, a lot of 
young people are comfortable with investing.
    Do you get a--how do you pay attention to what you invest in?
    Ms. Seitz. I can go online and check my--what each of my investments 
are doing, and I can change them at that time if I feel it's necessary.
    The President. Yes. It's great, isn't it? It's an interesting 
system. It's an interesting cultural change, people going online to 
watch her investments grow. And if she doesn't like what's happening, 
she can change. And to me, I like the idea of Americans opening up a 
statement on a regular basis, watching their assets. It may make people 
pay attention closer to tax policy in Washington, DC, for example, or 
decisions made by elected officials.
    Thanks for coming. Well done. Good job on hanging out with a Texan. 
[Laughter]
    Yuctan Hodge.
    Yuctan Hodge. Good morning, Mr. President.
    The President. Yuctan--it's a really interesting first name.
    Mr. Hodge. Yes, it is. My dad is Anguillan. It's a small Virgin 
Island off the coast of St. Martin. And the name means ``forever 
young.''
    The President. Forever young? Yuctan, I've got bad news for you. 
[Laughter]
    Mr. Hodge. In spirit, sir, in spirit.
    The President. Yes, in spirit. That's good. If you can stay forever 
young, the Social Security issue wouldn't matter. [Laughter]
    Mr. Hodge. Not at all.
    The President. Someday, you're going to be counting on the check. 
Tell me what you do.
    Mr. Hodge. I started a web development company in 2000 while I was 
an undergrad at the University of Virginia, studying economics.
    The President. How about that? Entrepreneur, somebody who is taking 
risk, somebody in college. It's fantastic. How's it doing?
    Mr. Hodge. It's doing very well. I'm actually getting ready to 
actually close it down because in the fall, I'll be returning to UVA to 
attend the Darden MBA program.
    The President. Fabulous. Congratulations.
    Mr. Hodge. I'm very excited.
    The President. Yes, you ought to be. You ought to be. It says here, 
like, you're about to get married. You're going to go back to school and 
get married.
    Mr. Hodge. I have a very busy summer coming up. I'm getting married 
in July. My fiancee is here in the audience.
    The President. Oh, there she is. Fantastic. Congratulations. When--
what's the date?
    Mr. Hodge. July 3d.
    The President. Tied up, but--[laughter].
    Mr. Hodge. Well, it's here in the city, if you can make it.
    The President. It is, well--[laughter]--send me an invitation. At 
least you'll get a gift. [Laughter]
    Give me your thoughts on investments. Obviously, you're a smart guy, 
started your own business prior to graduating from college. You've got 
ambitions, dreams, hopes.

[[Page 703]]

    Mr. Hodge. Well, the same year I started my company, I also opened a 
Roth IRA with Fidelity and started capping it out each year because I 
realized----
    The President. Tell people what a Roth IRA is. Some people listening 
may not understand what a Roth IRA is.
    Mr. Hodge. It's basically another retirement account that you can 
set aside, I believe this year, it's 3,500 a year tax-free. And you 
could return that money to you at around 55, I believe.
    The President. Right. In other words, it's in a savings account. 
It's a way for an individual to set aside some of his own money in this 
case and watch it grow.
    Mr. Hodge. Definitely.
    The President. Yes.
    Mr. Hodge. And again, I check it online and get monthly statements 
so I always know what's going on with my money.
    The President. So you're paying attention. Sure.
    Mr. Hodge. I'm definitely paying attention.
    The President. Yes. Don't you like the idea of people paying 
attention to their assets and watching them grow? I think it's an 
incredibly fantastic opportunity to spread that opportunity throughout 
our entire society. So Social Security, yes, this is the subject here. 
[Laughter]
    Mr. Hodge. Well, I know that Social Security won't be around, and 
yet your plan for personalized accounts takes advantage of one of the 
principles I learned in economics, was compound interest and 
amortization, the fact that I could have an account that I have control 
over that makes--turns my money and allows it to make more money is far 
better than any alternative.
    The President. Yes, compound interest for some may be a concept 
they're not familiar with. Money grows exponentially?
    Mr. Hodge. That's correct.
    The President. How would you describe compound interest?
    Mr. Hodge. Your money grows depending on how you have it quarterly 
or yearly. And every year----
    The President. Tends to accumulate and get bigger and bigger and 
bigger.
    Mr. Hodge. Definitely.
    The President. Do you realize that if you're a person who's made 
$35,000 over your lifetime, and the Government allowed you to take a 
third of your payroll taxes over that period of time and set it aside in 
a conservative mix of stocks and bonds, that over time, when it came 
time to retire, that money you set aside would grow to be $250,000. 
That's the compounding rate--that's what, when you keep investing your 
money, keep reinvesting and interest--the compounding rate of interest 
allows for that kind of growth.
    Think about that. A person who has made $35,000 over their life, 
allowed to take a third of the payroll taxes, set it aside in the 
personal savings account they call their own. That person has got a nest 
egg, tangible assets that they can then pass on to whomever they choose. 
That's the power of compounding interest. We don't have that power if we 
hold your money in Government to the extent that you can have if you 
hold it yourself. And that's what--that's what Yuctan is talking about. 
He said--I think he's saying, ``Just give me the chance.'' He wants----
    Some people may not choose, by the way, to set aside their money. 
That's okay. The great thing about America is we ought to be giving 
people the opportunity to make that decision. Government ought not to 
make it for people, particularly since--the interesting thing is that, 
as I said earlier, Congress has already made that decision for 
themselves. [Laughter] Don't you find that ironic?
    Mr. Hodge. I do.
    The President. Yes. [Laughter] It's called leading the witness. 
[Laughter] Good luck on the wedding, July 3d. Gosh, you're awesome.
    Mr. Hodge. Thank you very much.
    The President. Yes. And I'm looking forward to meeting the fiancee 
after the event.
    Mr. Hodge. And the in-laws are here too--[laughter]--my mother-in-
law and two sisters-in-law.
    The President. Yes, that's a smart move--[laughter]--a really smart 
move.
    Mr. Hodge. Thank you, Mr. President.
    The President. Didn't need an MBA to figure that out. That's good. 
[Laughter]
    Colleen and Justin Rummel, welcome.
    Colleen Rummel. Good morning.

[[Page 704]]

    The President. Thanks for coming. What do you all do?
    Mrs. Rummel. My name is Colleen Rummel, and I graduated from Ball 
State in 2000. And we came out here, and we began working at Verizon 
right away, and I'm an analyst there.
    The President. You two work together?
    Mrs. Rummel. Yes, we do, two floors apart. [Laughter]
    The President. Really, interesting.
    Mrs. Rummel. Yes, it's interesting. It's fun, and it's, you know, 
it's nice to be able to see him all the time.
    The President. Yes. [Laughter]
    Mrs. Rummel. We do drive separately, though.
    The President. The definition of a newlywed. [Laughter] That's 
great. How is work?
    Mrs. Rummel. It's good. I have actually contributed to the 401(k) 
right away----
    The President. Got a 401(k)?
    Mrs. Rummel. Yes, yes, and they have a great matching program, so we 
took advantage of that because we wanted to make sure that we had 
something, because I've never felt that Social Security really would be 
available for us.
    The President. Isn't that interesting? A lot of people feel that 
way, your age?
    Mrs. Rummel. Seems like it.
    The President. Yes. Well, I'm going to keep talking about it. See, I 
think it's really important for people your age to understand the truth. 
The best thing the President can do is just out lay the truth. Just put 
the facts out there. People can make up their own mind about whether or 
not they feel comfortable about Social Security. You're--I guess, you're 
getting the message--401(k)s, again, so people fully understand what 
that is?
    Mrs. Rummel. We get to set aside up to a certain percentage of our 
paycheck pre-tax, per pay period. And some companies offer a matching 
program where they will match up to the next percentage to help affect 
your growth----
    The President. Right.
    Mrs. Rummel. ----and grow your investment.
    The President. You and old Justin there, figure out what you're 
going to invest in?
    Mrs. Rummel. Actually, our son. We have an almost 11-month-old son, 
and once he was born, we realized with all the costs that come with 
raising children, just child care and braces and college, and gosh, he 
just started almost walking, so now we're thinking, ``Oh my gosh, he's 
just going to get into everything in.''
    The President. She is, yes.
    Mrs. Rummel. We realized that we need the--we need to make sure we 
have some money set aside so that way, you know, if something happens to 
us, he's taken care of besides--especially if he's above the age of 
getting death benefits from the parents.
    The President. Yes, I appreciate that. Justin, you got anything to 
offer there? Mom's doing a heck of a job. [Laughter]
    Justin Rummel. She's talking for me, as usual. The program that is 
actually set aside is mainly for our son, Gavin. He's the main focus 
with that, the idea of being able to take money, set it aside, and also 
bring it back, is definitely a key factor, but along with that--
alongside of that, the idea that Social Security won't be there for us 
when we retire, and we're taking the steps for it. What I'm really 
concerned about is what's going to happen to him and what he's going to 
have to deal with at the point where Social Security becomes bankrupt.
    The President. Yes. That's a great question. First of all, I've 
always said Social Security is a generational issue. Once the 
grandparents here in America understand they're going to get their 
check, then they start saying, ``What about my grandkids?'' Here you've 
got young parents wondering about their child--their child, Gavin. And 
it's a natural question for people from one generation to ask.
    You know, we--those of us who are baby boomers were very fortunate 
to have a generation before us make huge sacrifices for the country. 
They confronted problems. They confronted big problems. It's now our 
obligation to confront the same problems so that the next generation 
coming up will say, ``Thankfully--thankfully the generation ahead of us 
did the right thing.''
    There's a lot of parents, you know, beginning to--when they figure 
out what's going on, are beginning to say, ``Gosh, we've got

[[Page 705]]

a serious problem for my child, and I expect the Government to do 
something about it.''
    Here we've got a young couple, used to managing their own money. Mom 
has said she's not sure Social Security is going to be there. Dad said, 
``If it's not there for us, it's definitely going to be a burden for my 
kid.''
    See, the issue here is, once you see the problem, whether or not 
we've got the political will to deal with it. Otherwise we strap a--
younger generations with enormous financial burdens. And I appreciate 
you worrying about your kid. You need to worry about yourself, too, 
because you're going to be paying into a system that is bankrupt in 
2041.
    Thanks for coming. Good luck.
    Mrs. Rummel. Thank you.
    The President. Good.
    Mr. Rummel. Thank you.
    The President. Yes. I appreciate you being here.
    Paul Sanchez.
    Paul Sanchez. How are you doing?
    The President. Pretty cool. [Laughter] So, so. [Laughter] Feeling 
great, thank you. How are you doing? [Laughter]
    Mr. Sanchez. I'm doing great.
    The President. You're looking good.
    Mr. Sanchez. This is fun. This is new for me, so----
    The President. Well, welcome. Are you employed?
    Mr. Sanchez. Yes, sir, I am. I'm a certified financial planner. I 
work for Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney in Tysons Corner, 
Virginia.
    The President. Yes, here's your chance. Looking for some customers?
    Mr. Sanchez. Absolutely. [Laughter] Can never have too many of 
those, right?
    The President. That's right. Where were you raised?
    Mr. Sanchez. San Antonio, Texas. [Laughter]
    The President. Did you know George? [Laughter]
    Mr. Sanchez. No, I don't.
    The President. High school? Yes, where did you go to high school?
    Mr. Sanchez. John Jay High School in San Antonio.
    The President. John Jay, very good.
    Mr. Sanchez. You know that school?
    The President. Yes, of course. I was, remember, the Governor. 
[Laughter] How quickly they forget.
    Mr. Sanchez. I could really test you and ask if you know the mascot, 
but I won't do that.
    The President. No. [Laughter] So, like, why did you sign up for this 
panel, just out of curiosity?

[Mr. Sanchez made further remarks.]

    The President. Yes. Isn't it interesting to hear people sit up here 
and say, ``I'm not so sure Social Security is going to be there for 
me.'' I don't remember saying that when I was 20 years old. As a matter 
of fact, I was pretty confident that--when I thought about it--the 
promise Government had made to me and others would be kept. And here, 
we've got citizens sitting up here saying, ``I don't think the system is 
going to be there for me.'' It's an interesting dynamic that people in 
Washington must pay attention to. In other words, they're saying, 
``We've got a problem.''
    And the sad thing is, we've got folks who are just beginning to pay 
into the system. It must be a little discouraging to be paying into a 
system that you're not sure is going to be there.
    Mr. Sanchez. Well, I try to put a positive spin on it. My dad is 60, 
so he's counting down the days to where he gets it, so I figure, he'll 
get some of what I'm paying in.
    The President. No, that's--I appreciate that. And----
    Mr. Sanchez. He does too.
    The President. Yes, that's right. [Laughter] No, I'm supposed to be 
the funny guy. [Laughter]
    Mr. Sanchez. I figured I was from Texas; we could share a little 
bit. [Laughter]
    The President. Compadre. [Laughter] You know, you--first of all, you 
hear these stories about people saying, ``Gosh, well, if I were in the 
stock market and the market declined, I'd lose everything.'' Give people 
a sense, as a planner, of how you help people at the end of their life 
prepare for a different risk portfolio.
    Mr. Sanchez. When I started investing, it was in 1997, right out of 
college. So I've

[[Page 706]]

seen two extremes. I've seen a bull market that has just taken off, and 
I've seen a bear market just go way down. But what that brings you back 
to is fundamentals. When you see extremes, you've got to go back to 
fundamentals. When you look long term, we're always showing clients the 
power of investing over 20, 25, 30 years, and there's a lot of power 
there. So you've just got to pick a strategy, be disciplined with it, 
understand your risk tolerance, and like you're saying, you can go to 
Treasury bonds if you're so risk-adverse. But if you're someone like 
myself, who is willing to take a little risk, put half or 70 percent in 
stocks, and watch it grow and work for you.
    The President. I suspect your risk portfolio will change as you get 
a little older, don't you?
    Mr. Sanchez. Absolutely, it will change. But for now, I'm still 
pretty----
    The President. And that's important for people to understand. In 
other words, there's flexibility, where you can decide to match your--
you put your money where you're comfortable. As you get older, you can 
transfer from, say, a mix of bonds and stocks to only bonds, relatively 
risk-free bonds, so that there's more security the closer you come to 
retirement. You're not stuck in one type of investment vehicle.
    Secondly, one of the things that you hear about--well, you know, 
Wall Street is going to gouge these people. Do you realize, there's a 
lot of folks around the country who work for local governments that 
enable their--local governments enable their people to invest in private 
accounts, put their own money in a personal savings account. That 
happens a lot. I was in Galveston, Texas. That happens in Galveston. 
Yes, it's hard to believe--[laughter]--but it happens in Ohio. It 
happens in the State of Ohio. And people need to know that fees can be 
managed properly, so you're not gouged. The Government is going to make 
sure you're not gouged. If we're wise enough to create these accounts 
for people, there's going to be Government oversight to make sure that 
people are treated fairly. And that's what you've got to know.
    Mr. Sanchez. Index, index funds.
    The President. Yes, see, index funds. Whatever the heck that means. 
[Laughter] No, just kidding. [Laughter]
    I do want to thank you all for coming. I hope you have found this to 
be an interesting dialog. Most particularly, I hope you have--if you're 
a younger American, I hope you pay attention to this issue like these 
good folks have done. There's a lot at stake for you. It may not seem 
like it now--``22 years old, got a lot of life ahead of me.'' I'm 
telling you, if the Government doesn't act, you're going to be saddled 
with a big burden. When you get old enough, you're going to be saying, 
``How come they didn't act? How come the United States Congress is so 
focused on their parties, political parties, that they didn't have the 
courage to make sure the system was solvent for me?'' The Social 
Security system is solvent for people who were born prior to 1950. You 
don't have a thing to worry about. But if you've got a child or a 
grandchild coming up and working hard, you'd better be worried about 
whether or not this Congress can do its duty.
    I'm confident we're going to get something done. I believe the more 
the people understand the nature of the problem, the more they're going 
to speak out to their elected Representatives. The more they understand 
the nature of the problem, the more they're going to be saying to those 
of us who are serving, ``Go get it fixed.'' And I'm fully prepared to 
help in the process. I put forth ideas to move the process along. 
Anybody who has got a good idea, bring it forward. And then we'll be 
able to say, when we solve it, ``We did our duty for a generation of 
Americans coming up.''
    Thanks for giving us a chance to visit with you. God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 10:29 a.m. at the James Lee Community 
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Patricia D. Franckewitz, 
director, Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation 
Services; Joyce White, director, James Lee Community Center; and Richard 
Parsons, cochair, President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security.

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