State of South Carolina secondary Archives: on Social Security
Donald Trump:
I will save Social Security with more jobs, less waste
I'm going to save Social Security. You have tremendous waste, fraud and abuse. We have in Social Security thousands of people over 106 years old. You know they don't exist. There's tremendous waste, fraud and abuse, and we're going to get it.
But we're not going to hurt the people who have been paying into Social Security their whole life and then all of a sudden they're supposed to get less. We're bringing jobs back.
Source: 2016 CBS Republican primary debate in South Carolina
Feb 13, 2016
Henry McMaster:
Shift pensions from defined benefit to defined contribution
We must maintain our commitment to the 11.5% of South Carolinians who rely on the state retirement systems and we must also protect the taxpayers from bearing any additional financial burden caused by inaction or indecision or anything else.
The best answer is a date-certain transition away from "defined benefit" pension plans to "defined contribution" plans for new state employees. I am asking that we--at the end of this year--close enrollment in the current "defined-benefit" plan.
Source: 2020 South Carolina State of the State address
Jan 22, 2020
Howard Dean:
Reverse Bush tax cuts to shore up trust fund-don't privatize
Dean strongly opposes any effort to privatize Social Security. He said the government "must return to fiscal discipline and use some of the savings to shore up the Social Security Trust Fund."
He said eliminating Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, closing corporate tax loopholes and spending cuts would provide money for the fund.
Source: Editorial, The State webzine (South Carolina)
Nov 16, 2003
Jaime Harrison:
Social Security and Medicare are more than a promise
Harrison: One way that you save Social Security, is not by eliminating the payroll tax right now, because it would wreck this program. Folks deserve the money that they have put into the system. Lindsey Graham said, "That Social Security and
Medicare, were promises that we can't keep." Senator, I'm sorry, but they are not promises. People have paid into these systems and they deserve to get the money back that they put into it, because that is the livelihood that they have.
Source: 2020 South Carolina Senate debate (Rev.com transcript)
Oct 3, 2020
Jim Gilmore:
Cap entitlements & create a culture of independence
Q: Would you be willing to reduce benefits to avoid raising payroll taxes?A: We have developed a whole system, Social Security, of all these entitlement systems that are going to eat up the ability of the taxpayer to be able to pay for them.
So we're going to have to address how we can put a cap on these in such a way that we're going to be able to pay for them and create a culture of independence in this country so people can provide for themselves in a way that liberates them for this.
Source: 2007 Republican Debate in South Carolina
May 15, 2007
Lindsey Graham:
Link size of cost of living increases to income
Graham: What would I do to save Social Security? Whatever it takes. I make $175,000 a year, as a Senator. I have a military retirement. I have a congressional retirement. I'll take less than benefits, to make sure somebody like my aunt who worked in
the textile plants, who can't afford to get less. I think COLA, for upper income people like me, you shouldn't get the same COLA, as somebody on a fixed income. if you can afford to take a little bit less, do it.
Source: 2020 South Carolina Senate debate (Rev.com transcript)
Oct 3, 2020
Richard Burr:
Protect retiree benefits & protect Trust Fund
My record on behalf of seniors and those nearing retirement includes:- Consistently voting to protect Social Security so that retiree benefits are kept intact.
- Opposing Obamacare, the health care law that has robbed hundreds of billions of
dollars from Medicare to pay for other government programs and which is now threatening the ability of seniors to get the health care they need.
- Voting to make sure that the government cannot use
Social Security as a slush fund for other government programs.
- Voting to repeal the Clinton tax increase on Social Security benefits.
- Co-authoring the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act, the law that ensures that
North Carolina seniors are getting their fair share of funding for programs like Meals on Wheels, caregiver assistance, and programs that allow seniors to stay in their homes.
Source: Vote-USA.org on 2010 South Carolina Senate incumbents
Nov 24, 2010
Thomas Ravenel:
Voluntary personal accounts for younger workers
SC GOPUSA: Both Social Security and Medicare programs will completely run out of funds in 15 years. What options will you support to fix or replace these programs?RAVENEL: I want to fix this problem by giving younger workers the opportunity--on a
voluntary basis--to place a portion of the payroll taxes they are currently paying into personal investment accounts which the individual worker would own and control. These accounts would grow into very substantial savings over the 40-plus years the
average person works and they would provide a far more generous retirement benefit than Social Security currently promises--and can't deliver. The accounts would be professionally managed by government-approved financial institutions that the individual
worker could select. Best of all, since individual workers would own their own accounts, no politician could ever spend that money on anything else. The reforms I will advocate would have no affect on those nearing, or already retired.
Source: RalphBristol.com blog on 2014 South Carolina Senate race
Apr 5, 2014
Tommy Pope:
Fund the state retirement system to keep our promises
We passed a bill to give solvency to the state retirement system. It's no secret our state retirement system is in need of immediate attention. My House colleagues and I passed a bipartisan measure to cap the rate paid by employees in the state
retirement system, adjust the rate paid into the system by both employer and employee, and to inject sufficient funding into the current system to bring solvency to the struggling benefit plan. The market crash and recession of
2008 along with poor management contributed to the deficiencies we face today. Doing nothing and thereby not honoring promises made to employees is not an option. I believe it's very important to ensure our teachers, first responders,
and public employees have a sound foundation for retirement. The Senate amended and passed our House proposal and I will have another update as we progress further.
Source: 2017 South Carolina House campaign website TommyPope.com
Mar 11, 2017
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023