State of South Carolina Archives: on Social Security

Jaime Harrison: Protect & expand Social Security and Medicare

Ralph Norman: Raise retirement age; lower benefits for top 10% of earners

Thomas Ravenel: Opt out of Medicare without forfeiting Social Security

Seniors should be able to opt out of Medicare and instead receive "means tested" vouchers to purchase private insurance. If they want a more expensive private plan they can always supplement their vouchers with private funds, just as they do now with Medigap plans.

Medicare vouchers would let the market--not central planners in Washington--determine prices, payment systems, delivery systems, and how to reward quality.

Brad Hutto: Opposes any attempt to harm Medicare and Social Security

Joyce Dickerson: Make sure seniors receive the benefits they have earned

Joyce believes that individual security promotes personal success, which is the first step to the security of the family, community and nation. She will support education, public safety, social security and national security.

Nikki Haley: Public service retirees: no COLA; no spiking; no double-dip

Our current policy of automatically awarding cost of living increases is irresponsible and unsustainable. To protect our pension funds, we must stop granting cost-of-living increases to our retirees in years when the funds are losing money. It may not be politically popular, but it's the only responsible thing to do.

There are a number of other reforms that we must adopt in order to shore up the retirement systems and to curtail further abuses. We need anti-spiking provisions that keep employees from using sick leave and vacation to artificially inflate their pension payouts. For new enrollees, we need to close the doors to the TERI program once and for all to prevent double-dipping.

Alvin Greene: Privatize elements of Social Security

A: No.

Q: Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?

A: Yes.