OnTheIssuesLogo

Colin Powell on Social Security

Secretary of State (Pres. Bush Cabinet)

 


Hard reality: reduce entitlements or raise taxes

The great domestic political challenge of our time is to reconcile the necessity for fiscal responsibility with the explosive growth in entitlement programs, including Social Security and Medicare, which the needy and the middle class rely on so heavily. Realistically, we have only two alternatives: either we reduce the entitlement system or we raise taxes to pay for it. We cannot keep balancing the books by increasing the deficit. Yet many politicians want to exempt such programs from serious fiscal scrutiny because to do otherwise risks political suicide. However, until our leaders are willing to talk straight to the American people and the people are willing to accept hard realities, no solution will be found to relieve our children and grandchildren of the crushing debt that we are currently amassing as their inheritance. I say all this, of course, fully aware that it is easy for me to do so since, so far, I have never asked anyone to vote for me.
Source: My American Journey, by Colin Powell, p. 591 , Jan 1, 1995

Other candidates on Social Security: Colin Powell on other issues:
Incoming 2021 Biden Administration:
Defense:Lloyd Austin
Attorney General:Xavier Becerra
Pres.:Joe Biden
State:Antony Blinken
DOT:Pete Buttigieg
HUD:Marcia Fudge
DOE:Jennifer Granholm
DOI:Deb Haaland
V.P.:Kamala Harris
Climate:John Kerry
DHS:Alejandro Mayorkas
Domestic Policy:Susan Rice
Public Liaison:Cedric Richmond
USDA:Tom Vilsack
Treasury:Janet Yellen

Cabinet Archives:
Biden Cabinet
Biden Administration
Trump Administration
Biden Books
Trump Books
Obama Books
Bush Books
Former Trump Administration:
Pres.:Trump
V.P.:Pence
NSA:Bolton
HUD:Carson
DOT:Chao
ODNI:Coats
U.N.:Haley
SBA:McMahon
Staff:Mulvaney
USDA:Perdue
DOE:Perry
State:Pompeo
HHS:Price
A.G.:Sessions
State:Tillerson
DOI:Zinke

Former Obama Administration:
Pres.:Barack Obama
V.P.:Joe Biden
State:John Kerry
HUD:Julian Castro
State:Hillary Clinton
Staff:Rahm Emanuel

Former Bush Administration:
Pres.:George W. Bush
V.P.:Dick Cheney
State:Colin Powell
State:Condi Rice
EPA:Christie Whitman

Former Clinton Administration:
Pres.:PBill Clinton
V.P.:Al Gore
HUD:Andrew Cuomo
DOL:Robert Reich
A.G.:Janet Reno
Abortion
Budget/Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy/Oil
Environment
Families/Children
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Govt. Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Infrastructure/Technology
Jobs
Principles/Values
Social Security
Tax Reform
War/Iraq/Mideast
Welfare/Poverty





Page last updated: Mar 13, 2021