Posted on 08/06/2011 10:43:01 AM PDT by rabscuttle385
MIAMI, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- GOP presidential hopeful and ex-Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said he would tell young workers they'd have to work to an older age to collect Social Security.
People born after 1959 now have to wait till age 67 to collect full benefits.
"If you're on the program now or anywhere near eligibility, you shouldn't have your benefits impacted," Pawlenty told The Miami Herald during a campaign stop.
"But if you're in the next generation, we're telling you now, with several decades of warning, we're going to gradually raise the retirement age over time. If you're lower income or middle income, you should still get your cost-of-living adjustment. But in the future, if you're real wealthy, we're going to have to slow that down or take it away."
The Social Security Administration estimated in May that under current law the 76-year-old social-insurance program's trust funds would be exhausted in 25 years and need $6.5 trillion in additional money over 75 years -- roughly $87 billion a year -- to pay all scheduled benefits.
In addition, President Barack Obama and Republicans are discussing changes in the formula for Social Security cost-of-living adjustments long sought by economists.
Pawlenty, who is trailing in the polls and lost his top campaign policy adviser this week, also told the newspaper the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify federal database to ferret out illegal immigrants should not be mandatory for private employers.
His position conflicts with a Republican-sponsored bill that would force all employers to verify the legal immigration status of their workers.
"We should say to private employers, if you knowingly hire illegal immigrants, there's going to be a consequence," he told the newspaper. "I underline the word 'knowingly.' And you make available a system like E-Verify. I don't know that you need to require them to use it."
E-Verify supporters argue the free electronic system, mandatory for most federal contractors but voluntary for other employers, would eliminate any doubt about workers' legal status.
Pawlenty would not say if he thought human activities had anything to do with climate change.
"Well, there's definitely climate change," he said. "The more interesting question is how much is a result of natural causes and how much, if any, is attributable to human behavior. And that's what the scientific dispute is about."
The scientific consensus is that climate change is in large part caused by human activities and may to some extent be irreversible.
And Pawlenty said he saw no inconsistency when he bashed Obama's stimulus plan as governor in 2009 yet took the money at the same time.
"If the federal government is dumb enough to give it to us, we'll be smart enough to take it," he said
Yea, forget this. Give me an option to opt out of this ponzi scheme instead of robbing me for another decade.
He sounds like any other RINO turd.Forget him.
This guy is a moron,a complete moron.Just who the hell does he think is going to vote for him? Democrats?I bet he tanks even more now if thats possible.
Little Tim has spent to much time in the gaga room.
And the MSM are shocked that YawnPlenty isn’t taken more seriously as a candidate.
T-Paw is not a RINO. He’s telling the truth: there is no mathematical way to prevent SS from going broke without raising withholding or raising the retiremrnt age or means testing. Try to find a single Dem who proposes _any_ entitlement cut.
Pawlenty opposes any sort of AGW regulation (not the most artfully spoken above).
This will be the nastiest presidential campaign in history. The Rats will stop at nothing to try to make it about the Rep candidate.
Ok so he’s boring. In an ultra-nasty race boring is *good*: It means the election will stay focused on Obama’s record. Pawlenty has the best chance to beat Bammie because there us nothing in his closet to attack.
I’d like SS benefits to be calculated based on the taxes paid by your children.
Why in hell are illegals drawing social security? Now that I think about it, I think the answer is Jimmy Peanut Carter.
He’s a dud and a vajayjay repubic, and he has about as much chance of being elected president as my dog does.
As far as SS goes, doesn’t matter, this society has hit the end of the line, and that is all there is to it.
Judging by his statements, it is hard to believe he ever had one.
Nonsense.
Pawlenty seems to be dancing around a little bit about illegals, but his comments about “climate change” are innocuous at best. Nothing to see here.
What bothers me is Pawlenty’s apparent support for “means testing” social security. People who have worked their entire lives and been responsible enough to build a nest egg should subsidize the irresponsible people who lived their lives high on the hog with toys and vacations and didn’t leave themselves two nickels to rub together? I don’t think so.
No ad-hominem attacks please per FR policy.
Read it again. T-Paw is against yet another federal mandate being shoved down the throats of employers. He likes the idea of E-Verify (I do too). But forcing it goes against his small government instincts so he’s ambivalent.
(I do wish he’d stop doing his ‘on one hand on the other hand’ thing because it just creates ammunition for attacks like the bogus headline in this post.)
In this culture what does a 60 something do for a living?
Pawlenty’s a gorebot and a loser.
Why in hell are illegals drawing social security? Now that I think about it, I think the answer is Jimmy Peanut Carter.
Actually more likely President Reagan. He is the only President in history to be an amnesty President. He gave a way for illegals to become citizens. That is most likely his only negative.
I never understood the cap. Just lift the cap but also give more benefits to those who are over the cap. For example, if a guy makes 250,000 a year and he pays SS on the entire amount, instead of 1800 dollars a month for life he could get 2500 a month which would help out with monthly expenses. I think that could work and most people would love to get a larger SS check because trust me when I say that yes the house is paid but you still pay property taxes and what is even worse in maintaining the house. It is certainly an option that should be looked at. I just might have figured out the entire crisis. lol.
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