Murphy Rejects Fitzpatrick's Plan to Raise Payroll Taxes, Privatize Social Security
October 23, 2006 (Levittown, Pennsylvania)
Murphy Rejects Fitzpatrick's Plan to Raise Payroll Taxes, Privatize Social Security
Patrick Murphy holds roundtable on Congressman Fitzpatrick's dangerous plans for Social Security
Levittown, PA - Congressman Fitzpatrick's dangerous plan to privatize Social Security and raise payroll taxes was highlighted at a roundtable discussion today hosted by Patrick Murphy. Joining Patrick Murphy were former Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly, the current President of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and citizens concerned about Congressman Fitzpatrick's dangerous ideas for the future of Social Security.
"I have taken a pledge never to support privatizing Social Security, and I stand by my word," said Patrick Murphy, former captain in the U.S. Army, Iraq war veteran, and Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District. "Congressman Fitzpatrick and President Bush want to turn our seniors' retirement funding into a gamble by privatizing Social Security. We need a change in direction and that starts with a Congressman who will stop raiding the Social Security trust fund and not raise taxes on hard working middle-class Americans."
Barbara Kennelly, President and CEO of the National Committee to Protect and Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said, "Under current leadership, our seniors' retirement security is at risk of being privatized. We need leaders in Washington, like Patrick Murphy, who will fight to protect Social Security for future generations of seniors. I have met with Patrick Murphy and am delighted to say that he will be a champion for Social Security and seniors here in the 8th district and across America."
Patrick was also joined by Frank Shandelman, a senior from Middletown, PA. "As a senior, I know that privatizing Social Security puts my benefits at risk. When seniors in the 8th district needed him most, Congressman Fitzpatrick stood with President Bush. We need a Congressman in Washington who will work to save Social Security for future generations, not privatize this necessary program."
"In October of 1998, when I was 16 years old and a senior in high school, my father died of pancreatic cancer," said Ben Schak, a graduate student who benefited greatly from Social Security benefits. "Immediately after, my brother and I, as well as my mother, began to receive survivor benefits from the Social Security Administration. A middle-class family, such as my own, has an extraordinary amount of fixed expenses, perhaps today more than ever. I know from my experience that Social Security is not just a safety net for elderly folks with insufficient pensions and savings; rather, Social Security is a safety net for all middle-class families who, even with two incomes, just manage to scrape by."
Congressman Fitzpatrick supports the President's plan to privatize Social Security:
Congressman Fitzpatrick is endorsed by the "Seniors Coalition", a pro-privatization group.
"Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick said he agrees with the president's plans for Social Security." [Bucks County Courier Times, 2/3/2005]
"On Social Security, Fitzpatrick favors private savings accounts That's a different stance from the one Fitzpatrick took during his election, when he came out against privatization." [Bucks County Courier Times, February 20, 2005]
"Fitzpatrick says he favors the private accounts " [Bucks County Courier Times, April 10, 2005]
"[M]embers on March 16 blocked a Democratic bid to ban the diversion of Social Security payroll taxes to private investment accounts A yes vote opposed the Democratic motion. Voting yes: Fitzpatrick " [Bucks County Courier Times, March 20, 2005]
Now he says we should consider raising the payroll tax to pay for the Social Security program
"From an actuarial point of view, [raising the payroll tax] would assist. I think we ought to take a look at it, we ought to study it, we ought to consider it." [Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, Bucks County Courier Times/Doylestown Intelligencer Debate, 9/18/2006]
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