Issue Position: Social Security

Issue Position

Millions of Americans have already paid into the Social Security system. It represents a retirement promise that has been made, and it is a promise that must be kept. When it comes to Social Security, I oppose privatization.

Social Security is now expected to go bankrupt in 2037 (http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/29/board-of-trustees-personal-finance-retirement-saving-social-security.html). The fund has been robbed repeatedly for decades to pay for programs that have nothing to do with helping people in retirement. The huge increase in spending that has taken place in Washington during Rep. Perriello and Speaker Nancy Pelosi's time in Congress has made a bad problem much worse. The solution to this problem must come from cutting the out-of-control government spending taking place in Washington today, which jeopardizes the Social Security payments that millions of our elderly rely on now and in the future. We are spending money we don't have and borrowing money that our generation will never be able to pay back.

As your next Congressman, I will go to Washington and vote against the wasteful government spending that Rep. Perriello and Democrats have passed in recent years. I will fight to make sure that we balance our budgets and protect our seniors so that our government lives up to the promises it has made to the millions of Americans.

Deficit Reduction and Social Security

Congressman Perriello and Democrats in Washington have passed legislation that has continued out-of-control spending and put the future of the Social Security Trust Fund in jeopardy. They've created a budget with a $1.4 trillion dollar deficit, passed a so called "stimulus" package that spent a trillion dollars we don't have and cut Medicare for seniors by $500 billion dollars. Their policies are making a bad situation worse. I am opposed to cuts in Social Security benefits to current seniors and future retirees.

My first priorities in Congress will be to reduce deficit spending, eliminate the out-of-control spending in Washington and fight for job creating policies. I believe that once we have the leadership in Washington that focuses on these issues; it will be the first step in putting our economy back on the right track. Once we've done that, I will support meaningful, bipartisan reform to the Social Security system, and I will protect current and near retirees throughout the process.

Medicare Fraud

Medicare fraud is costing our country over $60 billion dollars a year and it represents the lack of accountability and the lack of efficiency we have in Washington today.

As your next Congressman, I pledge to fight for common sense solutions like applying the best practices that the credit card industry has put in place to save millions of dollars on fraud and abuse. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to end this type of wasteful spending and abuse that is making a bad problem worse and adding to our $13 trillion dollars of debt.

Physician Access for Medicare Beneficiaries

It is imperative that we fix the physician access problem for Medicare beneficiaries. Our current system, under the reimbursement rate formula, unfortunately increases the lack of physicians who are available to treat those seniors covered under Medicare. We need a reasonable formula that encourages doctors to accept Medicare patients while we work to lower the cost of this program. The focus should be on increasing the quality of care while reducing the wasteful spending, fraud, and abuse that is taking place inside the system.

Economic Security

The best way to help get our older workers back to work and improve economic security for future generations of Americans is to create an environment where small businesses and entrepreneurs in Virginia want to start hiring again. In just the past two years, Washington DC has handed older workers and small businesses dozens of tax increases and $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. We cannot continue down this path if we are going to pull ourselves out of this recession.

I'm running for Congress because as a father of three young boys, I am very concerned about the direction of our country.

I am going to Washington to fight for tax relief for seniors, families and small businesses. We must hold Washington accountable and put an end to the out-of-control spending that's taking place. I believe achieving these goals is critical to creating an environment that promotes job creation and revives our economy so that we leave our great country better than we found it.

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