Since its inception in 1935, Social Security has served as a crucial safety net for our nation's seniors, allowing them to retire with dignity and security. Today, over one million Missouri seniors rely on Social Security that helps keep them out of poverty. Meanwhile, 826,000 Missourians also rely on pensions during retirement.
Unfortunately, in recent years both Social Security and retirement pensions have come under attack from the Bush Administration and Republicans in Washington. After years of reckless spending, tax cuts for big special interests and raiding of the Social Security trust fund, they have completely eliminated the Social Security surpluses created under President Clinton. They've allowed corporations to raid their pensions and dump their obligations onto taxpayers and retirees.
As Missouri's Senator, Claire will put our seniors first ahead of the special interests. She will oppose the type of irresponsible spending that has put Social Security at risk. She will fight efforts to privatize Social Security and work to strengthen one of the most successful insurance programs our country has ever had. Claire will also fight to make sure Missouri's seniors get the pensions they've earned. Missouri seniors need to have a Senator on their side.
Social Security
Social Security is under assault by President Bush's plan to privatize the system. Rather than increasing the long-term solvency of Social Security, the Republicans' costly privatization scheme would put seniors' benefits at the whim of the stock market and saddle our children with an even greater national debt. The transition alone will cost us literally trillions of dollars, and given the massive federal deficits run up under this Administration's reckless fiscal policies, that's simply a cost we can't afford.
Oppose Any Changes Reducing or Removing Social Security as a Guaranteed Benefit. Claire opposes any changes to Social Security that increase our national debt, reduce benefits, or remove the promised guarantee. Social Security is a covenant with those who pay into the system, and we have an obligation to ensure that retirees continue to receive the benefits that they were promised, while also guaranteeing that the program will be there for future generations.
Support a Bipartisan Commission to Study Social Security's Future. The Senate should call on the President to appoint a new bipartisan commission to study the future of Social Security. We face rising government debt and ever-growing budget deficits, and we need to get serious about ensuring the long term solvency of this vital program. We need to make sure the program will be there for our children and our children's children.
Pensions
Stop Corporate Raiding of Pensions. While corporate CEOs retire with golden parachutes, Missouri workers live in fear of having their pensions raided and seeing their retirement dreams jeopardized. 826,000 Missourians have a defined-benefit pension plan. Yet new stories come out everyday about companies dumping pension plans they deem unaffordable. Our leaders in Washington, over the past decade, have sought to protect corporate bottom lines and CEO pay while leaving the American worker to fend for him or herself. As businesses bail out of their pension obligations, leaving taxpayers holding the bag, Claire has pledged to be on the side of Missouri's retirees, making sure they get the benefits they've worked a lifetime to receive.
