18th District Candidates on Social Security

WMBD 31 is your Local Election Headquarters. As next month's election nears, we're finding out where local candidates stand on the issues. In the 18th district Congressional race Republican Aaron Schock is being challenged by Democrat Steve Waterworth.We're asking the candidates how they'll work for the people of Illinois to assure them that Social Security will be there when they retire.

Schock

"There's probably going to have to be some age increases for people to retire. There's probably going to have to be some increase in the taxability cap for people's income, that's taxed by social security.And we've offered different proposals as a part of the House budget that we've passed, but it's really going to take leadership in the White House and hopefully a new President next year to offer their proposals that then the House and the Senate can then negotiate some kind of reform package. I want Social Security to be around for my generation and the generation to come, but if we do nothing the current law of the land says that Social Security will go broke, and when Social Security goes broke there's an immediate cut to beneficiaries, if we do nothing."

Waterworth

"Actually the Social Security situation is a lot like, it's that foreign trade deficit, it's wealth has left our country for China, India, Vietnam...that money could be better spent in America creating jobs people pay into Social Security instead of collecting unemployment. When that happens Social Security will be stronger. It's not a problem with the Social Security program it's a problem with the way our economy is structured. And it's structured on cheap imports.That's a problem and we've got to address it."