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Barack Obama on Social Security
"We need to preserve Social Security by stopping any efforts to privatize it and will work across party lines to maintain Social Security's solvency for generations."
Campaign website, BarackObama.com, "Resource Flyers" Aug 26, 2007
"Privatization is not something that I would consider. And the reason is this: Social Security is the floor. That's the baseline. Social Security is that safety net that can't be frayed and that we shouldn't put at risk."
Subject all earnings, not just up to $97,500, to the payroll tax.
2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate, Charleston SC Jul 23, 2007
"If we kept the payroll tax rate exactly the same but applied it to all earnings and not just the first $97,500, we could virtually eliminate the entire Social Security shortfall."
"Q: We all know that Social Security is running out of money, but people who earn over $97,500 stop paying into Social Security. What is up with that? A: I think that it is an important option on the table, but the key, in addition to making sure that we don't privatize, because Social Security is that floor beneath none of us can sink."