Ben Lange says he's a straight-talker on tough issues, but if you listen to him, all you hear is another Washington politician. It's obvious Lange learned a few things from his years working in Congress.
Just take his comments on Social Security on Friday.
Social Security ensures Iowa seniors have a secure retirement after working their whole lives. The program also provides critical benefits to people with disabilities and widows with dependent children.
Workers pay into Social Security and in return get a guaranteed income at retirement age and the peace of mind knowing if they're disabled and can't work, or if they pass away unexpectedly, their families will have a safety net to fall back on.
Bruce Braley is working to protect and preserve Social Security for future generations, but Ben Lange wants to radically alter the program in ways that will endanger its very survival.
During Friday's taping of Iowa Press, Lange reiterated his support for ending Social Security as we know it, telling voters he supports a two-tiered system that replaces Social Security for middle-aged workers and replaces it with retirement accounts that are gambled in the stock market.
Yet, when pressed for details on his Social Security privatization plan, Lange began dancing a Washington two-step worthy of Fred Astaire.
It must have been awkward with IA-02 GOP nominee John Archer sitting next to him, who had just candidly discussed his own plan to raise the Social Security retirement age and end Social Security completely for some retirees.
It must have been awkward with IA-02 GOP nominee John Archer sitting next to him, who had just candidly discussed his own plan to raise the Social Security retirement age and end Social Security completely for some retirees.
Watch for yourself: http://youtu.be/
Lange is apparently incapable of giving a straight, yes-or-no answer to tough questions about his Social Security plan, but Iowans deserve to know details about his radical ideas. Will Lange give a straight answer to these questions, or will he keep sounding like a seasoned Washington politician?
- Does Ben Lange agree with John Archer that the Social Security retirement age needs to be raised?
- How would Ben Lange's plan to privatize Social Security affect Social Security disability benefits and benefits for widows with dependent children?
- What's the cutoff age for Social Security benefits under Lange's plan? How old does Lange think you need to be to continue to receive Social Security benefits as promised?
- Does Lange agree with John Archer that Social Security should be a "means-tested" program and should be cut off altogether for some middle class workers?
WHERE THEY STAND: SOCIAL SECURITY
| Bruce Braley | Ben Lange |
| Wants to maintain Social Security benefits. Opposes privatizing Social Security. Opposes raising the Social Security retirement age. Supports maintaining Social Security benefits for workers who have paid into the system. |
Wants to "change" Social Security. Supports privatizing Social Security. Wants to take Social Security funds of some middle age workers and gamble them in the stock market. We don't know if he supports raising the retirement age. We don't know if he supports making Social Security means-tested. |
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