Braley seeks clear contrast with Ernst on Social Security

CEDAR RAPIDS - U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley arrived at Kingston Hill retirement center in northwest Cedar Rapids Monday with a pumpkin in his arms and message about Social Security.

During a news conference and photo opp with residents of the senior housing facility, Braley talked about the importance of protecting and strengthening Social Security so future retirees can count on its benefits.

'It's always been an important priority issue to me because it's an important issue to Iowans,” the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate told reporters.

Important enough that Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, who Braley hopes to succeed, will be campaigning for him on that very issue. Harkin will talk to seniors about Social Security at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 14 at the Hamburg Inn, 214 N. Linn St., Iowa City.

It's not only important to seniors drawing Social Security benefits, Braley said, 'but every other Iowan who is paying into Social Security and wants to make sure those benefits are going to be there when they need them.”

The Braley campaign is focusing on Social Security as an issue where there is a clear contrast between him and his Republican opponent, state Sen. Joni Ernst. She has not proposed or endorsed any plan to change Social Security. She has ruled out changing benefits for current Social Security recipients and people nearing retirement age.

Ernst would look at a variety of options including allowing younger workers to invest some of what they pay into the Social Security system into personal accounts - what Braley calls privatization.

'I will never vote to privatize Social Security, which Sen Ernst has said she would,” Braley said. 'It's not good for Iowans to turn their hard-earned dollars over to Wall Street investment firms” which, he said, lost $1.2 trillion in one day in September 2008.

Braley's plan for Social Security is to eliminate the cap on Social Security payroll taxes. Now, workers pay on the first $117,000 they earn.

'I think millionaires should be paying the same portion of their earned income into Social Security as hardworking Iowans,” Braley said. 'That would strengthen it for years to come. It would also actually increase the benefits that seniors are getting.”

In an Oct. 11 debate, Ernst said she also was open to raising payroll taxes to shore up Social Security.

'That is an option,” she said, which is the same thing she has said about individual or personal accounts, 'whether that's tied to the market, whether it's based on interest rates - however we want to do that, we can have that discussion.”

Social Security likely will be an issue in the candidates' third and final debate Oct. 16 in Sioux City. It will be carried live on KCRG 9.2 at 7 p.m.