he protect social >> security? >> reporter: all over new hampshire... >> in our case, we're on a fixed income. >> reporter: voters like financial planner don ladd are asking about the future of the country's largest entitlement program. >> social security... >> we're living much longer now there's a bigger draw on social security. >> reporter: can you explain your position on social security? >> we're going to have to means test. it means those at the up upper-income categories are going to get less. >> reporter: he also wants to change the formula for cost of living adjustments. >> we're going to have to take the underlying assumptions for inflation, to begin with, and tie them more to real wage growth as opposed to the consumer price index. >> reporter: and huntsman wants to push the age of full retirement from the current 66 to 68 by the year 2050. >> moving back the eligibility age i think also is something that we have to seriously, seriously consider. >> reporter: but, scott, don ladd says and polls confirm t

>> my plan for saving social security is two parts. my mother depends on it, so i am very sensitive to this issue. she is a great deal of attention and e-mails me regularly to ensure that i not forget this. [laughter] i would say a couple things. one, i think we should take social security off budget. it was off budget until lyndon johnson combined it to a unified budget. he did it to hide the deficit. the reason why i would take off budget is what obama did in july was totally unconscionable. he twice threatened people and said i may pay social security. there is over $2 trillion in a trust fund. there is no excuse for any politician threatening anybody on social security, because the money is there. the money has been paid for. i want to say to politicians, keep your hands off social security. so i would move to take it off budget, and i would provide that in the case of the debt ceiling problem, it was the second item paid after interest, the second item pay before anything else, just so people can relax. to say to people -- i had a

position on social security? >> we're going to have to means test. it means those at the upper- income categories are going to get less. >> reporter: he also wants to change the formula for cost of living adjustments. >> we're going to have to take the underlying assumptions for inflation, to begin with, and tie them more to real wage growth as opposed to the consumer price index. >> reporter: and huntsman wants to push the age of full retirement from the current 66 to 68 by the year 2050. >> moving back the eligibility age i think also is something that we have to seriously, se seriously consider. >> reporter: but, scott, don ladd says and polls confirm this is going to be a tough sell. many baby boomers and gen-xers say any sacrifice on social se security is too much. >> >> pelley: bill, thanks very much. sacrifice is part of the plan for candidate ron paul who offers the biggest change for social security. dean reynolds has more on that. dean? >> reporter: scott, ron paul doesn't think very highly of social se

it is not a social security program. it sounds like social security. it is not.plemental security income. it is a general welfare program. it is a general fund program. it is a program for people who are, in most cases, disabled or claim to be disabled. social security is a separate, supposedly, a trust fund and a separate revenue stream. your social security taxes, 12.4%, 6.2% side that the employer pays and 6.2% you are supposed to play, but only president obama are only paying 4.2%. you are paying less. that money goes into an account and is used to pay benefits. right now there is not enough money coming into the social security system to pay benefits, which go primarily to seniors who reached the eligibility age, which is roughly 66 right now. as you know, most seniors take social security at 62. right? so you have a social security old age and survivor benefits. that is someone who is a minor and a parent dies. they get a benefit out of social security. the third area is social security disability. that gets confused with ssi because if you are disabled and

remember, we're not going to change social security benefits for people on social security. we are going to change a going forward. because that is where the problem is. the retirement age is moving. going up to 67. there was the smart guy. there was the smart at p.o. who change the retirement age from 65 to 67? three people know. how smart a politician was this guy? right? retirement age going up from the person who put it through. ronald reagan. ronald reagan moved the retirement age up. why is it that nobody knows this? because he waited 20 years to do it, so everybody forgot. and everybody who was infected was, you know, 45 or younger, and they did not care. case in point. so the easier way politicians at fixed social security in the past is to wait 20 years to do it. we do not have 20 years to wait. that is why we have to have this discussion. there are all sorts of things you can do if you look at who in america today, for example, what age group is the wealthiest age group? people over the age of 65. by far. so, here we have a situation where people are living 23 year

that balances social security. with regard to medicare, i would lay out the plan i actually did a couple months ago that said higher recipients, lower benefits. a premium support program which am louse people to buy either current standard medicare or a private plan. and this is the proposal which congressman paul ryan has adopted, it's a proposal which i believe is absolutely right on. where we have a premium support program, give people choice, let competition exist in our medicare program by virtue of the two things i have described. higher benefits for lower income people, lower benefits for higher-income people. and making a premium support program in head care and social security a slightly higher retirement age. you balance those two programs. by the way, the third major entitlement, medicaid you send back to the state. and the fourth new new entitlement of obamacare you repeal that andjélw finally gett right. >> speaker gingrich. speaker gingrich, the plan you endorsed, you suggest younger workers should be

from social security and never paid it back. that started with kennedy. i think it's time that politicians start working for the good of the country. >> yeah sh it's interesting when rick perry brought up social security, you'll remember earlier in the race and called it a ponzy scheme, there was a huge outcry from commentators about how you could possibly say. that but the fact is that there are huge problems with the social security system and in florida where in the republican electorate alone over half of our voters are 55 or older and are either retired or moving towards retirement. that is a particularly significant issue. so far there have not been many, i think, who have come out with solutions that will work in that area or have been willing to confront it. with respect to bane capital that, has been an angle of attack against governor romney. i think you've seen that brought up over and over by newt gingrich and there have been concerns expressed about that. but in the republican party, i think voters tend to err on th

social and security medicare are set up as ponzi schemes. i don't know if you watch msnbc as obsessively as i do but they are constantly in announcing the ids some sort of insults like when you're using the n word against social security or calling it a ponzi scheme. it is the definition of a ponzi scheme. incoming money goes out to current recipients. that is bernie madoff's point. and the creator of the social security knew perfectly well they were creating a ponzi scheme. everyone would love them and they would be dead and buried before it went bankrupt and that's what happened. but we have to be able to educate people about that. i think the republicans instead of proposing plans to reform social security and medicare should do nothing but go on tv and talk about the problems are. how it's going to be bankrupt in ten years, how the recipients are receiving three times what they paid in. just keep talking about the problem and let's hear what the democrats have to say. [inaudible] tune it's unfair to throw michele bachman in the same boat

get social security and i pay i think 35% tax. i ought to pay 100% tax on my social security. so i would tax away the social security benefits... >> rose: as a meansest? you don't need social security and tax it. >> it's an official way to do it. so that's one try deal with it. secondly regard to medicare, i think george bush made a terrible mistake when he wouldn't let medicare bargain with the drug companies for the prices of... for the price of drugs and i would cut back. >> rose: let me ask you this. in terms of the obama health care reform clearly most people believe it's certainly increased access to health care for a lot of people that were not covered. yes? >> true. >> rose: it did that. you had the individual mandate. which you also have in massachusetts, by the way, if people don't know, when governor was governor of that state. >> and newt gingrich used to be for it. but i was for it anyway, even though he was. >> rose: did this bill accomplish wt it should have accomplished by reducing the cost of health care? >> not enough, although it's interesting. the republica

and now they're starting to notice that social security and medicare are ponzi schemes. they are set up as ponzi schemes. i don't know if you all watched msnbc as obsessively as i did, but they are costly denouncing the idea this is some sort of insult like we're using the against social security are calling it a ponzi scheme. it's the definition of a ponzi scheme. incoming money goes out to current recipients. that's bernie madoff's plan. the creators of social security knew perfectly well they were creating a ponzi scheme, but everybody would love them and they would be dead and buried before you and banquo. that's what happened. but we have to be up to educate people about that. i think the republicans instead proposing plans to reform social security and medicare should do nothing but go on tv at taco of the province are, husband to be bankrupt continues, how current medicare recipients are receiving three times what they paid in. just keep talking about the problem and let's see what the democrats have to say. [inaudible] >> you mean it's unfair to put michele bachm

to make more reforms that reign in the long-term costs of medicare and medicaid and strengthen social security so long as those programs remain as a guarantee of security for seniors. but in return, we need to change our tax code so people like me, and an awful lot of members of congress, pay our fair share of taxes. [applause] tax reform should follow the buffet rule. if you make more than a million dollars a year, you should not pay less than 30% in taxes. and my republican friend tom coburn is right. stop subsidizing millionaires, and if you're earning more than a million dollars a you use shouldn't bet special tax deductions. if you make under $250,000 a year, like 98% of american families, your taxes shouldn't go up. you're the ones struggling. with rising costs and staggering wages. you're the ones who need relief. now, you can call this class warfare all you want. but asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as a secretary in taxes? most americans would call that common sense. we don't begrudge financial success in this country. we admire it. when americans talk about folks like me

social security is a ponzi scheme.verybody can make gaffes, everybody can speak it that does not affect his brain -- everybody can misspeak. that does not affect his brain. guest: well, i respect the color bang's opinion. those are two quality people, records as governors of their states, utah and texas. but i've chosen mike and it -- my candidate. i think that is the advantage we have in our party, that we have a really talented people running. that is why we have these early primaries and caucuses, so we can figure out with the best person is, or who we agreed to nominate. once we get a nominee, i presume most republicans are going to support that person. and we will come together as a party. we are going through the process of sorting it out, everybody has the right to their opinion, and i respect hers. host: rochester, pennsylvania. caller: hello, pedro. the burden of the enlargement of the government with obama, as a result of having to take care of the mess that republicans left, just like the mess republicans le

remember, we're not going change social security benefits for people on social security.ward. why? because that's where the problem is. and so we're not moving the retirement age for anybody. it is moving, going up to 67. i tell you, there was the smart guy. there was the smart guy. who changed the retirement age from 65 to 67. raise your hand if you know? three people know. how smart a politician was this guy? right? that nobody blames the retirement age going up on the person who put it through. ronald reagan. ronald reagan moved the retirement age up. why is it that nobody knows it? because he waited 20 years to do it so everybody forgot. and everybody who was effective was, you know, 45 or younger. and they didn't care. case in point. so, the easier way politicians have fixed social security is to wait 20 years to do it. we don't have 20 years to wait. we have to have this discussion. there's all sorts of things you can do, if you look at who in america today, for example, what age group in america has the wealthiest age group. has the the most wealth and assets? peop

to make more reforms that reign in the long term costs of medicare and medicaid and strengthen social security so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors. >> bill: what's wrong with that. >> just lift the caps off of the social security income above $110,000. you can fund social security out through the next 75 years or you can roll the tax cuts back that went to the bush tax cuts that went to the top 2%. you would have enough to fund social security for the next 75 years. there is no reason to cut social security. >> there aren't that many people making over $110,000 to fund social security if you tax them all the way up on the thing. >> it was like 94,500 millionaires. we do have a lot of people who can pay their fair share. that's what it is all about. no reason to reduce social security benefits. certainly no reason to privatize it with respect to medicare we can do a lot to restore medicare eliminating part 2 gave pharmaceuticals companies to name. >> bill: government to look at canada and great britain as far as how they handle the pharmaceuticals companies. i a

that balances social security.gard to medicare, i would lay out the plan i actually did a couple months ago that said higher recipients, lower benefits. a premium support program which am louse people to buy either current standard medicare or a private plan. and this is the proposal which congressman paul ryan has adopted, it's a proposal which i believe is absolutely right on. where we have a premium support program, give people choice, let competition exist in our medicare program by virtue of the two things i have described. higher benefits for lower income people, lower benefits for higher-income people. and making a premium support program in head care and social security a slightly higher retirement age. you balance those two programs. by the way, the third major entitlement, medicaid you send back to the state. and the fourth new new entitlement of obamacare you repeal that andjélw finally gett right. >> speaker gingrich. speaker gingrich, the plan you endorsed, you suggest younger workers should be allowed

one, i think we should take social security off budget.budget until lyndon johnson combined it to a unified budget. he did it to hide the that is a. the reason why i would take off budget is what obama did in july was totally unconscionable. he twice threaten people and said i may not be a percent your social security there is over $2 trillion in a trust fund. there is no excuse for any politician threatening anybody on social security, because the money is there. the money has been paid for. i want to say to politicians, keep your hands also sixth -- of social security. so i would move to take it off budget, and i would provide that in the case of the debt ceiling problem, it was the second item paid after interest, the second item pay before anything else, just so people can relax. to say to people -- i had a guy walked up to me at a hospital in southern new hampshire months ago who said that his 87-year- old father was really worried that he was going to lose his social security check. now, for politicians to scare people of that age is

the national institute of population and social security research released statistics. numbers are prompting some experts to call on the government to overhaul its social security system. japan's population stood at 128 million as of 2010. the report says we'll fall below 100 million by mid century. it's expected the drop to 6 million by 2060. the average life expectancy for a man was more than 79 years in 2010. the report says that figure is likely to rise to more than 84 years. the average expectancy for women was more than 86 years in 2010. by 2060 women are expected to live longer than 90 years. the proportion of the population aged 65 or older was about 23% in 2010. the estimate suggests that proportion will reach 23% in 2035 and almost 40% in 2060. researchers predicted fife years ago that the average number of babies born per woman in mid century would be 1.26. this latest report says the average in 2060 will increase slightly to 1.35. still the general trend is toward having fewer children. this demographic shift is expected to have an impact on all facets of ja

i am on social security. i have become disabled and probably will need a double lung transplant within the next year. i have a social security. i have a relative i live with at this point. affordable housing does not seem to be possible. it is something i am going to need and affordable housing -- i have a relative. i am grateful for you all to -- for having this form and hopefully the rest of my years here will be as nice as i hope them to be. thank you. >> good afternoon. i am legal director adtran senger lot center. -- transgendered law center. thank you for convening this hearing. we regularly hear from transgendered here -- seniors who face serious discrimination and exclusion from essential services. elders and people with disabilities in hospitals and long-term care facilities are sometimes forced to transition back to the gender assigned at birth because of staff or family members who are not fully informed of or not supportive of that person's gender identity or expression. some of the most damaging

the whole energy assistance program, will you tell a 70-year woman who lives on social security, we cannotelp you because we are trying to do away with a social programs. host: jody, independent line. joey -- caller: my name is kelly, by the way. 1 and reference to the caller who was just there. i also did want to ask rand paul, is social security entitlements. most supporters to not feel it is an entitlement because people pay into it. ron paul has said many times -- candy crowley on a cnn interview he intends not to cut social security and understands the need and one of the few people who stuck up for this thing all along. she needs to look a little bit deeper into his policies on that as far as wanting to cut these programs. as far as paying for that type of thing, she says by cutting the military -- allowing for these programs to continue. i wanted rand paul to talk a little bit more about the fact of allowing the younger people to opt into a program that would allow them to put their money privately. he also does talk about the corporate welfare, of which none of the other candidates

noda wants to overhaul japan's social security and tax systems. he called the upcoming session crucial for this country. lawmakers will discuss a proposed increase in the consumption tax. he said the state needs stable revenue sources to maintain social security. he added his government should not shy away from decisions that might seem unfavorable to voters. instead it should push on while appealing for understanding. the head of japan's largest business group has expressed hope that the new cabinet will resolve serious issues that are facing the nation. >> translator: i'd like to see the new cabinet exercise strong leadership. i'm hoping that it will quickly and decisively settle important issues including the planned integrated reform of the tax and social security systems. >> he urged both the rules and opposition parties to hold discussions to implement measures to deal with these and other issues. the utility that operates the fukushima daiichi plant has been hit with another big bill. the insurance policy returns out sunday. that means tepc

the message has to be clear that social security is not a slush fund or atm machine for tax hikes for the rich. if you are going to talk about strengthening social security, let's talk about that, but not to take money from it. it has not contributed to the deficit, and it's not going to underwrite tax cuts for the rich. >> citizens united playing a big role in the campaign. will the democrats be able to compete against the corporate money that is just flowing in to romney, gingrich, even governor walker in wisconsin, where there is going to be a recall election. how do you view citizens united playing out? >> last saturday was it two-year anniversary of the most unfortunate supreme court decision. i understand a lot about government and politics. i will never understand why they felt that was a good idea, that you could have unlimited, unidentified special-interest money. >> received at now. >> we have a deluge in the political system. that is why when we talk about reigniting the american dream and building ladders of success, you cannot have opportunity and fairness in our country

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it has been obama's policies, but it has also been the social security plus fund was -- social security trust fund was a name plus position. i have taken the position, what are we doing cutting social security taxes? do we need -- we need that money to pay benefits, or is this just a big share rate where there is not really any trust fund, this money is not used to pay social security, it is lumped in with the federal government and why it should be treated differently than any of the federal program? which means changing it the way we want, either increased taxes were cut cut benefits. that we take it one step forward, and clara is inching back there. i was a supporter 15 years ago a personal retirement accounts. i was a big advocate of that. [applause] when i was an advocate of that in 1997, my only trip on air force one, i was a freshman senator, my second two-year tranche, and i went out with bill clinton to kansas city about how to reform social security. we would take the surplus, that 3%, and use it instead of creating this, which was phony, and larry summers and bill clinton kne

collaborate get along with each other they've got cradle to grave health care cradle to grave basically social security you know if you have a child you get nine months off maternity and paternity leave it's you know it's one of those nordic. social democracies so it's so your earlier guest was talking about the you know social democrats or democratic socialists it's that kind of nation and people really like it here rap well you know we hear we have our left right political dynamic and they have political dynamic over there too and on your radio show you interviewed libertarians and conservatives so what is it what is it like being a libertarian in a conservative in iceland in regard to the social safety net in regard to universal health care cheap college you know social safety nets what's it like over there. you know it's such a contrast i mean i'm sitting here across in the middle of a mind blowing blizzard across from the navy. blue the volcano that jules verne made famous is the entrance to the to middle of the earth you know you think that this is like the most god for the place on earth and in

noda wants to overhaul japan's social security and tax systems. he called the upcoming session crucial for this country. lawmakers will discuss a proposed increase in the con sumpg tax. noda says the state needs sta sources to maintain social security. he added his government should not shy away from decisions that might seem unfavorable to voters. instead it should push on while appealing for understanding. the head of japan's largest business group has expressed hope the new cabinet will resolve serious issues that are facing the nation. >> translator: i'd like to see the new cabinet exercise strong leadership. i'm hoping that it will quickly and decisively settle important issues including the planned integrated reform of the tax and social security systems. >> he urged both the rules and opposition parties to hold constructive discussions to speedily implement measures to deal with these and other issues. the utility that operates japan's damaged fukushima daiichi plant has been hit with another big bill. tokyo electric policy company insuranc

the social security bill that i have introduced, it gradually increases the age at which social security be available to retirees. we all know that people are living lone longer, they are wog longer, they are healthier longer. the actuarial tables don't match the social security that was put in place 50 years ago. will not work. we've got to take therein ns if the president would work with congress to do that, my bill increases the date of retirement three months a year. so it is a very gradual increase. so if you are in the 66-year range and we increase by three months, you could retire three months later. no one would be affected under the age of -- over the age of 55 under my plan. so if you're 55, you wouldn't have any effect at all. but if you're 54, it would be three months later. so it is a plan that can work. and with that minor adjustment, we could make 75 years of social security solvent, along with a small decrease in the cost-of-living increase, but nothing on the are core benefit. there would be no cut in the core benefit, only a 1% cut in the cost-of-living increase. if inf

that social security money should be used for social security.about hispanic voters, it is certainly an issue of concern. the governor gave an interview recently where this issue was raised. hispanics are the swing vote in a general law election. they have concerns about the rhetoric used by republicans on the issue of immigration. hispanic republicans are not mono-issue voters. they are very concerned about jobs and economic for to -- up -- economic opportunity. that is what we have seen them talking about here. there is no question that as republicans, we have to do better, do a better job in taking our message out. immigration is an issue. border security is an issue. we have to do a better job and deal with this larger immigration problem in a way that does not alienate hispanic voters. that will be a top -- challenge for anyone who is nominee. host: this twitter message sent by the money handler for newt gingrich. the guest: that is interesting. i was just going to say, certainly the gingrich campaign has been able to raise more money. betwe