He opened with this statement in January:

"Speaker of the House O'Neill, Majority Leader Baker, and I have today received from the commission on social security a "Recommended Bi-Partisan Solution to the Social Security Problem" (summary attached).

This bipartisan solution would solve the social security problem defined by the Commission. It is my understanding that the Speaker and the majority leader find this bipartisan solution acceptable.

Each of us recognizes that this is a compromise solution. As such, it includes elements which each of us could not support if they were not part of a bipartisan compromise. However, in the interest of solving the social security problem promptly, equitably, and on a bipartisan basis, we have agreed to support and work for this bipartisan solution.

I look forward to the Congress beginning consideration of this package through hearings before the House Ways and Means Committee on February 1. I believe the American people will welcome this demonstration of bipartisan cooperation in offering a solution that can keep a fundamental cooperative and responsible manner in trust, while solving a fundamental national problem.

I wish to thank the members of the Commission, and especially Chairman Greenspan, for their tireless effort and for the cooperative and responsible manner in which they have met a most difficult challenge."

He followed with this statement in March after the legislation passed:

"I want to take this opportunity to express my admiration--and the gratitude of the American people--for the responsible, bipartisan spirit the House of Representatives has demonstrated in its prompt passage of the bipartisan plan to save the social security system. I am particularly glad to have had the chance this afternoon to personally thank six leaders who played special roles in making this possible: Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, Minority Leader Bob Michel, Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski, the senior minority member of the committee, Barber Conable, Chairman Jake Pickle of the Subcommittee on Social Security, and, of course, Representative Claude Pepper.

In the months leading up to this critical vote--and again over the past 24 hours-- we've seen men and women of both parties and many shades of opinion set aside their differences and join together for the good of the country. The result has been a new lease on life for one of our most basic government programs, social security--a program that, directly or indirectly, affects the present and future well-being of every man woman, and child in America, and generations yet unborn.

Over long months of study, debate, and deliberation--and in close cooperation with the executive branch--a fair, workable plan to save the system was hammered out by the National Commission on Social Security Reform. All of us had to make some compromises and settle for less than what any one faction might consider ideal. But we did it, and, as Speaker O'Neill promised, the House of Representatives has acted promptly and responsibly to pass the resulting bipartisan plan.

That is an achievement we can all take heart from. And I hope and believe it reflects a bipartisan spirit of putting people before party that will guide us all in meeting other national challenges in the days ahead.

Meanwhile, I look forward to prompt action in the Senate on the social security plan--and I look forward to a signing ceremony in the very near future."

The commission's he referenced was the President Reagan charged the National Commission on Social Security Reform, chaired by Alan Greenspan. HE set up to address problems faced in Social Security. Reagan didn't veto the legislation because it was HIS legislation. You seem to have forgotten but in those days addressing problems this country faced was more important than ideological grandstanding. If Reagan was around today both he and Dole would have been drummed out of the Republican party for being RINO's.

And then I was a young man, today not so...

Lots of very good info posted here. Its too bad the whole american public isnt able to see it and act accordingly. The electeds also are either contemplating a vote to give themselves another raise or have done so already. We,the people need to stop this act in its tracks. They are robbing us to pay themselves bigger salaries.. No wonder we are in such a poverty level all over this USA. This was OUR money to start with and D.C. just took it over for themselves. It needs to be stopped immediately. People, we are being used by our duly elected people in D.C.and they just dont seem to give a damn who they hurt. Lets get rid of everyone of them and get new people who we can trust to do the right thing.

Perhaps the first "bipartisan" action for the Congress to take, would be the admission that the Congress itself created the "social security problem", not the recipients. Had the Congress left the trust fund alone and allowed it to operate as intended, there would be no problem now.

Constantly raiding the trust fund, counting SS withholdings as Federal income, then showing SS payments as Federal expenditures, has given the impression that the SS security program is a draining on the economy. The program was set up as an annuity insurance program and had SS withholdings ( annuity payments ) kept up with inflation, there'd be no problem now either. One of the recent Presidents reduced the amount of withholdings, to "put more money in Americans pockets", as a political stunt.

The Congress, past and present, created the problems with Social Security in the first place, then blame baby boomers for the "drain" on the system, tried to "fix" the problems periodically, in a manner designed to gain partisan support at election/re-election time - and predictably - made the problems worse. Any way they slice it, they will have to stop stealing SS withholdings and treating it as income and return the SS system to the annuity is was meant to be, audit the trust fund to determine exactly how much the treasury owes it, begin making payments on the "loans" from the trust fund - and reduce or eliminate waste, fraud and abuse of the SS program.

Act of 1871 changed our REPUBLIC to a CORPORATION. All.our documents are in upper case CAPITOL LETTERS. Birth Certificate, Social Security card, Drivers License. ( look for yourself).

As a CORP., the CEO aka President, is Barry Soetoro aka Barack Obama.
The Board of Directors are the Czars.

Just think about this 'outside the box'!

As I see it, it's all a facade, a dog/ pony show . Electronic voting machines,yeah,right???

We've ALL been 'Duped' for years. Parents,grandparents and now is older generation that are finally waking up @@ and 'see the light', thanks to the internet. At least some are,anyway!!!
Baaaaaa

First, I am not for this raid on the SS Trust Fund, and I am for paying interest on SS Trust funds at prevailing rates. And, under LBJ, the Democrats should never have been allowed to take SS funds out of the lock box and put them in the general fund. Democrats always say they are looking out for senior citizens and the poor, when in fact they regularly stick it to these two groups.

This $150B removed from the Trust Fund is being transferred to another SS fund, the SS Disability Fund, which lately has been referred to as the new welfare program. Since unemployed workers, who have long exhausted their unemployment benefits, have turned to claiming a disability (and the rules are pretty loose) and collecting SS Disability payments. This disability fund in the past had collected more money than paid in, and had a surplus. Over the seven years of the Obama reign, that fund is now paying out far more than taking in, and has a projected shorfall of $256B. So, to shore that fund up, thus the transfer of $150B from the Trust Fund. I'm not saying it's right, just explaining why it is happening. Currently $885B goes into the Trust Fund annually, from the budget, and the Trust Fund has a shortfall of $14.5T of unfunded liabilities.

BTW, concerning this fictitious U.S. Incorporated crap, where did you come up with this ridiculous $117T worth number? The whole wealth of the entire world is estimated at $200T, so where did this number come from? Just sounds like more of that wacky conspiracy theory crap to me.

First, I am not for this raid on the SS Trust Fund, and I am for paying interest on SS Trust funds at prevailing rates. And, under LBJ, the Democrats should never have been allowed to take SS funds out of the lock box and put them in the general fund. Democrats always say they are looking out for senior citizens and the poor, when in fact they regularly stick it to these two groups.

This $150B removed from the Trust Fund is being transferred to another SS fund, the SS Disability Fund, which lately has been referred to as the new welfare program. Since unemployed workers, who have long exhausted their unemployment benefits, have turned to claiming a disability (and the rules are pretty loose) and collecting SS Disability payments. This disability fund in the past had collected more money than paid in, and had a surplus. Over the seven years of the Obama reign, that fund is now paying out far more than taking in, and has a projected shorfall of $256B. So, to shore that fund up, thus the transfer of $150B from the Trust Fund. I'm not saying it's right, just explaining why it is happening. Currently $885B goes into the Trust Fund annually, from the budget, and the Trust Fund has a shortfall of $14.5T of unfunded liabilities.

BTW, concerning this fictitious U.S. Incorporated crap, where did you come up with this ridiculous $117T worth number? The whole wealth of the entire world is estimated at $200T, so where did this number come from? Just sounds like more of that wacky conspiracy theory crap to me.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2012/10/04/16-things-you-need-to-know-about-government-debt

Read this article about aside from the reported National Debt, some really deep debt we have owed out that is NOT reported into the National Debt figures....that 117T worth number is explained...and it is today more than the 117T. The date the article was writing it was about 68T, and that was in 2012....

Another decent article about the world debt....
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/03/debt.html