Former Senator Mike Gravel (D-Alaska) said a lot in the first few months of the campaign. By far, he has been the most candid Democrat in the field of candidates, but his campaign has never caught on with Americans and he lags far behind the other well-known candidates.
*From the Gravel campaign website (http://www.gravel2008.us/issues):
Senator Mike Gravel wants to put real money, rather than borrowed money, in the Social Security Trust Fund, investing it properly and identifying the interests of individual beneficiaries so they can leave their surplus funds to their heirs. He also calls on Congress to stop raiding the Social Security Trust Fund. This is key to ensuring that Social Security will be around long after the Baby Boomers are gone for the next generation of Americans who have paid into it.
*"He says the Social Security Trust Fund must be protected and properly invested, and the interests of individual beneficiaries should be identified so they can leave surplus funds to their heirs. He says Congress must stop taking money from the Social Security Trust Fund for other programs to ensure that Social Security will be around for the next generation of Americans who have paid into it after the Baby Boomers are gone."(, 4/21/07)
*In a Q&A session with journalists (http://www.nhinsider.com/10-questions/2006/8/24/sen-mike-gravel-d-ak.html), Gravel was asked: "Social Security is the so called Third Rail of Politics, what is your position on Social Security, does it need fixing, how would you make it solvent while protecting the peoples retirement?"
Mike Gravel Again this situation is shameful and the Democrats refuse to even acknowledge the problem while the Republicans demagogue the issues with no intentions a really doing anything about it. Solving the problem means denying the Congress 10% to 20% of its revenue. The cash from Social Security taxes need to be deposited in the Trust Fund--rather than the non-negotiable 2% bonds--and properly invested, rather than continue to let the Congress spend the money for the day-to-day operations of government. The national debt is about $84 trillion. About half is Social Security debt that our grandchildren will have to pay. This plan has no effect on present or future benefits.
