Remarks in a discussion on strengthening social security in Tucson

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, March 28, 2005

The President. Hold on for a minute, 80 years?

Mrs. Raymond. Yes.

The President. How many people lived back 80 years ago? [Laughter]

Mrs. Raymond. Well, I didn't go to the university 80 years ago, but when I went to the university, I majored in public administration, and the major thing we had to learn about was the Social Security Act, because it passed in 1935. And when I got a degree from the University of Arizona in 1942, during the Second World War, we learned the basic principles of the Social Security Act. And except for the tinkering that they've done with it, it hasn't changed much.

The President. Right, you're right.

Mrs. Raymond. That's not good. [Laughter] Your refrigerator has changed--[laughter]--your automobile has changed; your education principles have changed. So it's time to look into Social Security. I'm all for yon.

I want to say this to my generation, particularly my generation of women: The President and everybody else concerned over this has said, if you're 55 years old and older, it's not going to make any change in what you get from the Social Security. Get off of your stick and quit worrying. What a waste of time. Get busy and learn about it.

The President. It sounds like you were well-educated at the university--are you pulling for the Wildcats in the basketball tournament?

Mrs. Raymond. You bet I'm for the Wildcats. I'm a darn good Wildcat.

I think that the Social Security Act, along with a lot of other things, has many good points. But it needs to be updated.

The President. I appreciate that.

Mrs. Raymond. And I think you are the person that can do it.

The President. Yes, ma'am. [Laughter] Thank you. just tell your friends, I can't do it alone. That's why I'm traveling the country. I think this is my 17th State since the State of the Union Address. I'm enjoying getting out of Washington. I like coming to places--I like Tucson and talking to folks like Mary-Margaret, and I'm going to continue. It doesn't matter how long it takes for the--I'm going to work as hard as I can to tell the people, these are the facts. I'm not making anything up. These are the facts. And now is the time for people to come together to solve this problem.

Seniors have nothing to worry about. You're going to get your check. But younger folks, the ones they say aren't paying attention to politics--first of all, they are paying attention to politics. But, secondly, younger folks ought to be paying close attention to this issue. This is an issue that's going to affect your pocketbook. And that's why we asked Valerie Gallardo-Weller to join us. Valerie, welcome.

Valerie Gallardo-Weller. Thank you very much.

The President. Proud you're here. Thanks for coming. What are you doing these days? How are you--besides sitting on the stage with McCain, how are you occupying your time? [Laughter]

[Mrs. Gallardo-Weller, dispatcher, Southwest Gas Corp., Phoenix, AZ, made brief remarks.]

The President. Let me interrupt you there. I'm sorry to interrupt, but let me--I don't remember talking about 401(k)s when we were growing up. As a matter of fact, baby boomers like me really weren't thinking about what's now called a defined contribution plan. In other words, first of all, we never worried about Social Security. We never talked about Social Security. But we were never really thinking about setting aside retirement accounts which we would manage. In other words, when I was 33 years old, I don't think a lot of people my age were talking that way. And now you've got a 33-year-older sitting on the stage with the President saying, "I set up my own 401(k)." In other words, she's investing her own money.