Hearing Before the Committee on Financial Services
HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES
Mr. Al Green of Texas. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Mr.
Ranking Member.
Thank you, the members of the panel, for the service that
you have rendered to our country. I compliment you, each of
you. I believe in America. I believe in the greatness of
America. And having had an opportunity to travel to other
places, I have concluded that one of the things that makes
America great is how we treat people in the streets of life,
those who, for whatever reasons, do not have very much as
opposed to those in the suites of life. How we treat people in
the shadows of life, how we treat people in the twilight of
life, and I think that Social Security is a means by which we
take care of people in the shadows and the twilight of life.
I represent a very diverse constituency. We have some
lawyers and some doctors. But we have a lot of janitors and
teachers and preachers and yard men and service station
attendants, ditch diggers. All of this is honorable work. They
all pay 6.2 percent, for the most part, of 100 percent of what
they make because most of them make less than $90,000 a year;
6.2 percent of 100 percent, and they do it without complaining.
We do not hear them whining about how this 6.2 percent is going
to place them in the poor house.
The question becomes, why do we not? And they call this to
my attention: Why do we not want to see others who make more
than $90,000 a year--I hate to say they can afford it, but a
lot of people think that they can--why don't we want them to
pay more of their income into Social Security? If 6.2 percent
is good enough for yard men and ditch diggers, 100 percent of
their salaries, why is it not good enough for those who make
far in excess of $90,000 a year? This is a real problem for
people who work hard every day for every penny they get. And we
rarely address this question. So I would ask that you, each of
you, if you would, address the question of the 6.2 percent
extending to those who make a lot more than yard men and ditch
diggers.
Mr. Simpson. Yes, sir. And I think it was Representative
Davis that was the person that spoke before. Was that you, sir?
That was an excellent relation. And Congressman Green----
Mr. Al Green of Texas. Yes, sir.
Mr. Simpson. Well, now, hang on tight, because I was at a
seminar with Senator Paul Simon, who was a very dear friend of
mine who died a couple of years ago. We had a seminar at
Southern Illinois University with Senator Dave Pryor, Democrat
of Arkansas, and Jack Danforth, Republican of Missouri, and
Paul, who was a Democrat from Illinois. And our recommendation
was to raise that. It was unanimous, to raise the $90,000. In
fact, some of us, nameless of course, recommended taking the
lid completely off and paying the whole thing on whatever you
made. Anyway, it was unanimous to raise that. And so I have
been over that cliff. And I found people who came to me, you
talk about the ditch digger, I will talk about the rich guy,
who came to me and said, ``Just take the lid off and I will
quit working as hard.'' I said, ``You would not do that; that
is nuts. You are making a wad.'' Well, I would. I said, ``Well,
I must have missed that somewhere!'' So I have no problem with
that whatsoever and have put myself in the public eye with
regard----
Mr. Al Green of Texas. Senator if I may, and I beg you to
indulge me, because I greatly appreciate the comment that you
just made. But I would say to that person who told you that, I
would look him in the eye and I would say, the ditch digger
does not stop digging.
Mr. Simpson. Well, I did not want to get into that. I am
just telling you I was not pleased at his remark. I did not
clap him on the back and tell him he just told me a joyful
thing. I said, I think you are a greedy----
The Chairman. The gentleman's time has expired.
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