Mr. MEEKS of New York. Sometimes when I listen to the debate, you would think that President Obama inherited a large surplus and growing jobs. No, what my Republicans forget, that's not what President Obama inherited. That's what George Bush inherited and lost in 8 years.
Why are we in this problem? It is for 8 years of bad economic principles that George Bush put forward. Obama inherited deficits and loss of jobs, 750,000 of them a year; and now we hear again the same old policy, attacking and wanting to privatize Social Security.
Well, Democrats and the American people rejected that idea during the failed policies of the 8 years of George W. Bush, and we reject that policy again because we understand the significance and the importance that Social Security brings to our families, it brings to children and those who are retired who without Social Security would be in poverty.
Social Security brings a sense of pride to those who have worked hard all of their lives so that they can have something at the end.