(Riverside) – Corona-Norco School Board member and Democratic congressional candidate Bill Hedrick called on his Republican opponent to withdraw his past support for plans to privatize Social Security.
Hedrick addressed seniors Thursday afternoon at two senior living centers in Riverside to hear their concerns and state his “hands off” policy to Social Security: No to raising the retirement age, No to raiding the Social Security trust fund, No to Social Security privatization and No to cuts in benefits for American retirees. He also called on Congressman Calvert (R-Corona) to admit he was wrong when he voted to privatize Social Security.
“The American people better watch out with Ken Calvert in Congress,” Hedrick said. “If it were up to him, American retirees would be left to fend for themselves during this recession while golden parachutes for CEOs would be a-okay. He needs to talk to his constituents and admit he was wrong, plain and simple.”
Nearly 53 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, keeping 20 million Americans out of poverty. Congressional Republicans have labeled decreasing Social Security benefits and raising the retirement age as options in order to balance the federal budget. Even House Minority Leader John Boehner has proposed options including raising the retirement age to 70.
“One thing I will not vote for are any cuts in Social Security benefits for retirees or Congress raiding the Social Security trust fund,” Hedrick said at the Whispering Fountains senior living center in Riverside. “I don’t care what type of deal they make in Congress; if it includes moves to jeopardize Social Security, I won’t support it.”
During his career:
* Calvert supported President Bush’s privatization plan in 2005 [Press-Enterprise, 2/03/05]
* Calvert voted against an amendment that would have stopped the White House from implementing the Social Security privatization plan being developed by President Bush’s Social Security Commission [HR 2590, Vote #273, 7/25/01]
* Calvert voted in favor of a budget conference report that spends $1.1 trillion of the Social Security Trust Fund over five years to pay for other government spending [HCR95, Vote #149, 4/28/05] and [HCR95, Vote #88, 3/17/05]
* Calvert voted in favor of a budget that called for using about $600 billion of the Social Security surplus to fund new privatized retirement accounts for stock market investment. [HCR 83, Vote #104, 5/09/01]
Bill Hedrick has dedicated 35 years to teaching our children and advocating for educators in our public schools. He currently serves on the Corona-Norco Unified School District Board of Education, overseeing the 8th largest school district in California, serving 53,000 students. Bill is the board’s longest serving member at 22 years and has served five terms as president. In 2008, he came with 3,100 votes of defeating Congressman Ken Calvert, making the 2010 rematch for California’s 44th Congressional District one of the most competitive in the state.