Santorum blames 'abortion culture' for problems with Social Security
(CNN) - Potential 2012 presidential candidate Rick Santorum said the "abortion culture" in America is to blame for the failing Social Security system.
In an interview with WEZS Radio in Laconia, New Hampshire, Tuesday, the former Republican Pennsylvania senator said abortion rates are influencing the number of children born in the United States and there are therefore not enough children to support the program long-term.
"The Social Security system in my opinion is a flawed design, period. But having said that, the design would work a lot better if we had stable demographic trends," Santorum said. "A third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion."
Santorum, an outspoken opponent of abortion, made the comments in response to a caller who said abortion rates are to blame for the problems with Social Security and Medicare.
"We have seven children so we're doing our part to fund the Social Security system," Santorum said. "I want children to be living in America and contributing. America's greatest resource is our people and we're denying America what it needs, which is more Americans."
Santorum was in New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state Tuesday to meet with voters and headline a GOP dinner in Concord.
Translation: Santorum is an idiot, but at least he's doing his part to help cause overpopulation...
Can you say "Complete Idiot"? How about "Liar"? Where did he get 1/3 of young people are not here, I'll tell how, he made it up. Typical right wing nut, fruit cake, liar. They all operate the same, throw out a lie, keep repeating it over and over and a portion of the less informed will believe it, mostly ill informed republicans who are too lazy to check anything out for themselves. It's the same tactic that was used in Germany in 1938. Repeat the lie often enough and people will believe you. Don't repeat history, study it!
his mom should of aborted him.
Wait...what?
1. The abortion rate in our country is 33%? I sincerely doubt that.
2. Various administrations have used Social Security money for other programs. THAT is why the program is in trouble.
I want some of what he's smoking...
Oh for god's sake, where do these idiot Republicans come from, out from under rocks?
This guy is full of crap. Not of what he says is based in statistical analysis.. He is lumping together two republican talking points. Look at it this way: With fewer babies) there will be FEWER people claiming social security in the future. Therefore the system is IN GOOD SHAPE!
Rick Sanctorum has long ago proven that he will say just about anything to garner extreme rightwing votes. It goes along nicely with his insanity and ignorance. I guess him being voted out of office for those wackjob views didn't teach him anything about the fact that MOST Americans are not rightwing mouthfoamers.
Rick Santorum spoke at my college graduation in 1996. He spoke of family values and doing the right thing even when it is hard. He is a good guy. I expect that he will be president or vice president someday. And, yes, he is right about an abortion culture. Death is not the answer. Choose life.
Where to begin~ WRONG SANTORUM !! 100% fringe, idiotic, right-wing craziness. There are so many flaws in this thinking that I am speechless. But I offer this analogy up instead of addressing your madness: WORK ON creating jobs and sustainable living wage EMPLOYMENT and STOP Corporations from having TAX havens in Switzerland, etc; Fund fully Head Start, WIC, and work to create Single payer health care and prenatal care, stop the wars and war profiteering, fight to abolish the Bush tax breaks, rebuild US infrastructure to Bring Back the Revenue....which will maintain social security. It is not abortion, you pin-head. It is greed and corruption and the ugly turn towards privatization. Remember in the 80's the phrase "Welfare Mothers" was floated around as blame for the economic woes in the US? And many jumped on that band-wagon~ stupidity runs rampant in this country; but In realty, it was corporate welfare and tax breaks and off-shore tax havens and the endless pursuit of cheaper and cheaper labor that led to the final demise of this country the with the death of manufacturing. Ring a bell? And can you grasp any comparison? It is also called BIG HISTORICAL PICTURE AND the ability to think critically. Glad you are joining the GOP circus.
Good Lord. Please go back into your caves religious wing nuts. Stop trying to force a theocratic government. Talk about extremists destroying the American way of life! Muslims are the least of our worries when we have Christians passing religious beliefs into actual laws. Some evangelicals want a completely theocratic controlled America. Our religious terrorists carry crosses & a copy of the constitution. Please drag your knuckles back into your caves.
This guy is a nut.
His cure for this situation might be the death penalty for women who have abortions, and 25 years to life for miscarriages.
A 14-year-old girl was lashed to death in Bangladesh for adultery. Santorum should work up an American version of that kind of justice and base it on Moses' laws instead of the Koran.
As a medicaid case manager I have to say this man is beyond misinformed about a large portion of our population. I have multi-generational families that I follow. For some, not all, public assistance is their career. They do not, nor will they ever contribute to social security. The people that are using public assistance for the right reasons and eventually find work are lucky if they are making minimum wage. Outlawing abortion is not going to save social security but it does attract the extreme right, which I'm sure is his purpose. Shame on you Mr. Santorum. Come work with me for a month and then I'll give you some of my time to convince me that abortion should be outlawed. Spend your time trying to come up with a REAL solution to fund social security and quit trying to court the religious right just to gain favor and votes.
Has Santorum factored in the increased used of government funds by non-aborted children and their professional, welfare-supported single mothers?
"It takes a community," as Secretary of State Clinton once said, to raise a child.
Who's going to pay for all these unwanted full-term fetuses?
The Pope?
"Increased use," not "increased used."
I hate my typos.
Such a statement by Santorum exemplifies the lack of critical thought in politics and in the people electing and supporting politicians. Santorum understands that those of his ilk, those likely to support him and others like him, don't use critical thought to objectively and carefully analyze such statements. He counts on those people to take such statements at face value, accepting them as fact.
Be a voter conservative, liberal, or of some other political persuasion, it is a disservice to the political process and to the electorate to make such statements. It is also one of several reasons why we end up with the dysfunctional government and political process that we have: very few actually make any effort to obtain facts, to challenge statements and claims, or to ignore rhetoric in favor of using reason. Politicians of Santorum's ilk count on your ignorance. People that fall for such obviously false swill dishonor the freedom we allegedly hold so dear.
The Earth's environment is being damaged by an excessive population of humans. The environment in the USA has been damaged by excessive human population. We have millions of illegal immigrants giving birth to babies in the USA. But Rick Santorum says we do not have enough people. We have too many older citizens for our economy to support, according to him. So how about assisted suicide to reduce nursing home and ICU costs. Oh that would be against some Christian sects doctrine.
Quick! Have more babies!
....
Silly.
The last thing we need is more Santorums running around! Wasn't he the one who said gay marriage would lead to bestiality?
Clearly, Santorum's mental stability is in question. Just as clearly, what fool would buy into his line of unreasoning? We need fewer people, not more. Having seven children isn't contributing to any solution, it's a demonstration of irresponsible excess regardless of his resources.
Huh? This is the most ridiculous piece I have ever read...the only thing I have to say is... this guy isn't really running for president is he? Please tell me its a joke...
This has got to be one of the stupidest things I have ever heard in my life! really, does this guy ever spew anything but venomous garbage from his mouth The reasoning behind the social security problems is 1) we have an elderly population that is living longer than ever before, 2) the government borrowed against the SS fund with no plan to pay it back, 3) there are fewer people in the workforce today than there was when the program was first initiated, but this is not due to abortion rates. Back in the 30's, the life-expectancy was far less than what it is now, plus you had more workers per SS recipient, so support was easier back then.
I am so sick and tired of politicians blaming this and that on the problems America faces. Not a single one of them has the balls to face facts and understand that THEY are part of the problem. Quit demonizing abortion, evolution, Darwin, atheism, secularism, science, and God only knows what else!!!
First, if what we need are more Americans, then why not raise the caps on immigration from mexico? ...oh, right..he meant "white americans".
Second, saying that what social security needs is more people is like saying Madoffs Ponzi scheme would have been just fine as long as they could have just found more and more suckers to pay into it.
Third, does the term "closed system" mean anything to this bozo? There is only so much room, so much food, so fuel, etc. the very LAST thing we need is an out of controll population boom. What, is he actually *trying* to turn the US into a third world country?
We are on the downward slide on the back side of the oil supply curve- no matter what we do, prices will trend up and up and gas prices will double every 9 years (it's simple math + supply and demand)- maybe we should concentrate on fixing the problems we currently have rather then increasing the demand on our already strained resources. (In the bible, it's called being a "good steward")
We don't have jobs for the people we have now. The idea that if we had more people they would have jobs and support Social Security doesn't need refutation-it needs treatment.
"We have seven children so we're doing our part to fund the Social Security system," Santorum said.
Children should not be used as a means to further a social program.
Ahh yes, another "qualified" republican candidate with his finger on the pulse of the American people. 😉