Mike Quigley Quotes

I agree with President Roosevelt, and generations since, that American seniors deserve better than poverty.

Without Social Security, poverty rates for African American seniors would more than double.

All Americans have a sacred duty to guarantee Social Security benefits to our nation's senior citizens.

I never need to go far if I need a reminder of how important Medicare and Social Security are to Missouri's seniors. My mom, Betty Anne, is one of millions for whom these services provide a reliable safety net. Across the country, these protections are an integral part of sustaining millions of seniors' health and dignity.

The American people I talk to don't spend every moment thinking, 'How can I tax my neighbor more than they're being taxed?' They say, 'How can I get a good job? How can my kids get good jobs? How can seniors have a confidence in their future when they know that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are bankrupt?'

In America, we make a promise to seniors: After a lifetime of working and contributing to this country, you'll earn the benefit of a secure retirement, good health care, and peace of mind in your later years. To me, that's a commitment we have to keep.

When the average Social Security benefit is $1328 a month, and more than one-third of our senior citizens rely on Social Security for Virtually all of their income, our job is to expand benefits, not cut them.

Medicare and Social Security have created the healthiest and most financially secure generation of senior citizens in American history.

It's hard to exaggerate the importance of preserving the financial integrity of Social Security.

I am proud that we worked so hard to improve seniors' lives.

Social Security not only helps Americans enjoy a secure retirement, it has also kept millions of Americans out of poverty.

If Republicans eliminate Medicare, America will become a country in which you can never retire - and once you physically can no longer work, you are desperately poor until you die.

We must work to stabilize Social Security. We must not gamble with our nation's social insurance program, one of our most popular and effective federal programs that has remained dependable and stable for the past 70 years.

The term 'Xiaokang' is used today to refer to a society where people can receive education, get paid through work, have access to medical services and old-age support, have a shelter and more than enough food and clothing, and lead a well-off life.

Part of the middle class promise is that, after a lifetime of hard work, you'll be able to retire and enjoy the fruits of that labor. Medicare was established to secure that promise.

The decision is 'trust fund' versus 'no more Medicaid' - and that shouldn't be a tough decision.

A generous basic state pension is the least a civilized society should offer those who have worked hard and saved through their whole lives.

Before Social Security existed, about half of America's senior citizens lived in poverty.

There is no prospect that today's younger workers will receive all the Social Security and Medicare benefits currently promised them.

I do not believe that older Americans should be forced to live out their lives in poverty, their tiny savings destroyed by illness. Dependent upon their relatives. Feeling unwanted by their country.

The great network of social insurance programs established by President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, President Harry Truman’s Fair Deal, President John F. Kennedy’s Great Society, and President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society and defended by President Bill Clinton, sharply limits the amount of poverty a downturn [in the economy] can cause.

Without Social Security benefits, more than 40 percent of Americans 65 years and older would live below the federal poverty line. Even more striking is that Social Security is the only source of retirement income for almost a quarter of elderly beneficiaries.

Doing right by our seniors isn't just about making the right decisions today - it's about ensuring that every generation of Americans can have a strong and secure future.

I'll always stand up for America's seniors so they can age with dignity.

We must unequivocally reject any cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits.