FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amy Wojcicki, Communications Director
amy [at] dpo [dot] org
(503) 239-8636
With Oregonians statewide celebrating the 75th anniversary of Social Security this Saturday, Scott Bruun’s support for privatizing this program and putting the financial futures of Oregon’s seniors into the hands of Wall Street traders is coming into focus.
In 1996, Bruun told The Oregonianthat the way to address the solvency of Social Security was “by slowly converting contributions into private investments, which will earn a much higher rate of return.”
Over the weekend, Bruun appeared on KGW’s Straight Talk program with Laural Porter. Rather than own up to his support for the risky privatization scheme that Oregonians overwhelmingly opposed when it was proposed in 2005, Bruun flip-flopped and denied his support for privatizing this vital program on which Oregon seniors rely.
Porter: “…another thing the Tea Party espouses is privatizing Social Security, something President Bush tried in 2005, it didn’t go anywhere. Do you support that?”
Bruun: “I do not support privatizing Social Security but I do support reform of entitlements.”
Yet only five months ago at a forum in March, when Scott Bruun thought the cameras were off, he showed his views haven’t changed from 1996.
Bruun: “So if we are going to address this we have got to put everything on the table. I for one believe we have to have a private element of Social Security to make it work”
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kGBHJIismM
“Scott Bruun knows that Oregonians don’t support privatizing Social Security so now he is trying to pretend he doesn’t back this dangerous plan. But he has made his position clear, put the benefits of Oregon seniors’ in the hands of his greedy Wall Street trader friends,” said Meredith Wood-Smith, Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon. “We need a leader like Kurt Schrader, who will stand strong on the issues that Oregonians care about.”
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