Quote

The do-it-yourself version of pensions is a flop, as many Americans have painfully learned.

Refurbishing I've done in the first three years and I'm still giving housing money, of course, to the north.

I have considered the pension list of the republic a roll of honor.

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

During my four years as treasurer, we restructured our pension system, cutting the state's unfunded liability almost by half and putting our retirement system on stronger footing.

I would not be opposed to devising a new system of pensions, in which one part was based on collective provision, but which also gave incentives for people to take out an additional, personal plan.

We can't be paying pensions to the next generation of federal workers when hardly anyone in the private sector gets them.

I believe when hard-working citizens have earned their pension, it's wrong for Washington bureaucrats and politicians to take their pensions away.

I am staunchly committed to ensuring the long-term solvency of Social Security and preserving full benefits for Americans who have spent their entire working lives contributing to this program.

Pension reform can be hard to talk about. In the long run, reform now means fewer demands for layoffs and less draconian measures in the future. It's in the best interest of all Californians to fix this system now.