Ron Paul: I take Social Security checks but will eliminate it for others

By David Edwards
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 11:17 EDT

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul on Tuesday admitted that he got a monthly Social Security check, a program that he eventually wants to eliminate.

During an interview on MSNBC, Paul insisted that he would preserve Social Security longer than some of the others in his party.

“I want young people to opt out of Social Security,” the Texas congressman told MSNBC contributor Mike Barnicle. “In my more pragmatic stands on how we get to the place I want to go, actually I’m probably offering a program where some of these programs that we have taught people to be so dependant on, I would probably preserve them longer than others because we are going to lose them because of the bankruptcy that is coming.”

“Are you on Social Security,” The Huffington Post’s Sam Stein wondered. “Do you get Social Security checks?”

“I do,” Paul replied.

“You just told younger generations that they should wean themselves off of this social contract but you haven’t done it yourself,” Stein noted. “You’re not the wealthiest man in Congress, I’m not saying that. But you have enough means to take care of yourself in retirement. Shouldn’t you provide an example?”

“No,” Paul said. “I think the programs are so designed, just as I use the post office too. I use government highways. I do that too. I use the banks. I use the Federal Reserve system. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work to remove this. The same way on Social Security, I am trying to make a transition.”

“I personally don’t see any inconsistency in that,” he added.