Paul, Gray trade barbs on Social Security

WASHINGTON – Sen. Rand Paul has never been shy about touching the third rail of politics – Social Security reform. In a new campaign ad, he defends his proposals as a way to save the retirement program, not gut it.

Paul’s Democratic challenger, Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, recently launched an attack on Paul’s ideas – allowing people to put some of their Social Security taxes into personal investment accounts and raising the retirement age – as ominous threats to seniors.

But in a new ad scheduled to start airing Thursday, Paul says his approach shows courage and sets him apart from skittish politicians who fear the tough choices necessary to address Social Security's serious financial problems. The entitlement program is deep in the red because there are fewer workers and more retirees.

“I support proposals that would fully fund the shortfall in Social Security while preserving the system for seniors and implementing reforms to save the program for younger generations,” Paul says in the new ad.

Read more: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2016/10/19/paul-gray-trade-barbs-social-security/92420702/