Democrat Elizabeth Esty and her republican challenger, Mark Greenberg, touched on a wide array of issues during their second debate: the economy, transit, climate, and Social Security. That last topic has been a point of contention among the two candidates following a controversial television ad from the Esty campaign.
Greenberg said something must be done before Social Security benefits run out. "We must increase the retirement age, gradually to 70," he said. "We would not hurt or affect the social security benefits for anybody 52 or older, but we have to have a debate and we have to be honest about it."
Esty disagreed. "I don't know about you, but I know plenty of people who work with physical labor -- in nursing homes, who run jackhammers -- who cannot be expected to work five years longer," she said. "They're just not going to be employed and I think that's unfair."
Esty said one solution to the looming Social Security issue would be raising the program's tax cap. This year, the maximum amount of taxable income earnings for Social Security is $117,000, which is up $3,300 from 2013.
On the Middle East and ISIS, Greenberg said he'd continue air strikes for now, and he added, "The arming of Syrians must continue. Let's try it. Let's try to get those folks to try first to deal with the situation in their own back yard."
"I'm fearful, though, that air strikes will not work," Greenberg continued, "because it didn't work when Nazi Germany was attacking Great Britain and they haven't worked in other circumstances, so I have my doubts."
Esty, who supports air strikes against ISIS, but voted against arming moderate Syrian opposition forces, said America should examine its relationship with Turkey and the Kurds. "That is a touchy subject," she said, "because Turkey is a NATO ally, but I think we need to have combat boots on the ground, for people who are invested in the region. I do not think that should be American combat forces. I think it needs to be regional allies."
Esty was elected to her first congressional term in 2012.
