The video: Kelly says Social Security and Medicare are Ponzi schemes, need to be privatized and phased out

by David Safier

On July 30, 2010, during a KUAT debate, Kelly declared his views on Medicare and Social Security in no uncertain terms. He can say he's changed his views, but he can't say he never wanted to privatize and phase out Social Security and Medicare.

Here's the minute-long clip of Kelly in all his glory. Transcript below.

Moderator Bill Buckmaster: What about privatization of these two huge entitlement programs?

Jesse Kelly: We must. Bernie Madoff is in prison right now for what the federal government has done with Social Security and Medicare. It’s the biggest Ponzi scheme in history. It’s not an accident that the government has bankrupted everything they’ve ever touched, including Social Security and Medicare. They even bankrupted the Post Office, for goodness sakes. Right now, you have to take steps to reform it, to privatize it, to phase it out. Now these are not welfare programs. People have paid their entire lives into these programs, because the government has stolen their money. So you need to be fulfilling your promises in the near future, while phasing out future generations, taking steps to privatize, vouchers, everything. It’s not an option of should it be done — it must be done. There is no money left. Everything the federal government has touched is broke, and right now they've touched everything. So we need to get them out of our economy.