Republican presidential contender and Texas Gov. Rick Perry continued his
criticisms of Social Security, calling the program a “monstrous lie”
the Houston Chronicle reported.

“It is a Ponzi scheme for these young people,” Perry said Saturday at a campaign stop in Ottumwa, Iowa. “The idea that they’re
working and paying into Social Security today, that the current program is
going to be there for them, is a lie. It is a monstrous lie on this generation, and we can’t do
that to them.”

{mosads}In his anti-Washington book “Fed Up!” published this year, Perry had
harsh words for Social Security, criticisms he has reiterated on the campaign
trail.

Campaigning in Iowa, Perry also suggested a willingness to means-test Social
Security benefits.

“Does Warren Buffett need to get Social Security? Maybe
not,” Perry said.

At a second appearance in Des Moines, Iowa, Perry continued to hammer at the
President Obama’s economic record.

“Instead of eliminating our economic crisis, he worsened it. … Instead
of addressing the debt, he exploded it,” Perry said, according to The Associated Press.

The president’s policies, Perry claimed, have created “economic
misery.” Perry has sought to contrast the president’s performance on jobs
with his own record as Texas governor.

Perry spoke Saturday at the annual Polk County GOP picnic. The event was also attended
by rival GOP candidates Reps. Thaddeus McCotter (Mich.) and Ron Paul (Texas), but Perry managed to garner most of the attention.

A Gallup poll released Wednesday had the Texas governor assuming front-runner
status in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, eclipsing former
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The poll found that 29 percent of Republicans and
GOP-leaning independents preferred Perry as the party’s nominee.