By Mark Abrams

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The Republican candidate for US Senate in Pennsylvania made a campaign stop in Philadelphia today to talk about his plans to jumpstart the struggling economy.

Tom Smith, who is challenging Democratic incumbent Bob Casey, says it’s time to simplify the US tax code — a 77,000-page document which, he argues, “kills growth, saddles families, and suffocates businesses with unnecessary administrative and compliance costs while offering special interest loopholes to the politically connected.”

Speaking at a City Line Avenue hotel, Smith said he supports a flat tax, although he offered no specifics on what rate should be assessed.  He says that’s something Congress needs to determine.

Regarding Social Security and Medicare, Smith says they can be reformed without jeopardizing benefits for those currently on or soon to receive them.