Topeka ? Democrat Nancy Boyda on Thursday accused U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun, a Republican, of wanting to privatize Social Security, while Ryun described Boyda as a wealthy war protester.

The 2nd District candidates also clashed on health care, schools and assault weapons during a debate that was taped at public broadcasting station KTWU.

The debate will be shown at noon Saturday on NBC affiliate KSNT-TV and at 3 p.m. Sunday on KTWU. Libertarian candidate Dennis Hawver, who is also on the ballot, wasn’t invited to the debate. The 2nd District includes western Lawrence.

On Social Security, Ryun said the system needed changes, but he hadn’t decided on a plan yet.

But Boyda read from an Aug. 4 letter that Ryun sent to senior citizens which said: “Here is my plan for reforming the system.”

In the letter, Ryun wrote that he wanted to give younger people “increased control over their Social Security investments” and mentioned as a “step in the right direction” a bill that would allow workers to divert some of their Social Security payments into personal security accounts.

Ryun later said he was listing options that were being considered in Congress, but Boyda called his response “Washington doublespeak.”

During the debate, Ryun said Social Security “privatization is a possibility, but that’s not one I’ve settled on completely.”

Boyda said setting up private investment accounts would ruin the stability of Social Security because investments would be subject to market changes.

On the war on terrorism, Boyda called on Ryun to apologize for insinuating in a television advertisement that Boyda didn’t support the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

Ryun, however, said Boyda had organized war protests “while our troops were dying on the ground.”

Boyda said her protests were against the buildup to the war in Iraq and once President Bush started the invasion, she stopped protesting in order to support the troops.

Ryun criticized Boyda for using her own money to help pay for her campaign.

“My opponent is kind of wealthy. She has put $265,000 of her own money into this. That’s what I don’t particularly care for,” he said.

Boyda shot back that the money was from her lifetime savings, including her pay “when I scooped Baskin-Robbins ice cream when I was 13 years old.”

Analysis: Substance of Boyda, Ryun ads examined (10-17-04) Video: Boyda ad Video: Ryun ad

On health care, Ryun said he favored Bush’s proposal to let employer groups launch unregulated, self-insured plans called association health plans, which would be free to exclude high-risk workers.

But Boyda noted that Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, a Republican who lives in Lawrence, has opposed such a proposal, saying those not eligible for the plans would see their premiums increase.

Boyda said she wanted to use the drug-purchasing power of Medicaid and Medicare as leverage to get discounts from drug companies.

Ryun said that would lead to a government-run system.

On education, Boyda said she would support legislation to allow states to opt out of the federal controls of the No Child Left Behind Act. Ryun voted against the law, but he defended the federal government’s spending levels for education.

On guns, Ryun said he opposed the assault weapons ban, which recently expired. Boyda said she supported the ban.