Political Quotes

“I rise today in opposition to the amendment pending offered by my distinguished colleague from Nevada, Senator Reid. As we reflect on the issue of a balanced budget, Mr. President, I can not help but recall in 1986 unloading the mail on the Capitol steps with a number of other colleagues. That mail was a public outcry concerning the merits of a balanced budget. Today we are addressing that same issue, as it remains unresolved. Just a few days ago, we had an opportunity to see another truckload of mail come in from all over the country with regard to the balanced budget and the necessity of recognizing that, indeed, what we are faced with is a fiscal crisis. While I listen to my distinguished colleagues consider various criticisms regarding the balanced budget amendment, I cannot help but reflect on the bottomline reality, and that is that we are now borrowing in excess of $200 billion--as a matter of fact $212 billion-- to pay interest on our accumulated 4.5 trillion dollars' worth of debt.”