Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I will use that 3 minutes just to wrap up with a couple thoughts. The first point I wish to make in wrapping up this evening is that there has been a 21-percent increase in appropriated funding over the last 2 years--21 percent. So every small business out there is asking the question: Why is the cost, at least in part of this health care bill, falling on my back, when there has been a 21-percent increase in appropriated funding over the last 2 years? Why are you punishing me, when I am trying to do everything I can to stay afloat? Senator Hutchison said it well. You can't go anywhere in this country without a small businessperson saying to you: What is it about this 1099 requirement? They are dreading the fact that they will spend valuable resources on accountants to be in compliance and to deal with this requirement. They are asking the question: Why are you picking on us? The second point I wish to make is, the money from unappropriated, unobligated accounts--again, excluding the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs--is 5 percent. It is 5 percent of the total. I look at that massive Federal budget, I look at what we are dealing with, and I get down to the same point--$19 billion. Why would you add that to the Federal deficit? That is exactly what the Baucus amendment does. You simply will not find offsets that are better equipped to deal with this problem than the one I am proposing.…”