Political Quotes

“Madam President, I wish to talk a little bit this afternoon about the amendment which Senators Conrad and Gregg have proposed and which we will be voting on next week. Both of these Senators are very well versed, as the chairman and ranking member of the Budget Committee, in fiscal policy and in the types of reforms everyone is looking for to get a handle on the deficit and the debt this country is facing. So it is with some trepidation that I oppose an amendment the two of them would offer. I hasten to say that both are respected Members of this body who approach problems with principle in mind, and in this particular case, having talked to Senator Gregg, I know the idea that only by working across the aisle with each other and compromising can we hope to deal with the most vexing problem that seems to face this body; that is, how to deal with the problem of deficit and debt. Having acknowledged their good will, however, I have to respectfully disagree with the approach they take in their commission. I do it for basically three reasons. First, I have never found either the House or the Senate in a position where they were anxious to cut spending and thereby save taxpayer money. I have, on the other hand, seen an effort to raise taxes every time we seem to get into a deficit situation. It seems it is always easier to gather in more taxpayer money than it is to stop spending money they have already sent us.…”