William C. Baker: “balancing the Federal budget is a noble cause. It is one of the few issues of our era that demands our full attention.…”

“balancing the Federal budget is a noble cause. It is one of the few issues of our era that demands our full attention. The reason is very simple: moving the Federal budget into balance is not, ultimately, a debate about numbers, programs, agencies or interest groups. It is a debate about the future of our country. It is about whether or not we will leave our children in utter bankruptcy or with the hope of a better tomorrow. Either we tame the deficit monster that is ravaging our capacity for economic survival, or the very concept of prosperity will, for most of our children, be little more than a wistful memory. By the early 21st century--a few years from now--the entire Federal budget will be consumed by entitlement spending and interest on the national debt. This is the shocking conclusion of the President's own commission on entitlements. It demands change--now. Republicans are committed to capping the growth of Federal spending and cutting waste in the Federal budget, not to meet an arbitrary deadline, but for the sake of our children and our country. That is our mission, Mr. President. We will accomplish it.”