Political Quotes

“I rise this morning to speak in favor of the legislation that I have authored to amend the Constitution to require that Congress, on behalf of the American people, balance the Federal budget. Yesterday I spoke about the merits of a balanced budget amendment, and I appreciate the debate that has occurred on the Senate floor which was in the best traditions of the Senate. I particularly have enjoyed hearing Senator Hatch's point of view. I think we have some disagreements about how we implement a balanced budget amendment, but we both agree that we need to put the Federal Government's finances in balance. Perhaps if we both fall short today on these important votes, we can go back and work together in the best tradition of Senator Hatch and Senator Simon. Senator Simon, on our side, was a strong proponent in the 1990s of a balanced budget amendment. Senator Hatch referenced those efforts then. Let me quickly summarize my arguments for why we need a balanced budget amendment. I start out thinking about Coloradans and the common sense they apply to their everyday finances, and there is a big dose of Colorado common sense in my proposal. It is aimed at finding common ground that both parties and a big majority of Americans can support, and it starts with a constitutional requirement to balance the budget. That is the heart of the issue. It is something on which many of us agree.…”