Political Quotes

“I was Governor from 1993 to 2001. We started in a recession and ended up with 6, 7 really strong years, as you recall, during the Clinton administration. We were able to balance our budget 8 years in a row, cut taxes 7 out of 8, pay down some debts, and get good credit ratings across the board. The person who was my secretary of finance the last 4 years is now our Governor, John Carney. Ben knows him pretty well. He was a wonderful member of Congress and a wonderful Lieutenant Governor before that. He is looking at a budget of less than $4 billion. He is looking at a $400 million hole to fill. What is being proposed by our Republican colleagues on Medicaid would not make that $400 million hole any smaller. It would add anywhere from $100 to $200 million-- increasing it anywhere from 25 percent to 50 percent. It is a killer. Our Governor and our legislature are struggling enough to try to fill a $400 million hole rather than trying to figure out how to deal with something as vibrant as $600 million. It would be a backbreaker. That is what we are looking at. I share that with everybody. Going to my ``laboratory of democracy,'' some people would like to have Medicaid for all. Several of our colleagues are very much interested in a single-payer system. As an old Governor--someone who had the privilege leading the National Governors Association--I am a believer that States can be that laboratory of democracy.…”