Cord Byrd: “on February 28, 2001, President Bush sent to the Congress his fiscal year 2002 budget outline entitled, ``A Blueprint…”

“on February 28, 2001, President Bush sent to the Congress his fiscal year 2002 budget outline entitled, ``A Blueprint for New Beginnings.'' Sadly, this budget is a blueprint for putting tax cuts for the wealthy at the front of the line, above all of the needs of the American people. Now I say to my colleagues, caution, we have not yet seen the real budget. The President's budget will be sent up to the Hill in the early part of April. We have not seen it yet. So I would suggest to all of us that we go slowly until we see the fine print in the President's budget. What we have seen thus far is a mere blueprint entitled ``A Blueprint for New Beginnings.'' But I say again, this is a blueprint for putting tax cuts for the wealthy at the front of the line, above all other needs of the American people. The President's Budget allocates 80 percent, over $2 trillion of the $2.5 trillion non-Social Security, non-Medicare surplus, on tax cuts. Two trillion dollars. Does anyone know how long it would take to count $1 trillion at the rate of $1 per second? It would take 32,000 years--32,000 years--to count $1 trillion at the rate of $1 per second. The President's budget allocates 80 percent, over $2 trillion--that would take 64,000 years to count at the rate of $1 per second--of the $2.5 trillion non-Social Security/non-Medicare surplus on tax cuts. I believe the President is not on the same page--I say this respectfully about the President--with the American people.”