JOHN LINDER: “I will be willing to admit that it is unfortunate that Federal employees are being furloughed in this great debate. But…”

“I will be willing to admit that it is unfortunate that Federal employees are being furloughed in this great debate. But they are not the only hostages. They are not the only innocent ones. There are several hundred million people in this country who are held hostage by this whole process. The most innocent are our children and grandchildren, who are inheriting from this body a $5 trillion debt that will cost them in their lifetime, if they are born this year, $187,000 just to pay interest on the debt. This is a great debate. It is not a sandbox fight. It is about the direction of the Government. The dollar amounts are insignificant. What the President cannot tolerate is turning back to individuals the right to make decisions about their own lives. The nanny state will wither away and the left will lose control over the lives of people. That is what this debate is about and I am on the side of the innocent children and grandchildren.”