Political Quotes

“I thank the Chair. I also want to thank the Senator from Illinois and the Senator from Utah and the Senator from Idaho for their leadership in this effort. We have heard all these numbers discussed the last 4 days: The fact that the debt is $4.4 trillion, the fact that our Federal budget spends $1.5 trillion each year. All these numbers, how do we boil them down so all Americans can truly understand what is taking place? Many of the speeches this morning were 10 minutes in length. In 10 minutes' time, we will pay $5.5 million in interest payments in this Nation. If we did not have to pay this interest, that would equate to adding 100 police officers to State and local governments. In just 10 minutes' time, that $5.5 million that we are spending in interest would pay to immunize more than 45,000 children. It would provide a year of Head Start for almost 1,500 kids. In the 4 days that the Senate has debated the balanced budget amendment, we have paid $3.2 billion in interest. That $3.2 billion could have reduced taxes $40, $40 for every taxpaying family, $10 a day. We are talking real money. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson feared that this day might come. In his Farewell Address to the Nation, President Washington warned Congress to cherish public credit, to use it as sparingly as possible, avoiding occasions of expense.…”