Mark Kirk: “I lean toward spending restraint and believe that Americans are taxed enough. This Congress was run by the other party…”

“I lean toward spending restraint and believe that Americans are taxed enough. This Congress was run by the other party in the 1980s and we raised taxes back then. But spending went up even faster than we raised taxes. We remember in the 1980s that for every $1 in taxes raised, the Congress lifted spending by $1.24. Therefore, taxes went up and so did the deficit. Ask your seniors this question. Should we cut other programs to make sure that we have $445 billion to help protect Social Security? The gentleman asks, what commitment is there by the United States Government to make sure that these savings go to Social Security and Medicare? As I referred to in my opening, we have an unfunded liability in Medicare of $21 trillion, and we have an unfunded liability in Social Security of $10 trillion. There is a sacred bond and a piece of paper from the Treasury Department to the Social Security Administration that says that the American taxpayer will honor these debts. But with what money? Ask seniors this question: Should we cut entitlement spending to make sure that the money is there for Social Security and Medicare?”