On the recordMarch 21, 2010
This is truly a remarkable moment in the life of this Nation. Some say we're making history. I say we're breaking history. We're breaking with our finest traditions--limited government, personal responsibility and the consent of the governed. The first principle of public service in a free society is humility. The arrogance we've witnessed in this institution is breathtaking. Only in Washington, D.C., could you say you're going to spend $1 trillion and save the taxpayers money. Only in Washington, D.C., could you exchange the pro-life protections enshrined in the law for 30 years for a piece of paper, signed by the most pro-abortion President in American history. Despite overwhelming public opposition today, this administration and this Congress is poised to ignore the majority of the American people. Let me say, Mr. Speaker, this is not the President's House. This is not the Democrats' House. This is the people's House, and the American people don't want a government takeover of health care. Now I know they don't like us to call it that. But when you mandate every American to have government-approved insurance, whether they want it or need it or not, when you create a government-run plan, paid for with job-killing tax increases, and you provide public funding for abortion, that's a government takeover of health care, and the American people know it. The American people want to face our challenges in health care with more freedom, not more government.
