On the recordNovember 18, 2011
I thank the gentleman from Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor of this bipartisan bill in full support of it. Rarely do we have a chance in this body to make fundamental difference. It's so easy, as I've learned in a short 10 months, for Members of this body to say ``no'' instead of taking a personal responsibility to make the tough decisions that need to be made. This morning we have that chance. I don't think this chance will come closer in our orbit for a very long time. If we can pass language out of this House this morning, the Senate has to vote on it. The Senate Majority Leader cannot table it. And because it's a constitutional amendment, it has nothing to do with the President. He can't veto it. He doesn't have to sign it. It goes right to the States. And why is that so important? Why is that so different? Because finally the people of this country, of the State of Indiana, of my beloved Fourth District, will have a chance to tell us, by ratification of this amendment, whether or not they want to live within their means instead of passing their bills from the Federal Government--spending that's occurring here, $8 billion to $12 billion a day more in debt-- whether they're done passing it on to their kids and grandkids. And I believe, speaking specifically to those of us who represent senior citizens, that most of them have grandchildren, and they don't want their bills passed on to them.…
