Jerry Moran: “I thank the Senator from South Dakota and would indicate that, yes, Kansas is one of those 49 States in our Constitution…”

“I thank the Senator from South Dakota and would indicate that, yes, Kansas is one of those 49 States in our Constitution in which we are prohibited in almost all ways of living beyond our means. It has been something that the Kansas legislature and Governor have lived with throughout the history of our State, including in today's environment where an economic downturn creates the circumstance in which there are less revenues. So the solution to the problem in Kansas is not a try for more revenue, it is a recognition that spending in difficult times has to be reduced. It is the restraint that we desperately need in Washington, DC, that is so common in State capitals and families and businesses across the country. While I have always indicated to Kansans, while we have this debate every year how to balance the revenues with the expenditures--and it is not an enjoyable debate--we are fortunate in Kansas we have to reach that conclusion and it is something we need in Washington, DC. For a long time the political talk of Washington is that we are too likely to spend and tax. There is also a problem of spending and borrowing. We are now suffering the consequence. We are not immune from what we see in Greece and Italy and Portugal and Ireland. If we do not solve this problem that we face today in a responsible way, it will be solved for us by the markets, by those from whom we borrow money, determining we are no longer creditworthy.…”