Political Quotes

“The consequences of jumping off this so- called ``fiscal cliff'' are serious but avoidable if the sacrifice is shared. My concern is that the domestic discretionary accounts don't seem to have a seat at the negotiating table. If you don't have a seat at the table, you're far more likely to be on the menu. Domestic discretionary funding is already projected to fall to historically low levels at less than 3 percent of GDP. This is less than what existed during the Eisenhower administration when our population was much smaller and much younger. These are the programs that are the most critical to the future of our country. They fund our roads and rails and ports, they support the most important scientific research in health and technology and are necessary to educate, feed, and house our most vulnerable children and families. Yet they are the ones most likely to be targeted for budget savings. If we allow that to happen, we'll condemn 16 million children to living their lives on the margins of our economy rather than providing them with the means necessary to escape the cycle of poverty as adults. A Nation such as ours cannot meet the challenges of the 21st century without making the necessary investments in our human and our physical infrastructure and in cutting-edge basic research in health and technology. We shouldn't further diminish our future in order to get ourselves through this artificially created budget crisis. ____________________”