Political Quotes

“The problem is, in the past we have had rules--as the Senator mentioned, Gramm-Rudman-Hollings, pay as you go. I think pay as you go, which was passed in the late 1990s, was broken 700 times. There doesn't seem to be the spine or will power here to say no. Everybody wants something from government, but they do not realize that by getting things from government we do not pay for has ramifications. Admiral Mullens said last year that the biggest threat to our national security right now is our debt. Erskine Bowles, head of the Debt Commission, said the most predictable crisis in our history is going to be a debt crisis. For those on the other side who will oppose a balanced budget, they will need to explain to the American people when chaotic situations come and we are having trouble paying for those things that come from government, when the value of the money is destroyed and when prices are rising dramatically, they will have to explain to the American people why they thought it was not necessary to balance the budget. I have seen no willpower to attack entitlements. There are simple ways. We could gradually raise the age of the entitlement eligibility and means test the benefits. We could fix Social Security tomorrow. We could fix Medicare tomorrow. But the other side is unwilling to talk about entitlement reform unless--they believe they are owed some obligation of raising taxes by $1 trillion.…”