Political Quotes

“I rise to urge Senate approval of the balanced budget constitutional amendment. Some have argued that a constitutional amendment is not needed to ensure a balanced budget, but history clearly demonstrates that, despite good intentions, we will not get the job done absent the constitutional requirement. Every President during the past two decades has pledged to balance the budget. In 1970, President Nixon said that he would recommend a balanced budget by 1971. President Ford pledged to achieve a balanced budget in 1976. In 1978, President Carter pledged to move rapidly toward a balanced budget. In 1983, President Reagan talked of achieving a balanced budget by the end of the decade. The list goes on and on. The simple fact is that the road to our huge national debt has been paved with good intentions. The old saying that 'we have met the enemy and it is us' has never been more applicable. I know the pressures on Washington to spend money, even borrowed money. By and large, each Congress sets out to be fiscally responsible, but our national debt still grows. The truth is that experience has taught us that even in good times, we need the discipline of a constitutional amendment.”