Gilbert Gutknecht: “This debate is simply about 1.9 percent of discretionary spending on this bill. This bill increases spending over last…”

“This debate is simply about 1.9 percent of discretionary spending on this bill. This bill increases spending over last year over $1 billion. We are talking about reducing that increase by $466 million. This debate again is not about 1.9 percent, it is about keeping the faith and keeping our word to our children. This is really about whether or not we have the courage to do the difficult things. As my colleague said earlier, this is about whether different programs are adequately funded, and certainly that is true. But there is no limit to how much money we can spend on all of these very valuable programs. We can go through this debate on each and every bill, and we can make an argument for spending in every single category. I am not saying the money is being wasted, but what I am saying is if we continue to pile debt upon debt on our children, sooner or later they are going to reach a point at which they cannot exist. They cannot make their house payments. We are denying them the quality of life, the standard of living that we have enjoyed. If we forget everything I say, remember this: Every single dollar of personal income taxes collected west of the Mississippi River now goes to pay the interest on the national debt. And the tragedy is every year that line is moving further west.”