Harold Volkmer: “in this body as well as the other body we have people with different ideas. Ideas are what make legislation. We are…”

“in this body as well as the other body we have people with different ideas. Ideas are what make legislation. We are seeing that with the unfunded mandate bill. That is all it is, a question of ideas. We are going to see it with the balanced budget amendment. I have supported a balanced budget amendment since I have been here, 18 years. I have never supported however, in that time, the principle that you should have a three-fifths majority in order to increase revenues. I will never support a constitutional amendment that has that. I believe in my principles. I just wonder how many freshmen Members on the other side of the aisle believe in their principle of a three-fifths majority and how many of them will actually stand by that principle, or how many of them will, just for expediency, decide that they want a balanced budget amendment and they do not care what is in it. I am just curious to see who really stands by their ideas.”