On the recordMarch 9, 2011
I think when you ask Americans if they want to see changes in the health care system--but not these changes--they say: Yes, we want the health care system to be changed. We just don't want it changed this way. I remind the Chair, in Missouri in the primary election in August last year, 72 percent of the people who voted said they did not want to be part of this health care plan. This is going to be a big discussion and a big issue for the next couple of years, until we decide what direction we are going to take. Today I want to talk about spending. Two bills are coming to the floor today about spending and there will be lots of discussion about the cuts the House made, the $61 billion of cuts and how this cut could have been better, how this is a good thing for the government or for somebody to do. Of course, I suspect most all of that will be true. What is unfortunate is that we on the Senate floor today do not get to talk about what we might cut instead of these things, these things that will be discussed that people think are such a good idea for us to cut. The truth is, we have to make the decisions that get spending under control.
