Byron Dorgan: “I have listened with interest to this debate about the constitutional amendment to balance the budget. This debate is…”

“I have listened with interest to this debate about the constitutional amendment to balance the budget. This debate is now 1 week old. And I want to mention that I was reading last evening a small book that I am sure Senator Simon has read, since he reads everything. It is a book written by Mr. Fulghum entitled 'All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.' He points out that the lessons you learn in kindergarten are enduring lessons. They really are all that you need to know. Mr. Fulghum says the lessons are: Share everything; play fair; do not hit people; put things back where you found them; clean up your own mess; do not take things that are not yours; say you are sorry when you hurt someone; wash your hands before you eat; flush; and when you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. The lesson for this debate, I suppose, is do not take things that are not yours. We are literally spending resources today that are not ours. They are our children's and our grandchildren's. But we are avoiding tough choices and we keep spending our children's resources. We have an addiction to debt.”