Harry Reid: “Last year we spent a great deal of time talking about whether or not we should have an $800 billion tax cut. We spent an…”

“Last year we spent a great deal of time talking about whether or not we should have an $800 billion tax cut. We spent an inordinate amount of time working on that. The minority, the Democrats, thought we should not do that, that it was too much; that instead of having this large tax cut, we should have some targeted tax cut, much, much, much smaller. This debate went on for months. The sad part about it is, when we came to the appropriations bills, the 13 appropriations bills, suddenly there was no money. Even though there had been $800 billion set aside, supposedly for tax cuts, there was no money to take care of the expenses that were necessary in the funding of this country. Day after day we were talked to--some say talked down to--by our friends on the other side of the aisle, that the economy would come to a grinding halt if we did not pass this $800 billion tax bill. Of course, that has not happened. Not only did the minority not buy the plan of the majority, but the American people did not buy the plan. In any poll taken, the American people decided there were more important priorities. What were those priorities? Education--when you have 3,000 children dropping out of high school every day, you would think that would be a priority. Social Security is a priority. We have to make sure in the outyears Social Security is as good to people as it is today. Social Security is going to be doing just fine until the year 2035, maybe 2036.”