Political Quotes

“I refer at this time to a statement that is on this chart behind me from the majority leader of the other body in the House of Representatives, the Honorable Richard Armey. He said: We have the serious business of passing a balanced budget amendment, and I am profoundly convinced that putting the details out would make that virtually impossible. There has been an attempt to keep from the American people what would happen to Social Security if it is not exempted from a balanced budget amendment. Why? The answer is in another statement made by the same majority leader, Congressman Armey, when he was asked the question why they had not produced a detailed plan for balancing the budget, wherein he responded, and I quote: Because the fact of the matter is that once Members of Congress know exactly chapter and verse, the pain that the Government must live with in order to get a balanced budget, their knees will buckle. Mr. President, there are a lot of people whose knees are buckling as a result of the fact that they are going to have to vote whether or not to exempt Social Security from the balanced budget amendment. However, the amendment before this body that we will vote on at 11:30 is a mockery. It is an effort to allow people to walk from this Chamber and say, ``I voted to protect Social Security,'' when, in fact, they did just the opposite. This fig-leaf amendment that is now before this body will be adopted today, just like it did in the other body.”