Political Quotes

“I was down here in 1982 with the Grace Commission. We had a deficit of $200 billion. We had great plans, we had suggestions to close that gap, cut the spending. Nothing happened. I came here as a Congressman in 1987. Our deficit was still $200 billion, and we had all of these plans, Gramm-Rudman-Hollings, all of the great laws. Nothing happened. Here we are now with a deficit of still $200 billion or approximating that. There was a man called C. North Cole Parkinson, who said expenses have a tendency to rise to exceed income. That is what is happening here. I think it is really a bad idea, if there were any other alternative to having a constitutional amendment. However, I am convinced now that it is the only way of doing this thing. I am not for the three-fifths for the tax increase. It is not practical. It will not work. But I am for a balanced budget amendment. Let me say one other thing: That is the easy part. The hard part is to put this into practice. Peter Drucker always said that all great ideas ultimately degenerate into work. This is what is going to happen here.”