David Thomas: “this is an interesting debate. It has gone on now for a substantial amount of time. We talked about all of the details.…”

“this is an interesting debate. It has gone on now for a substantial amount of time. We talked about all of the details. Of course, that is a proper thing to do. There are all kinds of ideas in the Senate, which is the way it is supposed to be. That is what the Senate is about. There are many, particularly on that side of the aisle, who want to spend more--that more spending is the better thing to do. There are others who believe there should be a limit on spending--a limit on what the Federal Government does. But that is a judgment we need to make. Some apparently think that it is better to penalize spending, to make it more difficult for people to amass money. Others believe we ought to encourage savings. That is what the system is about. It causes people to be able to work and save for themselves. There are some who believe we ought to be in the business of redistributing income. Of course, we are dealing with that all of the time. Others believe we ought to encourage enterprise and entrepreneurship. These differences, philosophical and others, are as they should be. It is the role of the Senate to do that. It is also the obligation and role of the Senate to come to closure. The idea that we drag these things along is exasperating. We have 35 days left in this session to finish many things, including the very important appropriations bills.…”