José E. Serrano: “this whole issue of the balanced budget amendment and the three-fifths super majority is one that if you really analyze…”

“this whole issue of the balanced budget amendment and the three-fifths super majority is one that if you really analyze it can confuse you a lot. First of all, we all come here with an equal vote and now we are being told in order to accomplish something legislatively we have to get a special super majority. How is it going to end? Any time we find an issue we do not have the courage to deal with ourselves we are going put forth a super majority so that everybody can deal with it that way and then throw it off to someone else? The other issue that seems to create a problem here is that we cannot still get the truth from the other side, from the proponents of this bill, what it is they intend to do once they balance the budget the way they want to balance the budget. This whole issue of Social Security that some people think we are trying to scare some folks here, this is a honest issue. This is a truthful issue. Why will people not tell us what is going to happen to Social Security and Medicare once this constitutional amendment takes effect? When I was much younger the airline industry went out to try to get new customers and they said ``fly now; pay later.'' What I am being told to do now is vote now and find out later. If we vote now we are going to find out later that we are going to be in deep trouble on the real contract, besides the Constitution, which is the only contract we have with America.”