NAN A. S. HAYWORTH: “Let me join the chorus of praise for our colleague from Wisconsin because we are moving actually beyond that notion…”

“Let me join the chorus of praise for our colleague from Wisconsin because we are moving actually beyond that notion where, yes, we realize we want to balance the budget, but it should not be a one-time curiosity. Indeed, now with responsible fiscal practices that allow people to hang on to more of their own money, with the growth we have seen in terms of jobs and economic opportunity, it now appears that we may really turn the corner, and as our colleague from Wisconsin has pointed out, we may be moving into an era of surplus and yet there is another public charge, if you will. There is another requirement of those of us who serve here for future generations and that, of course, is to pay down the debt. So we really have a one-two punch. I am pleased that our colleague from Wisconsin has offered a National Debt Repayment Act as well where we take a look at codifying or putting into law a fairly significant observation that with those surpluses, one-third for tax relief, one-third for debt retirement, and one-third for Social Security to maintain that program so vital to our retirees.”