On the recordMarch 25, 2010
I wish to spend a few minutes talking about where we are as a nation and what the future is for our children. We have at this point in time $12.6 trillion worth of debt. We now have equivalent debt for every man, woman, and child in this country of $42,000. For our children who are under 25 years of age, in the year 2030, each one of them will be responsible for $1,113,000 worth of debt and unfunded obligations. If we think about what that means, it means that for our children who are under 25 years of age, the ability for them to experience the opportunity that we as a nation have experienced in the past 230-plus years is going to be put at risk. We have before us some things that need to get done. They have to get done. We have two options: We can add another $9.2 billion to that $12.6 trillion we have today and bump up more than that $1,113,000, or we can relook into the mirror and say: Should we as Americans start making some of the hard choices that are going to be necessary for us to get out of the mess we have created for our children? When I travel around the country--and I travel in Oklahoma--Americans are concerned about our future right now. What are their concerns? What does it boil down to in their hearts? In their hearts, they have this gripping sensation that what they have experienced as an American may not be available for their children. It is a painful realization. Their hope for us is that we might change that outcome for their children.
