John Thune: “to do it, almost eight times the amount of money they would need just to cover additional enrollment due to the…”

“to do it, almost eight times the amount of money they would need just to cover additional enrollment due to the downturn. Eight times the amount the States would need to get that done is what we are going to be shipping out there and, as the Senator from Tennessee mentioned, borrowing from future generations and piling on to that $35,000 that every man, woman, and child in America already owes as their part or their share of the Federal debt. This is a very bad direction, in my view, to be heading for the country. I think we have had some opportunities to improve the bill, to make it better. We have had some alternatives offered. The McCain alternative which the Senator mentioned was one that I think, again, was very well balanced, focused on housing and tax relief and infrastructure and had the kind of fiscal responsibility and discipline in it that makes sure a lot of the spending doesn't go on ad infinitum--forever. So I would concur with the points and the arguments that have been made by my colleague from Tennessee and say that we ought to be thinking not just about today but about the next generation because we have always had a history in this country--for 200 years Americans have sacrificed to make the next generation's lives better, to create a better life for our children and grandchildren. We are asking our children and grandchildren to sacrifice for us. That is a reversal of 200 years of American history.”