Political Quotes

“I do not think this amendment is really something we can expect very much from. We have heard proposal after proposal in this body over the years that Congress give up its responsibility, give up our duty, give up ways to giving up finding ways to reduce the deficit. But that is what we are elected to do here by the people of this country; to deal with the budget; to deal with budgetary matters. As the distinguished President pro tempore has pointed out time after time on the floor of this body, the power of the purse is fundamental to any legislative body. It was the power of the purse that allowed the British Parliaments to wrest authority and jurisdiction from the British Kings. That was really the cradle of the democracy that we now enjoy in this country. It emerged from the British Parliaments who gained their power and their jurisdiction and their authority to represent the people of the United Kingdom, the British Isles, as a result of having the power of the purse to deal with an arbitrary monarch. Are we going to casually just throw that away and say, ``Well, we cannot do the job? Let us get a commission to recommend what we ought to do. Why don't we just give the Commission our votes and let the Commission have the final vote on what we ought to do?'' I do not think any Senator or anyone would seriously recommend that be done. Let us look at the history of these commissions.…”