Charles W. Stenholm: “Mr. Chairman, for 4 years, the Blue Dogs have offered an honest, fiscally responsible budget. We were the first to talk…”

“Mr. Chairman, for 4 years, the Blue Dogs have offered an honest, fiscally responsible budget. We were the first to talk about balanced budgets without counting Social Security surpluses. We are the folks who consistently have hounded our colleagues about debt reduction. Why have we obsessed on this one topic? Because, just as tax dollars are your money, as is so often said by Members on this floor and at home, so is the $5.6 trillion debt your debt, and it is unconscionable to continue to pass that burden on to our children and grandchildren. In a release just delivered to my office, the highly respected Concord Coalition says, ``We believe the Blue Dog alternative provides the best overall budgetary framework for the next 5 years.'' Last year the Blue Dog budget established the 50-25-25 rule in dealing with any non-Social Security surpluses: 50 percent to debt reduction, 25 percent to tax cuts, 25 percent to spending priorities. This substitute we now consider continues that philosophy. We retire the debt by 2012, 1 year earlier than any other proposal considered in the House today. We reject all budget gimmicks, like unrealistic caps or baselines, insecure lockboxes, backloading, and directed scorekeeping. We protect 10 percent of the Social Security trust funds. We provide for fiscally responsible tax cuts.”