Lizzie Fletcher: “let me address a few things. First of all, when it comes to the other side after years and years of running up deficits…”

“let me address a few things. First of all, when it comes to the other side after years and years of running up deficits over $200 billion a year, I can think of no more amazing conversion than Paul on the road to Damascus. We certainly have seen a conversion from the other side now that all of a sudden they are the party of fiscal responsibility wanting to pay down the debt. So we certainly appreciate that conversion and hope that as these appropriation bills come up that we do not see some of their regular antics. As we close out this year, we have set aside this $16 billion, which is significant, very much different than any time before. The publicly held debt is not over $5 trillion, the debt limit is, the publicly held debt is $3.5 trillion. So let me correct that. Obviously, when you add up the debt we owe ourself and the other trust funds, Social Security, et cetera, it does exceed $5 trillion. But the publicly held debt is $3.5 trillion. We pay interest on that, about 11 cents of every dollar that comes in in revenues. That would increase our revenue, if we paid that down, which we plan on doing with the principle of this bill. By the year 2013, we will pay it down. By 2013, that will increase our revenues by about $180 billion a year. So I wanted to rebut these misstatements.”