Political Quotes

“Mr. President, one of the things that frustrates the American people about Washington is how hard it is to get reliable information and straightforward answers. We in the Senate and Congress have that same difficulty. It is hard to know sometimes what numbers and statements and plans mean and what they will cost. Politicians offer a budget proposal and they say it cuts taxes even though taxes go up. They even come up with new names to disguise tax hikes, like revenue enhancements or reduced spending in the Tax Code. It doesn't mean eliminating the earned income tax credit; it usually means some deductions somebody is allowed to take, and that has been renamed as spending. We hear people come to the floor and blame our massive deficit on anything and everything but our out-of-control spending, whether it is the war in Iraq or it is a tax cut passed a decade ago, or it is special preferences for private yachts or Lear jets. We can't have an honest budget if we can't talk honestly and factually about it, and I hope to be able to contribute in some way to clarifying the issues. I will do my best today to plainly state some of the things I think are plainly true. First, I wish to address the myth that the President has a $4 trillion deficit reduction plan. Some believe that the President has a plan to reduce spending by $4 trillion, but the only plan the President has put on paper and allowed anybody to see is his February budget, which doubles the national debt.…”