Sylvester Turner: “American families deserve an honest budget based on realistic and conservative estimates of the surplus, a budget that…”

“American families deserve an honest budget based on realistic and conservative estimates of the surplus, a budget that takes a responsible approach to protecting Social Security and to ensuring that our children will not inherit a big national debt. The Blue Dog Democrat budget protects 100 percent of the Social Security surplus for Social Security. It commits the projected surplus 50 percent to paying down the national debt, 25 percent to saving Social Security and Medicare, and 25 percent to tax relief. It is not fancy, it is not gimmicky, and it does not make promises that it cannot deliver. Most importantly, it is an honest budget that is good for our future. The Blue Dog budget contrasts sharply with the Republican budget. The Blue Dog budget adopts a more conservative estimate of the surplus. After all, this good economy may not go on forever. The Blue Dog budget makes a stronger commitment to paying off our $5 trillion national debt, rather than risking our historic opportunity to give our children a debt-free America. The Blue Dog budget is stronger on national defense and veterans' health care. The Blue Dog budget offers a realistic promise that not only will we keep our hands out of the Social Security Trust Fund, but that we will be prepared to put more in it when the baby boom generation retires and those deficits begin to mount in the trust fund.”