Orrin Hatch: “I wish to express my regard for the distinguished Senator from Minnesota. He is very sincere, and he always means well…”

“I wish to express my regard for the distinguished Senator from Minnesota. He is very sincere, and he always means well, and, frankly, I care a great deal for him. Having said that, I do want to point out that this is a constitutional amendment we are talking about here, and I need to take just a few minutes to respond to some of the comments that my friend and colleague, Senator Wellstone, has made. Let me begin by saying that I do not know of any other Member of this body more genuinely concerned about the children in this country and particularly those in poverty, unless it is myself. He works hard for these unfortunate people, these unfortunate kids, as do a lot of us, and I give him credit for that. When Senator Wellstone speaks on these issues, he speaks from his heart, and we all know that. Regardless of the differences on this amendment, you still have to give him credit for that. Having said that, Mr. President, the efforts to try to help children by exempting programs that affect them from the balanced budget amendment's purview will have precisely the opposite effect. As a matter of fact, we are throwing their future away unless we pass this amendment.”