Orrin Hatch: “If I could add something to that. I agree with the distinguished Senator from Illinois. I am not fighting with the…”

“If I could add something to that. I agree with the distinguished Senator from Illinois. I am not fighting with the Senator from Arkansas. There is no question, the Government can play a role. Where you have valid social programs, I do not think you would have a rough time getting a three-fifths vote. We are talking about a bigger picture than that. The force of this amendment is that you have to vote, you have to vote. You are going to have to have a three-fifths vote to increase the deficit as a whole. You are going to have to make priority choices among competing programs. I remember the depression, too. I was born and we lost our home right after I was born. We also did not have indoor facilities for many of the early years of my life. It has been said of me that I never pass a bathroom. Having to walk 100 yards in the mud was no fun for me, and I did that all too often. But the fact of the matter is that we are talking about a much bigger picture here than any single program. We do not even have to balance the budget under this amendment, but it does point us in the right direction, it does give incentives, and it makes us vote on whether we are going to have deficit spending or whether we are going to increase taxes or whether we are going to do both. I am not saying we cannot do both. I think under strenuous times, such as war, severe depression, or recession, we are going to get the votes.…”