On the recordApril 18, 2012
Budgets are about values and require elected decisionmakers to balance the needs of our constituents with fiscal responsibility. The Republican Ryan budget this Chamber deemed adopted yesterday is in no way a reflection of the American values that have shaped this Nation. The Republican budget would turn back the clock more than a century to a time when social Darwinism--survival of the fittest--was, in fact, the norm. Through the leadership of people like Republican Teddy Roosevelt, our Nation began to realize the value in tending to the needs of the poor, the sick, the working poor, the elderly, our children and women. The Republican budget would again put us at risk by making seniors experience a slashing of Medicare and increasing their out-of-pocket costs, and it would further line the pockets of the rich at the expense of the downtrodden among us. The cuts in discretionary spending put forth by the Republican budget would further set our students behind and create a drag on the economy by disinvesting in research and infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, these are not American values. ____________________
