Political Quotes

“the long and often thoughtful debate over the balanced budget amendment is now drawing to a close. It is also apparently drawing to a regrettable unsuccessful end unless a sudden flash of enlightenment takes over the minds and hearts of one or more of the opponents to this amendment. Nevertheless, I believe it appropriate for every Member of this body to state his or her reasons for support or for opposition to the amendment. While I have done so in part, at least in the past, I should like to share with my colleagues some of my thoughts on the subject. Mr. President, from my perspective, perhaps the single most important reason for voting in favor of this constitutional amendment, for including a requirement making it considerably more difficult to spend money that we do not have, is a moral or ethical one. Mr. President, we living today, representing the people of our States today, simply do not have the right to spend money to undertake obligations which we collectively are unwilling to pay for, thereby consuming whatever goods or services Government provides to us today and sending the bills to our children and to our grandchildren. Mr. President, that is simply the wrong thing to do. We should not engage in that practice at all, and it is a simple disgrace that we have now engaged in it in each and every year for almost three decades.”