Mark Neumann: “I think we should jointly here show the American people just how positive and how close we really are to a balanced…”

“I think we should jointly here show the American people just how positive and how close we really are to a balanced budget and how far ahead of schedule. If we look at the average Federal revenue growth, how much Government growth, revenue, money coming in, your money, the American people's money, how much money has been coming in each year, average Federal revenue growth, in the last 3 years it has been going up by 7.3 percent average. The last 5 years it has been going up by 7.3 percent average. The last 10 years, 6.2 percent average; 17 years 6.8. I read those numbers off because I think it is significant in the budget resolution we just passed, we did not project 7 percent growth or 7.3 or 6 percent growth, we only projected 4 percent growth. So I asked the question, what would happen in fact if instead of 4 percent growth in revenue, it did what was more historical here. I did not even put in 7 or 6.8. I only put in 6 percent. And in fact if revenues to the Federal Government do grow by 6 percent, not as much as they have been going up, but by 6 percent, we will in fact have a balanced budget by the year 2000.”