Mark Neumann

I have asked for this time today to address my colleagues on the issue of balancing the Federal budget, the balanced budget amendment, why it is so important and how the issue relates to Social Security and other trust funds, and most…

It is an improper practice. Both of us came out of the business world. If either of us had set up a pension fund and we said to our employees, ``You're going to get this pension when you retire,'' and then we put IOU's in the pension fund…

As I said in my original remarks here today, it is more than just about football. It is about people achieving excellence and receiving the recognition that goes with achieving that excellence. And more importantly than that, it is about…

However, when we get done looking at all of these priorities individually, we have to come back to the fact that we have a higher priority, and that is to do what it right for the future of our country. We are $5.2 trillion in debt. The…

I feel compelled, even with this respect, to rise and speak against the budget, because tonight we have an historical occasion staring us in the face. In 1990, I sold my business to run for Congress because I had watched what past…

No, it says very specifically in there that it must be budget-neutral over a 5-year period of time.

It say specifically that the cost has to be neutral over a 5-year period of time.

That is money from the taxpayers in the State of Wisconsin, and they have already decided how they would like to spend that tax money. I for one believe that the people in the State of Wisconsin ought to have the right to decide how that…

The thing is I do not happen to think that we need a Washington review of what has already been done.

What this bill does, very simply, is this bill very simply says we have confidence in the people of the State of Wisconsin.

What we are doing in this bill is we are simply expressing our confidence in the State of Wisconsin legislature.

I personally take offense at that. The basketball teams in Janesville are dynamically great.

We seem to be radically off track in this debate. Those waivers were developed and debated. The program was developed in Wisconsin for 18 months and was debated for 18 months in the State of Wisconsin.

I have to tell my colleagues, I have a lot of faith in the people of Wisconsin. The point here is that both the Democrats and the Republicans in the State of Wisconsin want this to happen. I see absolutely nothing that would lead me to…

I would like to point out some of us in this room do have a pretty good handle on what is being proposed.

I would just point out on a radio address Saturday about a week ago, the President said that he had received what he needed in that radio address. He said to the American public that he supported the Wisconsin plan, and I can quote…

That is called takings, and that is the third antienvironmental vote we took. Let me do one more question. If there was a forest fire and the trees burned out, and we are now looking at all this charred timber out there, and a lumber…

That was the fourth antienvironmental vote that has been scored by the environmental groups in this country today.

I do a little environmental quiz and I just ask a few questions. The first one is, does the gentleman think it makes sense for the Federal Government, before they initiate a new rule or a new regulation, to do a cost-benefit analysis; that…

That is the first antienvironment vote that we took, because that is what we said. We want a cost-benefit analysis before we enact a new regulation. Does the gentleman think it makes sense, when we talk about spending the American…

With 760 different programs and a large number of bureaucrats, Washington bureaucrats, necessary to run each one of the programs, and each one of those bureaucrats drawing a salary, we have many, many tax dollars designed to help the…

Is it safe to say there are a good number of bureaucrats necessary to run each one of these 760 different programs?

Just a couple of points. With the 760 different educational programs, would you have any idea how many bureaucrats are necessary to run each one of the programs?

It is not only the person that is working on the home that winds up moving into the home, it is the community leaders and the community involvement that makes this process successful. I still ride by that first house that we built in…

I think this whole thing comes down to how can we best turn that responsibility over to the people locally to best allocate those dollars to do the best job for their people in their own community. That is really what this should be all…