Ron Kind: “Mr. Speaker, this is not some type of rhetorical debating society we are having tonight or some philosophical argument.…”

“Mr. Speaker, this is not some type of rhetorical debating society we are having tonight or some philosophical argument. This is a group of Members who feel it is important enough to stand up in this body tonight to warn the American people about the disastrous fiscal course that this Congress and this administration have embarked upon, which is leading to exploding deficits again and an accumulation of a national debt at exactly the wrong moment in our Nation's mystery, when we have close to 80 million Americans, so-called baby boom generation, all marching lockstep to their retirement in a few short years; and the decisions that we need to make today to prepare the next generation to deal with that challenge are not being made. In fact, one of the fiscal disciplinary rules that has worked well to rein in spending, to maintain balance in our budgetary choices, they are seeking to waive over the next 5 years. I think everyone agrees that this bill before us is a recognition of a failed budgetary policy of large tax cuts that were not paid for and new spending programs were not paid for. To avoid the inevitable across-the-board cuts with Medicare and veterans benefits and farm programs, we have to pass this legislation.”