Mike Enzi: “I think we ought to be doing the business of the Senate. My predecessor, Alan Simpson, who had this seat in the Senate…”

“I think we ought to be doing the business of the Senate. My predecessor, Alan Simpson, who had this seat in the Senate, said several times, an accusation that isn't answered is an accusation accepted. There are a couple of things I have to clear up from this morning. First, we did all this work on a balanced budget without the balanced budget constitutional amendment. Yes, we did. But the debate on the balanced budget constitutional amendment is what made the people of America rise up and tell every single one of their representatives that they wanted the budget of this country balanced. And it was the heat the people of this country put on the Congress that led Members to balance the budget. That wouldn't have happened without the debate on the balanced budget. That is the reason we have what is being referred to as a ``surplus'' today. It isn't a surplus. It is tax overcharge. We have collected more from the people than we had planned to spend.”