[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 24, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT EFFECTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Stearns). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 4, 1995, the gentleman from California [Mr. Tucker] 
is recognized during morning business for 2 minutes.
  Mr. TUCKER. Mr. Speaker, this is an interesting day today. We are not 
only going to hear from the President of the United States later on 
tonight, but we have heard from our colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle who have offered us some interesting accolades.
  First, we heard one of our Republican colleagues quote Rodney King. 
As long as I live I did not think I would hear one of my illustrious 
conservative colleagues quote Rodney King, but I have heard it today. 
And as we say in South Central, ``Don't go there,'' because I do not 
think that he certainly understands the pain of a Rodney King.
  Then we heard another one of my colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle, Mr. Speaker, indicate that he had some empathy for South Central 
and for South Bronx and for the people across this country who are 
wallowing in the inner cities. I do not know if he has ever been to 
South Central, but I represent some of South Central and let me say, 
Mr. Speaker, when you hear the voice of those people talk on the one 
hand about their concern about the people of South Central and on the 
other hand exempt Social Security from a consideration in the balanced 
budget amendment, then I say, Mr. Speaker, that my colleagues speaketh 
with forked tongue because, Mr. Speaker, the balanced budget amendment 
is going to cause a great deal of pain for people in the South Central 
and South Bronx and parts of inner cities all across this country.
  Indeed, when we get down to the details of what a balanced budget 
amendment is going to mean, we have to be honest and we have to be 
truthful with the American people and let them know that the people who 
are speaking about their concerns for the poor are going to try to 
balance the budget on the backs of poor people. And this is where the 
real debate is going to come in, Mr. Speaker. How are we going to 
balance that budget?
  They say they are going to exempt Social Security, but when Barney 
Frank offered an amendment in the Committee on the Judiciary, they did 
not support that amendment. So we can see, Mr. Speaker, that they talk 
the talk, but they are not walking the walk.
  The balanced budget amendment is a good idea. A lot of politicians 
like to stand in line and say so. This is the right thing and it is a 
constitutional amendment in its time, but it is not a time to take away 
the money of those who have been putting into Social Security all their 
lives.


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