[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H2317]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SUPPORT THE BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT

  (Mr. LaTOURETTE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, it is no coincidence that the work and 
far-reaching goals of the 104th Congress are being compared to that of 
the Congress of 1933. Not since that time has Congress accomplished so 
much in so little time, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt presided over 
our Nation and steered the Congress to pass a bold new agenda called 
the New Deal, much of it during the first 100 days of his 
administration.
  As we compare what happened then to what is taking place on the floor 
of this great House now, I am reminded of the prophetic words of FDR 
when he said, ``It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it 
fails, admit it frankly and try another, but above all, try 
something.''
  ``Above all, try something.'' Those four simple words cut right to 
the heart of the objectives of this Congress, the Contract With 
America, and in particular the balanced budget amendment. Only what we 
are proposing is to try something that works, something done by almost 
every State in the Union not to mention households and business.
  For far too long, the U.S. Congress has been trying a method of 
balancing the budget which, quite simply, is a resounding failure.
  Today the other body has an opportunity to do something magnificent 
for the future of this country, to do as FDR said, admit frankly that 
what we have tried in the past has failed and to try something new.


                          ____________________