[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 40 (Friday, March 3, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H2643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Scarborough] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCARBOROUGH. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Senate failed to do what 
American middle-class citizens and State legislators have had to do for 
some time, and that is, step up to the plate and finally have to 
balance their checkbooks, to take in only as much, and spend only as 
much, as they take in.
  Unfortunately, they failed to grasp this very simple concept. It has 
been a quarter of a century since we balanced our Federal budgets, and 
yet the liberal Democrats again were afraid to restrict themselves, to 
live by this very simple, very American concept.
  Now, earlier today we heard Democrats talking about wanting a family-
friendly Congress and worrying about their children, and that is great. 
I have got children. I worry about my children, too.
  But where were they when we were voting on the most important 
amendment that would have as big an impact on our children's future as 
anything? Well, I will tell you where some of them were a year ago. 
They were supporting this amendment when they knew that it did not have 
a chance of passing.
  We had Senator Tom Daschle, who is now beating his chest in self-
righteous indignation that anyone would dare pass a balanced budget 
amendment because locusts would descend from the heavens and senior 
citizens would die in their homes. This was the worst thing Tom Daschle 
said, and he was proud to stand up for it.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Oxley). The gentleman is admonished to 
not mention specific Members of the other body.
  Mr. SCARBOROUGH. And this Representative was quoted a year ago saying 
this about this balanced budget amendment, there was going to be such a 
scourge on humanity. February 28, 1994: ``In this debate for a balanced 
budget amendment, we are being forced to face the consequences of our 
inaction. Quite simply, we are building a legacy of debt for our 
children and grandchildren and hamstringing their ability to address 
pressing national priorities.''
  And what happened? Does he not care about children a year later? It 
does not make a lot of sense to me.
  Another Senator stated a year ago, this constitutional amendment, no 
matter what one thinks of it, will add to the pressure that we 
reconcile that we spend what we raise and that we begin to assure a 
better economic future with economic growth and hope and opportunity 
for our children once again.

                              {time}  1500

  It seems he changed his mind, too. Now he is saying the same thing, 
bringing up this Social Security card. Frankly, I am getting a little 
tired of hearing Democrats come out and say how they are the protectors 
of Social Security, while Republicans want to steal money from our 
senior citizens.
  Why do we not try to think back a few years ago in 1993, when their 
President sent a budget to the floor that increased taxes on Social 
Security recipients? How many Republicans voted to take more money out 
of senior citizens' checkbooks? Zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada. None. How do 
they sleep at night? I mean, how hypocritical can you be to say, ``I 
want to protect Social Security, so I am going to make sure that we 
don't balance our checkbooks. I am going to save senior citizens. These 
bad Republicans are against senior citizens.
  But he does not tell the rest of the story. He does not tell the 
story that it was the Republicans that stood up for senior citizens. 
Every single Republican in both houses stood up for senior citizens 
when the Democratic President, the Democratic House, and the Democratic 
Senate was ready to sell them down the river.
  It is a disgrace. It is hypocritical. I do not know how they sleep at 
night. I do not know how the Senator from California, who stole her 
election from the California people by promising to support the 
balanced budget amendment and then voted against it and killed it a few 
months later, I do not know how she sleeps at night. And she will not 
allow the California people to have a chance to vote on the balanced 
budget amendment, only to make Congress abide by the same laws that 
middle-class citizens have had to abide by for too long.
  I am going to be able to sleep at night. I do not know how they will.

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