[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 143 (Thursday, September 14, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H8913-H8914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SAVING MEDICARE: DO NOT HARM SENIOR CITIZENS
(Mr. GEJDENSON asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I think we have to look at history when
we are trying to examine a debate. Our friends on the Republican side
of the aisle come today with a masked proposal, a hidden proposal to
tell us they are going to save Medicare.
The Democrats over the years have repaired the Medicare system over
and over again. This is not the first time the trust fund has had some
problems. In the 1970's and 1980's, time and time again we repaired it.
We started off from a position where we believed in Medicare. We wanted
the system to serve our senior citizens.
Let us listen to the words of the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey],
the majority leader. If he had his way, he would have no part in
Medicare. If he had his way, I think what we would do is we would all
have no Medicare.
Our mothers and fathers and grandparents worked hard, fought in the
wars to protect this country. We now need to keep the contract with
them, not put them into bankruptcy, not raid the Medicare system, but
fix the program to make sure that it is there for
[[Page H 8914]]
future generations. We know there is a health care crisis in this
country.
The good news has been seniors have not been part of it. The
Republicans are going to put seniors in that crisis.
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