[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 183 (Friday, November 17, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H13288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     STAND FIRM: BALANCE THE BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Barr). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Arizona [Mr. Hayworth] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to the 
comments of the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Lofgren], and indeed, 
would say that on one point we can agree. The gentlewoman from 
California suggested that it would be appropriate for this body to meet 
collectively in prayer, recognizing that we may worship God according 
to the dictates of our own conscience, and do so in different fashions. 
I would respectfully ask that our colleagues on the democratic side 
join us. Indeed, the gentleman from Kansas [Mr. Brownback] is proposing 
a national day of fasting and prayer, and if not this Sunday, then 
sometime in the future, and perhaps that is an element upon which we 
may agree.
  The great thing, Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned many times standing 
in the well of this House, debating many contentious issues, is this: 
Good people may disagree. It is championed throughout this 
constitutional Republic. Disagreement in itself is not unhealthy. 
Debating these issues is vitally important, especially at this juncture 
in our history.
  In the wake of the historic moment at which we find ourselves, Mr. 
Speaker, I thought it important to bring comments from my constituents, 
those who have written to me during this week. In direct contradiction 
of what the public opinion polls are showing us, faxes and letters to 
my office are running 12 to 1 in support of the majority's budget plan.
  From a gentleman in Scottsdale: ``Keep the faith. Don't give in. 
Continue to fight for a balanced budget, lower taxes, and a downsizing 
of the bloated Federal Government.''
  From a gentleman in Glendale, Arizona: ``I have worked hard all my 
life to try to get ahead, only to have more and more of my income 
forcibly taken away and given to others. Some of my money even goes to 
pay the salaries of the very people, the IRS, et cetera, whose job it 
is to take my money.''
  From a gentleman in Chandler, Arizona: ``My house is behind you 
completely. For those of you who disagree with a balanced budget in 7 
years, well, get a grip and hold on, because that is what the American 
people really want.'' This gentleman adds, ``I don't care what the 
polls say.'' In his opinion, he says, ``The truth is, they are rigged 
to show the President's way of thinking. After all, look at who takes 
all those polls.''

  From a family in Paradise Valley, Arizona: ``Please hold firm. 
Closing the government down for a while will not hurt the country as 
much as continuing the current course of overspending.''
  Unless there is a mistaking of the comments here, the people who 
wrote this letter do not rejoice in the fact that Government employees 
are out of work, but what they are saying has been echoed by many 
constituents and others who have written me from across this country. 
What we face right now will not hurt the country as much as the current 
course of overspending.
  My colleague, the gentleman from Tennessee, put it quite eloquently: 
It is time to do the right thing. My good friend, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania on the other side of the aisle, who has a difference on 
how to get there and whose differences I respect, said the same thing: 
The time has come to balance the budget. We should have that debate.
  We may disagree as to some of the methodology, we may disagree as to 
some of the tactics, but the fact remains, that time is now to balance 
the budget.
  From a gentleman in Mesa: ``Most all the people I talk to support the 
Republicans on the budget issue. Don't cave in to the news media or to 
the Democrats. We hope that our representatives will do the right thing 
this time.''
  Again, my good friend, the gentleman from Tennessee, pointed it out, 
how previous Congresses, in the wake of the last balanced budget in 
1969, how previous Congresses had abdicated their responsibility. 
Perhaps the pressures of history and the unique time in which they 
served in this body forced them into another course of action. But at 
this time, for this House, for this country, Mr. Speaker, the choice is 
clear. It is time to get on a glide path to a balanced budget in 7 
years.
  I have noted before when I have come to the well of this House that 
candidate Clinton in 1992 talked about a balanced budget. In an 
appearance on Larry King Live, he pledged to ``balance the budget in 5 
years.''
  Then, Mr. Speaker, as I stand here in the well of this House, 
surrounded by the echoes of history, and here at this podium, where so 
many chief executives have addressed this Nation, we can also recall 
the words of President Clinton in his first State of the Union message, 
and these are the words of President Clinton. ``I will point out that 
the Congressional Budget Office was normally more conservative about 
what was going to happen and closer to right than previous Presidents 
have been. I did this so that we could argue about priorities with the 
same set of numbers.''
  Friends, let us use the same set of honest numbers. Let us balance 
the budget. I thank the Speaker and all my colleagues for joining me 
here tonight.

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