[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 205 (Wednesday, December 20, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT CLINTON: END IMPASSE, BALANCE THE BUDGET

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                           HON. DOUG BEREUTER

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday December 20, 1995

  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, this Member highly commends to his 
colleagues this editorial which appeared in the Omaha World-Herald on 
December 20, 1995:

              [From the Omaha World-Herald, Dec. 20, 1995]

    Message to Clinton Grows Louder: End Impasse, Balance the Budget

       Wall Street may have accomplished something that the 
     public--which, in opinion surveys, tilted toward President 
     Clinton's position on a balanced budget--had failed to do. 
     Traders and investors sent a strong message to Washington 
     about the urgency of ending the impasse over a balanced 
     budget.
       The message came in the form of a decline in the value of 
     stocks and bonds as the street expressed its concern over the 
     collapse of budget negotiations between the White House and 
     GOP congressional leaders. By the end of the day Monday, the 
     White House was setting a new round of talks in motion.
       For such indications of urgency have come from the general 
     public. Clinton's approval rating has risen to a two-year 
     high since he began characterizing the GOP budget as an act 
     of cruelty against the poor, the sick and the elderly. 
     Republicans, in effect, have been punished in the polls for 
     trying to keep their 1994 campaign promise to balance the 
     budget.
       Not all Democrats, however, were buying the White House 
     line. On the same day that Wall Street roared its disapproval 
     of the impasse, a bipartisan group presented a position paper 
     at a symposium in Minneapolis. The group included former 
     office-holders Paul Tsongas, Richard Lamm, Gary Hart, Tim 
     Penny, Lowell Weicker and John Anderson. All but Weicker and 
     Anderson are Democrats.
       Their statement included this ``core principle'': ``We can 
     no longer stay the course, spending more than we earn.'' They 
     said, ``We are maintaining our standard of living by 
     borrowing from our children.'' They urged that the nation's 
     leaders commit to a policy of economic stability, which means 
     no inflation and no federal budget deficits ``to soak up an 
     already inadequate national savings pool.''
       Sacrifice will be necessary, they said. Among other things, 
     Social Security and Medicare must be reformed to prepare them 
     for the retirement of large numbers of baby boomers after the 
     turn of the century. Clinton has described even the modest 
     adjustments the Republicans have proposed as draconian. He 
     simply must compromise on Medicare and Medicaid, bring 
     himself to take the decisive actions that moderates in his 
     own party are increasingly coming to consider necessary.
       Another message was leveled at Washington Tuesday morning. 
     In a ``bipartisan appeal from business leaders,'' published 
     as a newspaper advertisement and carrying the names of more 
     than 90 business executives, Clinton and Congress were urged 
     to remember that the health of the economy rests on the 
     ability of the government to agree on a credible plan.
       Among other things, the business leaders said, it's time to 
     accept the economic projections from the Congressional Budget 
     Office--projections that Clinton has opposed because they 
     would allow less spending than the more optimistic White 
     House figures. The bipartisan business leaders also said 
     long-term entitlement spending should be ``on the table'' for 
     reconsideration, as should any proposed tax cuts.
       Little by little, Clinton's attempts to exploit the 
     situation for political gain are being called to account by 
     members of his own party. Something has been needed to 
     neutralize his tacky insistence that the struggle has been 
     between an enlightened, compassionate White House and an evil 
     gang of GOP extremists. Some Democrats have helped set the 
     record straight by adding their voices to bipartisan 
     messages.

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