[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 207 (Friday, December 22, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H15580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             PLACING BLAME

  (Mr. BAKER of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BAKER of California. Mr. Speaker, do not you love it? It is the 
Christmas season, and they are sitting here lying today. Oh, it is 
terrible what the Republicans have done. In just 11 months we ended 
western democracy as we know it. ``Yes, in just 11 months, these 
terrible Republican majorities have shut down Government. And here they 
are, calling for a balanced budget, and they are going to go home on 
Christmas.''
  For 40 years this pack ran this place, blaming President after 
President. ``Oh, it was Carter's fault. He knew who was on the tennis 
court but he didn't know anything about finances. But we do, so we kept 
spending.''
  ``Oh, it was Reagan's fault. He slept through the Cabinet meetings. 
But we know how to spend, so we kept spending.''
  So, it was Bush's fault, it was Clinton's fault, it was everybody 
else's fault.
  But it was the fault of this Congress, who had their foot on the 
accelerator. Here they have the gall to stand up and say the 
marketplace tells us that Medigap is going up. Yes, that is AARP, the 
people that oppose our reforming Medicare, and the Medigap insurance is 
going up 33 percent; not because of anything that is going to be done, 
but because of what has been done, overutilization.

  Yes, we are going to reform this place; yes, we are going to balance 
the budget. Merry Christmas, America.

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