[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 82 (Thursday, June 6, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S5915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR PAUL SIMON

  Mr. CRAIG. While I do not want to speak of Mr. Moss--and I am pleased 
you recognized him--I want to speak about you for just a moment, and to 
thank you for the relationship you and I have had on the issue of the 
balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. We were not successful a 
few moments ago on another very important vote.
  But I must say, in all fairness--and I want the Record to show this--
that over the years that you and I have worked side by side on this 
issue, I think most of the public watching would have said, ``Isn't 
that interesting. Here is a liberal and a conservative.''
  We took the politics out of this. It was a bipartisan effort, a 
strong one, on the part of the Senator from Illinois and this Senator. 
Out of that relationship and our commitment for fiscal responsibility, 
I have developed a very fond respect for you and all of the work you 
do. While you and I disagree on a lot of issues, we have worked 
together very, very well.
  Let me thank you publicly, and for the Record, for the tremendous 
effort you put forth and the contribution you have made toward bringing 
a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution to the American people. 
A very special thanks to the senior Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. SIMON. I thank my colleague from Idaho, and my thanks to Senator 
Coverdell from Georgia. I knew Senator Craig when he was Congressman 
Craig. We said hello, but that was just about it. But I had a chance to 
work with Senator Craig here and came to have great respect for him. I 
am grateful to all those who were helpful to us: Senator Hatch, Senator 
Thurmond, Senator Heflin, Senator Bryan, others in both political 
parties.
  A balanced budget constitutional amendment, one of these days, has to 
pass. The question is, how much we are going to hurt our Nation before 
we pass it. There is just no question, if we had passed it back when 
John F. Kennedy complained about spending $9 billion on interest--today 
we are spending $344 billion on gross interest--what a much better 
country we would have. We cannot wait another 5 or 10 years. We are 
going to have chaos.

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