[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 3, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 PAYGO

  (Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California asked and was given permission 
to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, it's kind of 
interesting that my friends from the other side keep beating up on 
Democrats. I think Bill Gates is a Democrat and I think the other 
gentleman that you mentioned is as well.
  But let me just say this, Mr. Speaker. It is amazing on this floor 
how we have convoluted the thought process. You see, we have a PAYGO 
system on the Democratic side that says you have to pay for tax cuts. 
What is that assumption? That is, every time you have a tax cut, that's 
a tax expenditure. That's the other language they used to use. In other 
words, the premise is that every dollar in your pocket is owned by the 
government, and only when they, at their sufferance, allow you to keep 
it is it okay. So if you give a tax cut or you maintain tax rates at 
present levels, you have an obligation here to somehow say, Thank you. 
Thank you Federal Government. Thank you members of the leadership on 
the Democratic side. You've allowed me to keep my money if I can show 
how you pay for it.
  It used to be the other way around, government only spends what it 
takes in; not saying that you, the average American, have an obligation 
to pay for whatever they want to do, and if you don't, you have to 
somehow pay for it. It is your money in the first instance.

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