[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H7471-H7472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  GOING OFF THE FISCAL CLIFF WITH POCKETS FULL OF SOMEONE ELSE'S MONEY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, ``We don't have a trillion-dollar debt 
because we haven't taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because 
we spend too much.'' That was Ronald Reagan in 1982.
  President Reagan went on to lead America out of a recession, but 
history has a way of repeating itself. Somehow, Washington never gets 
the message, and here we are, 30 years later on the brink of another 
crisis on New Year's Eve, still addicted to spending money. Now we are 
over $16 trillion in debt. President Reagan's words and principles 
remain true today, and they were true when he said them: the problem is 
spending money.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people know this. Why doesn't the Federal 
Government and Congress understand it? Why? Because Washington is 
obsessed with spending someone else's money. It's the arrogance of 
power that Congress spends the people's money without regard to how 
this obsession affects those very people.
  When American families are in debt, they sacrifice and they cut 
spending, whether that means taking one less

[[Page H7472]]

family vacation or fewer presents under the Christmas tree. Homes 
across the fruited plain are feeling the pain of the economic squeeze 
in their wallets, and they adjust accordingly, because that's what 
happens when times are tough. American families don't have a limited 
credit card like Congress does.
  The people are angry because they wonder why reckless Washington 
can't do the same. I hear that message every day from southeast Texans. 
These citizens are wiser than the tax-and-spendocrats here in 
Washington, D.C. Let me share a few of those straight-talking Texans' 
words with you.
  Michael says this:

       You can't have the cookies without the milk. Tax reform and 
     spending cuts, not one without the other.

  Hubert from Baytown, Texas, says this:

       Our children and grandchildren will have to recover from 
     reckless spending. Washington has a spending problem, not a 
     taxing problem.

  Jeff says:

       You don't become fiscally responsible by continued 
     increases in your credit card spending limit. Folks in 
     Congress need to quit running from the hard choices and stop 
     burying our children and grandchildren in debt.

  David from Humble, Texas, said this:

       This isn't really rocket science. Stop spending money we 
     don't have, cut back on what we do spend, and stop sending 
     money to our enemies.

  Now there's a novel idea.
  Paul from Beaumont said this:

       We do not have a revenue problem; instead, we have a 
     spending problem.

  And it's been a spending problem for a long time.
  Larry said:

       If I'm out of cash, I stop spending. Perhaps Congress 
     should do the same thing that I do in my house. When I don't 
     have enough money, I quit spending. But Congress has its own 
     printing press backed by the Chinese.

  Ashley says:

       Spending must be stopped. Just taking more from Americans 
     will not fix this problem. Even if my direct taxes are not 
     affected here, my employer's are. So what will that mean for 
     me in the long run? I'm afraid I'm going to find out.

  Yes, Ashley, you're going to find out here on New Year's Eve.
  Jimmy from Crosby, Texas, says:

       I'm fed up with them never agreeing to a budget and 
     spending like there is no tomorrow. This out-of-control 
     action has got to stop.

  And, finally, Renee from Crosby, Texas, said:

       Please demand that spending be cut; fraud, waste, and abuse 
     in government spending be addressed before any new taxes be 
     forced upon hardworking Americans.

  Mr. Speaker, the American people, they actually do get it--at least 
those people who work and pay taxes. The backbone of America--the 
workers of America--say stop the spending obsession.
  Mr. Speaker, the problem is spending. We got here by spending too 
much, not by taxing too little. We're going off the cliff with our 
pockets full of somebody else's money.
  And that's just the way it is.

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