[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17018-17019]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 USING BUDGET SURPLUS FOR SAVING SOCIAL SECURITY, NOT FOR RECKLESS TAX 
                                  CUTS

  (Mr. SHOWS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, having been a farmer in Mississippi, I know 
firsthand that we are not always going to have good weather come 
planting and harvest time. No matter what the weatherman says, 
sometimes it rains when they are predicting sunshine. And sometimes a 
simple shower becomes a

[[Page 17019]]

storm; and before we know it, the fields are flooded; and the crops are 
ruined.
  Mr. Speaker, the leadership is attempting to predict the future of 
the American economy by squandering away America's great budget surplus 
on an irresponsible tax cut when the responsible thing to do is use our 
budget surplus to save Social Security and Medicare first, and reduce 
the national debt.
  We can target tax cuts for folks that really need them, like the 
estate tax cuts for family farmers and businesses or for small 
businesses to help their workers get health insurance. Saving Social 
Security and Medicare should be our top priority for today and 
tomorrow's seniors, and we must reduce the national debt and continue 
on the path of fiscal discipline because we have no idea what tomorrow 
will bring.
  We should call their sunshine promises what they really are, a strong 
chance of thunderstorms that will rain on America's seniors and let 
Social Security and Medicare go down the drain.

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