[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 28508]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 28508]]

                  TIGHTEN BELT TO SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY

  (Mr. KINGSTON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, let me say this to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Sandlin), the previous speaker, it is not about inside 
Washington accounting mumbo jumbo, it is about grandmother's retirement 
check, and I am going to do everything I can as a Republican to protect 
it.
  Now, I do know this, that in January, the President of the United 
States said let us preserve only 60 percent of the Social Security 
surplus. The Republican position has been, let us preserve 100 percent. 
Let us balance the budget, not through spending Social Security on non-
Social Security means, but let us do it by just good old-fashioned belt 
tightening.
  Now, imagine some little roly-poly fat kid at the banquet table on 
his third piece of apple pie saying I want more. All we are saying is, 
look, we want you to slim it down, push back 1 cent on the dollar, 
tighten that belt just a little bit, about a half a notch. Then if you 
will do that, we do not have to get even close to Social Security 
money.
  That is what the Republican Party is trying to get the Democrats to 
do. I hope that they will join us.

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