[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 882]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               KEEP SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE SOLVENT

  (Mr. SMITH of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Madam Speaker, early this morning the Steve 
Forbes campaign called me and said that Steve Forbes' wife flew into 
Michigan late last night; and sometime between 12 p.m. and 5 a.m. this 
morning, the family made its decision that he would be withdrawing from 
the presidential race.
  As one of the Michigan cochairmen for Steve Forbes, I was 
disappointed, because what Steve Forbes brought to the podium, to 
public discussion, was detailed plans on where this country goes, where 
we go, in terms of fixing Social Security, where we go in terms of 
fixing Medicare, both insolvent.
  In my 5-minute speech today under Special Orders, I will be talking 
about what could happen on paying down the debt, but probably that it 
is not going to happen, and that what is really going to happen is a 
tremendous burden on our kids and our grandkids if we do not wake up, 
if we do not pay attention, if we do not come out with some of the 
solutions to make sure that we keep these important entitlement 
programs solvent.

                          ____________________