[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9513]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TIME TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

  (Mr. HUNTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HUNTER. I joined the Marine Corps after 9/11, as did thousands of 
Americans, for one defining reason--so my children wouldn't have to. I 
went to Iraq twice and Afghanistan once, as thousands of Americans 
have, so my children and our children wouldn't have to.
  It is in that vein that I rise today because it is up to this 
Congress to make responsible choices so our children are not beset by 
financial ruin. It is up to us to make good decisions right now in this 
defining moment in American history so our children can grow up without 
being punished so that this administration can make short-term gains 
without making any tough choices.
  Tax cuts for the working class; more government responsibility; and 
less debt, less spending; were all campaign talking points for 
President Obama and congressional Democrats. That's all they were--
talking points.
  The buck stops with this budget that is before Congress now. And this 
budget can make us or break us. It is time we take responsibility for 
the direction of this country and stop spending.
  Just stop spending. No more TARP, no more stimulus, no cap-and-trade 
tax on small business, no tax on charitable donations, no energy tax on 
working Americans. Surely, no more burying our children in debt while 
we spend, tax, and borrow our way into oblivion.
  I ask the Democrats in this administration to put the checkbook down.

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