[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12021]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       POLITICAL GAME OF CHICKEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Hochul) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. HOCHUL. Less than 2 months on this job, I only have one question 
to ask: Is anyone in this body listening to the people who sent us 
here? I can only conclude at this point that the answer is ``no,'' or 
we would not be teetering on the precipice of not just a government 
shutdown but an intentional economic shutdown, the likes of which we 
have never seen in this country. And I say ``intentional'' because 
there are high stakes in this game of chicken.
  We all know the game of chicken. You've got a couple of crazy 
teenagers racing toward each other on a highway, and nobody's going to 
swerve. What happens when no one blinks, no one swerves, no one comes 
to their senses? Crash. Lives are lost. No survivors. It's not a pretty 
sight.
  It didn't have to come to this. The American people who voted for us, 
put their faith in us, they don't want this to happen. They wonder if 
anyone in Washington is listening, and they're absolutely right in that 
assessment.
  I will tell you, I was at a firemen's parade in the tiny, tiny 
village of Silver Springs in one of my most rural counties, Wyoming 
County. There are more Republicans than cows out there; and cows and 
Democrats, not a lot of people. But I'll tell you, we are all bound by 
the same feelings.
  This frustrated senior at the firemen's parade in Wyoming County said 
to me, Why can't you guys get your act together? We send you there to 
do a job, and you guys aren't doing it.
  You know, he was right; he was absolutely right, and I took that to 
heart. I came back here, and I want to do something to restore his 
faith in us.
  He talked about the seniors. He said, We are so scared out here. I 
need my Social Security. I need my Medicare. Why are you guys talking 
about hurting us? We paid into these systems all of our lives. We don't 
deserve this. I said, I'll go back. I'll do the best I can. I'll fight 
for you.
  They have fear, uncertainty, and disgust, all directed at the 
ineptitude of Washington.

                              {time}  1100

  Well, it is wrong. It is plain wrong that we are even considering 
defaulting on America's obligations. It's doubly wrong that we'd 
consider defaulting on our obligations to our seniors, promises made 46 
years ago this week with the advent of Medicare.
  The integrity and willingness to uphold and honor our promises should 
be the hallmarks of this great institution. And yet what I've witnessed 
in such a short time is a willingness to renege on our promises to our 
debtors, our seniors and, ultimately, the American people.
  Right now, it's not too late to avoid that highway collision where no 
one walks away. The American people deserve better than this. Our small 
businesses deserve better than this. Our middle class families deserve 
better than this.
  I'll tell you, we need to get on with the business of the American 
people, and do it as soon as possible.

                          ____________________