[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5132]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HEEDING THE LESSONS OF THE TITANIC

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this week we remember and 
recognize the sinking of the Titanic 100 years ago. It is humbling to 
reflect upon the frailty of even so mighty a ship.
  Titanic-like, this country faces threats that this generation must 
sadly confront and must address. We can see the icebergs in the water 
ahead. Recent spikes in interest rates on Spanish debt reinforce cause 
for concern about our own future. President Obama's successive 
trillion-dollar budget deficits have sunk us deeper in debt than we've 
ever been before. We see the fiscal icebergs looming around us, yet the 
Senate has not even passed a budget for 1,000 days.
  Mr. Speaker, it's time to recognize that we cannot spend money that 
we do not have. It's time for us to get serious about finding ways to 
steer for open water. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and our 
grandchildren to balance the long-term income and expenses of this 
government and of this country. If we do not steer clear of the 
icebergs, they will send us down.

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