Date: 2011-04-15
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

My heart pains me for this day and this budget for America. Some of us might feel as the President does. that its a question of whether or not we are saying to the American people that they are not understanding. or that we who are fighting simply are stupid. Its a time when you want to reflect on how great a country we live in. and it hurts my heart when I see individuals putting on the floor of the House a budget that unfairly targets lowincome communities and senior citizens while protecting the wealthiest Americans. Americans who I care about. and simply eliminating any sense of responsibility for working and middle class Americans. The peoples budget saves Medicare. Those are working Americans. Those are Americans that are middle class. And then. of course. what about our disabled persons? Do you think that they are only classified as lowincome? These are individuals who become seniors or disabled who need to have the kind of sacrifice. Look what happens. The peoples budget protects those who cannot protect themselves. Finally. I ask the individuals. is there any shared sacrifice that you can see in the Republican budget. The Republican budget fails to help all those who are in need? This is a good budget. Support the peoples budget. Recommendation from CPC: Every Member mentions the first talking point below re: deficits. Then Members can address the remaining TPs below. as they feel comfortable. Deficit: Our Budget Eliminates the Deficit by We eliminate the deficit by 2021. Instead of eroding Americas hardearned retirement plan and social safety net. our budget targets the true drivers of deficits in the next decade: the Bush Tax Cuts. the wars overseas. and the causes and effects of the recent recession. Jobs: Our Budget Puts America Back to Work & Restores Americas Competitiveness. We rebuild America and make it competitive again. We make smart investments. We put America back to work. You cant grow the economy by slashing programs. Our plan will spark new job growth. improve education. accelerate clean energy development and modernize the nations infrastructure. Taxes: Our Budget Implements a Fair Tax System. We ask the richest and most fortunate Americans to contribute more. We stop giving handouts and huge tax giveaways to corporate special interests. The "Peoples Budget" implements a fair tax system. based on the notion that fairness and equality are integral to our society. Our budget restores fairness to a system that unfairly benefits a few while hurting the majority of Americans. Defense: Our Budget Brings Our Troops Home. We bring the troops back home. We ensure that our countrys defense spending does not continue to contribute significantly to our current fiscal burden. Its time to stop bankrupting the country fighting unwinnable wars. We end these wars not simply to save massive amounts of money or because the majority of Americans favors it. but because these wars are making America less safe. reduce our standing in the world. and do nothing to reduce Americas burgeoning energy security crisis. Health: Our Budget Keeps Americans Healthy. We allow real competition in health care. We will never see health care costs decrease until the government can compete and use its bargaining power to strike a better deal for Americans.