Date: 1995-01-26
Speaker: PETE GEREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. we would not be here today if it were not for the tireless efforts of the gentleman from Texas and the gentleman from Texas . and I think it is so important that we recognize their tireless efforts over the last decade to bring us where we are on the verge of this victory. The taxpayers of America. future generations. and this Congress owe the gentleman from Texas [Mr. STENHOLMI and the gentleman from Texas a thank you for their hard work. Mr. Chairman. if you listen to the opponents of this amendmentf. you would think that this is going to bring about the end of Western civilization. They talk about these cuts. they talk about the disaster that would come if all we do is only spend what we take in. Mr. Chairman. right now. if we do not do anything. our Government will increase in spending. between now and 2002. 50 percent. Mr. Chairman. all we need to do to balance the budget is limit that increase to 30 percent. not increase by 50 percent. limit. Let me repeat that point: Right now. if we do not change anything. spending in this Government will increase by 50 percent between now and the year 2002. To bring our Idudget into balance. all we need to do is limit that increase to 30 percent rather than 50 percent. I raise that point to those who talk about the draconian side effects of living within our means. Mr. Chairman. people say that this is not fair. Spending somebody elses money. spending other generations money year after year. decade after decade. Mr. Chairman. that is not fair. Let me quote Thomas Jefferson on this point: The question whether one generation has the right to bind another by the deficit it imposes is a question of such consequence as to place it among the fundamental principles of government. We should consider ourselves unauthorized to saddle posterity with our debts and morally bound to pay them ourselves. Mr. Chairman. I believe strongly that we are morally bound to pay them ourselves. and that is why our balanced budget amendment is so critical. Why threefifths? Many people ask that. You can look over the last 15 years of the experience of our Government. In the best of times and in the worst of times. Government grew. In spite of all the rhetoric about what happened in the 1980s. Government grew. Government grew by almost 50 percent. Mr. Chairman. in. our legislative process. there is a bias toward growing Government. The power of the bureaucracy to influence legislation. the power of the bureaucracy to frame issues givesthem influence in the legislative process that needs to be checked. that needs to be offset. That is why we need this threefifths limitation. Mr. Chairman. I urge our colleagues to support this important initiative. this historic initiative. It is fair. It is reasonable. And it is most importantly a practical response to -a realworld problem that we can use this year to document lkst year. to document in every year but 2 years in the last half of the century to document. This institution is not going to live within its means unless we do this. It is a fact. Anybody who says they want us to do without it. I applaud that. but it is not going to happen.