Mr. President, we have seen the debate this week in the Senate on the balanced budget amendment .<p>
I am very pleased that the House of Representatives has taken this step already, and now it is up to the Senate to decide if Americans finally will have the opportunity for their legislatures to vote to adopt a very important amendment to our Constitution. It is an amendment that will make the difference for our future generations because it will say to our future generations we are not going to rack up the bill and give you the opportunity to pay for what we are doing today. That is what this balanced budget amendment is all about.<p>
Mr. President, we have heard all kinds of reasons why people are now saying that they might not support the balanced budget amendment . But I hope the American people realize that these are in fact excuses. This is a solid, plain, simple, understandable balanced budget amendment . Maybe I would have changed a few words. Maybe others would change a few words and make exceptions. But we cannot make exceptions if we are going to take the responsible approach of saying we are going to set parameters on the amount of spending that we can do in this country. Every business in America does that. Every household in America does that. Every State government and every local government does that in America. Why, Mr. President, should Congress be the one entity in America that does not have to live within a budget ? And every day that you see someone standing up on the floor and giving an excuse why they are not going to support the balanced budget amendment , I hope the American people realize that is what it is.<p>
We will make the cuts that are necessary. We will save Social Security. We have done it every year except last year when there was an increase in taxes, and they did increase the taxes on Social Security recipients. Not one Republican voted for that bill; not one.<p>
So I do not think the American people need to fear that a Republican majority is going to do something that would in any way impact Social Security in not a beneficial way. It is not our side that has done anything on Social Security. What we are trying to do is make sure that people on Social Security know that their children and grandchildren are going to have a responsible government in Washington, DC.<p>
Mr. President, that is what the argument is about on the balanced budget amendment .<p>
I thank the Senator from Utah for his great leadership in this effort. He has been there fighting the cause this whole week and for years before saying this is what is right for America. I appreciate the time and effort that he is putting in. I just hope that when it comes down to the bottom line that this Senate does the right thing and sends an amendment to the people of our country through its legislatures to say we are going to be responsible like every State government, every local government, every business and every household in America has to be responsible.<p>
It is the most important vote I will ever make in my time in the U.S. Senate.<p>
