Freshman Class on Jobs and Debt
Floor Speech
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Mr. STUTZMAN. I thank the gentlewoman.
It's good to be with you all this evening and talking about the situation that we are currently in in our country. I will tell you, what a sobering moment, being first elected to Washington and coming and finding out about the budget situation that we currently face. This is about our kids' and our grandkids' futures. And I know for myself and for all of you that that is why you run for office, that is why you ran to come to Washington is to address the challenges that we have here in Washington.
It's hard to comprehend the budgeting that has been taking place over the past several years here in Washington, D.C. When we're all back at home and we're facing a tough economy, we're facing a job market that is not that strong, our friends and family, we have people that we know personally that are out of work and are trying to survive in a very fragile economy, yet it seems like we come to Washington and we explain the situation back home and it continues to fall on deaf ears. It falls on deaf ears at the White House. It falls on deaf ears on the other side of the aisle. It falls on deaf ears in the Senate. And ladies and gentlemen, I believe that this is a time for us. This is the greatest opportunity that we will have to change the way Washington works.
We talk a lot about the debt that we are facing here in this country, $14 trillion of debt. We have a debt ceiling, a vote that's coming up here before long. We've almost maxed out the credit cards. And there's just no discussion, no real fortitude to deal with the spending habits of Washington, D.C.
Now, I can tell you that taxes and debt kill jobs, and if we want to get people back to work, we need to tackle both of those and address them in a meaningful way that will produce work for Americans.
I was in a Budget Committee meeting today, and it just is so surprising to me and it just shows the position of so many Washington politicians, that they're out of touch with reality. And that when you have a $1.5 trillion deficit, the quickest way for politicians in Washington is, well, let's just raise taxes. Well, if any taxes go up in this economy, it's going to kill job creation.
As my friend from Wisconsin was talking earlier about the comparison between Walmart and Kmart, he hit the nail on the head. You raise prices, people are going to go somewhere else. And the solution to the Democrats here in Washington is, well, let's just raise taxes to pay for the deficit that we have.
Let me just give you a quick comparison--and I will end briefly here--is that if you are making about $2,000 a month but you are spending $3,500 a month, you are in a pretty deep hole. And every American knows it. We all know that if you are spending $1,500 more than what you are taking in a month, that's a recipe for disaster and bankruptcy. That's where we are at in Washington. The Federal Government is spending $1,500 a month more in comparison to what we're taking in in a month.
Now, their solution is taxes. Their solution is to increase the debt. Neither one of those is the right solution. I believe for us to get jobs back in our economy and job creators who are working, whether it's down at the McDonald's and it's those who are going to be, you know, making the Big Macs there at McDonald's and providing a job for a high school kid or for a college kid, that's what people are looking for. They are looking for confidence in this market.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's good to be with you this evening. I'm thrilled that you are here and that you are spreading the message of what needs to happen here in Washington. I look forward to more discussion.
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