Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, it has been very interesting listening to this debate so far. I want to add a couple of points to it.

First of all, I would note for the record that this government is spending $7 million a minute. We are borrowing $3 million a minute of that $7 million. This is money that most Americans will never see in a lifetime, and we are spending that much in a minute.

Now, as I listened to the debate so far, I couldn't help but wonder, Mr. Speaker, what is this President, what are the Democrats so very scared of? Why are they scared of letting a balanced budget amendment go to the people of this country? Let's be clear, voting for this bill starts a balanced budget amendment process, not the implementation of the amendment. So why are they so scared of the people of this country?

Well, if you believe that government, if you believe that elites can make better decisions for the people of this country than the people can, if you believe that they should be controlling the people's money, their property, better than the people can, well, no wonder they are scared. Because overwhelmingly, the people of this country would say to us exactly what they say around the kitchen table, and that is we have to live within our means.

My second point, Mr. Speaker, this is the first time that I can tell in the history of this Republic that this kind of debt has been racked up with no intention and no plan to pay it back. This is the first time. And, quite frankly, I don't know of anything more piggish or un-American than racking up a bill to be passed on to our best asset, our future--our kids--just so we can have more on our plate now, just so that we can have more largess, just so we can be more selfish in the here and now and kick that can down the road and let our kids pay for it.

Since when has that become part of American exceptionalism? Since when has that attitude become part of this country?

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