“The longer we wait, the more severe, the more draconian, the more difficult the adjustment is going to be. I think the right time to start is about ten years ago.”

"The Social Security trust fund is what I call a fiscal oxymoron. It shouldn't be trusted, and it's not funded."

“The hypocrisy of giving the very richest Americans a huge new tax break at the same time they say we can’t afford Medicare and Social Security speaks volumes about Republican priorities. If we have a hundred billion dollars to spend each year, it would certainly be better to protect Social Security and Medicare for future generations.”

‘"Raising taxes . . . won't help balance the budget -- it will slow the economic growth that is creating the new jobs of tomorrow and increasing revenue to the federal government . . Keeping our economy strong and promoting fiscal responsibility will get the job done. Raising taxes won't."

“Nations purchase prosperity by saving and investing and being prudent, not by running big deficits. So we cut the deficit, balanced the budget, sent interest rates down, helping people to buy new homes, helping more entrepreneurs to start new businesses.”

“By the time the financial markets tell us we've gone too far, it will be too late to fix this in any rational way. We are the toad in boiling water, where it's getting hotter and hotter and nobody's really noticing."

“Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt.”

“When the economy faced some rough waters, and we could have put tax cuts into the pockets of families most likely to need the money and spend it, George Bush chose massive tax giveaways for the wealthiest individuals that blew the surplus and did next to nothing to get our economy moving."

“No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!”