Quotes from our December 3rd, 2012 event with former Republican Senator from Wyoming Alan Simpson, co-chairman of the Simpson-Bowles plan and a key figure in the budget reform debate, speaking at The Common Good.   [Event details here]

You can watch the entire video below, or on our YouTube channel.

POLITICS

Political Compromise: “There are no right answers. Only a continual flow of compromises among a group.”Legislative Compromise: “If you can’t compromise an issue without compromising yourself, you can never be in legislature.”

Legislating in Washington: “Emotion, fear, guilt, and racism: that’s how you do a bill in Washington.”

Partisanship: “People who don’t give a damn about the Democratic party, the Republican party, or the president will call the shots, and that’s called the market.”

SPENDING

Bush vs. Obama “Who’s the biggest spending U.S. president before Obama? George W. Bush. Never vetoed a spending bill.”Social Spending: “Social Security is one fifth of the money that goes around in the U.S.”

Social Security: “In the year 2031, there will only be enough money to pay three quarters of your check. You are going to get a social security check of 25% less.”

Defense Spending: “Our defense budget is 740 billion a year, and the defense budget of the top 17 countries on Earth, including Russia and China is 540 billion combined.”

LIFE

Political Correctness: “Political correctness is like wearing duct tape on your mouth because if you really are a person filled with hate, prejudice, and bias […] then that stuff comes through like a fissure through a volcano.”Humor: “Humor is the universal solvent against the abrasive elements of life.”