mr. speaker , the budget resolution sets the priorities of the congress . 
it is a moral compass for what we stand for , what we believe in . 
it shows if our priorities are in the right place . 
it shows whether we are going to provide for the less fortunate or if we will continue to reward the rich and the powerful at the expense of people in need . 
the mundane minutia that are detailed as budget authority and outlays are actually the blueprints of our nation . 
i do not like what the republicans are building . 
they are creating a government without a conscience . 
the republicans control the white house , they control the senate , and they control the house of representatives . 
it is their agenda that determines the future direction of this country . 
that agenda includes slashing medicaid , food stamps , education programs and veterans benefits . 
that agenda includes protecting tax breaks for the very wealthy in this country . 
that agenda also includes privatizing social security . 
today , they will have an opportunity to put their vote where their rhetoric is . 
as we just heard , the gentleman from colorado ( mr. salazar ) xz4006201 has introduced a bill that frames this issue plainly , that no payroll taxes may be diverted to privatize social security . 
mr. speaker , i oppose privatization as do most if not all of my democratic colleagues . 
the position of our republican friends is not quite as clear . 
they say that all options are on the table and that they are open to listening to various ideas . 
they talk about the impending doom facing social security , creating a crisis out of thin air . 
they extol the virtues of wall street . 
they are desperately trying to find a way to make social security privatization more palatable . 
their problem is that the more the american people learn about privatization , the less they like it . 
i believe that social security is a sacred compact between the federal government and senior citizens . 
it is an insurance program , a safety net intended to keep our senior citizens out of poverty . 
it has worked for 60 years . 
the privatizers want to unravel that safety net . 
they want to slash guaranteed benefits , run up trillions of dollars in debt and decrease the solvency of the trust fund . 
that is their plan . 
today we will have a chance to see if those privatizers have the courage of their convictions . 
so far , we have not seen that courage , because the budget resolution before us does not include the trillions of dollars in transition costs required to privatize social security . 
the republican majority claims to support the president 's privatization scheme . 
they say they want to do it this congress . 
but they are not willing to put it in a budget . 
maybe the vote on the previous question will help them . 
if you believe as i do that we must not privatize social security , then you must vote `` no '' on the previous question . 
if you believe in privatizing social security , then you will vote `` yes '' on the previous question . 
it is that simple . 
social security does face long-term funding challenges . 
everyone recognizes that . 
as democrats , we stand willing to work in a bipartisan way to meet those challenges . 
but we will not stand idly by and let the republican majority destroy social security in the name of saving it . 
i urge my colleagues to say no to privatizing social security by voting `` no '' on the previous question . 
mr. speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
