mr. speaker , i rise today to express my concern about the current state of our nation 's budget woes . 
i 've been running the family ranch for several years and i know what it means to work within a budget . 
you may have to count your pennies , but you spend your money where it matters the most to you and your community . 
this administration proposes to cut funding for agricultural programs in addition to denying promised benefits to veterans and military widows . 
these are the wrong priorities for our country . 
we can not pass the burden of the debt onto the backs of our farmers and veterans . 
agriculture is the backbone of this great nation . 
i have always said that there are only two things that can bring this country down -- our dependence on other countries to produce our food and our dependence on foreign oil . 
agriculture must become a real part of our renewable energy supply . 
research and education are the only way we can grow and develop these new technologies . 
this is the worst time to cut agriculture research programs . 
desperate times call for desperate measures , but turning our backs on our country 's service personnel and veterans is n't desperate , it 's crazy . 
we need to put our resources toward meeting the promises we have made to our veterans , servicemen , and their families -- in rural colorado , that means making sure that veterans do n't have to drive five hours to get the health care they were promised . 
i will never support breaking the promise to the brave men and women who served our country in the name of freedom and democracy . 
i am a proud member of the congressional blue dog coalition , a group of democrats that fights for fiscal responsibility . 
fiscal responsibility means spending your money where it matters most . 
we can do that without increasing taxes . 
first off -- our nation 's taxpayers deserve an honest budget that gives an account of all future spending . 
if this administration wants to privatize social security , then the budget should have included the trillions of dollars it would take to change the system . 
secondly -- we need to reduce the deficit . 
as a farmer , i know this firsthand -- you ca n't spend money you do n't have . 
congress is already facing a $ 589 billion dollar deficit -- increasing the amount of our national debt to $ 1 trillion dollars . 
the blue dog coalition created a 12 point reform plan to cure the nation 's addiction to deficit spending . 
for starters , the blue dog plan would require that any new spending would have to be paid for . 
this common-sense rule , `` pay-as-you-go '' is mandatory in colorado . 
in the 1990 's , `` pay-as-you-go '' brought the budget into surplus and is supported by federal reserve chairman alan greenspan . 
our plan also includes a provision for a `` rainy day fund '' in case there is a need for emergency spending . 
neither the administration 's budget , nor the democratic alternative , incorporate a single component of the blue dog 12 point plan . 
as members of congress , we must discuss a budget that has included input from both parties . 
it is for that reason , i voted `` no '' on both budget proposals . 
i will not vote for an increase in taxes . 
and i will not vote to cut the programs that matter to our communities . 
the federal government and this congress need to take a lesson from small business owners and get back to creating a budget where all the numbers add up . 
