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 .  