Sen. Wicker Discusses Health Care, Deficit Spending, and Judge Sotomayor

Senator Wicker’s remarks on SuperTalk Mississippi’s On Deadline with Sid Salter

July 16, 2009

WASHINGTON – Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., yesterday spoke with Sid Salter during his program on the SuperTalk Mississippi network.   To listen to the entire interview please click here.  Below are some of the key excerpts from the interview: 

Health Care
On Democrats’ health care proposals:
•  “We were promised during the campaign that health reform would save money for the economy.  Now we are hearing figures of one trillion dollars at a minimum, as much as two or three trillion dollars over a ten year period.” 
•  “So it’s not saving money, it’s costing money.  It increases taxes in a recession.  Also, it involves cuts to Medicare and cuts to hospitals.  I don’t think this is what we were promised during the campaign.” 
•  “I think the wheels may be about to fall off of this European-style health care proposal.  I hope so.  I hope we can get back to square one.”  

NOTE:  To read Senator Wicker’s latest health care column click here; to watch his latest floor speech on health care click here

Deficit Spending
On talk of another stimulus bill:
•  “Now there is talk about another stimulus package.  We clearly cannot afford to make our grandchildren and great grandchildren pay for another 800 billion to two trillion dollars in a stimulus.  And, frankly, the government has proven that we can’t spend it once we appropriate it.  It will be well into 2010 even before the majority of last winter’s stimulus bill can be spent.”    

Judge Sonia Sotomayor
On Judge Sotomayor’s Second Amendment position:
•  “On Second Amendment rights, on the rights of the people to keep and bears arms, she is clearly out of the mainstream - not only of American thought, but of American judges in saying that it [the Second Amendment] probably doesn’t apply to states.  And I think that is a real problem.”