Scott McCallum Quotes

Like working families all across the state, we must find a way to make government live within its means.

Every year, virtually every governor balances the budget.

Government must continue to live within its means.

We'll set our approach to borrowing, to spending, to taxation, in a sensible way on a sensible timescale.

Of course we have to address the deficit if we win.

As Indiana's governor, I balanced eight budgets, never raised taxes, and left the largest surplus in state history. It wasn't always easy. Cuts had to be made and some initiatives deferred. Occasionally I had to say 'no.'

I'm not a detail guy. I depend on accountants and administrators to do my detail stuff for me, but I do know the overall picture and I know that if you put business people together in a room, not just politicians, they could shrink the deficit tremendously by good business tactics.

There is a difficult leap between talking about balancing the budget and actually doing it.

The President has a short time to let people know that he is serious about getting spending under control.

I did not come into government to win an award as the great accountant in the sky and balance budgets.

I am a governor who left office with a smaller general fund budget than when we started.

I believe very firmly that we can get to balanced budgets without raising taxes and without cutting transfers to the provinces or to individuals.

You know, even people who talk about cutting spending and they go 'That's not the spending that I was actually talking about that you're supposed to be cutting.' Well, we have to be looking across the board.

What I wanted to do was see if we couldn't balance the budget.

We should reduce total government spending as a percentage of the economy. The left wants to focus on the deficit so they can take us away from the focus on spending as a percentage of the economy.

No one in the modern history of this country, no president, has done more to move toward a balanced budget than has President Bill Clinton.

We have been spending beyond our means, we are going to focus on the projects that we committed to in the election but importantly if there is additional projects or new things that come up they have to have a business case, they have to work and they can't impose financial stress on families and private individuals and businesses.

The American people, in their own families, they understand that you have to do that. You have to make the tough decisions. You have to get your budget. You have got to put it in order. And they expect their elected officials and their leaders to do likewise.

Make no mistake: I will work with both Democrats and Republicans to cut wasteful spending and reduce our debt in a balanced, responsible way.

Cutting budget deficits can never be just an exercise in economics.

In Wisconsin, I led the Assembly to a balanced budget in face of fierce opposition from the status quo.

When businesses face tough times, one of the first items they cut is overhead expenses. The government should do the same.

If it took multiple debt ceiling hikes, I'd rather achieve the savings.

Today is the day for the complaining to end and for statesmanship to begin. Today I am taking action to cut state spending and balance the budget this year.

Look, I am not worried about Washington cutting too much spending too fast. I mean, the kinds of spending cuts we're talking about just right now are $100 billion out of a $3.7 trillion budget.