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So, the point I'm making is, we are not going to cut spending in Washington if we think it's the job of every congressman and senator is to pave local parking lots and build local sewer plants. These parochial interests are getting in the way of the national interests.

For the fifth year in a row, the Bush budget cuts city core services to pay for wealthy tax breaks. And once again, the mayor's requests were not funded.

There is a lot of waste in government-run programs generally, and a lot of waste and fraud and misuse of money in Medicare and Medicaid that can be saved.

Certainly, cutting spending is one of the things that can transcend to the federal government. I mean, I think the federal government has grown by leaps and bounds, and they need to look where do they need to cut.

I think they got caught up in how much money they could get from each of the city governments as far as tax rebates. But that stuff works when you make money. It's a little bit phantom money.

This is other people's money that Washington is appropriating and spending.

I certainly think it's really important that folks in the metropolitan area be able to meet the increased cost of living.

Well, now, and there's - for every dollar the federal government spends, there's real people on the other side, and so when we talk about reductions that are going to affect providers, that's going to affect hospitals and doctors and others.

It is time to cut out the mountains of waste and inefficiency and duplication in the federal government.

The polls are with us on this. They say the American people, more than anything, want to see spending cuts rather than tax increases.