Obama takes on the GOP budget, taxes and debt

About Facebook: "This format and this company is an ideal means for us to carry on this conversation. We're having a very serious debate right now about the future ... of our country." About the Republican budget: "The Republican budget that was put forward, I would say, is fairly radical. I wouldn't call it particularly courageous. I would call it short-sighted." About the GOP plan to convert Medicare to a voucher program and make big cuts to the Medicaid program for the poor: "Nothing is easier than solving a problem on the backs of people who are poor, or people who are powerless, or don't have lobbyists, or don't have clout." About the nation's finances: "We have an unsustainable situation. We face a critical time where we are going make some decisions -- how do we bring down the debt in the short term, and how do we bring down the debt in the long term?" About the deficit: "If we don't have a serious [plan] to attack the deficit, we will have an even bigger problem. ...We could slip back into a recession." About the housing market: "What I'm really concerned about is making sure that the housing market overall recovers enough that it's not such a huge drag on the economy because, if it isn't, then people will have more confidence, they'll spend more, more people will get hired, and overall the economy will improve." About immigration: "If we've got smart people who want to come here and start businesses ... Why wouldn't we want them to stay. Why would we want to send them someplace else? Those are potential job creators." About education: "Our education system has to do a better job of math and science education for women, blacks and Hispanics. I want people to think of the next big Internet breakthrough as the next moon launch."NEWS SERVICES