[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 62 (Tuesday, May 7, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H4439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            TAX FREEDOM DAY

  (Mr. BALLENGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, during the American Revolution, the 
American people waged a war against one of the greatest empires in 
history. One of the main motivations for the revolution was the issue 
of taxation. In fact, one of their slogans was ``No Taxation Without 
Representation.'' If you look at the historical record, though, you 
will find that the taxes the English Crown imposed on the colonists 
were light by today's standards.
  Today is tax freedom day. It is the day that the American people stop 
working for the Government and start working for their families. Think 
about it, Mr. Speaker, 17 weeks of the year, almost a third of a year, 
is spent working for the Government. If our Founding Fathers knew this, 
they would roll over in their graves.
  This may not be 1776, but it is 1996 and its time to cut taxes, 
reduce government, and restore the American dream for our children and 
grandchildren.

                          ____________________