[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 18, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H3892-H3893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             GIVE TAX RELIEF TO THE PEOPLE PAYING THE TAXES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Cunningham] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, we have legislation coming before this 
body that would give tax relief back to the American people.
  My father took home 85 percent of his paycheck. My daughters are 
scheduled to take home 10 percent of their

[[Page H3893]]

paycheck at the current spending and the current tax rate on the 
American people. My brother takes home today only about 45 percent of 
his paycheck. This is not a legacy that we want to leave to our 
children. In the tax relief balanced budget plan that is coming before 
this body this body gives back 97 percent of tax relief to those 
earning less than $100,000.
  Mr. Speaker, $100,000 is a lot of money for a lot of people, but it 
also gives 72 percent of the tax relief for families earning between 
$20,000 and $75,000. Our colleagues on the other side, there are those 
that voted against a balanced budget, those who voted against welfare 
reform. What we call the liberal faction and leadership of the Democrat 
Party would say that we are giving only a tax break for the rich. If 
you take a look at Karl Marx's Communist manifesto, the class warfare, 
the ideals of union from control of private property right on down the 
line is class warfare and controlling the American people. What we are 
trying to do is give tax relief to the American people that are paying 
taxes.
  We went through a pretty violent debate in this body on welfare 
reform, but yet my colleagues on the other side that support a 
socialist model for this country would have us believe that people that 
do not pay any taxes should get back tax relief. Well, we had a welfare 
reform package. What this package does is the hard-working people that 
are projected to only get 10 percent of their dollars in their paycheck 
have some tax relief, and that is is what is focused.
  If we take a look at Japan, 1 in 11 workers works for the government; 
in France, 1 in 4. Now you see what kind of government that was elected 
in France over these last few weeks. France is controlled now by the 
socialists and the Communists that support big government and control 
of private property and on down the line. When they talk about Mr. 
Sweeney and the AFL-CIO, who do they represent? They represent 
government workers, and I would tell Mr. Sweeney that if he would 
support the Government officials and government workers necessary to do 
the legitimate works of the Constitution and this country, he would 
find a lot of Republican support. But to go out and fight for 
additional power for bigger government, for higher taxes, he is going 
to meet resistance.
  And my colleagues on the other side just do not get the message that 
we want lower taxes on the American people to stimulate growth, to put 
dollars in their pocket, not the Federal Government. If we take a look 
at the legitimate functions of this country, then we supply the workers 
to do that, then I think we can come up with tax relief for all. 
Ninety-seven percent, 97 percent of the tax relief, goes to families 
earning less than $100,000; 72 percent less than $75,000, down to 
$20,000, and those that do not get or pay taxes do not get tax relief. 
That is a form of welfare. They get all of the other benefits from the 
Federal Government, but yet the burden of those people trying to send 
their children to school, trying to put food on the table, trying to do 
the things that you and I and every other American wants to do is being 
stymied by an oversized government, by overtaxes and regulation.
  That is what this bill does, Mr. Speaker. It gives tax relief back to 
the American people that are paying the taxes, not nonpaying tax.

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