[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 107 (Friday, July 25, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H5783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       A REPUBLICAN CONGRESS THAT HAS COMPASSION FOR BILLIONAIRES

  (Mr. GEJDENSON asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEJDENSON. Madam Speaker, I must be missing something. One of the 
great things about this country was that we have been a compassionate 
country. My Republican friends seem to have incredible compassion for 
billionaires.
  Let me explain the difference to Members about the concerns. When we 
cut taxes for the top 1 and 2 percent, yes, they can get their new 
Mercedes a couple of months earlier. They have to make choices. When we 
cut their taxes, they are able to make choices about yachts and trips 
and Mercedes.
  When we talk about the people who work for a living and are at the 
bottom of the economic ladder, those people who we deprive of the $500-
per-child tax credit because they pay other taxes, not just income 
taxes, these are people who are making decisions about putting clothes 
on their children's backs, feeding them nutritious meals, keeping the 
family together under a roof, and staying warm in the winter.
  So it seems to me the compassion ought to start with those with the 
greatest need, not with the greatest greed.

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