[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 40 (Wednesday, April 1, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           MUGGED BY REALITY

  (Mr. BOB SCHAFFER of Colorado asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BOB SCHAFFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, the intellectual evolution 
in the typical American's political life usually takes several years. 
Now, most people start out relatively liberal; but they eventually see 
the error of their ways and become more conservative upon realizing 
that left-wing programs simply do not work. In the famous phrase, they 
are mugged by reality.
  But there is one way to speed up the process. It is an event that 
almost 100 percent will guarantee success. Take a liberal, subject him 
to an IRS audit and presto, you soon hear some very conservative 
thoughts coming out of their mouths. All of a sudden, their beloved 
Federal Government is no longer seen as their friend. All of a sudden, 
the Federal Government now looks like the last place to look for 
fairness. All of a sudden, dealing with a massive Federal bureaucracy 
is not such a wonderful, wholesome experience after all; and all of a 
sudden, what looks so great in the abstract starts to look silly, 
illogical, out of touch and quite menacing indeed when reality hits.
  Mr. Speaker, it is an obvious truth that if liberals were audited by 
the IRS, the Democrat Party would cease to exist almost overnight.

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