[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 15, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2986-S2987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                TAX DAY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, most Americans view April 15 as a sort 
of national anti-holiday, when they are forced to take a hard look at 
how much of their money goes into a Washington spending machine instead 
of their childrens' education or their gas tank.
  It is worth noting that most people don't dread tax day as much as 
they used to; as much as they did before Republican policies 
significantly reduced the share of the family budget that goes from 
taxpayer wallets to the Treasury Department.
  According to a recent Gallup poll, 43 percent of middle income 
earners say they are paying too much in taxes--43 percent, but still 
far fewer than the 59 percent who thought they were being overtaxed 7 
years ago.
  The reason for the drop-off isn't too hard to figure out: The reason 
a lot fewer people think their tax burden is too high is that their tax 
burden is a lot lower than it was 6 years ago.
  Married couples and families with children have benefited from tax 
credits, tens of millions of Americans have benefited from tax cuts on 
dividends and capital gains, including more than 250,000 people in 
Kentucky.
  And that is why it's critical that middle class Americans understand 
the path that Democrats are headed down.
  At a time when the economy is slowing and Americans are paying record 
prices for food, gas, and healthcare, our Democrat friends are 
preparing the largest tax hike in U.S. history--nearly three times 
larger than the previous record.
  We saw the plan last month in a budget that only one Democrat in the 
Senate voted against, a blueprint that raises taxes on middle class 
families by $2,300 a year.
  Our friends won't admit this is a tax hike; they won't say they're 
raising taxes; they plan to do it quietly, by letting all the recently 
enacted tax cuts and credits that Americans have benefited from over 
the past several years expire.
  If you ask about it, they will tell you these tax cuts were only for 
the rich anyway.
  Don't listen to them--unless, of course, you think 43 million 
American families with children who will pay thousands more in taxes 
under the Democrat budget are rich, and should be taxed more; or that 
all 18 million seniors who will pay thousands more in taxes under the 
Democrat budget are rich and should be taxed more; or that every owner 
of the 27 million small businesses in the U.S. who will have to pay 
$4,100 more in taxes under the Democrat budget are rich and should be 
taxed more.

  Under the budget that every Democrat in the Senate but one voted for 
last month, taxes will go up on anyone who makes more than $34,000. Are 
these people rich? Should they pay more in taxes?
  The first-year teacher in Louisville who makes $35,982--is he or she 
rich? Does he or she need to be taxed more? I will bet they don't think 
so.
  How about the veteran teacher with a Ph.D. who maxes out at $73,418--
is he or she rich? Does he or she need to be taxed more? I will bet 
they don't think so.
  Our Democrat friends have their own answer to these questions: they 
voted for an amendment last month that extends tax breaks on married 
couples and children.
  The problem, of course, is that they voted for a similar amendment 
last year, and then they didn't do a thing about it. They had no 
intention of making it into law.
  So if past experience is any indication of future events, our friends 
won't act on the amendment this year either. They cast a vote that's 
intended to appeal to working families, but their record shows they 
won't follow through by actually doing anything about it.
  As Americans struggle to pay the bills and millions worry about 
falling home values and whether they will even be able to keep their 
homes, they should be able to expect more from Congress than political 
cover votes and class warfare rhetoric.
  All the recently enacted tax cuts will soon expire. These cuts have 
helped tens of millions of American families and seniors. These folks 
should know what is coming. And Democrats in Washington should relent 
on their plans to return to the bad old days when 60 percent of them 
thought their tax bills were too high.
  That is the road our friends on the other side are taking us down. 
They

[[Page S2987]]

have shown us the blueprint. It certainly was not written with working 
families in mind.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________