[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 15 (Monday, January 26, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           BURGESS QUESTIONS SENATE CONFIRMATION OF GEITHNER

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, we heard this evening the unwelcome news 
that the Senate, the other body, had confirmed the nominee for 
Secretary of the Treasury. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am that 
the Senate saw fit to do that. This is going to be a distraction at a 
time when our Nation's financial state deserves close attention. How 
can we ask our citizens to pay their taxes if we appoint tax evaders to 
head the Department of Treasury?
  I think it would have been appropriate to resist the temptation to be 
impulsive and instead take the time to make sure that the candidate we 
put to this high office is someone with more than just a solid resume. 
Make sure it is someone who will make a personal commitment to 
upholding the law.
  Tax evasion, be it by design or inattention, trivializes other 
citizens' duty to pay their taxes, and it makes the tax burden of proof 
even that much greater for those who do bother to follow the law.
  We have called this a time of change in our Nation, but this decision 
is another illustration of the perception that Washington is a place 
where the well-connected are given special privileges. At a time where 
Americans are losing faith in Congress, it is imperative that we convey 
it's not okay to appoint leaders who break the law. It's time to bring 
credibility and integrity back to this government.

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