[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 166 (Wednesday, December 15, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H8356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         OPPOSITION TO TAX DEAL

  (Mr. FLAKE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. FLAKE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the tax deal 
negotiated between congressional leadership and the White House. 
Although we have yet to see the language of the bill, it is clear that 
it will represent a level of spending that should be unacceptable to 
those who are serious about our ballooning deficit.
  What is striking about this legislation is the failure for either 
party to make tough choices. Where are the cuts? Take, for example, the 
2 percent payroll tax deduction. If it is a good idea to reduce the 
payroll tax, it is imperative that we couple it with a reduction in 
benefits on the other side; but we make no such choices here. Again, we 
eat a sumptuous meal and pass the bill on to our kids and our grandkids 
because we lack the decency to pay for it ourselves.
  If we can't make difficult choices now, Madam Speaker, when will we? 
Are we waiting for our New Year's resolutions to kick in? We're just a 
few years away from the fate of Greece and Ireland, and is this the 
best we can do? We can and should do better.

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