[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2127]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       DELEGATE VOTING IS UNFAIR

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, ``The Democrats are stretching the 
Constitution beyond its limits and inviting further partisan abuse.'' 
Mr. Speaker, those aren't my words, that is a direct quote from a 1993 
USA Today editorial. That was the last time House Democrats moved to 
give congressional voting privileges to the Delegates of the U.S. 
territories, and today they will attempt the same thing.
  While the other side will cloak this move in the language of 
inclusion and fairness, make no mistake, this is a power grab. 
Democrats are simply looking for more votes on this floor. They will 
say this is fair and just, but keep in mind that four of the five U.S. 
territories are exempt from U.S. Federal income tax laws.
  What is fair or just about letting untaxed Delegates vote on tax 
policy for the rest of Americans who do pay taxes? The American public 
should not be fooled by my friends on the other side of the aisle 
today. This is nothing more than a thinly veiled power grab, and it 
comes at the expense of the U.S. Constitution.

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