[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15255]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                        TALKING ON THE PHONE TAX

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, ``can you hear me now?''
  That phrase repeated by cell phone users across the vast prairies and 
wide-open spaces of America soon may be taxed by the Feds.
  That's right. The taxacrats want to tax citizens for their private 
cell phone use and for the use of mobile phones at work. It's a 
benefit, the taxacrats saith. So they want to tax it.
  Don't think this new ``talking on the phone tax'' will ever leave. In 
1898, Congress passed temporary phone taxes to fund the Spanish-
American War, but Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders had the 4-month 
war won even before the tax took effect. Guess what? Americans are 
still paying that temporary phone tax for that war 111 years ago.
  Phone taxes never die. They don't even fade away. Americans are taxed 
enough already. Government addiction to spending should be cured cold 
turkey style. Citizens don't need more silly taxes to fund pet 
projects. Mr. Speaker, the people are weary of taxes.
  ``Can you hear them now?'' No more taxes. No ``talking on the phone 
tax.''
  And that's just the way it is.

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