[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5720]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                           SINS OF THE FATHER

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                            HON. LAMAR SMITH

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 16, 2010

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, I doubt anyone in this Chamber 
would deny the enormous amount of hard work and sacrifice that went 
into building this great nation. Honest and hard labor are at the very 
heart of our economic system and why our nation has achieved such 
greatness.
  But there is a fundamental shift in the very notion of ``hard work'' 
in the country that will have unforeseen consequences for generations 
to come.
  Madam Speaker, my district includes several high tech companies and I 
was having a conversation with some young professionals--including 
Michael Young, a former legislative director--last week when the topic 
of taxes came up.
  Each of these professionals was in their 30's and each lamented the 
higher taxes that await them as they finally begin to be rewarded for 
the hard work they have endured.
  What was particularly frustrating for them was that they had done 
exactly what they had been told they should do: go to college, work 
hard and play by the rules.
  And it wasn't that they were opposed to taxes either. No, what 
incensed them was the Administration's insistence that those who did 
well over the last 30 years should be heavily taxed in the future.
  What about those who didn't do well in the past 30 years but who are 
now, after having sacrificed so much, now finally on the threshold of 
being successful?
  These young people are just entering the prime of their business and 
professional careers. They played by the rules. They went to college; 
they saved and struggled. And most importantly, they worked hard. Now, 
they are going to be penalized for doing everything right.
  And penalized not because of what they have done, penalized for what 
they are going to do--succeed.
  I say ``going to do'' but many of them expressed the opinion that why 
should they work hard now when the money they earn will just go to the 
government. Some told me they had already scaled back their future 
career plans. A few even told me they have worked out the numbers to 
work just enough so they don't get hit with higher taxes and 
surcharges.
  What a sorry state of affairs when our best and brightest are no 
longer willing to work hard, to take chances, to achieve greatness. 
Instead they are content with ``getting by'' and mediocrity.
  The implications for the country as a whole are downright 
frightening.
  As young people in China, India, Brazil and others capitalize on the 
economic freedom that has been unleashed; America's very system reward 
for hard, honest work is at stake.

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