[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1928]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1210
                    WE ARE AT A CROSSROAD IN AMERICA

  (Mr. BUTTERFIELD asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. We are at a crossroad in America where we must 
decide if we're going to continue building economic recovery on the 
backs of middle- and low-income families, or whether we're going to ask 
wealthy Americans to join in the sacrifice by paying their fair share.
  Too many Americans have already made sacrifices to aid our slow 
moving economy and reduce the deficit. The military had to scale back, 
Federal workers had to take a pay freeze, health care providers had to 
take a pay cut, but we have not required those who can actually afford 
it to share in the sacrifice.
  Changing our Nation's tax policies is not about redistribution of 
wealth; it's about fairness, doing what's best for the American people. 
If those who can afford it don't make the sacrifice, the survival of 
America will be affected.
  The President's budget will ensure that those who have been blessed 
with a portfolio that has multiplied under the Bush tax cuts will no 
longer be the primary beneficiaries of tax cuts and policies.
  I urge my colleagues to insist that all Americans, including the 
rich, share the pain of this recovery.

                          ____________________