Lateefah Simon: “I am pleased to speak on the Daschle amendment. Let me just comment briefly on the observations of my friend from the…”

“I am pleased to speak on the Daschle amendment. Let me just comment briefly on the observations of my friend from the State of Oregon. It is true that the volume of Senator Kennedy's remarks does not necessarily mean that there is virtue to his remarks, but in this case I believe there is virtue in his remarks. And because my colleague from Oregon speaks in a calm, less passionate voice does not mean necessarily that there is virtue to everything he had to say, some of which I agree with, some of which I do not. That we should provide tax breaks for the self-employed in their health insurance we agree completely. When my colleague from Oregon says that this particular tax break is designed so that we have equal protection for everyone, the poor and the rich alike, it is true that if you are either poor or you are a millionaire and you move to the Caribbean and you renounce your American citizenship, you can get this tax break. But there are not going to be very many poor people who are going to take advantage of that. This is designed for those who are more fortunate economically. When my friend argues that all we have to do in the future to achieve a balanced budget is to restrain spending, he is correct.”