Cliff Stearns: “there is no rest for weary Americans. For more than 4 months, average Americans struggled to pay their largest ever bill…”

“there is no rest for weary Americans. For more than 4 months, average Americans struggled to pay their largest ever bill from the taxman. In 1994, for the first time in the post war era, total Federal, State, and local spending reached more than 33 percent of GDP. Americans might feel as though they have earned a chance to take a deep breath and start enjoying the fruits of their labors. But the fact is, for the next 2 months, wage earners will still be working to pay for the costs of Federal mandates and regulations. According to Americans for Tax Reform, until July of this year, families will be working to pay the costs of Government. And, it gets worse. Just this year, Congress has added to this burden with a pork-laden disaster relief bill, a bureaucratic elementary education act, a redundant school-to-work bill, and new restrictions on first and second amendment rights. These actions are typical of the way Congress operates today--new mandates on local government, new regulations on small business, new spending masked by slashing defense and temporarily low interest rates, and ever-increasing power over the lives of Americans. Yes, Mr. Speaker, for all Americans, the hits just keep on coming.”