Austin Scott: “Ladies and gentlemen of the Congress, the time is now for us to ask the one fundamental question before us: What is in…”

“Ladies and gentlemen of the Congress, the time is now for us to ask the one fundamental question before us: What is in the best interests of the American people at this time? By ``American people,'' I mean every American, from the top of the economic ladder to the bottom, but especially those at the bottom. This is basically a 24-month stimulus bill, by getting money to those who need it most, who will put it in the marketplace the quickest, which will help us create jobs. Seventy percent of this entire $853 billion package will go to the low income and the middle income. There is no other way to put it. And when you talk about rates, we dare not go home here today having raised taxes on the American people. We have got to cut the taxes, keep them down. Ladies and gentlemen, you have to realize that at the lowest economic ladder, the lowest tax rate is 10 percent. If we don't move, those people at the bottom that we care about, especially us on the Democratic side, their taxes will go up 50 percent. We've got to move this bill in the best interests of the American people.”