Dick Durbin: “There is a prohibition in the U.S. Constitution from cruel and unusual punishment, and the fact that you will be…”

“There is a prohibition in the U.S. Constitution from cruel and unusual punishment, and the fact that you will be presiding in the chair when I am going to be speaking on an amendment which you are offering is truly cruel and unusual, but I am going to inflict it anyway. I will try to be as gentle as I can in the process. Very briefly, I want to thank the Senator from Rhode Island for his comments on the Tax Code and the need we have in this country to address taxes in a responsible, humane, and, I would add, progressive way. I think he has made the point over and over again, which I will make myself in just a few moments, and I think the Senator from Vermont may follow me. ____________________”