Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we are all in the holiday spirit, at least partially, knowing that our families and the people we love are waiting for us back home and around the country to celebrate this once-a-year holiday occurrence. But we know we can't leave. We can't leave Washington until we get our job done. The job we have to do is to be mindful of important measures that need to be enacted into law before any of us can leave this town with a clear conscience. One is the payroll tax. Currently, those working--160 million Americans--get a 2-percent reduction in the payroll tax every pay period. For the average family in Illinois--making about $53,000 a year--the amount that payroll tax deduction has been calculated to be is somewhere in the range of $1,000 a year. Now, that means about $100 a month for families who are working and enjoying this payroll tax cut. I know what is happening with that money. It is being spent, and spent quickly, by many working families who have a job but are struggling from paycheck to paycheck. If gasoline prices go up, if utility bills are higher than expected, then the amount they thought they had put away as a reserve quickly vanishes. Particularly at the holiday season, when kids need warm clothes, when they need to keep the house warm for the family, and they are trying to put a few things under the Christmas tree, that $100 is more than just a small amount. It could mean a lot to a family, and it is going to expire. On January 1 it goes away.…”