Political Quotes

“if I might respond very briefly to what the Senator from Texas has said, the Senator from Texas is very honest and forthright in his position. He stated in the Chamber, and it will be reflected in the Record, that he believes the elimination of the estate tax, the death tax, is the most important priority for this Congress when it comes to tax legislation. I disagree. Right now, fewer than 2 percent of the estates in America pay any estate tax whatsoever. We have changed the law so even fewer will pay it in the future. What the Senator from Texas and those in support of his position are arguing for is to eliminate this estate tax for the very few remaining wealthiest people in America, and it is his belief that this is the highest tax priority for Congress. I would like to take that question to his State of Texas, let alone my State of Illinois. I just finished a tour of Illinois, and I went to small business after small business. I asked: What is the biggest problem you are facing? They answered: The cost of health insurance. We can't pay for health insurance for our employees, let alone for the owners of the business. A labor union, the plumbers and pipefitters, came from Chicago last week. I asked: What is your agenda in Congress? They said: The cost of health insurance. We can't get a penny more in our paychecks when we negotiate a contract each year with our union because all the money is going into health insurance.”