Political Quotes

“let me share some statistics with my colleagues. Over 100 million Americans today are online, and seven new Americans go on line every second. One-third of all new jobs today are created in the technology sector, and in my home State of Illinois, salaries of technology workers are 59 percent higher than other traditional jobs. There is great opportunity in this new economy, but educators tell me they notice the difference back home in our schools between those children who have computers and Internet access at home and those who do not. When we ask why they do not, they always say that the cost is the biggest challenge. Well, the private sector, Ford, Intel, Delta and American Airlines have stepped forward to provide Internet-accessed computers for their employees. Unfortunately, the IRS wants to tax it. For a worker making $27,000 a year, that means $200 in higher taxes, just because their employer provides them with a computer. Think about that. The janitor, the assembly line worker, the laborer, their children having Internet access and a computer at home to do their school work. Mr. Speaker, it is good policy; and I am glad to see the private sector stepping forward. That is why I want to ask my colleagues to join with me in cosponsoring the DDATA Act, legislation that clarifies that employer-provided computers and Internet access are tax free, treated the same way as an employer-provided pension or health care benefit.”