Ron Lewis: “I certainly did not say that the working poor are not responsible. They are very responsible. I have been in that…”

“I certainly did not say that the working poor are not responsible. They are very responsible. I have been in that position. I have been among the working poor. I know how hard it is to make ends meet. But, I also was brought up in a family, my father a construction worker, a pipe fitter that was many times without a job, that a full day's work for a full day's pay; we accept things in our life that sometimes we do not like. We try to make ends meet many times when that is all we can do. Sometimes we cannot even make ends meet. I think we have provided in this country an opportunity for people that are working hard to receive an earned income tax credit to help them through the tough times. I am certainly someone who believes that we should help those that cannot help themselves that are in need. It is our responsibility to do that. I certainly appreciate our military for what they are doing. I appreciate all the efforts that are put forward in this country by all those who are willing to work and earn a full day's pay for a full day's work, and we should support them and their families every way we possibly can. But we also have to remember the liability. As I said, we have a progressive income tax system in this country.”