Rod Grams: “if there is 1 day that dramatically highlights the growing anxieties of middle-class Americans, it is April 15. During…”

“if there is 1 day that dramatically highlights the growing anxieties of middle-class Americans, it is April 15. During this tax week of 1996, I want to share some thoughts on taxes, Congress, and a certain word that has crept into a place of prominence here on Capitol Hill. Since the opening days of the 104th Congress, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have come to the floor repeatedly to talk of ``extremism'' and ``extremists.'' These are not words to be tossed around lightly, and yet more than 100 times over the past 16 months, those are the very words they have used to describe the work of this Congress. ``Extremist'' has become the mantra of the minority, repeated over and over when all the arguments have been exhausted and refuted, and name calling is all that remains. The Contract With America ``is simply the wish list of the extreme faction of one political party,'' says one. ``The sweeping and extremist approach in this bill poses a grave threat to all Americans, especially children,'' says another. And finally, ``If moderation does not prevail, this level of extremism will ultimately take our country backward, not forward, and the damage will be felt not by us, but by generations to come.''”