Richard Gephardt: “April Fool's day for the Republicans came a couple of weeks late. Every year they try to fool the American people during…”

“April Fool's day for the Republicans came a couple of weeks late. Every year they try to fool the American people during tax week into thinking that they are really doing something about the tax system that all of us struggle with and none of us are fond of. Are the American people supposed to believe that the party that is throwing a party for their wealthy friends and supporters with nearly $1 trillion in tax breaks really cares about the tax burden on middle-income families? Do Republicans really think that most Americans would rather throw a party for the wealthiest Americans, instead of using this money to provide a prescription drug benefit for all seniors so that everyone, not just the wealthy, can afford the best health care coverage in the world? The American people are not fooled by this tired routine. Republicans have controlled Congress now for 5 years, yet during this time they have never, never passed any comprehensive tax reform that would make the lives of Americans easier. In fact, since the Republicans took over the Congress in 1995, the Tax Code has become more complex, and it takes the average person who files a form 1040 30 percent longer to fill out their forms. They talk about it for a couple of weeks in April, but that is the end of it. There is no follow-through. There is no new code coming into being.”