Max Baucus: “I think most of us are a little distressed that the other side is objecting to a request which is a huge concession on…”

“I think most of us are a little distressed that the other side is objecting to a request which is a huge concession on the part of this Senator, as well as most of the Senators on this side of the aisle, and that would be helping the other side, and that is that we are agreeing to pass AMT not paid for. Why? Because we need to get the AMT patch fixed. We don't want the American taxpayers to have to pay additional taxes under the alternative minimum. We want to get this fixed right away. It is also important to remind us that time is of the essence because the IRS has to get out the correct forms. The computer programs have to be written properly. So I very much hope that very quickly the other side will no longer object and we can get this passed. Mr. President, this reminds me of an old joke, and the joke goes like this: There was a big flood, and a man of faith heard about it on the radio. But he did not flee to higher ground. He said: No, I'll put my trust in God. I am not going to flee to higher ground, even though there is this big flood, which I heard about on the radio. I'll put my trust in God. Well, the waters surrounded the man's home. And as he was standing on his front porch, a boat came up and the skipper said: Jump in, I'll take you to safety. And the man said: No, I'm going to put my trust in God. Well, the boat went away, and the water rose up to the roof.…”