Wayne Allard: “One of the strengths of the Republican Party, and one of the reasons I am so proud of the leadership is that they have…”

“One of the strengths of the Republican Party, and one of the reasons I am so proud of the leadership is that they have encouraged us to go back to our States and talk with the citizens in our States and really find out what the problems are. As we are putting together our agenda here for this session, I really feel like this is a grassroots message. It has come from within the States. It has come from our friends and our neighbors and our local elected officials, the people who have to work with the Federal Government on a daily basis. I have gone back to my State and held a lot of town meetings. This particular year, I decided to hold a lot of town meetings in January. I held 40 town meetings in January. The message that came loud and clear to me is the main thing on people's minds is that there is a growing Federal Government that is continuing to interfere in their daily lives. Somehow or other, they feel they are losing control. Local officials in Colorado feel like they are losing control. Small business people feel like they are losing control and are getting too many dictates from Washington. Another thing that has come up in all of my town meetings has been the Tax Code. People are concerned about the tax burden that they have to bear today, particularly from the Federal Government. People want our tax system reformed.”