Roy Cooper: “in the vain hope that there still is an undecided Member of this body, I think it is important that we look at the…”

“in the vain hope that there still is an undecided Member of this body, I think it is important that we look at the facts. I would encourage my colleagues to oppose both the rule on the line item veto and on the estate tax. Why? I am afraid people watching this debate are seeing Congress at a historical low point. On the estate tax, if you read the editorial in today's Wall Street Journal, the Wall Street Journal is claiming that King Bill Thomas' proposal is hardly an improvement over current law. Hardly an improvement over current law. So if you are for repeal, you better check with King Bill Thomas, because he has been given near royal powers by this House. Members of the vaunted Ways and Means Committee were denied an opportunity to even meet and discuss this legislation. So no one really knows what is in it, except perhaps King Bill Thomas. What an outrage. This is supposed to be a deliberative body, but because of this rule, the Pomeroy substitute was not allowed to be considered. What is King Bill Thomas afraid of? A debate? A discussion in the House of Representatives? This is a shameful moment in our history. But now turning to the rule on the line item veto, Mr. Spratt was denied an opportunity to offer a substitute. What is the Budget Committee afraid of? A debate? A discussion? The possibility we actually might know what we are voting on in this rubber-stamp Congress? Now, I am not a hard-core partisan.…”