Charles Rangel: “Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the committee would like us to believe that those who disagree with the gentleman and his…”

“Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the committee would like us to believe that those who disagree with the gentleman and his bill are either stupid or do not understand the bill. The gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) said that the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) misrepresented the bill, but he never had enough time to share with us what part of the bill he misrepresented. Mr. Speaker, I remember last January how excited I was when President Bush stood right here and told us he did not believe that a tax code should pick winners and losers. The gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson) said there are real benefits for real people. She said they will be eligible for them. The money will be put out there, and they might get them. Mr. Speaker, if I came out here with a bill that guaranteed that everybody get unemployment insurance and health care coverage when they were laid off, and I also wanted to give $25 billion to the governors of this country to distribute to whatever corporations they wanted to, Members would laugh me off this floor. My colleagues give the guarantees to the corporations, and then Members put the workers out there sort of to hope that the governors have the money or the legislature gets in session.”