Charles Rangel: “I remember in the good old days when Republicans used to say that they were going to travel around the country and pull…”

“I remember in the good old days when Republicans used to say that they were going to travel around the country and pull the Tax Code up by the roots. That meant they were going to close loopholes, get rid of shelters, and to have a system that people did not have to hire accountants and lawyers in order to know what their tax liability would be. I even volunteered to drive around with them on these buses to see just how they intended to put back a Code that was more equitable and fair and one could understand. But while the gentleman from California (Mr. Stark) still thinks that some of them are on the level as relates to health, I asked for the opportunity to at least open up this debate just so that people who are not on the floor would understand that this has nothing to do with health. It has a heck of a lot to do with wealth and more to do with shelter. They have to find ways to make certain that the deficit gets larger and that there is no money in the Treasury to take care of the problems that we used to say was a Federal responsibility.”