James Traficant: “This could have had hearings, but that will not stop me from voting for this joint resolution. I do not know how many…”

“This could have had hearings, but that will not stop me from voting for this joint resolution. I do not know how many Democrats will vote for this, but I encourage them to do just that. Number one, not just because our taxes are too high. We have income taxes, excise taxes, estate taxes, gift taxes, capital gains taxes, service fees, old taxes, new taxes, hidden taxes, tobacco taxes, gas taxes, aviation taxes, tobacco taxes. The American people are literally taxed off. It has rather been a political process and too easy to tinker with this code, which should be thrown out by the way, and raise taxes. But I want to take issue with the constitutional scholars. Our Founders never intended an income tax. I could say on the floor that, if they did, they would have put a two-thirds supermajority; and here is why. The only revenue in that Constitution was in the form of treaties and international trade. It carried a two-thirds supermajority. We went from trade and treaty and taxing on products and imports and threw that out and went to income. That cannot be laid on our Founders. Our Founders never intended to tax achievement and initiative. By God, I do not. But do my colleagues know, there is another thing here. Every time we talk about salient points of differences of opinion, we get into some class warfare: we, they; they, we; old, young; black, white; man, woman; management, labor. Let us get off that. There are many people in my district that are taxed off.”