Martin Hoke: “In 1950, the average income family in America had 2 percent of its income paid to the Government in taxes. In 1996, that…”

“In 1950, the average income family in America had 2 percent of its income paid to the Government in taxes. In 1996, that number has gone up to about 25 percent. We have had, you could say, a 12 times, a 1,200 percent increase in the percentage of taxes that the average American family is paying to the Government. We have seen that increase in taxation that falls directly on the backs of working men and women fuel the explosion in growth in government in the past 45 years. That is what has fueled it. What I would ask the gentlemen and gentlewomen on the other side of the aisle is do you think that would have been possible if this tax limitation amendment had been in place? I would suggest to you that it would not have been possible and that today what we are fighting and what is a fundamental problem that faces our society and our economy is that families cannot make it on one income, and the reason that they cannot make it on one income is not because it is not enough money to actually raise children with one person staying at home, and it makes no difference to me whether it is the mother or the dad staying at home, but they cannot make it because too much money is being kept out of the paychecks and given to the Government.”