Stephanie Herseth Sandlin: “I first off want to thank the distinguished minority whip for his leadership of the entire United States Congress on the…”

“I first off want to thank the distinguished minority whip for his leadership of the entire United States Congress on the issue of tax simplification and fairness, an issue that affects every working family in America. Just last week our whip said, ``Taken individually, of course, nearly all of the tax preferences that clutter the code can be rationalized. Collectively, however, they are a jumble of confusion that leads to unfairness.'' That is certainly being kind. So we appreciate all that the whip is doing to lead not just our caucus but the entire Congress in this issue that affects us all. For more than 10 years, my friends on the other side of the aisle have made tax reform and simplification a cornerstone of the economic program. However, for all of their expertise, or maybe all of their obsession, they seem to have fallen far short. In Texas we would say that the record strongly suggests that on tax issues the Republican majority is ``all hat and no cattle.'' The Republican majority talks a lot about giving the American people their money back. We all agree on that. We all agree that the American people are better stewards of their own money than is the government. However, the Republican tax themes and schemes have the perverse effect of taking from Peter to pay Paul, and in virtually every instance, the middle-class Peter is paying the millionaire Paul. Middle-class families are feeling a serious pinch from the economy.”