The Official Truth Squad

Floor Speech

THE OFFICIAL TRUTH SQUAD -- (House of Representatives - October 31, 2007)

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Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for putting this hour together. I thank my friend from California too for his focus on keeping taxes low, which the gentleman from Georgia made the right point: Whose money is it? Does it belong to the families of this country or does it belong to government?

The families of America know that they can spend their money better than government. They can invest it in their kids, their grandkids, their goals, their dreams, their ideas, their principles. They can do it better than government can. American families know that taxes are too high. Think about the typical family, the typical family in this country. When you factor in local, State and Federal taxes, all those taxes that my friend from California went through that you pay in just a typical day, when you factor that in, the typical American family spends 50 percent of their income, 50 percent of what they make, what they bring in, that they can invest in their kids, their grandkids, their future, they have to give to some level of government.

As the gentleman from Georgia pointed out, when you think about what has happened this year in this Congress, we had a budget bill passed that doesn't extend the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts that have helped our economy, that have helped families have a growing economy, the tax increases in there that result in huge, huge taxes in the future on American families. We had an energy bill that raises taxes on domestic energy companies. We had a farm bill, a farm bill, one of the most bipartisan pieces of legislation that typically moves through the Congress, had a tax increase in it.

We had the SCHIP bill that the gentleman spoke on earlier in this hour which had a tax increase in it. And just this day on the floor we had a Trade Adjustment Assistance Act that also had a tax increase in it. And, as my good friend from Georgia pointed out, we now have what is appropriately called the mother of all tax increases coming, which will raise $3.5 trillion, $3.5 trillion on American families across this country.

It begs the question: Why do politicians want to raise taxes? It is real simple. Because politicians like to spend money. You always hear ``tax-and-spend politicians.'' It is actually the opposite. It is spend-and-tax. Spending always drives the equation.

That is why this summer my good friend and I and several other members of the Republican Party offered a series of amendments which said let's hold the line on spending. Let's do what families have had to do from time to time, what business owners, as my friend from California pointed out, have to do from time to time, what individual taxpayers have to do from time to time. Let's just spend what we spent last year.

After all, if you ask the typical American, do you think government spends a lot of money? Do you think maybe there is just a little bit of waste in the Federal Government? And everyone knows instinctively, of course there is. So we said, let's just spend what we spent last year.

You know what? Right now we are operating in a continuing resolution, which is a fancy way of saying we are living on last year's budget, even though the Congress was supposed to have budgets in place by September 30 and start a new budget. So we are living on last year's spending.

When we argued these amendments this fall, that is what we wanted to do, the other side told us, oh, the sky is going to fall, the world is going to end, all kinds of things are going to happen. You know what? For 4 weeks now we have been doing just what we offered in those amendments, living on last year's budget. And, guess what? Kids are going to school. The government is still running. Nothing terrible has really happened. If we can do it for 4 weeks, we can do it for 4 months, we can do it for the next year.

Here is why this is critical. If we don't begin to get a handle on spending, it hurts us in our economic position around the world. And right now Americans understand this as well. The market is so competitive, we have got to keep taxes low, keep spending under control so our economy can grow.

There was a point in the past, there was a point in the past coming out of World War II where America was uniquely situated; it didn't really matter if elected officials, if politicians did some dumb things. But now it matters. Now the competition is so stiff we have got to get public policy right.

Just think of some of the numbers we have to deal with today. We have 300 million people in this country. We are competing with the Chinese, who have 1.3 billion. It is critical that we do things right so we can remain the economic superpower, because here is the way the world works.

The economic superpower is also the military and diplomatic superpower. Right now there is one country that fits that definition, that is the United States of America, and that is a good thing. The American people recognize instinctively that the world is safer and better when America leads. If in the future that is some other country, that is a scary thought. We want America to lead.

I kind of joke when I say I think the only folks who don't get that concept is the editorial page of the New York Times. But Americans understand that the world is better. I love what Cal Thomas said. He was talking one time about how sometimes the national media doesn't see things the same way that a typical American family does. He had a line when he was talking about the New York Times. He said, ``I get up every morning and I read my Bible and the New York Times so I can see what each side is up to.'' There is certainly some truth in that statement.

It is important for America to lead. The way America can lead economically is to keep taxes low, keep spending under control, and, if we do that, American families, American business owners can create those jobs and make our economy grow so that we have a prosperous future, just like America has always had, and that will allow America to continue to be the greatest country in the world.

So I thank the gentleman for his time tonight and for his focus. He is so right on target. And my good friend from California as well.

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