Date: 2003-05-14
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I think one of the things that we have to note as well is that we keep hearing that government can give these small businesses. is going to give them something. It is not the governments to give. That is the peoplea money. What we are talking about is allowing hardworking people to keep a little bit more of their money. in other words. for the government to take less of their money. But when we talk about that. we hear that. oh. it is horrible. because it is going to cost government. We are going to be giving away these things. Excuse me? Giving away? I think that is part of where we have a huge ideological difference. a philosophical difference. It is not governments money to give away. What we are saying is that government is going to take less money of the small businessperson. of the small business. He is going to take a little bit less money. just a little bit less money. take a little bit less so that that person. that small business. can reinvest it in their business. The gentleman mentioned some great examples to create more jobs. I know that for some people. that is a theory. That is a theory. Why do we have to create more jobs? Let us Just criticize the President. They have done that from day one about every issue. whether it is the war to liberate Iraq. they criticize the President. They do not criticize him that much anymore. but they sure were criticizing because it is the thing to do. just criticize the President. Now they criticize this job creation plan. and they say that. well. we are going to give these people. these small businesses. money. No. What we are saying and what the President is saying is it is the peoples money. it is not governments money. The government should allow those small businesses. those individuals. to keep some more of their money so that they can use it back home. in Florida. in Minnesota. and in Texas. in Wyoming. And they tend to do it much better than we do. than government does. because we tend to waste a lot of money. Allow them to keep some of their money. and that will create 1.2 million jobs in 1 year. But some people say. well. it is only $100.000. It is only $100.000 that we are going to cut. it is only $10.000. it is only $1.000 that businesses are going to be able to reinvest. I guess that think that they have better plans for that money in D.C. But I am. frankly. a little shocked. I have been doing a little research about some of the waste up here. Our dear friends on the Democratic side hate when we talk about waste and fraud and abuse. But I have been doing just a little research. I have not spent a lot of time on it because the gentleman knows I just got here recently. but I found some very interesting things. Just one issue. for example. Government purchase cards and travel cards wasted approximately $97 million annually. But let me tell my colleagues what some of those really bright things are that we should take more of the peoples money for. This is the kind of thing that we need to tax people more for. to spend it on some of these things. This is $97 million worth of escort services. jewelry. clothing from Victorias Secret. Macys. Nordstrom. Calvin Klein. taxpayer money to buy a dog for an individual. Taxpayers money was spent on pornography for some employees. on expensive luggage. There was one incident of one dinner for $2.100 at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. That is why we need to raise more taxes. Take it away from the hatdworking American men and women. bring it up here to D.C. so we can spend it and waste it on some really good things such as this: designer leather goods from a prestigious store. Lego toys. expensive sunglasses. beer. wine. and cigars. There is also. do we remember the travel cards? That is a separate issue altogether. That was Used for. well. for interesting places I do not really want to mention. Some of these things I really would rather not talk about. including some gentlemens clubs. some plastic surgery. down payments on a home. So that is why we have to tax the American people more. because Washington knows how to spend the peoples money better. oh. yes. on a down payment for a home for a member of the bureaucracy. That is why we have to take more of their money. on cruises. No. no. no. no. Wait a second. The reason that some of us. the gentleman from Minnesota and others. have been speaking about waste. fraud and abuse. because it is not a laughing matter. because this is hardearned money. This is money that government takes from the American people and then misspends it. Government does some really good things with taxpayers money as well. but we throw a lot of it away. And for anybody to say that government is so efficient. so well run. so lean and mean that we have to take more of the hardworking American peoples money. people that are having a hard time because the economy is not as good as we would like it to be. for us to take more of their money to spend it up here as opposed to what we want to do. which is allow them to keep more of their money so that they can spend it on some of the issues that the gentleman mentioned. on their families. on creating wealth within their businesses. of creating more jobs within small businesses. I think is absolutely ludicrous. But these examples are not new. We have been hearing about waste. fraud and abuse for a long time. So again. I am having a hard time. I know that the gentleman. like me. believes that we need to incentivize this economy. but since the gentleman has been here longer. maybe the gentleman has heard some of the words of wisdom from the other side stating how raising taxes on hardworking Americans. particularly when they are having a hard time. h~lps create jobs. I do not buy it.