mr. speaker , i rise in support of the democratic alternative to h.r. 4297 , tax relief extension reconciliation act that would provide real tax relief to working families and help the economy grow . 
the underlying bill is more of the same -- more fiscally irresponsible policy . 
the president 's policy of `` stay the course '' is not working ; it 's not working in our foreign policy , domestic policy , budget policy or tax policy . 
more of the same is just not working and now is the time for a new direction . 
unlike the reckless tax bill on the floor , the democratic alternative would help more americans help themselves and ensure that as a country , we move forward together . 
among other things , the democratic measure would exempt every family making less that $ 200 , 000 from the alternative minimum tax ( amt ) . 
the democratic measure would also provide $ 42 billion in targeted tax cuts including , deductions for state and local retail sales taxes , deductions for college tuitions expenses , a research and development tax credit , a small business expensing tax credit , and a larger earned income tax credit for the families of those serving in iraq . 
most importantly , the democratic alternative would be fully offset instead of pushing the country further into debt like the republican bill . 
the truth is that more than one-half of all taxpayers would get less than $ 30 in tax relief from this bill , while those who make over a million dollars a year would get an average tax break of $ 32 , 000 . 
supporters of the capital gains and dividends tax cuts have tried to characterize them as offering benefits that are more broad-based than amt relief . 
however , in reality , households with incomes between $ 100 , 000 and $ 500 , 000 would receive 87 % of the benefit of amt relief , compared to 62 % of the benefit for capital gains and dividends tax cuts . 
where are the priorities of this house ? 
what message are we sending to the american people ? 
it 's time for a new direction because more of the same failed policies are n't working . 
americans deserve better . 
i urge my colleagues to join me in rejecting the underlying bill and supporting the democratic alternative that would provide real tax relief and strengthen our country . 
