Ehrlich on Washington column, December 27, 1999

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of December 27, 1999 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Christmas is Here — At Last! This has been a whirlwind year and I am thankful for many things. Like many of you, 1 am fortunate to take a few days off for a long Christmas weekend with my family. Last week, while writing Christmas cards with Kendel, I started to reflect on my last several years in Washington. I am proud to represent you in Congress and point to the many things we have succeeded in doing that, I believe, make a difference in each of our lives. We reformed the nation’s welfare system, reducing the rolls by 32% since 1996. The reform is real and thousands of former welfare recipients have learned a skill and are now working. We changed Social Security in a way that gives real options for senior citizens to continue to work if they choose. We overhauled the nation’s banking and telecommunications laws, allowing the businesses to take advantage of today’s modem technologies and conveniences. And, even though they were vetoed by the President, we succeeded in passing a host of tax cuts. Many of these things — including the tax cuts — were unthinkable even a few years ago.