Duane and Lacinda Linch of Stark City with their three children Preston, age 4 months; Devan, age 10; and Cameron, age 8 appear with Congressman Roy Blunt (R-7) at the Regional Economic Summit held on the campus of Missouri Southern State University, April 27, 2007.

According to Blunt, their presence helped explain how the 2008 budget proposed by Congressional Democrats, including the largest tax increase in American history--$400 billion--would impact similar families. Increases in the marriage penalty, elimination of the 10% tax bracket, and reductions in the child tax credit could increase the Linchs’ tax bill by more than $2,300 per year.

If the budget in its current form becomes law, Blunt claims that tax increases will impact 26 million small business owners, by an average of $3,960; 48 million married couples, by an average of $2,899; 42 million families with children, by an average of $2,181; 12 million single women with children, by an average of $1,082; and 17 million senior citizens, by an average of $2,270.