High Profile

“Thank God,” Weeks said.

“But I have yet to hear a valid argument against what used to be called trickle-down economics.”

“The theory that if rich people have money to spend, they’ll spend it, and everyone will benefit,” Weeks said. R O B E R T B . P A R K E R

“Yes, as a means of redistributing money, it is infinitely more efficient than having us give it to the government for redistribution,” the congressman said.

“In the form of taxes,” Weeks said.

“Yes. If taxes are lowered for people with money, they’ll do something with it. They won’t pile it in the cellar. They’ll invest it and some broker will get a commission. They’ll buy a car and some salesman will get a commission. They’ll build an addition to their house and carpenters, plumbers, electricians, et cetera, will be hired. The economy will benefit. Workers will benefit.”

“Makes sense to me,” Weeks said. “What about nonworkers?”

“Nonworkers?”

“Small children,” Weeks said. “Mothers of small children, elderly men, people who can’t work?”

“No one wishes to abandon those people, but higher taxes, and bigger welfare payments, are not the answer.”

“What is the answer,” Weeks said.

“We need to create stable families,” the congressman said.

“Families with husbands and fathers to care for their children, their wives, their elderly parents.”

“How do we do that?”

“Walton, I’m not here to talk about social engineering,”

the congressman said.

“Of course you are,” Weeks said. “What do you think taxes are?”

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H I G H P R O F I L E

“Too high,” the congressman said, “is what I think taxes are.”

Weeks smiled and looked into the camera.

“On that note, we’ll take a break,” he said. “Be right back.”

Jesse clicked the screen dark. Molly looked at her notes. Jesse stood and walked down the room and looked out the back window at the public works parking lot.

“Pretty reasonable guy,” Jesse said.

“He asks hard questions and follows them up,” Molly said, still looking at her notes. “But he isn’t abrasive. He seems, like, actually interested, like there’s no gotcha going on, you know?”

“I like the one an hour or so ago, when some other guy was talking about creating stable families, and Walton says,

‘So are you in favor of gay marriage?’ ”

“Yes. You know what’s good,” Molly said. “He didn’t put words in his mouth. He didn’t say, ‘Aha! So you are in favor of gay marriage.’ He just asked the honest question.”

“No wonder people liked him.”

“You never watched him?”