THE HAMMER
When his hopes of getting into medical school faded...Tom Delay,University of Houston 1970 graduate, went to work for Redwood Chemical, which sold rat bait. In 1972 started he started a pest control business that he named "Environmental Services", and in a couple of months bought Albo Pest Control.
A conservative, DeLay was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1984 from Texas's 22nd Congressional District. Known as "The Hammer" for his enforcement of party discipline in close votes and his reputation for exacting political retribution on opponents. When he was running for the Republican seat in congress, the IRS filed liens against De Lay and Albo, in 1979, 1980. and 1983. De Lay had consistantly failed to pay income and social security taxes that he had withheld from his employees. De Lay quickly ran radio spots, to contain the damage.
He overcame that embarrasment, and won the election, in the wake of Ronald Reagon, who recieved 69% of the vote in Texas. In Nov. 1994 Hutto and De Lay sold to Rogers Pest Control.
Here's Tom's autobiography from his Government web site, which gives a brief and rosy picture of his past.
DeLay graduated from the University of Houston in 1970 with a degree in biology. Shortly afterwards, DeLay opened and operated a successful small business in Houston.
The demands of attracting customers and running his business and the responsibility of making payroll for his employees every month convinced DeLay that the primary impediment to economic growth stems from the twin burdens of excessive taxation and unneeded regulation. He soon grew to appreciate the tremendous costs imposed on small businesses by state and federal regulations. The need to lower these burdens sparked his involvement in the political process.
No comments:
Post a Comment