Floor Statements

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Chairman, I have always been told that when you begin with a faulty premise, you are likely to end up with a faulty conclusion. When you continue to give large, multiyear tax cuts to the most wealthy, how in the world do you expect to have enough real money to provide temporary assistance for needy families? When you allow companies to incorporate out of the country to avoid paying legitimate taxes, how in the world do you expect to have money for temporary assistance to needy families? When you give away billions of dollars in subsidies to agricultural and other big business interests, how in the world do you expect to have money to provide day care for children while their parents go to school or go out and look for a job?

The fact of the matter, Mr. Chairman, is that poverty is on the rise and the need for public assistance is on the rise, while this bill will not do anything in the world to really slow it down or to help people get out of it. We know that TANF has not done enough to address the needs of the most vulnerable in our society. Reductions in poverty come as a result of economic growth. We know that more than 2 million people lost their jobs last year. We know that many people who get jobs through TANF end up working at low-income poverty wages, mired down at a level where they will never get out.

I support the Cardin amendment. I support the Lee-Kucinich amendment. It is really our best hope. Reforming and reauthorizing a TANF program that not only takes people off welfare, but also takes people out of poverty should be the focus of this Congress, not simply passing a neatly packaged pig in a flight bag and calling it a welfare program.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to join in strong support of this amendment in tribute to Patsy Mink. But more importantly, I support this amendment because it speaks more directly to the needs of needy families than H.R. 4, families who need opportunities for education and training, families who need access to jobs.

Mr. Chairman, 75 percent of all new jobs in this country are found in areas where most people needing assistance do not live. They must have access. We all know how effective early childhood education has been. And yet while we have money for early childhood education, it is not nearly enough. We need to increase that part of it so no child is left behind. I support the Kucinich-Lee amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself of such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, a bigger-than-life screen actor and television personality, Ronald Reagan moved from being Governor of California in the 1960s to President of the United States and dominating American politics in the 1980s.

He was the first President to be reelected to a second term since Dwight Eisenhower. Media-made and media-presented, Ronald Reagan got millions of Americans to feel proud of their Nation. America's 40-year Cold War with the Soviet Union cooled considerably and perhaps actually ended during Reagan's presidency. Many Americans credit him with having achieved what became a significant outcome.

Born the son of a shoe salesman in small-town Illinois, Reagan's impoverished but loving parents instilled in him a sense of optimism that carried him through college as an average student. After graduation, he worked for a few years as a sports broadcaster in Midwestern radio before landing a film contract with Warner Brothers, which took him to Hollywood in 1936. Over the next 30 years, Reagan made scores of films, including many Army films produced during World War II. He hosted two popular television series and he actively engaged in politics as president of the Screen Actors Guild.

In the 1950s, Ronald Reagan changed from being a Roosevelt New Deal Democrat to a conservative Republican. In 1966, he became Governor of California. He was reelected in 1970. Using his popularity in California, Reagan unsuccessfully challenged President Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination in 1976. He tried again and won the nomination in 1980, and thereafter defeated the incumbent Democrat, Jimmy Carter. With his 1984 reelection victory, President Reagan became the most politically successful Republican President since Eisenhower.

Today, we celebrate former President of the United States Ronald Reagan's 92nd birthday. We wish him well, and trust that he will continue to carry on.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 141 to improve the calculation of the federal subsidy rate with respect to certain small business loans.

Although, each year the Office of Management and Budget calculates the federal cost of guaranteeing small business loans administered by the Small Business Administration. Many analysts believed the current method of calculating those costs does not take into account historical data and recent statutory and regulatory changes that have improved default rates and program performance. Therefore, they contend that the current federal cost, expressed in the form of a subsidy rate, is over- estimated, which, in turn, limits the amount of loans that can be guaranteed.

The bill S. 141 would authorize the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to calculate the Federal cost for guaranteeing small business loans under the Small Business Act during FY 2003 and to use the most recently approved subsidy cost model and methodology that would take into account economic assumptions and historical data included in the FY 2003 budget. The bill is intended to provide a new cost calculation methodology, which is expected to reduce the subsidy rate from 1.76 percent to 1.04 percent, thereby expanding the size of the program from $4.9 billion to $8.2 billion.

I urge my colleagues to support S. 141.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Ms. Elizabeth Hester Riddle. Ms. Riddle was born on November 29, 1902, on the Eastside of Chicago, Illinois. Born to William and Sarah Hester she is the oldest of 7 children and enjoys spending time with her remaining younger siblings Mary and Sally. Ms. Riddle has survived her husband Walter Riddle, son Robert Riddle, and her eldest grandson Robert Riddle, Jr. She is also the grandmother of Karen Appleson, Cindy Petro, and Allison Gunner, and the great-grandmother of two with more on the way.

As the Matriarch of the Hester family and known to her many nephews and nieces as ``Aunt Bea'', she is generous to a fault. Ms. Riddle has lived her 100 years of life on the Eastside of Chicago, Illinois as a proud American, committed Catholic and a lifetime member of the St. Francis de Sales Parish. She is known for her sharp mind, happy personality, and love of all her friends and family. So we wish her a Happy 100th Birthday and reflect on how she lived through a century of changes and a lifetime of memories as a model of charity and compassion and all around wonderful person.

Mr. Speaker, like many others, I waited to hear Secretary of State Colin Powell. I must confess that it was interesting to hear, watch, and to see; but I did not see anything that is going to cause me to change my position that there is no need to go into a preemptive strike and engage war with Iraq at this moment.

Like many, others I am hoping and waiting, hoping that we can work out peacefully what some think is inevitable: war. War, as General Sherman said, is absolute hell; and I think if we can avoid it, we need to do everything in our power.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my condolences and those of my constituents to the families of the astronauts of the Columbia. I am reminded that no greater gift can one give than his or her life to advance the cause of humanity.

Michael Anderson and the other six courageous men and women aboard the Columbia knew the risks of space exploration, and yet they were willing to travel over 6 million miles to try to make the world a better place in which to live. Their 16-day science mission was an attempt to find answers to some of the questions we have about space and its possibilities.

They were gifted people, well-trained, courageous, ordinary people, daring to do extraordinary things. They were mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. They were inextricably bound by their zest and zeal to explore the stars and heavens in an attempt to move humankind forward. The candle of passion by which they lived must never go dim. It is the collective challenge of a grateful Nation to ensure that their lives and sacrifices were not in vain.

Today I, along with more than 100 of my colleagues, sent a letter to the Postmaster General, urging him to design a stamp that will memorialize the memory of the Columbia seven and fan the flame for our space program. This symbolic gesture is a small way of a grateful Nation saying thank you.

We will never forget the Columbia seven because they represented the best and the brightest of the world. To the families we say thank you for sharing your loved ones with us and may God continue to comfort you with love and memories of their lives and of their contributions.

Mr. Speaker, during the 90s' we had ten years of solid economic growth. In the past two years, America has entered an economic downturn. For the first time in a decade the economic indicators--benchmarks showing where we are and where we are going--all point down. Job losses in technology and manufacturing have risen dramatically and corporate bankruptcies were nearly double what they were two years ago. Consumer confidence hit its lowest point in over a decade. Even though, the U.S. stock market saw a significant gain during the 90s'. However, the bottom has virtually fallen out as a result of the events of September 11th. Now every industry is taking a huge hit as profits and employment figures head into a downward trend. Presently, under the Bush's Administration the country is averaging approximately 68,000 workers losing their jobs per month. Resulting in the fastest pace for job elimination in more than 20 years.

The President's speech last night did not mention that his economic plan calls for cutting job training and employment funding by $534 million while unemployment is increasing. The President's plan calls for reducing $500 million from title 1, the Federal Government's primary program for targeting aid to the most disadvantaged students. This cut means 447,000 fewer low-income students will be served by this program. Also, the President's proposes to cut $250 million from teacher quality initiatives. For heating assistance, the President is expecting a $300 million cut from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) program at a time heating prices are rising.

While some talk about tax cuts which will primarily benefit the wealthiest 1 percent of taxpayers, and do nothing for the bottom 75 percent, let me suggest that any serious economic stimulus package or plan must consider and be focused on the needs of the poor and the most vulnerable among us.

The President should propose a fair fiscal policy that will provide more unemployment benefits and health coverage for low to moderate income workers. These are the people who spend a larger portion of their earned dollars to make ends meet. By expanding unemployment benefits for those who have already exhausted their extended benefits and continue to seek jobs and health coverage to dislocated workers, it would be the quickest way to stimulate the economy.

Only the Democratic plan focuses on working families and small businesses that drives the engine of the American economy. Under its plan every worker will get a tax cut and everyone receives the same $600 per couple. This fair and equitable tax cut will provide a short- term stimulus for our economy while allowing the budget to recover as the economy strengthens.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am pleased to join with the gentleman from Florida in consideration of this resolution, Mr. Speaker. Since the first professional football game in the United States took place in 1895 in the town of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, football has become one of America's favorite pastimes. As a matter of fact, it is so popular and so etched in the minds and hearts of Americans, until many people stop whatever they are doing when it comes time for the Super Bowl.

The Buccaneers' magical season began at the Magic Kingdom, as the bucks held training camp at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex. It ended on Sunday with the Bucs defeating the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII for the franchise's first world championship.

Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden's, masterful coaching throughout the 2002 playoffs paid off in the Super Bowl as the Bucs always seemed to make the right call at the right time.

Facing the league's most potent offense in the first-ever Super Bowl match-up of the league's top-rated offense and defense, the Bucs surrendered just 269 yards, only 78 by the time Tampa Bay had built a 34-3 lead. The Bucs controlled the clock for over 37 of the 60 game minutes.

Joining the 1985 Bears as the only team in National Football League history to lead the National Football League in yards allowed, points allowed and interceptions in the same season, the Bucs racked up five interceptions and five sacks in stifling the Raiders' quarterback Rich Gannon.

The Buccaneers more than deserved the warm welcome when they returned home to a packed Raymond James Stadium on Monday night and victory parade through the town on Tuesday.

During the parade, thousands of fans lined the street and screamed their approval as the players drove by in convertibles and pickup trucks.

The Bucs were equally grateful. Manager Rich McKay said, ``We have heard a lot about the Eagles fans and we have heard a lot about the Raiders fans. We have heard a lot about all these fans, but I think we all know who the best fans in the United States of America are, and they are the Buccaneers fans.''

The Bucs and their fans were simply happy that the Bucs have become the world champs by a margin of 48 to 21, no less for the first time in the franchise's 27-year history.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Davis) honoring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Davis), my colleague and classmate, who is the originator of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am sure that people throughout all America join with our colleagues from Florida in paying tribute to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I join with them in their enthusiasm, and urge swift passage of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, a few days ago the Cook County Board of Commissioners opened a brand new public hospital in Chicago, the John H. Stroger Cook County Hospital. I rise to congratulate and commend President Stroger, the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Ms. Ruth Rothstein, director of the Bureau of Health Services for the county, Mr. Lacy Clay, director of the hospital, and all of the staff for making this milestone possible.

Mr. Speaker, Cook County Hospital is one of the finest hospitals in the Seventh Congressional District and in the nation. Since the 1800s, Cook County Hospital has delivered comprehensive primary, specialty and tertiary health care services to all residents of Cook County, despite socioeconomic status, being uninsured, or their ability to pay. With the astonishing fact that 98 percent of patients who arrive alive at the trauma center survive, this public hospitals is well known nationwide.

Cook County Hospital excels in services and expertise for its level I trauma center, burn unit, the largest neonatal intensive care unit in the Midwest and its women's cancer center, which treats 30 percent of the women with breast cancer in the county. Yet Cook County Hospital could not be the model for public hospitals in our Nation if it were not for the hospital's extraordinary staff. The staff is commended for their consistent dedication and enthusiasm for giving the highest quality of care, even when they worked in a hospital constructed over 100 years ago, which made the task of serving the needs of patients much more complicated.

However, the staff has extended their participation of saving lives in the hospital to help save lives in the communities surrounding the hospital. Though half of the admissions in the trauma unit are a result of assaults, and the majority of those from gun violence, the hospital staff decided to pursue efforts to reduce violence by creating a violence prevention task force, which helped spawn the Chicago Violence Prevention Strategic Plan.

However, on Thursday, December 12, 2002, the historic beauty on West Harrison Street that inspired the hit television show ``ER'' stopped accepting patients. The remarkable medical staff and their patients were moved to the new modern facility, the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. The patients and staff will now be air conditioned in the summer, have access to oxygen hookups in each room, and have a hospital-wide paging system.

And although the staff expects quality of care to improve along with efficiency, they are certain that the largest impact will be on patients, who gained private bathrooms for the first time, televisions and telephones in their rooms, and nurses stations that are in close proximity in the new hospital. This new hospital will have fewer beds and is smaller than the old, but it is a reflection of the changing times, with fewer inpatient and a growing number of outpatient procedures.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that this new development is a testament to Cook County's sensitivity and farsightedness by investing in public health care at a time when cities and counties around the country are closing public hospitals or cutting back services. I commend the Cook County Board in its efforts to make real their mission statement: to provide a comprehensive program of quality care with respect and dignity to the residents of Cook County regardless of their ability to pay.

This new hospital positions the county to do just that, and I again commend them for their farsightedness and their sensitivity in providing high-quality health care to even those with the least ability to pay.

Mr. Speaker, as I look at this bill, it is too little and, for many, almost too late. Almost too late for them to avoid absolute disaster. As a matter of fact, I pulled out one of my old records the other day and was listening to it, and it said, every morning about this time, when I get to the breakfast table, my wife is there crying, get a job, get a job, that I could not find. Then the other part says, I read the paper through and through trying to see if there is any work for me to do; and, of course, in many instances, the individuals come up short.

The real deal is that if one represents a district like mine, over the last 30 years, we have lost more than 120,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs that are gone, that do not exist. Unemployment in many of the communities that I represent is 20 to 25 percent. So if we want to stimulate the economy, what do we do? Put some money in the pockets of those individuals so that they can go to the grocery store and buy a loaf of bread, so that they can get a gallon of milk, so that they can have something to plow back into the economy, to keep it moving, to keep it turning. Do not go to the top; stimulate the bottom. Then we can really stimulate the economy.

I would hope that 27 weeks would be the very minimum that we could do for some of the people who have been out of work even for 26 months. I am not sure that some have not been out for 26 years. We can do better than what we are proposing.