Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Chloe Harrison for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Chloe Harrison is a 8th grader at Moore Middle School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Chloe Harrison is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Chloe Harrison for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all her future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Cicali Vannoy for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Cicali Vannoy is a 7th grader at Drake Middle School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Cicali Vannoy is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Cicali Vannoy for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all her future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Daisy Esquivel for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Daisy Esquivel is a 12th grader at Jefferson Senior High and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Daisy Esquivel is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Daisy Esquivel for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all her future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Cori Morton for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Cori Morton is a 12th grader at Warren Tech North and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Cori Morton is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Cori Morton for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all her future accomplishments.

Madam Speaker, the best way to deal with this country's debt is to put people back to work. We've heard it from both sides of the aisle.

At the end of Bill Clinton's administration, this country had a surplus. Revenues exceeded expenses. There was job growth: 23 million people. But then, with George Bush, we lost 8 million jobs. We went into a huge deficit.

The best way to deal with that is to put people back to work. The President does have a plan, and we Democrats have a plan: innovate, educate and manufacture. Make it here in America. We will put people back to work.

Folks need to be able to realize the American Dream again, and that's what we are going to fight for every single day. We want to put people back to work. That will help take care of the debt.

Mr. Speaker, listening to some of the Republicans that were speaking here earlier today, they want to blame Medicare, early childhood education, grants to firefighters for the debt that we have when everybody knows that at the end of the Clinton administration, this country was running a surplus.

Then we had Bush tax cuts; that's about a trillion dollars. Then we have a couple wars; that's a trillion dollars. Then there is a collapse on Wall Street under the Bush administration. That's $2 trillion. That will turn anybody's budget upside down.

But the Republicans want to take it out of Medicare. They want to dismantle Medicare. They have never liked Medicare to begin with because it really works for middle America, for our seniors. We can't let that happen. We cannot allow them to dismantle Medicare just because of these other things. They want to protect millionaires, billionaires and oil companies. We are not going to let them do that.

Mr. Speaker, first I want to echo the words of my colleague from Colorado, Mike Coffman, in expressing our sympathies to the families of Corporal Kirton from Centennial, Colorado, who died this past week in combat. That is a loss to Colorado, that is a loss to the Nation, and we just express our sympathies.

I want to really turn to a big issue at hand, and that is over the last 10 years starting with Bill Clinton, we had a surplus, revenues exceeded expenses. But after the Bush tax cuts, which cost a trillion dollars or more, two wars which cost a trillion dollars or more and collapse of Wall Street a couple trillion dollars, that budget surplus was turned upside down. But instead of focusing on the tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires or tax cuts for the oil companies, the Republicans want to take money out of Medicare to try to get the budget right. Well, that's just going the wrong direction.

Under the Republican budget even $100 a barrel, we are going to maintain those tax cuts for oil companies? Instead we're going to stop programs under Medicare? That's just wrong. Medicare is a program that has worked for this country for a long time, and I want to see it remain in place.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Briana Morgan for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Briana Morgan is a 8th grader at Moore Middle School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Briana Morgan is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Briana Morgan for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all her future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Casara Orr for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Casara Orr is a 12th grader at Arvada West High School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Casara Orr is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Casara Orr for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all her future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Calvin Merrills for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Calvin Merrills is an 8th grader at Oberon Middle School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Calvin Merrills is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Calvin Merrills for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication and character in all his future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Briana Munoz for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Briana Munoz is an 8th grader at North Arvada Middle School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Briana Munoz is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Briana Munoz for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all her future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Breann Holter for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Breann Holter is a 12th grader at Ralston Valley High School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Breann Holter is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Breann Holter for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all her future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Breanna Martin for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Breanna Martin is an 8th grader at Arvada K-8 and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Breanna Martin is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Breanna Martin for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all her future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Carmen Ortiz for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Carmen Ortiz is a 12th grader at Jefferson Senior High and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Carmen Ortiz is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Carmen Ortiz for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all her future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Brianna Young for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Brianna Young is an 8th grader at Moore Middle School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Brianna Young is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Brianna Young for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all her future accomplishments.