Ernest J. Istook Jr.

I thank my friend from Indiana, and I thank everybody for having a little bit of time this evening to talk about the importance of the Republican Study Committee, the importance of conservative principles. And I really enjoyed hearing my friend Gil Gutknecht recount some of the things during his years here. Myself, I don't choose to try to talk about the things that have happened during the 14 years, because really I don't think service in the Congress is about me, and it is not about us as individuals; it is about what do we do to carry on the principles upon which this country was founded, the self- government, the ideal, the understanding that God made us as people able and capable to govern ourselves; and not only that, to live our lives without having to be controlled by government.

So I would like to spend my time this evening talking a little bit about what I believe, as a principled conservative, as somebody who believes, yes, in economic conservatism and social conservatism. But it is really based upon the premise that God made each of us as capable individuals, and that we have the free agency to make decisions for ourselves. And conservative principles enable us, enable us, to fulfill that destiny rather than having our lives dictated to us by government.

I fear, of course, that the pendulum has gone too far in the United States. Government is too big, it spends too much. And, of course, any government that is big enough to give you everything that you want is powerful enough to take everything that you have got. And I know the year that I was born, which was 1950, the typical American family, in Federal income taxes, paid something like 2 or 2\1/2\ percent of their annual income in Federal income taxes. Today, on average, it is closer to 10 times that amount. Now, that tells you something about what is going on.

And when you look at what has happened here in Washington, D.C., and the voters sent a message if people here will just listen to it. And what is the common factor, whether you are talking about the level of spending, the amount of earmarks, the bridge to nowhere, whether you are talking about campaign finance issues, ethics issues, lobbying issues, it all happens because big government creates big problems, big government creates big lobbying, big government creates a big need to defend yourself against it. So everything that we have that I think has caught the attention in a negative way of the voters this year traces back to the fact that we haven't controlled the size of government.

Now, I was really happy when we had some years during my time in Congress when we actually balanced the budget. Boy, that was important. But you know, when 9/11 happened it became an excuse not just to spend more money on defense and homeland security to meet the security needs, but it was, what is the old adage, ``in for a dime, in for a dollar.'' And we saw that. I remember back during the Vietnam era the catch phrase was ``guns and butter.'' If you are going to pay for guns, you don't have enough money to pay for butter. You can't be expanding social programs at the time that you are trying to take care of the defense and the security needs of the country.

Well, we saw that some people said even though 9/11 created some spending requirements to take care of the security of Americans, we still spent too much in other ways, and we are paying the price, the consequences.

I was asked when I was first elected to Congress, if there is one thing, one thing that you could accomplish, what would it be? And I said the adoption of a balanced budget amendment, because I think that is what constricts and controls the size of government. You know, we haven't even had a vote on a balanced budget amendment here in this House in 11\1/2\ years. I have become the principal author of the balanced budget amendment, but unfortunately the people in charge of bringing things through committee and to the floor haven't brought it here in 11\1/2\ years.

I think that is one of the reasons that we have the difficulties that we do: We don't require government to live within its means as all of us have to do when we sit around the kitchen table and try to balance the family budget. Maybe we need to install a kitchen table here in the Congress so we can sit around it and actually have to balance things.

I certainly hope that if the people that are here in the 110th Congress don't do anything else, bring back the balanced budget amendment. It was the number one item in the Contract With America in 1994, and it is a sad travesty that it hasn't even been voted on in this body in some 11 and a half years.

We have been entrusted with the power to govern, and where much is given, much is expected. We have to be more in tune with the American people, and we have to talk to the American people about correct principles.

Too often we hear there is a problem; therefore, government needs to step in and be the solver of problems rather than the creator of problems. What was the Ronald Reagan line, too many people that if something moves, tax it; if it keeps moving, regulate it; if it stops moving, subsidize it. We have seen that too much.

We need to stress personal responsibility more than government programs. That is what we have gotten away from.

The most important thing that each of us will do happens with our families. I am so grateful for my wife, Judy, and for my five children, Amy, Butch, Chad, Diana, and Emily, and what they mean to me. But no wife could have been more supportive than my wife Judy has been. I am eternally grateful to her, and want her to know how very much I love her.

You see, I believe the most important work I ever do, or any of us will ever do does not happen within the halls of Congress but within the walls of our own home. We need that principle. We need to remind Americans that they are given God-given blessings.

As was stated in the Declaration of Independence, we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.

What did they say: Government exists to protect the rights that were given to us as a gift from God. We need to remember that truth. We need to follow that principle. We need to abide by that as the Founding Fathers taught us to do.

So I am grateful for the people in this body who hold true to those beliefs, who believe in the capabilities, the dynamic abilities of the American people. I believe America rests upon four pillars that we must keep strong and solid: Freedom, free enterprise, faith, and family. It is my prayer that we will each strengthen each and every one of those pillars. Thank you for letting me speak this evening.

Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment. Congress should not dictate that American ballots must be printed in multiple languages.

Over 30 States, including Oklahoma, are now required by Congress to print bilingual or multilingual ballots in at least some parts of those States. In Oklahoma, it is required in Marmon County and Texas County. I have a sample of the ballots that will be used there on July 25, and this is for State and local races, not Federal elections. The candidates for county commissioner will be surprised that they have been relabeled as candidates for ``comisionario del condado.''

Instead of this confusion, we need the unifying force of an official language, English, which is the language of success in America.

To become an American citizen, we require people to read, write and speak in English. That is to help them to assimilate in our melting pot, truly to become Americans. We mock that when the cherished right to vote does not involve English any more.

My father was the son of immigrants, and he grew up bilingual, but English is what my father taught me and what he spoke to me. America's strength is not our diversity; it is our ability to unite around common principles even when we come from different backgrounds.

We have too many laws that undercut our unity. Today we can fix one of those laws, and we should. Please join me in doing what the American people want and expect us to do. Support this amendment and support the unifying force of a common language, the English language.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate all concerned parents who have made an enormous commitment. All parents are teachers, but these parents have accepted total responsibility for their children's learning, by schooling them at home.

Of course I am talking about the successful home school movement that has taken root and is rapidly growing throughout the United States. It is not easy to be a parent. I should know since I'm the proud father of five children and seven grandchildren. But adding ``teacher'' to the list of responsibilities parents face every day illustrates their incredible determination to ensure that their children get a solid education.

It has been said that in order to understand the future we must first look to the past. That is being done here. Thousands of present day students, like many of our Founding Fathers, are being taught at home.

The motives of these parents vary, many parents don't like the curriculum being taught to their kids, or are wary of the threat of peer pressure or the presence of drugs or violence lurking in too many of our schools today.

In a world where it is common to pass the buck, tens of thousands of families have adhered to the principle set forth by former President Harry Truman, saying that ``the buck stops here'' when it comes to their children's education.

The home schooling movement has proven it works and the numbers show. According to a recent report from Reuters News Services, between 1.7 and 2.1 million children across the country are taught at home. This is a 29 percent jump from the number of home schooled children in 1999.

When they are asked to compete against children from traditional schools, these students do quite well. One illustration is how often they show up in the finals of national spelling competitions. If you ``google'' the words ``home schooled'' and ``spelling bee'' together you will see page after page after page of success stories from places like Albuquerque, New Mexico, Oswego, New York or Fayetteville, North Carolina--as well as the national competition here in Washington DC.

There are other examples too.

I would especially like to congratulate Braden Juengel from Edmond, Oklahoma who was recently notified that he is one of only 39 people in the United States to receive a perfect score of 36 on his ACT test. Branden has been home schooled since the second grade. He is also a National Merit Scholar Finalist and plans to either attend Oral Roberts University or my alma mater, Baylor University, next fall. I congratulate him and his parents Mr. and Mrs. Randy and Luann Juengel.

These children are living proof that the ``one size fits all'' approach to education is not necessarily the only or the best way for our children to learn. This is not a knock against traditional schools. My wife and I chose for all of my kids to be taught in the Putnam City public school system. But let's remember that the first and most important teachers that children have are their parents. We show them how to eat, help them to walk and teach them to communicate.

The Reuters news article also helps dispel the mistaken myth that home schooled kids are socially inept because they supposedly have less social interaction. Nothing could be further from the truth. Home schooled children frequently combine for many purposes--and they interact well. The growth of the home

schooling movement means that more and more children are learning together, just not in a traditional classroom. For example, a group of 70 home schooling families living in a Washington suburb organize regular group field trips and extracurricular activities for their home schooled children. They also come together for music lessons, soccer and basketball games and for art classes.

These are all ideas and events planned by parents, not school boards. Students are transported by mom or dad driving mini vans, not school buses. Home cooking beats school cafeteria food any day of the week. Education begins at home and I applaud the parents who recognize that they--not someone else--must take responsibility to assure that their children are well educated. I remind everyone: Whether you school them at home or send them to school, you as a parent have the responsibility to make sure they learn and behave. Teachers and principals may help, but parents are the ones who must accept responsibility.

I congratulate all the parents out there who made a commitment to put their children's education first. These are parents that our Founding Fathers would find worthy of praise.