Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 60th birthday of a very dear friend of mine, Chief R. Steven Bailey, the Chief of the Miami Township Police Department.

To call Chief Bailey a public servant would be an understatement. His biography reads like a to-do list for an entire police department, but let me point out a few of the many significant accomplishments Chief Bailey has achieved throughout his career.

Since May of 1995, R. Steven Bailey has been the Chief of the Miami Township Police Department where under his watch, the Miami Township Police Department has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies an astounding five times. Additionally, the Miami Township Police Department achieved CALEA's flagship status in 2007 and 2010--something less than 1% of police departments do.

In 1999, after 27 years, Chief Bailey retired from the Ohio Army National Guard where he held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Defense Logistics Executive Development Program, the National Defense University National Security Program, and the U.S. Army War College Defense Strategy Studies program.

Chief Bailey is also a Certified Law Enforcement Executive--one of just 100 in the State of Ohio. In December of 2000, he graduated from the FBI National Academy, is a graduate of the Northwestern University Traffic Institute School of Police Staff and Command, and is also a graduate of the Ohio Police Executive Leadership College.

Mr. Speaker, Chief Bailey's accomplishments don't stop there. Since 1986, he has been a Reserve Police Officer for the City of Middletown where he currently holds the rank of Reserve Captain. He was President of the Clermont County Chiefs of Police and Sheriff's Association for eight years, and has been President of the Ohio Law Enforcement Foundation as well as President of the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police.

If that wasn't enough, Chief Bailey has somehow found time to be an Adjunct Instructor in the Criminal Justice Program at the University of Cincinnati and for Northwestern University in the School of Business, and has been a Visiting Instructor of Political Science at Miami University.

I could go on and on about Chief Bailey's awards from the Boy Scouts of America, his extensive experience with local government, or the numerous and well deserved accolades he has received throughout his career.

It was a privilege to call Chief Bailey a colleague when I was a Miami Township Trustee. It is an even higher honor to call him my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chief Bailey for his years of service to our community. Additonally, I want to send my gratitude to his wife of over 30 years, Sharon, to his two children, Caryl and Matthew, and to his grandson, Logan, for the sacrifices they've made.

Chief Bailey is the epitome of a true public servant. His career and commitment to our community is something every public official should strive for, and I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Chief R. Steven Bailey on his 60th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to start tonight by continuing our discussion on conscience protections and our First Amendment rights.

As I did yesterday during the press conference on the same topic, I'd like to read the First Amendment to our Constitution. It states: ``Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.''

Our Founding Fathers thought that those specific five tenets were crucial to the citizens of America--so critical that they needed to be guaranteed first and foremost.

The conscience protection debate that started a few weeks ago with the administration's announcement of a new rule regarding contraception, sterilization, and insurance policies is a perfect example of the importance of these rights.

The government cannot, and should not, be forcing any employer, whether they are Catholic charities and schools or an individual businessman, to violate the tenets of their faith.

As this debate continues, it highlights the great need to have a standard that explicitly protects employers from attempts to erode our First Amendment rights.

We need to fight for the standard in H.R. 1179, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011, introduced by my good friend from Nebraska, Mr. Fortenberry.

It simply protects employers from being forced to violate their religious or moral beliefs by an overreaching mandate from the administration. It takes nothing away from the public, nor does it prohibit women from getting services that are already provided, as some have alleged.

H.R. 1179 is a responsible and reasonable response to clarify what can and cannot be mandated through the healthcare law regarding conscience protections.

We cannot allow the federal government to start going down the slippery slope of eroding our constitutionally protected rights--we took an oath to uphold the Constitution.

As a mother and grandmother, I will do everything in my power to ensure that the rights we enjoy today continue to be guaranteed for my daughter, grandchildren, and generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, today I really just want to say thank you to a young woman who for the last time in her legislative career as a Member of Congress will grace our presence this evening at the State of the Union, and I'm talking about my good friend, Gabby Giffords. I think the world will all know Gabby as the courageous heroine who, on January 8, 2011, was met by an unbelievable mad person who changed her life and the life of so many, but I really want to tell all of us in this body what a great individual and humanitarian she was for all of us.

She was sworn into office on January 4, 2007. She came out of the State legislature in Arizona, so her background was in the State legislature, as mine is. She currently represents southern Arizona, the Tucson area, which has the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista. She is the leading champion on border security, energy independence, and the needs of military families and veterans, which she knows so well because she is married to an active military veteran, Mark Kelly, who not only flew umpteen missions as a naval pilot but also flew into space as a NASA astronaut.

On January 8, when she was having Congress On Your Corner at a supermarket in northwest Tucson, an ordinary morning, and many people were there, she was met by a madman who not only changed her life, but ended the life of 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green; Dorothy Morris; John Roll, chief Federal judge for Arizona; Phyllis Schneck; Dorwan Stoddard; and Gabriel Zimmerman. Twelve others, including Giffords' staff members Ron Barber and Pat Simon, were wounded. She was treated initially nearby and then flown to the TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston. She continues to be rehabilitated, and it is remarkable how far this young woman has come.

She was a Fulbright Scholar, but more importantly, she is my friend. You see, in the House we have a little bipartisan softball team. We play folks like the NRCC young folks and the DCCC young folks, and now recently we're are playing the press corps. She was a member of our team, and she was a really good member.

I wish Gabby well as she moves to a new direction in her life, and I pray each and every morning and each and every evening that God will continue to allow her to become a complete human being again. She is a great lady, a great friend of this House, a great friend of the folks in Tucson and surrounding Arizona.

Yes, I will yield to my friend, Mr. Engel from New York.

I thank my good friend from New Jersey (Mr. Smith). Your courage on this issue will not go unnoticed.

I really, Mr. Speaker, wanted to talk to you tonight about a little girl, a little girl with a 2-inch foot and the lasting impression that that little 2-inch foot has made.

I come from southern Ohio, and my parish is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, led by Father Michael Cordier. Father Cordier has a brother, Andy, and his sister-in-law, Ann. And just recently they buried their 5-month-old daughter.

Sophia Grace Cordier was born with a chromosomal condition, one that was diagnosed long before she was born. The doctors made the suggestion that perhaps they should abort the child because the risks were so great that she wouldn't even be born alive. Given the statistics, even if she was born alive, it was likely she would not make her first birthday, so why bother. But Ann and Andy understand the meaning of life at all levels. They know that life is precious, and they knew that her life was worthy of respect.

The amazing thing is not just the hundreds of people who came to the funeral, but what happened on December 23. See, the Cincinnati Enquirer had a front-page story on the miracle baby. They showed the risks, but they also talked about life and pro-life positions, our Cincinnati Enquirer.

At the funeral, there were many pictures of Sophia Grace. But the one that left the imprint on my mind were her little 2-inch footprints. And her mother had, and I wished I could remember the exact words, but typed up something that said to the point that no matter how small the footprint, every footprint can make a lasting impression. Had Sophia not been born, the Enquirer wouldn't have run the story and it wouldn't have provoked the discussion for life, and who knows what other child wouldn't have been saved.

Ann told me at the funeral that the value of life each person has, no matter their shortcomings or faults, should be loved and cherished and protected. Ann has it right. I believe many people in this Congress have it right. And I know that Americans at heart have it right.

So today, while hundreds of thousands marched on the lawn of the Capitol in the rain to protest a really bad decision that was made 39 years ago, I saw Sophia's little footprints in my mind. As I saw those footprints on the lawn, I thought those big footprints are making as lasting an impression as little Sophia because no matter how great or how small, we all have life's value because we are children of God.

Mr. Speaker, in 1900, Orville and Wilbur Wright left Dayton, Ohio for Kitty Hawk, North Carolina to begin testing the first manned aircraft. Little did they know in less than 70 years, another individual from Ohio would be making aviation history yet again.

Mr. Speaker, we will gather today in the Rotunda to recognize the historic accomplishments of Neil Armstrong--along with three other extraordinary men: Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and John Glenn.

I, like most Americans, remember watching television in awe that July evening as Neil Armstrong took ``one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind'' onto the moon.

While the accomplishments of the Apollo program would not have been possible had it not been for those that came before it--including the Mercury and Gemini programs--we must recognize those pioneers, like Neil, who selflessly volunteered their lives for the pursuit of knowledge to go where no one had gone before.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in joining me in congratulating my constituent, Neil Armstrong, as well as Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and John Glenn upon receiving the Congressional Gold Medal.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Today, I really want to talk about something that I think is very critical for this Nation. It's about how we get our spending in order.

I came from local government before I got here and then State government before I got here. Actually, I came from a household where I ran the checking account for my husband and myself and our family. In all cases, I balanced things. When I made out my bills once a month, I did what this lady is doing right here: I balanced the checkbook first to see how much money I had in the account so I knew how much I was spending and, more importantly, whether I was overspending, so that next month I could ratchet back on the spending to balance things out. When I was a township trustee, the same thing. We looked at our revenue sheets and our income sheets at every single meeting twice a month and balanced things out. In Ohio, like 49 other States, we have to balance our State budget, in our case, every 2 years.

So you can imagine the surprise I had when I got to Congress and realized we don't balance our budget at the Federal level, that we don't balance our checkbook. I was amazed why we don't do this. Maybe that's the reason we continue to have bloated spending that is weighing down, not just the future that lays before us, but our children's future and their children's future.

In 1982, Ronald Reagan said regarding a balanced budget that only a constitutional amendment will do the job. He said, We've tried the carrot and it failed. With the stick of a balanced budget amendment, we can stop government's squandering, overtaxing ways and save our economy.

Man, that was 29 years ago. I've got to repeat that because that's kind of like where we are today.

Only a constitutional amendment will do the job. We've tried the carrot and it failed. With the stick of a balanced budget amendment, we can stop government's squandering, overtaxing ways and save our economy.

Ronald Reagan was right. In fact, in 1995, under legislation that was in the House, which was controlled by the Republicans under Newt Gingrich, they tried to pass a balanced budget amendment. Lost it by one vote. I believe tomorrow or the next day or sometime this week, under the leadership of John Boehner, we're going to try this same thing again. I just think it's imperative that we don't lose that vote.

The American people, I believe, are on the side of myself and my female colleagues who are going to join me here this afternoon, because the American people get the fact that we are not balancing the checkbook. When we don't balance the checkbook, we don't know what we're spending. If we don't know what we're spending, we don't know how to correct our past mistakes and plan appropriately for the future.

So, in the last election in 2010, when a lot of seats were changed in this very room, I believe it was a mandate by the citizens of our great Nation who said, Enough is enough. Stop the spending and stop it now. The United States is staring down the barrel of a $15 trillion accumulation of debt. $3.7 trillion of new debt in just 2 years is more than a figure, my colleagues--it is a wake-up call.

When President Obama took office, he said he would correct the problem, and in 2009, he put out an $821 billion stimulus program to stimulate the economy. Of course it cost us over $1 trillion with interest because, you see, we didn't balance the checkbook, so we really didn't know what that was going to cost. Guess what? It didn't stimulate the economy. It didn't resolve unemployment.

For the last 33 months, it has been over 8 percent. In fact, for 31 of 33 months, it has been at 9 percent or higher. In October of this year, 14 million workers were unemployed, with an additional 8.9 million working part

time because they couldn't find full-time work. There were 2.5 million workers who were available for work but who had to stop actively searching because of poor economic conditions. All told, over 16 percent of the United States workforce is now unemployed or underemployed. I truly believe it's because we can't get our fiscal house in order right here on Capitol Hill, and I believe the linchpin in all that is a balanced budget amendment.

I'm going to turn right now to one of my colleagues to have her weigh in on this, the gentlelady from the good State of Alabama.

I thank my colleague from Alabama.

I would just like to add with all of this that I think the reason why we have such uncertainty in the marketplace with the job creators is because they're looking at us and are saying, You lack fiscal discipline here on Capitol Hill.

One of my colleagues said to me, Well, why do we need a balanced budget amendment to do this? Well, quite frankly, because it will tie our hands and force us to do what every single American is doing across the Nation, which is looking at their cash on hand to figure out how much they've got and how much they can spend, balancing the checkbook before they even attempt to pay a bill. And if you don't have it in the form of an amendment, future legislators will be able to undo anything we do here today or tomorrow, and that's why the amendment is critical. It will force us to do what 49 out of 50 States already do, which is what local governments do all across Ohio and across the Nation, which is what families do at their kitchen table each and every month, if not more than a month, balance the checkbook and figure out what's in there.

I now would like to yield to my other good friend, the gentlewoman from Kansas.

I thank my colleague from Kansas. And I couldn't agree with you more. The passage of a balanced budget amendment will legally prevent us from spending more than we take in. It is the only method guaranteed to control our spending. By controlling our spending, we will lower the deficit, which will lower interest rates, which will contribute to greater economic growth. The passage of a balanced budget amendment will provide job creators with a better understanding of the economic environment in which they can expect to do business--that's called certainty--thereby encouraging investment and expansion. I could go on and on.

I will now turn to my good friend from Florida because I want to hear your thoughts on this balanced budget amendment.

I thank my good friend from Florida.

As I said a moment ago, a balanced budget amendment will legally prevent us, tie our hands from spending more than we take in. It's the only method available to control spending in Washington, and it will lower our interest rates which will contribute to economic growth.

This balanced budget amendment is a job creator because it puts certainty back into the marketplace. It will remove legislative gimmicks--you know, the kind of accounting gimmicks that say we've cut when we really haven't--from the budgeting process because it will be just like what this woman is doing with her checkbook, how much in, how much is going out, are we in the black or are we in the red.

Since the passage of a balanced budget amendment, or the attempt to pass a balanced budget amendment in 1995 by a bipartisan House and its subsequent failure by one vote in the Senate, the national debt has grown by $9 trillion. You know, if we just had that courageous person in the Senate in 1995 to say yes, I dare say we wouldn't be in the position we are in today. The passage of a balanced budget amendment would be a key step to rebuild, restore, and regain the American public's trust and confidence in the United States, and not just the confidence for the Americans to have in us, but the confidence for our creditors around the world.

This resolution does a couple of things. It prohibits outlays for a fiscal year except for those repayment of debt principal from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year except those derived from borrowing unless Congress by a three-fifths rollcall vote, none of this voice vote, rollcall, we have to put our card in the machine and show how we vote up on the wall, authorizes a specific excess over the outlay. So if you have to overspend, three-fifths of us are going to have to agree to overspending.

It requires a three-fifths rollcall vote of each Chamber to increase the public debt limit. Again, none of these shenanigans about a voice vote when we're all in the corners of the hallways or back home. Each and every one of us are going to have to take our voting card and put it in the machine and Americans are going to see how we voted right on that screen.

It directs the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually. Wouldn't that be a breath of fresh air?

It prohibits any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless approved by a majority of each Chamber by again a rollcall vote. That means putting your card in the machine and having it displayed on the wall.

It authorizes waivers of those provisions when a declaration of war is in effect or under other specified circumstances involving military conflict. So again, in a case of national emergency where we would be placed in harm's way, it allows for those provisions to occur.

My fellow friends in this Chamber, it is so important that we think about doing this and doing it this week because I do not believe we can wait any longer. You know, the United States, as was said before, has spent almost $15 trillion of accumulated debt, 3.7 of new debt in just 2 years. It's an alarming figure. No wonder our bond creditors are looking at us and shaking their fingers.

Our spending driven debt crisis poses a lethal threat to our country's economic recovery, our national security and our sovereignty and the standard of living for future generations. And, Mr. Speaker, I have a stake in these future generations because not only do I have a wonderful daughter and a great son-in-law, but I have the two best grandsons a grandmother could ever have. And I look at them and I see such potential in their eye. And I look at them and I remember how my ancestors came from Ellis Island with nothing but pennies in their pockets, maybe not even pennies, how my own father started with nothing and worked and worked and worked to put food on the table and give us the promise for a better future. How me, from an ordinary beginning, born and raised on a farm, could end up serving in the U.S. Congress. All of that is the fabric of the American dream. All of that is the potential that we can be and we should be, and I see it being threatened by our overspending.

Mr. Speaker, about 10 days ago I took the Staten Island ferry to Staten Island. You know me, I'm a runner. I was doing my 90th-whatever marathon it was. My friend, my cousin, said let's take the ferry and we did. It reminded me of the critical juncture we are in in our Nation.

On the way down in the cab, where you catch the ferry is real close to the World Trade Center. My daughter lived in New York during the time of the attack on the World Trade Center. I had just taken her to the Windows of the World for dinner just 3 weeks before those towers came crashing down. So I said to the cab driver: Would you mind driving me around, I want to see what the new building looks like. You know, I saw the rebirth of the brick and mortar of that emblem in New York.

And then I got on the boat, on the ferry. The sun was coming up and it was dancing across the water, and I saw Ellis Island. I thought: Wow, my ancestors came through there; my own grandfather with nothing came through there and ended up in Cincinnati. And then I saw the Statue of Liberty. I thought: Oh, my gosh; that's the beacon of hope. That is where people from across the globe want to come to America because they know they have the chance to be the best person they can be. They have the choice and the chance and the opportunity to be what they want to be, to chart their own destiny. And there are so few places around the world that give them that choice.

And then we landed, got to the bridge, the Verrazano Bridge, where we

start the marathon. Because I was in the second wave, we started with ``America the Beautiful'' and then they sang ``New York, New York,'' you know, the Frank Sinatra song. Actually, it wasn't ``America the Beautiful,'' it was ``God Bless America,'' but I digress. And I started to cry. And it wasn't just soft tears, these were tears running down my face and I cried because I realized we are at a crossroad. We could lose all of this. All of this could be lost because we're allowing ourselves to become obese with debt. Let me repeat that, obese with debt.

You know, our First Lady likes to talk about obesity in America. And yes, it's a problem, but we have become obese with debt and we have no road map to get out of it. The road map to get out of it is a balanced budget amendment because it says you can't spend more than you take in. You can't do it. And oh, if you decide in this Chamber to do it, we're going to see how you vote. And it's not just going to be 51 percent, or 50 plus one, it's going to be three-fifths of everybody in this Chamber. And we're going to have to show America how we voted right there on that wall. So if you're going to overspend, you better dog on well have a good reason to do it.

Again, let me repeat what this measure does. It requires the Congress not to spend more than it receives in revenues unless a supermajority, three-fifths vote and a rollcall vote to provide otherwise.

It requires a corresponding three-fifths vote to raise that debt ceiling; again, a rollcall vote.

It requires the President to submit a balanced budget to this auspicious body. It requires him to do that--him or her.

It requires a majority rollcall vote for any proposed bill to increase taxes. So if we want to do this by increasing taxes, you've got to have three-fifths to do that. It also provides for a limited exemption in times of war and serious military conflict. So it protects us in case we have a national strike against us. And it would take effect beginning the fifth fiscal year after the ratification by the States, because my friends, the problem is our national debt crisis.

I would now like to turn to my good friend from North Carolina.

May I ask a question? When you do your bills, do you do what this lady is doing and balance your checkbook first? What would happen if you didn't do that?

So it didn't balance, did it?

I thank you for your attention in this matter, and you're absolutely right. We've got to get control of the spending and get control of it now.

It reminds me of when you're trying to go on a diet. And so if I'm trying to go on a diet back home--believe it or not, every once in a while I have to watch what I eat--I don't sit there and have every candy bar in the world out in front of me and open them up. That only entices me to want to eat it. So if I'm going to go on a diet, I don't buy the candy. I buy an apple, I buy bananas, I buy something that is filling and good for me. But I certainly don't tempt myself with something that I know is only going to be wasted calories and put on weight. And yet, we don't do that here at the Federal level. We say, well, it's okay, we'll cut spending tomorrow, but we'll spend today. If we had a balanced budget amendment, we couldn't have that attitude. We'd have to look at every single dime that is in our checking account and account for it before we built a new program.

Look at how many attempts there are for new programs, small and large, right here in this body. You've been here 11 months. How many programs and ideas have come before you and you've had to say, can we afford it? But here we don't have to answer that question. We have the freedom to do it. We may not be able to afford it, but I'm not balancing the checkbook, so we don't know. It doesn't matter. It's okay.

No, it's not. We have to force ourselves to do what's right for America, and not just here in 2011, but in 2111

and 2211 and beyond. Our protection, the only protection that we have is with a balanced budget amendment because it ties our hands to future spending. It forces us to balance that checkbook and do what's right for America.

As we are looking at this, we know that the American public is with us on this. Ninety-five percent of Americans believe that the deficit problem is what's ruining our Nation, and almost 75 percent of those that recognize that the problem is the debt and the deficit, almost 75 percent say a balanced budget amendment is the right tool to make the answer. Stop the spending.

I turn now to my good friend from the State of Washington.

And I thank you, my good friend, for that eloquent view and argument for the balanced budget amendment because we are at a crisis, we are at a threshold, we are at a fork in the road in our country. And if we don't get this spending under control, your children and my grandchildren--they're about the same age--are going to have a really tough time charting their own destiny.

This is America. This is the place where streets are ``paved in gold,'' and it's the gold of sweat from the Americans before us, the Americans that are here with us now, and the Americans of our future. But if we don't stop the unbridled spending in Washington, our future is not going to be able to continue to pave the way with gold.

This spending has to stop. To say we'll do it tomorrow is not enough. We have to force ourselves into fiscal discipline. And the only way to do that, the only legal way to bind us is through a constitutional amendment, because the Constitution says one legislative session can't bind a future legislative session with anything unless it is written in the Constitution. That means what? A balanced budget amendment. If we're going to control the spending, we have to have the balanced budget amendment.

I think we're going to take this historic vote on Thursday or Friday. This is not a partisan vote. This is what is right for our future. Three-quarters of Americans get it. That woman that balanced her checkbook on this picture gets it. My family that's back home, my brothers and sister and nieces and nephews that are probably balancing their own checkbooks sometime this week, they get it. The local government that I used to represent, they have to do it, they get it. The State legislature that I came from, they just balanced theirs on June 30 of this year, they get it. I think it's insane that we don't do the same thing.

Mr. Speaker, this week we're going to do something that is right for America. It's not a partisan thing. It's not a bipartisan thing. It is an American thing. It is what will preserve for us the American Dream, not just for our children, but their children and their children. It will promote economic security and national security. It will say to the world we're ready to stand as a nation with a firm financial foundation. It has to happen with a balanced budget amendment.

I yield to my good friend, if you have anything to add.

You know, you're right. If I could go back a little bit, the local government that I represent, they have to ratchet back their revenue spending because their revenues are not what they used to be. The State that I represent, Ohio, they've had to ratchet back on their spending because guess what they have to do? They have to balance their budget. They can't go in the red.

I thank you, and I thank you for your time because I know you've got a busy schedule and you've got those two adorable children that you want to throw some love to. And the best love that we can give to our children and our grandchildren is the balanced budget amendment.

Ronald Reagan was right in so many ways, but he was right in 1982 when he said, if we are going to resolve our overspending, it has to be through a balanced budget amendment. My good colleagues, 29 years later, we've got to hear his words and act on them because, if we don't, 29 years from now, I'm not sure if we will be the greatest nation that we are today.

My good friends across the aisle want to talk about how we create jobs, and we do need to create jobs. Our President, as I said earlier, had this stimulus bill that he thought was going to create jobs, and it didn't create any jobs. And then just a few months ago

he rolled out a new jobs bill of a half trillion dollars that he thought was going to create jobs, but I just don't think that it's going to create jobs either. It's just going to add to our national debt. And the reason why he can do all of these things is because he doesn't have to do what this lady does each and every day, and that's to balance the checkbook. Americans want a checkbook that's balanced.

I would like to show another visual. I'd like to talk about what a few other people said in addition to Ronald Reagan.

Ben Franklin: ``Creditors have better memories than debtors.''

George Washington: ``As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is to use it as sparingly as possible.''

Oh, my good friends in the House, if we had only utilized his words, to use it sparingly as possible.

Both sides have been part of the problem. This is not a Republican or a Democrat sin. This is a sin from past Congresses. This is a sin we can rectify.

Thomas Jefferson: ``The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity under the name of funding is but swindling futurity on a large scale.'' The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity under the name of funding is but swindling futurity on a large scale.

He was saying you can't spend your way out of debt. You can't spend today, put the burden on your children of tomorrow and expect a healthy economy. No Nation has ever been successful in doing that. We in America will not be successful in doing that, and that's why we have to have the balanced budget amendment.

My good friends in the House, this week is a very important week for America. We need to pass the balanced budget amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 60th anniversary of one of Cincinnati's most treasured restaurants-- Montgomery Inn.

In 1951, Ted and Matula Gregory purchased and renamed what was then a small bar in Montgomery, Ohio called McCabe's Inn. Known for her cooking, Matula would take dinner to her husband each night. One evening, Matula decided to test out a new recipe for ribs and barbecue sauce on her husband. Little did she know that her new recipe would soon be world famous. As a result of her delicious new recipe, the bar was quickly transformed into a restaurant. As their restaurant grew, so too did the town of Montgomery. The rest, as they say, is history.

Over the last 60 years, Montgomery Inn has grown to become one of the country's most well-known independent restaurants. The ribs have also taken on a life of their own and garnered something of a celebrity status. They have been enjoyed by countless dignitaries, athletes, celebrities, and every President from Ford to Obama. Montgomery Inn is proud to call the late Bob Hope their greatest ambassador.

With Matula still at the helm, all four of the Gregory children--Tom, Dean, Vickie, and Terry--are involved in the business. Montgomery Inn has grown from one small restaurant to a thriving business with four locations total in both Ohio and Kentucky. They also sell their world famous barbecue sauce nationwide. After 60 years, Ted's legacy is still going strong.

Like most Cincinnatians, my family has a long tradition of dining at Montgomery Inn. My own father was fortunate enough to call Ted Gregory a friend, and my daughter and son-in-law celebrated their engagement at The Boathouse.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in congratulating Montgomery Inn on their 60th anniversary, and I'm sure the citizens of Cincinnati look forward to 60 more years of Montgomery Inn.

I thank my good friend from Missouri.

You know, I often talk about kitchen table politics in this well because as Ronald Reagan said in his farewell speech, all good ideas begin at the dinner table. And they do.

Look at this poster. This is a poster that I think really illustrates what's going on in families all across America, including our seniors, and that is, how are we going to pay our bills, and how are we going to move to the future? It's a huge issue, and it's one that this Congress needs to address in many ways.

The U.S. Census says that over 40 million Americans today are 65 years or older, almost 20 percent of our American families. Almost 20 percent of those sitting around that kitchen table. These are an incredible group of people. These are the people who fought in World War II, that created the Greatest Generation. They fought in Korea, sustaining the Greatest Generation. And today, they are now faced with so much anxiety and uncertainty in our Nation.

One of the things that I think we have to do in Congress is to erase that anxiety, whether it's through the financial markets, to ensure that we are putting forth programs that allow our banking systems to work effectively so that they don't have to be concerned with what the cost of banking is going to be or what their financial assets are going to be, to make sure that our businesses are flourishing in this country and are not saddled with unnecessary regulations that constrict them from going forward, to move within the economy. In other words, we have to get our economy moving. It is so important for our Nation, especially for our seniors.

But I think that there are some other things that we have to talk about with our seniors as well. You know, as we sit around the kitchen table and we worry about our bills, they also worry about, not just how they're going to pay their income tax, but the mammoth issue of paying the income tax. And for seniors, instead of having to go to an accountant and use their precious dollars to figure the whole system out, maybe we should pass H.R. 1058, the Senior Tax Simplification Act of 2011. You know, this is a bipartisan bill. If passed, it would direct the Secretary of the Treasury to make available a new Federal income tax form similar to the 1040-EZ form for people who have turned over 65. It would make the completion of the Federal income tax return simpler, faster, easier, and less costly for most of our American hardworking seniors.

I think another bill that we have to really look at, and this is the one that I really want to focus the rest of my talk on, is the repeal of the death tax. This is an issue that I've had to personally face in my life. I grew up on a family farm, and there's nothing better than being raised on a farm. It's the best way you can raise a family, and you do a lot of talking at that kitchen table.

When my dad was seeing his declining days, he realized if he didn't do something, hire a fancy attorney at a lot of money an hour, he wouldn't be able to pass that farm along to his kids. So he did some estate planning, but it wasn't enough. And at the end of the day when my father passed away, my brother, sister, and I had to make a collective decision to sell personal assets to just be able to keep that farm because we want our children and our grandchildren to have the same experience that we had.

And I think, how often is this occurring unnecessarily? And it's not just the family farm, it's the family business, whether it is a manufacturing business, whether it's a winery, whatever the business is. If it's a family business, why do we have to worry as we see our declining years how we're going to do some tax structures and pay an insurance plan and whatever else is out there to try to keep a part of it for our children.

It's counterproductive, because in the end the Federal Government may get a piece of money at your death. But that's the end of the money they'll ever get from you or your family.

Ending the death tax won't hurt our economy. It will only improve our economy. And for our seniors that sit around that kitchen table that may be what we call land poor--have a lot of money in the land, but not a lot of money in the bank--they won't be forced to make the same decisions so many of my friends had to make when I went to their family funerals. And they said, By gosh, we're going to keep Dad and Mom's farm. We're not going to get rid of it. They weren't as fortunate as my sister, my brothers, and I were that we had some personal assets that we could use to keep our farm. They had to sell theirs. And what's left, brick and mortar?

It's a serious issue. We need to repeal it. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do this. It will not only move our economy forward, but for our hardworking American seniors it will alleviate that anxiety at the kitchen table.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend and colleague from Missouri, Mrs. Hartzler for hosting this Special Order on seniors, a group to whom we owe so much.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, over 40 million Americans today are 65 years of age or older. That's almost 20% of our American family.

These are the folks upon whose shoulders we stad today. They are the ones who have carried us through the good times and the bad.

Today's seniors are an incredible group of people. They have witnessed a lot of history, and, in fact, they have made a lot of history.

They served in World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War. They fought and bled on the battlefields of those wars, places such as North Africa, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Pork Chop Hill, Outpost Harry, and Hamburger Hill.

During those wars they built our ships, our tanks, and our planes; they plowed the fields and raised our crops; they manufactured the millions of items necessary to keep a nation at war amply supplied.

Between wars, they built our skyscrapers and our interstate highway system; they developed our space program and landed men on the moon; and, they even invented the first computers.

And, most importantly, while they were accomplishing all these great feats, they also found time to fall in love, to get married, and to have families.

I think it goes without saying that we owe our seniors a huge debt of gratitude. Still, I want to take this opportunity to say to our seniors in this great country, thank you. Thank you for all that you have given and for all that you have sacrificed and for all that you have done for your country and your fellow Americans.

Mr. Speaker, it was with our seniors in mind, and as an expression of gratitude to them, that I proudly co-sponsored three bills of special interest.

The first bill, H.R. 436, is known as the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2011. This bill, which has support from both sides of the aisle, would, if passed and signed into law, amend the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the excise tax on medical devices.

Eliminating this excise tax would allow medical device manufacturers to better spend that money researching new products. The development of these potential, new medical devices would, ultimately, provide higher health

care standards and lower the costs of health care.

The second bill, H.R. 1058, is known as the Seniors' Tax Simplification Act of 2011. This bill, which also has support from both sides of the aisle, would, if passed and signed into law, direct the Secretary of the Treasury to make available a new federal income tax form similar to Form 1040EZ for individuals who have turned 65 as of the close of the taxable year.

It would make the completion of federal income tax returns simpler, faster and easier for most seniors.

Finally, the third bill, H.R. 1259, is known as the Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2011. This bill, like the previous two bills, also has support from both sides of the aisle.

It would, if passed and signed into law, amend the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and a $5 million lifetime gift tax exemption.

Having spent decades working hard to develop and accrue assets, a person should be able to convey those assets, upon his or her death, to whomever he or she chooses, without the heavy hand of the government reaching in to steal a portion.

Estate taxes are especially harmful to farmers, ranchers, and small business owners. They need to be eliminated.

In conclusion, I want to say again to our seniors, thank you.

I also, once more, want to thank my good friend and colleague, Mrs. Hartzler, for facilitating this evening's discussion and focusing on a segment of our society that is so deserving of our time and attention and to whom we owe so much.

I'm actually one of the folks that read the bill before we passed it, and there are passages in the bill that do allow for Federal funding of abortion. What this bill does is it seeks to correct that language.

The Hyde amendment clearly states that no Federal tax dollars can be used for abortion. At the time that the Hyde amendment was created, we really only had Medicaid to worry about; but with the vast changes in our lifestyles, other avenues have come forward for Federal funding of abortion to occur if we are not careful in the way we construct laws in this awesome body.

Time and time again, the American public has said we're conflicted on the issue of abortion, but we're not conflicted about not using Federal funds to pay for it. Just in April of this year, 61 percent of respondents on a CNN poll said no Federal funding of abortion.

What this bill does is what we should have done in March of 2010--not allow any Federal funds to be used to pay for abortion any time, any place in this health care bill.

I urge my colleagues to pass this and correct the language that should have been done a year ago.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary memorial built in Israel in honor of the victims of the September 11th attacks.

On the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, hundreds gathered just outside of Jerusalem to dedicate the 9/11 Living Memorial. This memorial, commissioned and built by the Jewish National Fund-USA/Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, was designed by Israeli artist Eliezer Weishoff. It depicts a beautiful 30 foot high bronze American flag which rests on a granite base partially composed of metal from the World Trade Center towers and features the name of every victim of the attack.

Honored guests included my colleague, Congressman Henry Waxman, U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro, Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and my friend, Stan Chesley, President of the Jewish National Fund.

While those tragic events occurred here at home, it is important to remember that there were victims from more than 90 countries, including five Israeli citizens.

This memorial will act as an important reminder of the need to remain committed in the fight against terrorism, and why Israel continues to remain one of our strongest allies.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in thanking Israel for this thoughtful memorial.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 28th annual Roy Rogers Festival in Portsmouth, Ohio, and the 100th birthday of Roy Rogers himself. Leonard Slye--better known as Roy Rogers--was born on November 5th, 1911 in Cincinnati, Ohio. A few months after Roy was born, he and his family decided to travel up the Ohio River on their houseboat to Portsmouth, Ohio. It was near this area, in Southern Ohio, that Roy and his family called home.

Roy Rogers grew up on a farm in Duck Run, just outside of Portsmouth. Roy, who often rode his horse to school, once said, ``We lived so far out in the country, they had to pipe sunlight to us.'' As a result, Roy and his family had to entertain themselves. It was while he was growing up that Roy learned to play the mandolin, call square dances, and sing. Little did his family know that one day, Roy would be known as the ``King of the Cowboys.''

Roy went on to star in numerous western movies, record multiple chart topping albums, and along with his trusty sidekicks Trigger and Bullet, star in a hit television show.

Regardless of how popular Roy Rogers became, he always spoke fondly of his home in Southern Ohio. In 1982, the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Collectors Association was founded and immediately began planning an annual event to commemorate Roy Rogers and his wife Dale Evans. In 1983, the first Roy Rogers Festival was held.

This annual event attracts families from around the country to not only commemorate the life of Roy Rogers, but to turn Portsmouth into the Ol' West for a few days.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in not only honoring the Roy Rogers Festival, but also the 100th birthday of a great American--Roy Rogers.

Mr. Speaker, just tonight we passed the debt ceiling vote, and it had a very critical feature, a feature that requires accountability in our House--a balanced budget amendment.

Every day, millions of Americans sit at their kitchen tables, trying to figure out how they pay their bills. But before they write that check and determine how much they're going to have to spend out of that checking account, they first balance that checking account to know how much money is in it. But we, in the United States Congress, don't do that. We don't balance our account. We don't know how much money's in there. We just spend money.

The American public expects accountability from us. In order to have that accountability, we need to do what 49 States in America do, and that's pass a balanced budget amendment. The first of that series of steps was accomplished tonight. Now it's the Senate's turn to pass that balanced budget amendment provision, have both Chambers pass it, and have a majority of the States ratify it. This is what the American public wants. They want us to balance our checkbook, just as they do theirs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember former Hamilton County Commissioner John Dowlin, who passed away on July 15th at the age of 81.

After spending 38 years at Procter and Gamble and 28 years as the Mayor of Sharonville, Ohio, John Dowlin served 13 years on the Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners.

Throughout his distinguished career, John became known for his principles, his work ethic, and especially his bow ties.

I had the opportunity to work with Commissioner Dowlin when I was in the state legislature, and I always found him to be honest and fair.

Commissioner Dowlin was the kind of person we should all strive to be, standing up for what he believed was right--even when others believed he was wrong.

He is survived by his loving wife, Sarah, four children, and nine grandchildren.

The world is a better place because of John Dowlin. May he rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring the life of a true public servant.

I thank my good friend Mrs. Ellmers from North Carolina for hosting this Special Order this evening because this is about America's future and about America doing what each and every woman, each and every man, each and every family has to do each and every week at their table, and that's balance the budget and pay the bills.

The greatest President, they say, in the last century was Ronald Reagan. And in his farewell speech, he said, ``All great change in America begins at the dinner table.'' And it does. It's the universe of our home life. It's where we educate our children, where we feed our children, where we stake out the ideas on how we want our future to go, where we plan parties, where we plan events, and where we discuss Grandma's departure. It is the center of our home. And it is from that that I want to focus on what I think needs to be said tonight.

We have to balance our budget in America, in this House, in this Chamber, at this kitchen table. We have all seen what it is to take a checkbook, take the bills, and make them come together. That's what we need to do, and that's what I believe a balanced budget amendment will force this Congress and future Congresses to do: balance our checkbook.

Just like mothers and grandmothers across this country, I have a major stake in the future of our Nation, and that is not just my daughter and her wonderful husband, but my Michael and my Anthony, my wonderful little grandchildren.

My father was the epitome of the American Dream. He came from nothing, but he worked hard and started his business and paid the bills of those businesses at their little, small kitchen table. And he grew that and gave us the opportunity to make sure that what we wanted to accomplish in the United States was available to us. And that's what I did for my daughter. And, you know, when she started her little business, do you know where she started it? At the kitchen table in the house she grew up in. And she's got a thriving little business. But she's got two little children, and we want that American Dream for them.

We've got to get our fiscal house in order. We cannot keep creating the debts and deficits that we are creating in this country. A balanced budget amendment will force us to do the right things for our country just as moms and dads across the Nation have to do all the time at their kitchen tables; that's live within their means.

I urge the Senate to take up the balanced budget amendment. I urge this Chamber to adopt it, I urge the Senate to adopt it, and to make it a reality.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor something really wonderful in my district, the 125th birthday of America's sixth-oldest amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio.

What began as a 20-acre apple orchard on the banks of the Ohio River in

1867 was quickly transformed into a private picnic retreat, complete with a bowling alley, a dance hall, and a mule-powered merry-go-round.

In 1886, Parker Grove became known as Ohio Grove, the Coney Island of the West, after being sold to the Ohio Grove Corporation. Modeling itself after Coney Island in New York City, they quickly dropped the name of Ohio Grove and just called it Coney Island and began to add more rides and more attractions. In 1911, the first roller coaster was added, the Dip the Dips, and in 1913 the Dip and Dots was added. But it wasn't until 1924 that the signature attraction of Coney Island was realized when George Schott, one of Cincinnati's greatest philanthropists, purchased with a group of investors Coney Island.

In 1925, they added Sunlite Pool, the world's largest recirculating swimming pool. Mr. Speaker, let me give you the dimensions of this pool because it is bigger than a football field. A football field is 300 feet by 160 feet; this is 200 feet by 401 feet. In addition to being the world's largest recirculating pool, it continues to be the largest flat surface pool in North America, and was the precursor to zero-depth pools in the United States. It went through a lot of trials and tribulations over the next part of the century, but they kept adding new attractions and new rides, including ones that I enjoyed as a child, like the Wildcat and the Shooting Star.

In 1971, a decision was made to take the amusement portion of it and move it to another portion in my district in Kings Island, which made people wonder what would happen to Sunlite Pool. But again, the visionaries realized they had an attraction, they had a water park, and they continued to add dimensions to Sunlite Pool to make it an attraction. In 1986, River Bend was realized by putting in two separate theaters, outdoor theaters, to allow concerts to occur. Today, Coney Island continues to thrive with a small amusement park for children, the Sunlite Pool, and a thriving River Bend.

I would like to say, on a personal note, I remember my mother telling me stories when her mother took her; my mother took me; I took my daughter; and over the Fourth of July break, I was able to take my two grandsons to Coney Island to swim in the pool.

I am so excited that this beautiful attraction has continued to exist for 125 years. I want to celebrate the tenacity of the folks along the way who have continued to invest in this great asset in my district, and I want to wish them a great happy birthday, and I hope Coney Island continues for at least another 125 happy years. Happy birthday, Coney Island.