Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.

In its present form, I am.

Mr. Speaker, I offer this motion to recommit with instructions.

This motion to recommit is simple and straightforward, one of these important issues that I think we can all agree on, and, frankly, an issue I would have brought as an amendment in committee if I had thought about the idea then. It says that people who are not compliant with their court-ordered child support arrangements, deadbeat dads, are not eligible for the expanded Federal benefits included in the bill.

This motion sends a clear message to the American people that we have respect for their hard-earned tax dollars they send to Washington, DC. The underlying bill, however, sends a far different message about the priorities of the majority party in Congress.

Think about it: American families are paying more than $4 a gallon for gasoline, but are we acting to bring more energy to this country? America faces unprecedented terrorist threats from abroad, but are we renewing legislation to help better secure the homeland? Are we addressing out-of-control Federal spending? Are we acting to better secure our borders? We are approaching a $10 trillion national debt, a problem that threatens our Nation's economic future, but are we cutting spending or reforming the out-of-control earmark process?

Here is what Congress is doing, Mr. Speaker. Congress is spending its time and energy on H.R. 5781, a bill to give Federal bureaucrats, including deadbeat dads, a new handout, a vast expansion to the already generous benefits package they receive at the expense of

the American taxpayer, at the expense of every single American family. That is our priority? That is our answer to $4 gasoline, expanding benefits to Washington bureaucrats and deadbeat dads?

I ask you, Mr. Speaker, what will you tell the folks about back home? What will you tell the folks who are worried about the economy, worried about higher taxes on the horizon, worried about paying more than $4 a gallon for gasoline for the rest of the summer? Will you tell them not to worry, that their problems belong on the back burner? That the priority of their Member of Congress is to take their tax dollars and expand the benefits package of deadbeat dads in the Federal workplace? Will you tell them that these deadbeat dads, who already receive among the richest benefit packages in the Nation, are more deserving of relief than law-abiding families and taxpayers of your district who are paying $4 a gallon for gasoline?

Mr. Speaker, like most issues, the people get it. The American people know what the priorities of Congress should be. Millions of them have signed petitions and communicated to our offices that we need to focus on their priorities. They know our priorities should not be giving deadbeat dads a new taxpayer-funded benefit. They know we should adopt this motion to recommit and move on with the important business facing our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, there is another old line that I think is appropriate. ``Most politicians don't see the light; they feel the heat.'' With $4 gasoline, possibly headed for $5 this summer, can you handle the heat you will feel back home once your constituents find out that your priority is to lend a hand to deadbeat dads, or will you see the light and join me in supporting this motion to recommit?

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I thank the Speaker for his patience this evening. I want to thank Congressman Forbes for putting the previous Special Order together on our religious history here in this country.

Mr. Speaker, make no mistake about it. There is a debate going on today in our culture over whose set of principles, whose set of values are going to prevail. There are those of us who understand the significance of faith, the importance of faith in public life, the importance of faith in America and our entire history and our entire experience, those of us who understand that faith has been central to making us the greatest Nation in human history versus those on the secular side who think we need a more secular culture. That is the debate.

And it is important that we weigh in on that debate. It is important that as we wage that debate and argue for the importance of faith in our culture and our public life that we recognize the religious history in the entire American experience that we have so enjoyed. I believe the American people get it. I believe the vast majority of families understand what the Founders understood, that faith is central to who we are as a people and to the great place we have as the greatest country in history.

It has been said many times already by previous speakers, but I think when you think about some of the things the Founders said, I love what Franklin said when they were in the midst of debate, and he was advocating for prayer before, so they could get through this impasse that they found themselves, he made the statement that if a sparrow can't fall without His knowledge, is it likely an empire can rise without His assistance? The Founders understood the importance of prayer. They understood the importance of faith.

And as many speakers have also referenced that document that I would argue next to Scripture, second only to Scripture, the greatest words ever put on paper, the Declaration of Independence, where the Founders wrote, ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,'' fabulous language, this almost romantic vision that the Founders had about what this country would offer to its people. They understood that we did, in fact, get our rights from the Almighty, and it is government's job not to grant us privileges, not to grant us rights, but to protect the rights we have by the very fact we were created in God's image.

And that fundamental principle is different from any other country in history. And again, it sets us apart. And so it is important that we recognize this history and recognize this debate that is going on and not be afraid to stand up and defend those principles that make us special.

I think it is appropriate that I end with one of my favorite Scriptures in II Timothy where Paul writes to Timothy. He says, ``I fought the good fight, I finished the course, I have kept the faith.'' And that is our charge as Americans, to fight the fight, to finish the course and to keep the faith that the Founders understood was central to making us the greatest nation ever.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, Congress right now is a dysfunctional place. We've got terrorists who want to kill us, and we can't pass the FISA law. We've got $4 gas, and we can't drill for more oil. And now in the face of a $10 trillion national debt, we have a budget in front of us that has the largest tax increase in history and is the largest budget in history. It just doesn't make sense.

In this time of economic uncertainty, with record-high energy prices, with the cost of food and fuel taking an increasing share of the family budget, Congress has a moral responsibility, a moral responsibility, to find ways to tighten its belt. Congress should be laser focused on cutting wasteful and redundant spending from the Federal budget in order to lower taxes to let families and business owners and taxpayers keep more of what they earn.

This budget, the largest in human history, does exactly the opposite. It has the largest tax increase in history to pay for the largest spending in history. This budget spends $100,000 per second, $6 million per minute, $350 million an hour every day for the entire year. It spends more than $23,000 per family, again, a record amount. Does the average American family feel they're getting their $23,000 worth from the Federal Government? It sort of reminds me of I think it was Will Rogers, who said, if we ever get all the government we pay for, look out.

Mr. Speaker, this reckless, out-of-control spending is not only unneeded; it has put us on a path toward economic disaster.

And I will be the first to admit Congress' spending problem wasn't created overnight and the blame does not lie in the lap of one single party. In terms of real fiscal year 2000 dollars, real dollars, Congress has quadrupled spending over my lifetime with both parties sharing in the blame. Our priorities have shifted dramatically from national defense and toward entitlement spending. It has become clear to me that here in Congress, the dials are always set to ``spend.'' It's spend and tax. That's always the program.

I think back to the amendments I offered last year during the appropriations process, nine amendments that would have saved $23 billion by simply asking Federal agencies to do what all kinds of families have had to do: spend the previous year's amount, hold the line on spending. These amendments were defeated on party-line votes, with Members of the majority claiming the sky would fall, the world would end if we could not increase spending at three or more times the rate of inflation.

The government managed to survive 3 months on

a continuing resolution doing just that, living on the previous year's budget. If we can do it for 3 months, we can do it for a long time and we can save the taxpayers a lot of money.

The American people are ready for change. They're tired of reckless spending that happens in the Halls of their Congress. They demand that we stand up and do the right thing. I would urge my colleagues to join me in rejecting this conference report in favor of a more conservative, fiscally responsible budget that respects taxpayers, business owners, and families across this country.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to commend to the House the distinguished service of PFC Wilbur J. (Web) Fenbert to the United States of America during World War II. PFC Fenbert will receive Veteran of the Year honors at an Armed Forces Day celebration breakfast this weekend.

During his time in the military, Web served in the 4th Armored Division which was the spearhead of the 3rd Army as it pushed into German territory. Web was an ambulance driver and moved casualties to field hospitals. In 1944, on Christmas Day, his division moved into Bastogne, and casualties had to be evacuated to the field hospital in Chaumont. Web bravely made seven trips through German artillery shell fire as he carried 22 wounded soldiers to the hospital.

Web's closest call was in a combat offensive called Task Force Baum while involved in a mission to liberate the concentration camp at Hanneburg, Germany. The camp was sixty miles behind German lines. Web picked up five casualties from a battle at Schweinhaim and took them back to the field hospital. Once there, he was ordered not to return. Although the Task Force reached Hanneburg, they ran into a Panzer Division on their return. All Task Force members were either killed or taken as prisoners of war.

Web has many war memories. One is of seeing General Patton and General Eisenhower directing traffic at a crossroads outside Bastogne. Another memory is of liberating POW camps such as Moosburg. He said that Buchenwald was the worst. Web said, ``I'll never forget the stench or the heinous scene.'' Web was also at Foshenbroke, Germany, where General Patton was killed, and he attended the funeral.

At the end of the war, Web turned in his ambulance which had 29 shell holes and said, ``I wasn't even scratched.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor LTC John R. DeHaven of Findlay, OH, on being named 2008 Veteran of the Year at the Armed Forces Day Celebration on Saturday, May 17, 2008, in Findlay, OH.

A graduate of Findlay High School, John was drafted in 1941 into the Infantry and taught trainees to use rifles in Texas Training Camp. In 1942, he passed the exam for the Army Air Corps and took his Basic Flight Training in Randolph Field in San Antonio, TX. He later completed his advanced pilot training in Victoria, TX. During his training, he flew the BT-6 single engine biplane. Later in 1942, he graduated and stayed in Victoria as a flight instructor.

During World War II, John was assigned to the Chinese-American Composite Wing to fight against the Japanese. Before his move to China, he trained in Mitchell Field on Long Island. His mission was to fly P- 40's from Karachi, India to Kunming, China. While in Karachi, John trained American and Chinese Pilots for the 5th Fighter Group.

As the struggle in China against the Japanese intensified, John showed incredible bravery. His unit was constantly re-deployed and they eventually ended up in Zhejiang, a mountainous area where flights were incredibly dangerous.

His main mission was to strike the Japanese, often going after eight to ten aircraft per mission. He also escorted B-25 bombers to Japan. On one mission, John was returning to base and got separated from his squadron. It got dark and John was lost and running out of fuel. He had to fire his machine gun over a town, causing all the town's lights to go out. He then saw the searchlight in the distance and followed it to base.

As the war drew to a close, John returned to the United States to train pilots in Texas. When the war ended, he remained in the Air Force Reserve and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After his retirement, he remained active with the military, serving as a liaison for the Air Force Academy interviewing and recommending Academy applicants.

I am honored to join the chorus of well-wishers as the State of Ohio again recognizes his distinguished service to Ohio's veterans. He is a shining example of our mutual responsibility to serve those who devoted their lives to protecting the freedoms we enjoy.

Madam Speaker, I am honored this day to commend to the House the distinguished service of Sgt. William Patrick Treece for his sacrifices to his country on two different tours of duty. I would like to recognize Sgt. William Patrick Treece as his selection for Veteran of the Year 2008.

Sgt. Treece is a Findlay, Ohio resident. A 1988 graduate of Findlay High School, he has made a career of serving his country and his proud family of three children of the ages twelve, six, and three.

Sgt. Treece served his first tour of duty from 1989-1994 in the Gulf War; followed by a second tour from 2000-2005, serving in Iraq and Kuwait. He finished his service as a Police Sergeant.

The list of citations, honors, and medals awarded to Sgt. Treece is as long and distinguished as his active service to this Nation. He was awarded: the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Coast Guard Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (Iraq), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Iraq), Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Southwest Asia Service Medal (twice), Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Presidential Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), and Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation.

I am honored to be one of the many to add my voice in recognizing, and commending, Sgt. Treece for his invaluable and distinguished service for his country. He is a shining example of our mutual responsibility to serve those who devoted their lives to protecting the freedoms we enjoy.

Madam Speaker, I enjoy sharing positive stories about young people from our district who overcome adversity. Today, I am pleased to introduce you to eight such individuals.

Michael (``Mick'') Benson, Clear Fork High School--Though autistic, this young man maintains a positive attitude as he volunteers in the community and participates in athletics, including many Special Olympics events.

Kati Jo Walters, Crestview High School--This athlete became wheelchair-bound due to an auto-immune medical condition, but through fierce determination and persistence, she remains both a great student and an inspiration to all.

Corey Sayer, Lexington High School--Growing up in a family torn apart by drug abuse, he was taken in by the parents of a friend and now excels academically, hoping to attend Ohio State University--Mansfield upon graduation.

Jill Leiendecker, Lucas High School--A leader in and outside the classroom, she serves as student council president, crediting the love and support of her father after losing her mother in an auto accident.

Curtis Alan Remy, Madison Comprehensive High School--Impaired with nerve deafness, he earned the starting point guard position and was named captain of his high school basketball team--all in addition to his academic achievements.

Daniel Porter, Mansfield Christian High School--Through self- motivation, he overcame dyslexia to become proficient in computers, power equipment, and small engines, and has secured a job with a landscaping company after graduation.

Jessica White, Mansfield Senior High School--This courageous young lady overcame obstacles associated with hearing impairment to perform at the highest levels in both school and extracurricular activities, including basketball and track.

Penelope Mitman, Ontario High School--Despite her hearing problems, she remains an active and inspirational student, participating in student council, band, and basketball, and volunteering in the guidance office.

I am pleased to join the Rotary Club of Mansfield, Ohio, in honoring the achievements of these recipients of the McGowan Courage Award, which will be presented on May 13.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to commend to the House the distinguished service of Mr. Daniel K. Briggs to the Ohio Department of the Sons of AMVETS. A resident of Findlay, he will be recognized at a testimonial dinner this weekend for his outstanding work as Commander of the Ohio Department.

Born in Bucyrus, Ohio, Commander Briggs is a 1970 graduate of Bucyrus High School. His dedication to veterans' causes was evident from the start through his service to Bucyrus's Sons of the American Legion chapter.

Upon moving to Findlay in 1998, Commander Briggs continued this commitment to our nation's veterans, joining Findlay's Sons of AMVETS squadron. He has held many offices in Findlay's Squadron 21--and continues in the position of First Vice Commander of the Findlay squadron even as he leads the state organization.

During his time as First Vice Commander of Ohio, six new squadrons were established in the state and Ohio membership increased to more than 8,000 sons, grandsons, brothers, and husbands of veterans.

Commander Briggs is a longtime employee of the General Electric plant in Bucyrus. Combining his work with his passion to give back to veterans, he started a program to donate light bulbs to veterans' homes and other veterans' organizations in Ohio. So many have benefited from the thousands of light bulbs donated through this program and the money saved as a result.

Commander Briggs has received numerous honors from his peers in the organization, including the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award and the Gil Garza Award: the highest award bestowed by the Sons of AMVETS. His commitment to fulfilling needs at the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky garnered him the Veterans Affairs Voluntary Services Leadership Award two years ago.

I am honored to join the chorus of well-wishers as the State of Ohio again recognizes his distinguished service to Ohio's veterans. He is a shining example of our mutual responsibility to serve those who devoted their lives to protecting the freedoms we enjoy.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with deep respect to honor the life and service of Mr. Gale ``Whitey'' Flockerzie of Bellville, Ohio.

Like many in his generation, Whitey thinks of himself as an ordinary guy. He served the nation with honor in the United States Army. He was wounded in combat in Vietnam, fighting as a member of Battery A of the 6th Battalion, 29th Field Artillery, 4th infantry Division.

Whitey was honorably discharged as a Specialist Fourth Class and returned stateside. In 1973, he opened Whitey's Barbershop on a quiet street in the quiet town of Bellville. Things haven't been the same since!

Over time, customers became friends, and friends have become what is known throughout the area as the ``Barbershop Crew.'' More than a quarter-million haircuts later, the crew still gathers every Saturday morning at Whitey's for a town hall meeting to share opinions on the issues of the day. More importantly, they wait to hear Whitey's verdict--which, of course, is final.

Madam Speaker, I submit to you that if Congress followed some of the common sense and Midwestern logic employed by Whitey and the Barbershop Crew, the country would be in far better shape.

Is Whitey Flockerzie an ordinary guy? I would say he is extraordinary. The only thing ordinary about Whitey is that he represents a profound yet humble greatness about America that has helped us become the greatest nation in history: service before self, giving back to the country that gave so much to you, and living by example the sacrifice that allows each generation of Americans to reach higher than the last.

Whitey returned from Vietnam without officially receiving his Vietnam Service Ribbon. Out of respect and admiration, his friends recently obtained this ribbon for him and have graciously asked me to present it to him this weekend.

Throughout his lifetime of service, Whitey Flockerzie has affected countless lives in his part of Ohio. I am honored to recognize him on behalf of the House for all he has done.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding and for her leadership on this special order hour and her leadership in Congress and her work with the RSC along with our chairman.

Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government spends a lot of money. The American people understand that instinctively. In fact, let me give some context to it.

The United States' economy is a $14 trillion annual economy. The second largest economy in the world is Japan, approximately $4 trillion annual economy. The third largest economy, if you define it this way, would be the Federal Government. So 1 year of spending by the Federal Government would be the third largest economy in the world. $3 trillion, the largest budget in history, is what passed on this floor 4 weeks ago.

Again, to provide a little context to that. $3 trillion budget. That's the Federal Government spending your tax dollars, the American families' taxpayer money for families in Ohio and across this country spending at $100,000 a second, $6 million a minute, $350 million an hour. I mean, even by politicians' standards, that is spending money like crazy.

The Federal Government spends, again, just to provide some context, and I appreciate the work that everyone has done and what the previous figures have said. The Federal Government spends $25,000 per year per family. Instead of spending $25,000 per family, if we would just spend $20,000 we could balance the budget in 1 year. Just spending $20,000 per family, we could do it.

The previous speakers have talked about the tax burden that was also contained in this budget, $600 billion in taxes. You always hear about tax-and-spend politicians. I actually argue that it's just the opposite. In fact, the gentleman from Tennessee just talked about this. It's spending tax. Spending always drives the equation.

So to make sure that this $3 trillion could be spent, this budget contains the largest tax increase in the history of our country. At a time when families are already dealing with tough economic situations in their family and in their communities, the last thing we need is higher taxes.

You can compound all of this situation by what we heard last week. And I just want to read from the trustees' report, the 2008 Social Security and Medicare trustees' report, because I think it's poignant to this, a discussion about where we are at this point in our Nation's history. The trustees said, We are increasingly concerned about the inaction on the financial challenges facing the Social Security and Medicare programs. The longer action is delayed, the greater will be the required adjustments, the larger the burden on future generations, and the more severe the detrimental economic impact on our Nation.

The longer we wait to do anything, the tougher it is going to be to address it and fix the problem.

In fact, outgoing Comptroller General David Walker has said this: We run the risk, for the first time in American history, turning over a worse financial picture to the next generation. It's never happened before in the history of the United States.

One of the reasons we are the greatest countries in history is because parents make sacrifices for their children so they can have a better economic situation, a better life, a better standard of living than what we have. We run the risk of beginning to turn that. We have got to begin to address that.

I just want to bring up two simple concepts that were proposed in the Budget Committee by Members of the Republican party and the RSC. We offered two simple ideas. One was, it's time for a second Grace Commission. If you remember, President Reagan put together the Grace Commission. He had outside business people come in and look at the Federal Government, look at the government, say, Where is the waste? Where is the fraud? Where is the redundancy? Where is the ridiculousness? Let's get rid of it and save taxpayer money and better spend taxpayer money.

Back in the 1980s, they identified $400 billion in waste, fraud, and redundancy. Certainly we can find some savings by doing that. The Grace Commission, unfortunately, was defeated in committee.

We also offered an amendment that said let's hold the line on spending. Outside of the military, let's just hold the line, and let's keep the baseline lower, which saves us a lot of money in the outyears. And we made the argument in committee that this won't solve the problem, but this will better position our Congress, better position our government to deal with what we know is coming, to deal with what the trustees reported last week is coming relative to Social Security and Medicare. Two simple ideas that we couldn't even get passed in committee because the majority party wouldn't go for it. Things that we need to do to long-term begin to address the situation.

As the previous speaker said, and I will close with this and turn it back over, he's confident that we will get this right. I am, too. Not because the politicians in Washington get it but because the American people do. The old adage is often true: Most politicians don't see the light; they feel the heat. And they feel the heat from their constituents because their constituents have the common sense of the folks, like in East Tennessee and back in western Ohio as well, and they understand the situation is real, they understand it's time for politicians and elected officials to step forward and say, Enough is enough. Let's fix this because it's about our kids and about our grandkids.

That's why I applaud the leadership of the gentlewoman from Tennessee.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, for those Americans brave enough to be watching this proceeding right now on TV, I'd ask them to sit down because I have some shocking news to share with them. And here it is: The Federal Government spends a lot of money.

Big surprise; right?

How much money are we talking here? How about $23,000 per year per household.

My guess is that with the exception of our military, it's tough for the average American to name one thing the Federal Government does well.

This budget proposes to spend more than $3.1 trillion. That, Mr. Chairman, is not an easy thing to do. To reach $3.1 trillion, the Federal Government will have to spend $100,000 a second, 6 million bucks a minute, over 350 million bucks an hour every day for the next year. Whoever thought that Senator Dirksen's line about ``a billion here, a billion there'' would become outdated?

Mr. Chairman, we've heard of tax-and-spend politicians, but I believe it's spending that drives taxes. And reckless out-of-control spending has put us on a path for economic disaster.

And don't take my word for it. Ask outgoing Comptroller General David Walker, who is sounding the alarm across the country about the unsustainable rate at which Congress is spending.

The American people instinctively know that Congress has an insatiable appetite for spending. They can see it. In terms of real dollars, Congress has quadrupled spending over my lifetime.

The question is, for what? Why do we need four times more Federal Government today than we did in 1964? It's not the military. Defense spending's impact on the budget has decreased by almost two-thirds in real dollars. This, while earmarks have skyrocketed and mandatory spending has grown tenfold.

The real change has been in the mindset. Simply put, Congress has grown to accept the ``nanny state.'' Some Members of this body have grown accustomed to the numbers in this budget. But believe me, they are staggering to the American people, and the people of the Fourth District of Ohio. How staggering? What if, instead of spending $23,000 per family, the Federal Government spent only $20,000 per family? We could jump-start this economy with $400 billion in tax cuts, and we could balance our budget virtually in 1 year.

Mr. Chairman, the sirens are blaring. The alarms are ringing. We need to answer the call and put our fiscal house in order. And we can start by voting ``no'' on the Democrat budget.

I thank the gentleman from South Carolina for yielding, and appreciate this opportunity that RSC has put together to talk about taxes and spending and some of the challenges we face as a country.

We live in the greatest country in the world, but we do face some serious challenges. Obviously we face the challenge of terrorism, the threat from people who want to do our country harm and who don't believe in the great values that made us the greatest country in human history.

Also, we face another challenge, and that is the challenge of dealing with the fiscal situation that confronts us as Members of Congress. Just some numbers. The previous speaker from Missouri talked about tax issues. It is important to understand, you hear from time to time tax- and-spend politicians, it is really not that, it is really spend and tax. Spending drives the equation, and we have got to get Federal spending under control.

Just some numbers. The greatest economy in human history is the U.S. economy. It is the largest economy ever, a $14 trillion annual economy.

The second largest economy in the world is the nation of Japan, approximately $3.2 trillion.

The third largest economy, if I can use that term, is the Federal Government. We all just saw the budget that came out last week, a $3 trillion Federal budget. We have a $3 trillion annual operating budget, and we have a $9 trillion national debt. The Federal Government spends $23,000 per year per household; the top 25 percent of income earners pay 84 percent of the taxes. So when you hear these elected officials say we have to give tax cuts to the middle class, we are going to tax the rich, it is already happening. So when people talk about only taxing the rich, what they really mean is they are going to tax taxpayers. Every single family is going to pay more.

We have to get spending under control if we are going to keep taxes low so families have more of their money to spend on their goals and their dreams, their kids and their grandkids.

Last year I was proud to be part of the RSC who worked hard at lowering spending. In fact, we didn't really work to lower spending. What we said to the majority party is, let's spend what we spent last year. We offered a series of amendments. The way the process works around here is we have to have 12 appropriations bills in law by the end of our fiscal year, which is September 30.

So as those bills were moving through, we offered a series of amendments that said, let's spend what we spent the previous year. After all, all kinds of families, all kinds of business owners, all kinds of taxpayers in this great country have had to do that from time to time. Doesn't it make some sense for the Federal Government, where everyone instinctively knows we have waste in spending, doesn't it make sense for the Federal Government to maybe just live on what they did the previous year? But no, the majority party wouldn't do that. And they increased spending on those bills at three and four and in some cases five times the rate of inflation. And all we said was, let's just hold the line.

And the argument we got when we offered our amendments was, you know what, if we can't spend more, the world's going to end, the sky's going to fall, all kinds of terrible things are going to happen. We just can't do that. We've got to spend more.

Well, as the process unfolded, and so that the American people understand, Madam Speaker, we didn't have any one of those bills, not one single bill was enacted by September 30. And so on September 30, we had to pass what's called a continuing resolution, which is a fancy way of saying, let's live on last year's budget.

A few weeks into that, I came to this floor, same spot here, and gave a speech. I said, you know, a few months ago, a few weeks ago we had talked about the fact that we wanted to hold the line on spending and we were told that if we didn't increase spending, all kinds of bad things were going to happen; the sky was going to fall, the sun wouldn't come up.

I said, you know what? For the past 6 weeks we've been living on last year's budget and imagine this: The government's still running. The sun's still coming up; the world hasn't ended. I said, how can that be? And my rhetorical question was, You know what? If we can do it for 6 weeks, I bet we could do it for 6 months, I bet we could do it for a whole year, and save the taxpayers a lot of money and, more importantly, and maybe most importantly, begin to better position ourselves as a country to deal with the long-term problems that we know are out there.

It is important that we get spending under control because when we do, we can make sure our economy continues to grow, we can keep taxes low, and we can let families have the kind of resources they need, their resources, to spend on their goals and dreams.

The last thing I will say is this before yielding back to the gentleman from South Carolina.

The way the world works is this: The economic leader in the world is the military leader in the world. Right now that is one country, the United States of America, and that's a good thing. It is good when American leads.

You know, folks at home in Ohio, folks back home in Carolina, they get it. They understand that instinctively. I think maybe the only people who don't understand that fact is the editorial page of the New York Times.

I love the line Cal Thomas has, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas. He talks about how normal people perceive things, and how sometimes the elite national press perceives things. And he has a great line. He says, I get up every morning, I read my Bible and the New York Times so I can see what each side's up to. And there's some truth to that statement.

It's important that we lead economically. We can do that by keeping spending low and keeping taxes low. And when we do that we can be the leader of the world, which is a good thing for safety around the planet.

With that I would yield back to the gentleman. I appreciate again his putting this hour together and talking about this very important challenge that we face as a country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and recognize the ultimate sacrifice of a brave Ohio soldier, Army Sergeant Jon Michael ``Mike'' Schoolcraft III.

Mike attended high school in Wapakoneta and went on to study auto body repair at the Apollo Career Center in Lima. Teachers, coaches, family members, and friends all described Mike as a remarkable, reliable, hardworking young man who excelled at every activity in which he was engaged.

In his time on this Earth, Mike had a positive impact on people in his life. When he decided to join the military shortly after the September 11 attacks, he touched the life of every American family that lived under the blanket of safety he helped provide.

Mike Schoolcraft died on Saturday, January 19, while serving America in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In recognition of his valorous service, he was posthumously promoted to sergeant.

Mike is survived by his new wife, Amber, who lives in Hawaii. Mike's mother, Cynthia, along with many friends and loving family members, lives near his boyhood home. His father, Jon, lives in Indiana.

Mike stood up and volunteered to serve this great country. He fought to promote freedom. He gave his life in defense of his family, his community, his State and his Nation.

For this, each and every American owes him and his family a great debt of gratitude.

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his compassion and his commitment to protecting all life, defending those defenseless and his tireless work, and my colleagues as well, who understand that all life is sacred.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank, as other speakers have done, I want to thank those thousands of families, thousands of young people, thousands of Americans who gathered today in our Nation's Capital. They too understand that life is precious, life is special, life is sacred and it should be protected in all forms.

I really want to thank them for two things, and I said this today at the rally. First, I want to thank them for having the willingness to engage in the struggle. I learned a long time ago that nothing of meaning, nothing of significance happens by hanging out on the sidelines. You have got to be willing to get in the game step, you have got to be willing to get out of the shadows, step in the game if you are going to make a difference.

That is what Americans were doing today here in our Nation's Capital. I also want to thank them for something else. One of the things that all of us as Members of Congress deal with are those interest groups, those lobbyists who want to come talk to us about all kinds of issues.

I say this every chance I get to talk about the life issue. We have all kinds of lobbyists who want to come talk to us, then to talk to us and influence the way things work here in Congress, the way legislation is passed. The reason they want to talk to us is they and their clients have a financial interest at stake.

But the people who came to our Nation's Capital today, they had nothing to gain financially for doing what they did today. They simply did it because it was the right thing to do. They understand that the truth is the truth, and that life should be protected. I reassured them today. I think we are going to win.

It may take some time, but America always gets it right. Sometimes it takes us a while, but we get it right. We are making progress. We wish it would happen quicker. It has been 35 years now in this struggle. We wish it would happen quicker, but we are getting closer. Someday in this great country, the greatest Nation in history, we will get it right and every single human life will be protected.

I said to many of the folks that I had an opportunity to speak with today, you know, stay positive, because in America things do work out and the truth does prevail in the end.

I told them the story from scripture, and I will finish with this before I yield back to my old friend. The old story from scripture is so appropriate, I think, in that we should stay positive. The story goes, when the Israelites were camped against the Philistines, and every day the Philistine giant would walk out and issue the challenge, Who will fight Goliath? The Israelites' response was, He is so big we can never defeat him.

But David's response was, He is so big I can't miss. That is the attitude we saw on display today in our Nation's Capital. That's the attitude that has always been a part of the American experience. That is the attitude we need as we go forward. We will win this effort and all life will be protected in this country because you have great people like Mr. Franks from Arizona. I appreciate his time tonight in scheduling this hour for us.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable teacher from Ohio's Fourth Congressional District.

Her name is Deborah Wickerham. A teacher for 32 years, Ms. Wickerham has taught at Chamberlin Hill Intermediate School in the Findlay City School system since 1992, currently teaching both deaf and hearing fifth graders in her inclusion classroom.

In 2001, Ms. Wickerham achieved National Board Certification, and currently works as a facilitator and mentor to help other teachers achieve certification. In addition to this and to her regular duties at Chamberlin Hill, she spends many after-school hours tutoring students who struggle with homework, organizational skills, and test preparation.

She has received numerous awards and recognition throughout her teaching career, including the Presidential Award for Elementary Science Excellence, the Vernier National Science Teacher of the Year Award, the Rotary Golden Apple Award, Jaycees Teacher of the Year honors, and the 2007 VFW Regional Teacher of the Year title.

Today, I am proud to announce to the House that Deborah Wickerham has been named the 2008 Ohio Teacher of the Year by the Ohio Department of Education.

According to her colleagues, Ms. Wickerham's secret to success is her ability to demonstrate, through her dedicated work in the classroom, the most important mission of teachers: to help even child succeed.

We all recognize the increasing challenges facing today's students. Now more than ever, they need the benefit of dedicated teachers like Ms. Wickerham.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Deborah Wickerham in earning this distinction, through which she will serve as a spokesperson for Ohio teachers, make public appearances and speeches across the state, and continue her outstanding work in the classroom.