Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday the most liberal Member of the Senate chose the fourth most liberal Member of the Senate to become his running mate for Presidency of the United States.

It is important for Americans to know the truth about John Edwards' liberal voting record that is out of touch with the mainstream values of America. John Edwards voted twice against President Bush's tax relief that has lifted the economy and helped create 1.5 million new jobs since August. John Edwards voted twice against the new prescription drug benefit added to Medicare that will help seniors live longer at reduced cost. John Edwards has voted against banning partial birth abortions. John Edwards has said he is against the Defense of Marriage Act. John Edwards has voted to cut billions from our military. John Edwards has also voted six times against President Bush's plan for the new Department of Homeland Security.

John Edwards is the same as John Kerry, a liberal Senator that does not represent the mainstream values of America.

In conclusion, may God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11.

Mr. Speaker, as the leaders of India and Pakistan continue their efforts to bring peace to South Asia, a historic visit to Capitol Hill takes place this week by a delegation of parliamentarians from India and Pakistan for a joint political and cultural exchange. These 14 parliamentarians have traveled together as a team to America and represent the future hopes of more than 1 billion people.

While India and Pakistan have lived in enmity for more than 50 years, the people of both nations share similar cultures and ambitions such as respect for family, religious traditions, and the desire to see South Asia prosper financially with peace between these two nations. These parliamentarians represent the symbolic interest of these common interests.

The future of South Asia lies in the hands of its young men and women. I commend the American Council of Young Political Leaders for bringing this delegation of South Asian leaders to America, and I am confident that one day, India and Pakistan will live in peace as neighbors for mutual benefit as we all work together for victory in the global war on terror.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11.

Mr. Speaker, last week on June 28, Iraq became a sovereign nation as control was handed over from coalition forces to a new Iraqi Government headed by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and President Ghazi al-Yawer. This is an extraordinary achievement for President George W. Bush, the American military, and our coalition partners.

Despite attacks from political opponents, President Bush firmly acted to protect American families from future terrorist attacks by liberating Iraq from one of history's most brutal dictators. Today, only 15 months after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, Iraq has turned from an enemy to a developing democracy. No longer a supporter of international terrorism, today's Iraq, along with Afghanistan, represents a beacon of hope in the Middle East for freedom and democracy.

As the Iraqi people continue their struggle for a better future, our brave men and women in uniform continue to work with Iraqi forces to hunt down and stop the depraved enemy who is desperate to stop the march for freedom.

In conclusion, may God bless our troops; and we will never forget September 11.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the chairman's leadership so much. We can all be proud of the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), as the chairman of the Committee on Armed Services. With his perspective as a veteran and with his devotion to the military, having a son serving in Iraq now, by his extraordinary leadership, I appreciate his coming and visiting Ft. Jackson last December. That was a highlight of my brief career here in Congress, to see the gentleman firsthand meeting with troops getting ready to deploy overseas. They were so honored to have the gentleman come and show his interest.

They can be cheerful because they know they have a chairman of the Committee on Armed Services who is personally interested in their safety and security and in promoting democracy and protecting the American people.

Additionally, I am very grateful to be here with my colleague from the north, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).

I had an opportunity to visit with the gentleman at Ft. Bragg and visit with the Special Forces. It is so reassuring to see this new generation, to see how dedicated they are. Many of us had somewhat dismissed them as the Nintendo generation. Well, that is actually very positive because the equipment that they use is so high tech, it is crucial that they be able to operate equipment that is almost inconceivable in terms of advances in just a few years, and particularly even over the first Persian Gulf War, and the success of our troops and dedication is so heart warming.

Additionally, I was happy to hear the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes) reference Pope Air Force Base. I have a nephew who is currently still in the Air Force, and I am really proud that he served at Pope. But the perspective I would like to make tonight is indeed as a veteran, I retired after 31 years of service, it was last July, with my service with the Army National Guard, and I saw again firsthand the capable people who are protecting our country, because my job was as pre-mobilization legal counselor and additionally mobilization counseling. People did not whine. They knew, men and women, that they would be serving to protect the American people.

Additionally, I am happy to be the parent of three sons who are serving in the military. My oldest son is a young

attorney from Lexington, South Carolina. He has been mobilized. He is serving in Iraq. I am in touch with him virtually every day by BlackBerry, by satellite phone. It is very reassuring.

My second son is a graduate of the naval academy, an ensign in the Navy. I am very proud of him being in medical school.

My third son was just commissioned a month and a half ago at Clemson University, in the Army ROTC; and he will have a career in the signal corps with the Army National Guard.

I am just so proud that they have on their own seen that one of the best ways to promote our country is to serve in the military; and then, finally, as a Member of Congress, it has already been referenced by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes), I am very grateful to represent Fort Jackson, ably commanded by General Abe Turner.

General Turner is so well known here in Congress because he was Army liaison to Congress and did a masterful job. I then ran into him, of all things, in Kuwait where he was one of the leaders there and helping us protect and promote our troops.

Additionally, I represent the Marine air station at Beaufort. We are very proud of their service. It is a joint Navy and Marine facility with squadrons of both; and I also represent Parris Island, where the training takes place of our troops on the east coast, and I have been there in 3 days of parallel training; and it was an extraordinary opportunity again to see the dedication of these young people.

I also represent the Beaufort Naval Hospital adjacent to McIntyre Air National Guard Base, Sully Air Force Base. I, again, over and over again, had the opportunity to meet young people, to meet people who are so dedicated in protecting our country.

Indeed, it was 2 weeks ago today that I had the opportunity to go on a delegation with the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) with the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and we had the opportunity to meet with the incoming Iraqi police being trained. We had the opportunity to meet with the new government officials, the Prime Minister, Ayad Allawi, and also President Ghazi al-Yawer. It was very encouraging.

The Prime Minister is a real hero. He himself was a victim of Saddam Hussein's attempted assassination a number of years ago. I have heard it described he was virtually cut in half, but he recovered. His wife, though, did not. She had a permanent nervous breakdown. And so we have a very brave person serving as Prime Minister in Ayad Allawi promoting the people of Iraq to build a civil society.

Many of us had the opportunity, thanks to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), to meet with President Ghazi al-Yawer. He is a graduate of George Washington University; and he announced to us that he is an optimist, that he believes a civil society can be established in Iraq, and I believe that we have seen in the past 10 days, since he took power and since the Prime Minister took power on the 28th, that, indeed, they are working to rebuild a civil society in Iraq.

It really is, and particularly with President al-Yawer. He was so outspoken in his appreciation for the dedication of our young people, of families who have lost heroes, who are protecting American people; and it was just heartfelt. It was the same heartfelt feeling that we actually did see, thank goodness, with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, who was here about 3 weeks ago to express the appreciation of the people of Afghanistan for their liberation and their ability now for probably the first time in history to establish a civil society.

When I say ``civil society,'' I am talking about one that looks out for the people and the country, and one of the highlights was to meet with the minister of health in Iraq. He had previously been the minister of education, and he was telling us one by one of the progress being made in regard to education.

Thousands of schools have been renovated. These are not elegant schools with gymnasiums. These are largely one-room schoolhouses that have been repainted, many of them by the American military, with desks and with blackboards. In fact, 1\1/4\ million book bags were distributed to the young people of Iraq from the United States Agency For International Development.

Additionally, he told us that there are 293,000 teachers in Iraq. What we hear when we read the paper is that people are unemployed. That is all we hear; but there are 293,000 teachers, and it was incredible to me.

I asked the minister what is the percentage of young people who are school age going to school; and he told us it was around 90 percent, maybe exceeding 90 percent, and that, in fact, in April when there was an upsurge in violence, the young people still came to school, and they were brought by their parents.

I find this encouraging because we know another fact is that there were 60 million new textbooks distributed in the last year. This is incredibly important. The textbooks previously had been idolatrous of the dictator Saddam Hussein. They had virtually identified him as a reincarnated Nebuchadnezer. That was an insult to their intelligence; but if that is all they read, that is all they read, that is all they heard.

Now, of course, we have all seen, as we have visited, the satellite dishes. Those were illegal under the Hussein dictatorship. Those of us who have visited, everywhere we look we see satellite dishes where it may not be all we want them to see, but they do have choices that they did not have before. So a civil society, I think, is being established.

Then the bravery that is exhibited. The gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter) was very interested that we visit a hospital; and we visited a hospital, and we visited with the American troops, and we visited with Iraqi patriots. In particular, there was a city councilman who was there who had been severely injured and his young son was there, and he was telling us that his brother had been killed in the same attack a week ago prior to us meeting with him and that another son, somebody had left a package at their home and when he picked it up, it was a small bomb that blew his right hand off. How brave that he persisted in trying to build a civil society.

It just brings to mind, particularly here in the week of the 4th of July, of the sacrifices of the persons who signed the Declaration of Independence. They were not greeted with riches and with a warm response by the ruling elite at that time. They lost so much, and now we have got people who are indeed promoting the establishment of a democracy.

Mr. Chairman, it should be pointed out that, indeed, a certain gas projectile was discovered, that is a chemical weapon, and, additionally, mustard gas has been discovered, projectiles in the country of Iraq, which had previously been in the jurisdiction, obviously, of Saddam Hussein. It was clearly indicated that, of course, chemical weapons were being used against the Kurdish population by Saddam Hussein.

It is equally significant that the anthrax that was never explained as to what happened to it or where it may be, could fit in the back of a medium-sized U-haul, but yet it would be sufficient to have a horrible impact. More than the known population on the East Coast could have been killed by such an attack if it were widely dispersed, which would be difficult, but we would not want to find out. That is why we took this action. And this war in Afghanistan, the conflict in theater in Iraq, this is to protect the American people.

My colleague from California brought up our allies, but this needs to be brought out. We have 32 nations that have sent troops to Iraq. I am particularly grateful that 2 weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet a soldier from Latvia. Not in our lifetime would we ever dream that we would be meeting with a soldier from the Independent Republic of Latvia, which is now a free republic. Not any longer is it a forced member of the U.S.S.R., the Soviet Union. Now Latvia itself is a member of NATO.

It should also be noted, and it is just amazing how this is not picked up, when we express concern about NATO's involvement, we should be pointing out that 16 of the 26 members in NATO have troops serving in Iraq today. I want to particularly congratulate, because I have worked very closely as the co-chair of the Congressional Bulgaria Caucus, I want to thank the Republic of Bulgaria. I had the opportunity in Kabul, Afghanistan, to meet with the Bulgarian ambassador and commander of Bulgarian troops serving in Afghanistan.

I am very pleased there is a battalion of 495 Bulgarians serving in Iraq today. That is the largest foreign placement of troops in the nearly 1,300-year history of Bulgaria. For the first time, Bulgaria has invited a foreign country, the United States, to establish a base in their country, an air base at Burgas.

This is incredible, because every other base that has been established in Bulgaria has been done involuntarily, not at the request of the national assembly.

So this is an historic time where, because of the veterans who have made this possible, I believe there is a greater spread of democracy today than in the history of the world. The way I phrased it, too, I have had the opportunity to visit with our troops, and Dutch troops and Australian and Polish troops at Bishkek, Kyrgystan; at Kharshi- Khanabad, Uzbekistan; and Bagram, Afghanistan, and all of these are former Soviet air bases that had been built to fight the United States, which are now American and coalition air bases fighting the terrorists and winning the war on terrorism.

I think it is a remarkable time for us to celebrate the successes of the American military that are unparalleled in history, and I am very proud of what is being done. I am very proud of the successes, and I am confident the young people who are today on the front lines are going to persist and, with the resolve of the American people and around the world, succeed.

Mr. Speaker, I want to also join in thanking the gentleman from Hawaii for his constructive suggestion.

But I want to reiterate again too that the war we are into, this global war on terrorism, is not something the United States sought. It is my humble opinion that the first attack was really in 1979, with the attack on our embassy in Tehran. We can all remember the signs that were carried at that time were ``death to America.'' It does not need a discussion. That is what the intent is. And the reason for this feeling is because the United States represents freedom of association, of speech, as we just saw, freedom of women to participate in society, and freedom of media. All of this is being opposed by people who want to construct a 14th century life-style.

This is not a religious war. To me, it is a group of extremists who, as we saw last week, there was a heinous suicide bomber who attacked a Shiite mosque in Pakistan. Imagine just going straight into a mosque and killing 20 people. This is just something that has to be faced, and we either face the enemy overseas or we will again see them here in the United States, as we did on September 11.

September 11 was the culmination of a direct attack on the United States in 1993 on the World Trade Center, a direct attack on our embassies in 1998, at embassies all throughout Africa, and then, of course, the infamous attack on U.S.S. Cole in Yemen in the year 2000, and finally the attack of September 11, 2001. America is responding.

And I am very grateful that just as after World War II we helped rebuild Germany so it would not be a breeding ground for communism, we are helping to rebuild Iraq. I am sorry that it does not get the attention it should. It is probably just dull to hear that there is freedom of the press and media in Iraq. It is dull to hear the schools have been reopened. It is dull to hear the hospitals have all been reopened and the health clinics are available. But it is not dull. It is creating a civil society that protects the American people. We were able to protect the American people and defeat communism, and I am confident we can do the same thing in defeating terrorism.

I am so happy the gentleman brought up Ronald Reagan. It was 20 years ago virtually this minute that he was attempting to win the Cold War by putting Pershing missiles in Western Europe. Millions of people demonstrated against that in the United States and Western Europe. It ultimately led, again, to our victory.

I had the extraordinarily opportunity Sunday to meet with people at our church who are from Russia, and I was telling them how incredible it was for me to be there with them, because 15 years ago we were told that they like living under communism; that due to their serf background, they liked being slaves; that they really did not want to have to make decisions of who to elect and how to elect, what jobs to take, how much money to earn, whether they could buy a car or not; that they really enjoyed living in oppression.

We know that is not true. The dear Russians that I met with on Sunday said how much they appreciated what President Reagan and the American people have done to provide for their liberation. The same analogy applies to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. It is such a positive time to see what our troops are doing.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate some other heroes who are serving our families, and that is the families and employers. The families are so dedicated to our servicemembers who are serving overseas, men and women. We all know first hand of circumstances where families are making sacrifices. Additionally, we have got family support groups that we have community support for. Anyone who wants to help members of our Guard and Reserve, in any phone book will be the listing of an armory. They can contact the unit clerk or the AST and offer to assist in some way.

Also, employers. We were very fortunate 2 weeks ago to have a hearing put together by the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline), himself a retired Marine colonel. It was brought to our attention how employers are coming to bat for the people who have been mobilized and deployed. There are some indications of obvious problems; but I was told, and during the hearing it came out, for every one problem, there are nine good stories of where businesses have come forward to assist their employees who have been deployed.

They know the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act, now the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, will protect our servicemembers. Additionally, there are reemployment rights that will accrue to the people in the Guard and Reserve. We are all here to help make sure that they have the jobs that they had when they left, they have their seniority, that they have the ability to blend back in and assimilate right away into American society. But it is the employers who are doing this voluntarily.

Again, families and employers deserve a great deal of credit in helping us win the war on terror.

Mr. Speaker, on June 9th, one of Lexington, South Carolina's most beloved sons, Army Specialist Thomas Caughman, was lost, when he was killed in a terrorist attack while serving in Iraq.

As Thomas wrote from the field in Iraq, ``freedom isn't free.'' Sadly, his family, friends and fellow South Carolinians have learned this lesson in a painful and personal way. Thomas Caughman was the son of proud parents Hampton and Jane Caughman of Lexington, South Carolina.

Thomas will forever be an American hero for defending the American people in the War on Terror. I ask all of my colleagues to join me in extending our deepest regrets to the family of Thomas Caughman, and the entire Wilson family sends their thoughts and prayers.

I request that the following article from The State newspaper be placed into the Record, in remembrance of the fallen hero.

[From the State, June 19, 2004]

War in Iraq: Lexington Bids Farewell to a Fallen Hero

(By Chuck Crumbo)

When he wrote home, Army Spc. Thomas Caughman would close

his letters with these words: ``Freedom isn't free.''

On Friday, family and friends honored the 20-year-old

Lexington County soldier who paid the ultimate price.

About 1,000 crowded into the pews and lined the walls of

Red Bank Baptist Church, and another 200 to 300 waited

outside in the sweltering heat, as Caughman was remembered as

a joyful and religious young man who made others around him

feel special and loved.

A large crowd was expected. Caughman was a member of one of

Lexington County's best-known families, with ties to banking,

retailing and the religious community.

Nearly an hour before the service, traffic was backed up a

quarter of a mile on S.C. 6, which runs past the church in

the heart of the Red Bank community. After the church parking

lot filled up, some mourners had to park across the street

in the lot of St. James Lutheran Church.

The turnout would have delighted Caughman, said the

soldier's uncle, Glenn Day, who offered personal remarks

during the service.

``If he could say something to me right now and come up and

do that little backhand on your chest . . . he'd say, `Look

at that crowd I got for you,' '' Day said to laughter.

Caughman, a 2002 graduate of Lexington High School, died

June 9 while patrolling a Baghdad neighborhood for bombs used

to attack U.S. troops.

The Army said Caughman's armored vehicle was struck by

rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. Two other

soldiers in his vehicle also were wounded seriously.

Caughman was assigned to Army Reserve Company C of the

291st Engineer Battalion, based in Spartanburg. He

transferred to a Pennsylvania combat engineer unit when it

was called up for active duty.

Caughman is the first fatality of the Iraqi war from

Lexington County and the 21st member of the armed services

with ties to South Carolina to die in the conflict.

Friday's service was a mix of sweet sentiment--about a son,

brother, nephew, cousin and soldier--and a dose of unabashed

patriotism.

Just after the service started, the Rev. Robert ``Butch''

Powell asked mourners to salute some 60 members of the U.S.

military who attended the funeral, including four dozen

members of Caughman's Reserve unit.

Led by the fallen soldier's parents, Hampton and Jane

Caughman, mourners stood and offered a thunderous ovation

that lasted for 40 seconds.

Later, pictures of Caughman flashed on a screen at the

front of the church while country singer Toby Keith's

recording of ``American Soldier'' was played over the public

address system.

The pictures covered Caughman's life from toddler to

soldier.

There were shots of Caughman as a child at birthday

parties, pedaling his red tractor, riding horseback, playing

youth league baseball and fishing at the family pond.

There also were pictures of Caughman at his high school

graduation flanked by his parents, shots of him and his

buddies posing with a buck they had bagged, and images of him

in his Army desert togs at the wheel of a Humvee.

Caughman's parents said he loved children and especially

relished the time he could spend with his cousins at family

outings.

One of those cousins, 6-year-old Hannah Frye, honored

Caughman by standing before

the packed church and flawlessly singing Lee Greenwood's

patriotic hit, ``God Bless the USA.'' During the service, Day

often referred to his nephew's ever-present smile.

``Every time I close my eyes, I see that smile and that

smile tells you a lot about a man's spirit,'' Day said. ``I

take great pride in being Thomas Caughman's uncle.''

The Rev. Powell recalled one of his last conversations with

Caughman, before the soldier headed for Iraq. Caughman

believed it was his responsibility to fight for the freedom

that his family, friends and fellow Americans enjoy, Powell

said.

``He told me, `I'm not married, I don't have any kids. I'm

going for those who can't. I'm going because it's right,' ''

Powell said.

Referring to Caughman's writing ``freedom isn't free'' in

his letters, Powell said, ``there is a cost to be paid for

freedom and he willingly paid that cost.

``Thomas Caughman was a hero, and so are the others who are

still over there. Don't forget them in your prayers.''

After the service, mourners filed outside to the church

cemetery, where Caughman was laid to rest in a family plot

near his grandfather, Raymond B. Day, the church's pastor for

36 years. Caughman received full military honors and was

awarded posthumously the Bronze Star for meritorious service

and the Purple Heart.

Brig. Gen. Thomas Bryson, deputy commander of the 81st

Regional Readiness Command, presented the U.S. flag that

draped Caughman's casket to the soldier's parents.

And then, after a final prayer, Hampton and Jane Caughman

rose from their seats, stepped to their son's casket and

gently patted and rubbed it.

Caughman's 17-year-old sister, Lisa, and his girlfriend,

Lindsey Hendrix, followed. Each laid a rose on top of the

casket and gave it a soft kiss.

Before the service, Toyanna Frye, who is married to one of

the soldier's cousins, talked about Caughman's desire to

serve and how he touched others' lives.

``It makes you look at your life and how we need to serve

others,'' Frye said. ``I imagine that it was a wonderful day

in heaven when he came home.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Burris family of Beaufort, South Carolina, upon receiving the 2003 South Carolina Environmental Awareness Award for their Cypress Bay Plantation, one of the best tree farms in America.

The entire family, which includes Dr. ``Skeet'' Burris, his wife Gail, and their sons Hank, Andy, Ben, Tony and Charlie, have themselves worked the 1,600-acre tree farm in Hampton County since 1986.

They have won many awards including the South Carolina Tree Farm of the Year in 1995, National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year award in 2000, and Private Conservationist of the Year in 2001.

Today, the beautiful lands of Cypress Bay Plantation contain well over 200,000 trees teeming with wildlife, and are used to educate local children on the environment.

I ask all my colleagues to join me in commending the Burris family for their commitment to environmental excellence.

In conclusion, may God bless our troops; and we will never forget September 11.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend a public servant of 31 years, Chief William M. (Mike) Roth of the Lexington, South Carolina Police Department. Under his leadership, the Lexington Police Department grew from a force of ten to thirty-one officers that currently serve a population of 16,000 citizens. His innovative approaches to criminal justice issues have resulted in the establishment of a full-time traffic unit, an Emergency Service (SWAT) Team, and the institution of Community-Oriented Policing.

Chief Roth was also personally responsible for the establishment of the Department's Investigative Division that includes a Child and Elder Abuse Investigator and a full-time Victims Advocate. Additionally, he was instrumental in the creation of such local school-based programming as School Resource Officers and DARE classes for elementary and middle school students.

Under Chief Roth's leadership, the Department received many awards and recognitions, developed and implemented the ``Adopt-a-Cop'' development, and contributed to the establishment of the Lexington Keeping Every Youth Safe (KEYS) after-school program.

His hands-on approach to law enforcement management and dedication to the community serves as an example for other police departments to follow.

In conclusion, may God bless our troops and we will never forget September 11th.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to President Bush's historic tax relief, our economy is surging and 1.4 million jobs have been created since August. However, if we do not act, one of the hardest and most unjust penalties on Americans, the death tax, will return in full force in 2011.

The death tax essentially is a double tax that forces families to pay taxes on estates that are passed on from generation to generation. According to Citizens For a Sound Economy, nearly 70 percent of small businesses do not make it past the first generation because of this tax. Additionally, American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman has pointed out that many of our Nation's farmers must sell parts or all of their land to simply pay taxes. This is also catastrophic for family- owned auto dealerships, funeral homes, and beverage distributors.

The American people know it is fundamentally wrong to be taxed twice and know the importance of passing something of value on to their own children. I urge Congress to act quickly and kill the death tax once and for all.

In conclusion, may God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 228, ``Condemning the crackdown on democracy protestors in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, in the People's Republic of China on the 15th anniversary of that tragic massacre,'' I regret that I was unavoidably detained and therefore unable to cast my vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, the world is grieving this week over the loss of a true American hero, President Ronald Wilson Reagan. Ronald Reagan defined the honor and dignity of the office of the Presidency, and he lifted the spirits of a Nation with his hope and joyfulness that sprang from an abiding faith in God and a deeply held belief in the American dream.

President Reagan entered office during a time of doubt and despair and malaise with the economy sputtering and a looming Cold War that threatened our families. Yet he brought his conservative principles of individual freedom, limited government, personal responsibility, and peace through strength.

President Reagan led a successful revolution to promote tax cuts, recognizing taxes are the people's own money. He achieved victory in the Cold War, expanding democracy worldwide. And he realigned America's political process with an open door especially for young people.

His legacy lives on today as America unites to fight the war on terror liberating millions from tyranny to protect American families as our economy is booming through tax relief.

May God bless the Reagan family. May God bless our troops. And may God continue to bless America.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) for his leadership tonight to pay tribute to the Gipper, President Ronald Reagan.

Mr. Speaker, the world is grieving this week over the loss of a true American hero, President Ronald Wilson Reagan. Words cannot describe the admiration and respect that I have for this great man. He led a revolution for free enterprise, for victory of democracy over communism and for national political realignment.

For many Americans in mourning, including myself, Ronald Reagan was not just a good President, he was our President. He defined the honor and dignity of the office of the Presidency, and he lifted the spirit of a Nation with his hope and joyfulness that sprang from an abiding faith in God and deeply held belief in the American dream.

I am grateful to have lived the Reagan revolution as a foot soldier promoting his vision of a dynamic economy, creating jobs through tax cuts and free markets, his support of America's military to achieve success in liberating millions by victory in the Cold War, and his transformation of developing the Republican Party which today holds the majority of State legislative seats across America for the first time since 1952. He reinvigorated the Republican Party with optimism and vision.

He entered office during a time of doubt and despair and malaise, with the economy sputtering in a looming Cold War that threatened our families. With these seemingly insurmountable problems he faced, many critics underestimated the former California Governor. Yet President Reagan brought with him his conservative principles of individual freedom, limited government, personal responsibility, and peace through strength. He also brought an optimism that America's greatest days were ahead of us.

Proving all of his detractors wrong, President Reagan won the Cold War, spurred the economy to robust growth and restored our national confidence and patriotism. As author and former Presidential staffer Peter Robinson said recently, ``Ronald Reagan was great, because Ronald Reagan was right.''

His straightforward speeches began to change minds across America, and many became Reagan Democrats. Today in my home State, Republicans hold most statewide offices, a complete turnaround that has occurred throughout the South thanks to the leadership of Ronald Reagan.

He started a revolution where in 1980 Republicans in South Carolina held only 16 seats in the statehouse, and now there is a Republican supermajority of 76 out of 124 members. In the State senate, Republicans soared from three members in 1980 to now a supermajority of 27 of 46 members.

For 2 years I was honored to work in the Reagan administration as Deputy General Counsel to the Secretary of Energy Jim Edwards. I am a proud Reagan alumni association member, and in 1990, because of his efforts to win the Cold War and bring freedom to the oppressed people of the Soviet Union, I was asked by former Republican National Committee Chairman Lee Atwater to observe the first democratic elections in Bulgaria.

I saw firsthand the Reagan legacy of peace and freedom, as Central and Eastern Europe rose from the ashes of communism to become strong democracies and American allies. The people I have met over the years from Bratislava, Slovakia, to Novosibirsk, Russia, regard President Reagan as their own hero, a man who was unafraid to tell the truth about the evil empire.

While we mourn his passing, President Ronald Reagan will never be forgotten. Children will read for centuries to come about the ``Happy Warrior'' who helped liberate tens of millions from totalitarian communism and restored America's position in the world as ``the shining city on a hill.''

Democracy is more widespread today in the world than any time in history due to President Reagan's success of peace through strength.

We cannot help but be reminded of his legacy as America faces similar battles today against the oppression of terrorism, and his critics deride our President, much as they did President Reagan 20 years ago. America is under attack because we are a symbol of liberty in the world, and we must meet this challenge with the same courage and conviction that Ronald Reagan had.

As he said in the 1964 Goldwater campaign in what has simply become known as ``the speech'' and was earlier referenced by Chairman Lewis, ``You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.''

May God bless the Reagan family, God bless our troops, and may God continue to bless America.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 147,148,149, 150, 151, and 152, on May 6, 2004, I was unable to cast my vote because I was attending my son's commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the Army National Guard as well as his graduation at Clemson University.

Had I been present, I would have voted the following:

Rollcall 147, Ordering the Previous Question on Providing for Consideration on Deploring the Abuse of Persons in United States Custody in Iraq, I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall 148, the Motion to Instruct Conferees to authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for Fiscal Year 2004, to amend various laws administered by the Coast Guard, and for other purposes, I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall 149, the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the urgent need for freedom, democratic reform, and international monitoring of elections, human rights, and religious liberty in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall 150, on Agreeing to the Resolution on Deploring the Abuse of Persons in United States Custody in Iraq, I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall 151, the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on Expressing the Sense of Congress regarding the arbitrary detention of Dr. Wang Bingzhang by the Government of the People's Republic of China and urging his immediate release, I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall 152, the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on Expressing the Concern of Congress over Iran's development of the means to produce nuclear weapons, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, in this past Sunday's Washington Times, the highly revered economist Lawrence Kudlow spelled out very clearly how President George W. Bush's strong economic policies have produced a sustained surge in the economy.

Mr. Kudlow rightly said that ``over the past year, following the enactment of the President's tax cut plan, real economic growth has increased 5 percent with only 1.6 percent inflation. After-tax profits have increased 37 percent. Business spending on equipment and software has grown 12.5 percent. Since last August, 1.1 million jobs have been created. Spendable income has increased 4.9 percent, and consumer spending is up 4.3 percent.''

Indeed, not since Ronald Reagan was President has our economy grown faster. There can no longer be any question what effect lower taxes have on the economy. When Americans have more of their own money to spend and invest, the economy soars.

President Bush should be proud that despite the battles he faced in making these tax cuts a reality, his vision for more jobs and a prosperous America has come true.

In conclusion, may God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11.

Mr. Speaker, during this past week, I saw firsthand our courageous service members in action successfully fighting the global war on terror in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, the Persian Gulf, Qatar, and Germany.

Led by Committee on House Administration chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney), our delegation met with American military and coalition government officials. In every instance, my effort as a Congressman, Guard member, and parent of three service members, which was meant to encourage others, actually encouraged me.

I was particularly impressed by the courage of those wounded in the war on terror that we met at Landstuhl, Germany. I was so touched by a female soldier who had just undergone extreme surgery. We immediately bonded as fellow National Guard members, and later I found out she was a star of the Notre Dame's women's basketball team. She lives Army values.

The war on terror is not just Afghanistan and Iraq. President Bush has been courageous in protecting American families by taking the war to the terrorists overseas and not waiting for a new September 11 on the streets of our communities. I know firsthand the new greatest generation of American servicemembers has the fortitude to win the war on terror.

In conclusion, May God bless our troops; and we will never forget September 11.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman's leadership on this issue. She has truly in the House of Representatives, working with our President, been the leader to establish the prescription drug benefit for the people of the United States; and I have seen firsthand how this is going to be helpful to the people in the district that I represent.

I have had the opportunity to travel the district, and I have heard criticisms tonight that are confusing.

We, as Congressmen, have a duty when a new law is passed to go and explain to our constituents the law and how it can be beneficial; and as the gentlewoman has so correctly pointed out, this is a law which can be easily understood which is so beneficial to the people of our districts.

Additionally, I heard criticism that it was so confusing they could not understand, but I agree very much with the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) that, indeed, this is the generation that survived the Depression; that won World War II; that protected our country's freedom in the Cold War. We know that the people who are affected by this law are very bright, very capable. I have faith that they will see through the confusion.

Additionally, I heard criticism that you might have 53 options. Well, how wonderful. That is not negative. That is positive. The gentlewoman has really explained it so well today and tonight by using the 1-800 number, by going to the Internet and how simply by providing your ZIP code and then you receive the information by having pharmacies in your immediate area specifically on the pharmaceuticals that you need, and so this is so easily understood, and I appreciate the gentlewoman's efforts to promote the bill.

I know that personally again as a Member of Congress, with her leadership, helped prepare mass mailings. I have had district meetings. I have had Medicare forums. We will have our district open house next week to provide information.

We have had meetings with the AARP, which provides an excellent brochure. I urge everyone to see the AARP brochure. It is very easy to understand, explains the full benefit; but today, June 1, 2004, is a crucial day because the discount drug card comes into effect.

My experience in traveling the district, when I was in Bluffton, South Carolina, at Palmetto Electric Co-Op, I was pleased to be with the Healthcare Leadership Council, Darren Katz, who gave a very authoritative presentation. We had wonderful people there from Sun City. They really were terrific, asking wonderful questions, and it came out a very positive experience.

Then in Aiken, at the Aiken County Commission on Aging with the Aiken County Community Hospital. We then found worksheets from the AARP which were so easy to understand.

At Hilton Head Island, which is one of the leading and most beautiful retirement centers and communities in the whole world. I was very fortunate to be at Tidepoint Community with Thom Jones and with the Golden Rule Company for a presentation and the Cypress Retirement Community and I met people, and it was extraordinary to me. I was talking to people who would come up to me and say, I was 90 last week. They were so much fun, and they were just such a delight to be with and an inspiration to me.

Additionally, in Orangeburg, South Carolina, I was there at Orangeburg County Aging Commission with the Orangeburg County Regional Hospital. This is a lower income area, and we had a real cross-section of the community, and it was wonderful to see them understand the availability of this card and what it would mean to them.

In Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, I had the opportunity to be at the senior citizen center at Maxcy Gregg Park; and, again, we had a cross-section of community leaders who came to find out about the program, and it was very, very encouraging.

Finally, I will be at the Gilbert Community Center in Gilbert, South Carolina, next week promoting the legislation, explaining the bill with the Lexington County Recreation and Aging Commission and also the Lexington Medical Center. I know that the people of Gilbert and the people famous for the 4th of July Peach Festival will be enthusiastic to get information about this and how it means so much to the senior citizens of our community.

Another part about the confusion, it is really my point, and what I have discovered at these meetings is the AARP is so helpful. We have chapters all over the United States. If you have got a question, obviously we have got the 1-800 number, we have got the Internet connection which is easily available to everyone, but the AARP has the information. They have got wonderful and capable people who would be happy to meet with you. We know that these brochures are also at senior citizens centers throughout America. At every senior citizen center they are available, and people can find out and cut through the confusion.

I know personally that it has been my experience that when I worked with insurance and I was a real estate closing attorney for 25 years, I did not try to understand the insurance policy. I went to an agent that I trusted and I go to him or her and get the policy and I have faith in that. As a real estate closing attorney, I did not even imagine that people would understand a 20-page mortgage sometimes written in old English using English common law. You find a good attorney that you trust and you go to them; and it has been my experience, and you have referenced this earlier, and that is, go to a pharmacist that you trust. These are dear people. They really do care about their patients, their customers.

I know my next-door neighbor Bobby Perry and his daughter Roberta Vining are two of the finest pharmacists you can ever find. These pharmacists care about their patients. These are people who really make your heart warm; and so I would urge anyone, if politicians are confusing, do not get discouraged. Listen, first of all, to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson), but after that, if you are confused, go to your pharmacist, talk with them, find out what they recommend.

Again, I want to thank the gentlewoman for her leadership. It has been inspiring to me as a relatively new Member of Congress, and I am just so appreciative of her persistence and her understanding of the issue and her devotion to promoting a real prescription drug benefit to the people of America.