Floor Statements

The Hippocratic oath is well known for the phrase, ``First do no harm.'' Unfortunately, we have continued to come down on this floor and ask a simple question. Where are the jobs? What business and industry needs is some certainty. What this Congress and administration continues to offer is more uncertainty, which translates into higher risks, which increases borrowing rates.

We should first do no harm. We should stop the government takeover of health care, which will raise rates and cost jobs. We should oppose a cap-and-trade scheme which will raise energy costs and destroy jobs. Shelving these two major Democratic proposals would do the most to return some certainty to the economy so business can work on maintaining and creating jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today joining with my friend and colleague, Congressman Lacy Clay, to speak out on an issue that is very important to both of us and our constituents, the continued existence of an over-the-air classical music station.

The sale of KFUO-FM by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is currently pending before the Media Bureau at the FCC, and both myself and Congressman Clay have been contacted by our constituents concerned that the purchaser of the station may cease the classical programming, which so many residents of the St. Louis and Metro East communities have benefited from over the years.

KFUO-FM has been a proud partner with almost every cultural organization in the St. Louis area. It is also heard internationally through live streaming on the Internet. Classic 99, as KFUO is also known, features a large amount of programming for the fine arts institutions of St. Louis, including the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Opera Theater of St. Louis, the Repertory Theater of St. Louis, the St. Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum and Historical Society, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Touhill Performing Arts Center of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, the Metropolitan Opera, the Bach Society of St. Louis, the St. Louis Chamber Chorus, the American Kantorei, the St. Louis Public Library, the St. Louis Children's Choir, along with many others.

KFUO is in a virtual partnership with these institutions, as many hours are given to these and other organizations for live broadcasting, education, and information programming, as well as for promotion. The loss of Classic 99 and its limitless contribution to the area's community may have a negative impact on many, and to the quality of life in the Metro East.

As many of my colleagues know, I am married to a classical musician. I met Karen while she was working as the director of Christian Education and Music at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Monterey, California. When I started my life with Karen, I also began my life with classical music. Karen has worked as a youth minister, church music director, elementary music teacher, and private music instructor of many different instruments. She has also guided each of our children musically. All three of our boys are Suzuki-trained violinists. My sons, David and Josh, have sung with the prestigious St. Louis Children's Chorus. I credit their musical talents not only with my wife's teaching, but also with exposure to classical music from an early age. KFUO provides that critical early exposure to families all over the St. Louis area that may not have a family member with a music background.

To remove that sphere of influence I feel would be detrimental to many children in our communities. Without Classic 99, I don't know if many of the music institutions in the St. Louis area that rely on this station would be able to get their music heard. Even our local high school students have a chance to play on KFUO, an experience I'm sure that is a highlight of their musical education.

Mr. Speaker, I felt this issue was especially important for me to weigh in on today because, as a devoted Lutheran, I am concerned that the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod does not realize how important these classical broadcasts are to the Christian faithful in the St. Louis area.

In most cases, Christian broadcasting and classical broadcasting are synonymous. The loss of this classical programming eliminates the witness to the Gospel through the broadcast of the words and music of Bach, such as broadcast of ``Bach at the Sem.'' Also, the St. Louis area would no longer be able to hear other Lutheran and Christian composers as well through programs devoted specifically to the Christian musical heritage, such as ``Joy'' and broadcasts of St. Louis Bach Society programs and overt Lutheran Christian programming such as ``Sing for Joy'' and the Sunday morning service from Chapel of the Cross in North County, St. Louis.

Music is an important part of Christianity and was an integral part in the start of the Lutheran church. One of my favorite Martin Luther quotes deals with the importance of music in the church, and I quote, ``Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.''

From Bach to Mendelssohn, these talented musicians helped form the Lutheran church that we know today. I cannot imagine a church service without music, just as I cannot imagine St. Louis without KFUO-FM. It is just as important part to the St. Louis and Metro East residents as music is to Sunday mornings spent in worship. It is my sincere hope that the Lutheran church will realize this before this station changes its programming. It would be a loss to both the Christian community and the music community, a loss which I hope will be prevented.

Let us remember the words from Psalm 27:5-6 ``For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at His tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.''

Mr. Speaker, I am not here to say that the FCC should be dictating programming choice when considering a sale of a station. Rather, I would argue that the impact on cultural organizations and the impact on local jobs should be considered when deciding on these sales. I would like to enter for the record a petition to the LCMS Board of Directors, which both myself and former Senator Conrad Burns has signed, in addition to letters from musicians from all over the country that have enjoyed Classic 99's live internet broadcasts.

Gerald Kieschnick,

President, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, St. Louis, MO.

Dear President Kieschnick: The Musicians' Association of

St. Louis, Local 2-197 AFM, is opposed to the sale of KFUO-

FM, the only classical music radio station in the St. Louis

metropolitan area, into a different format. This valuable

resource is one of the main venues for arts organizations and

has been a great tool in audience-building through live

broadcasts and advertising.

The loss of our beloved radio station will have a huge

impact on the arts in St. Louis:

Bach at the Sem, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and At The

Garden, Live!, will lose their broadcasts, which are heard

nationally through live streaming.

SLSO will lose a major advertising venue, which may hinder

ticket sales and fundraising efforts. They are now moving

forward after years of paycuts and freezes. Losing KFUO makes

recovery more difficult.

Many arts organizations in the greater metropolitan area of

St. Louis will lose a central advertising location in KFUO-

FM. The loss of KFUO makes advertising much more difficult

especially in these economic times.

President Kieschnick, Local 2-197 respectfully asks that

you reconsider and direct your Board to stop the sale now.

Respectfully,

Vicky Smolik, President,

Musicians' Association of St. Louis,

Local 2-197, AFM.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 100th anniversary of the St. Mary's School in Taylorville, Illinois.

St. Mary's opened its doors in 1909 in a one room structure on Franklin Street in Taylorville. At that time, the school consisted of one teacher and 77 students. The school moved into its current building in 1921, which is home to kindergarten through third grade, two libraries and the school office. By the 1990s, St. Mary's enrollment had expanded so much that a second building was necessary. The new building was dedicated in 2000.

Over the last century, St. Mary's has remained dedicated to providing its students with a high quality education which will last a lifetime. Last fall, the school held its annual fall festival, where former students and educators returned to St. Mary's to celebrate a century of progress. To help students and alumni see how classes were conducted a century ago, the school re-created the orginal one room schoolhouse, with kindgarten through sixth grade in the same room.

Today, the students, families and staff at St. Mary's are recognized throughout the area for their exemplary record of service to their community. St. Mary's has been recognized for its work on behalf of the American Lung Association, the local Crisis Pregnancy Center and Catholic Charities.

I would like to congratulate Principal Cathy Robertson, Father Alan Hunter, and the students, teachers and staff of St. Mary's School, past and present, as they celebrate this important birthday and wish them another 100 years of success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Collinsville High School girls bowling team.

This outstanding and competitive group captured the Illinois High School Association's state championship in February by bowling a team total of 12,450 points, or an average of 207.5 per bowler. This is the first Collinsville High School championship since 1992 and the first girls state championship in the school's history. Special recognition went to Collinsville High School senior Frannie Steiner who bowled the top individual score at the state finals, finishing with a 229.7 average.

I join with the Members of this House in commending coach Sean Hay on his outstanding work with this team and congratulating the members of the Illinois state championship bowling team: Frannie Steiner, Katie Beauchamp, Lisa Graham, Brittany Warner, Sara Bell, Liz Huffman, Amber Burns and Elizabeth Beauchamp. I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Glen Carbon Centennial Library in Glen Carbon, Illinois, as it is recognized as the ``Best Small Library in America.''

The library's motto, ``More than you expect,'' is more than just a saying for the 15 librarians serving the community of Glen Carbon. For them, it is a commitment to stop at nothing to ensure that library patrons get the service they need. As a testament to the community's appreciation of the Centennial Library staff's dedication, the number of visitors to the library has increased 33 percent since 2007.

Because of this dedication to service, Library Journal named Glen Carbon Centennial Library its ``Best Small Library in America.'' The library staff has taken innovative approaches to addressing the needs of their patrons. One example is the ``No to Yes log,'' where the staff logs requests to which they had to say ``No.'' Then, at staff meetings they determine how to turn a ``No'' into a ``Yes'' so that they can better serve the community. In the words of one of the ``Best Small Library in America'' judges, ``Glen Carbon seems to be doing everything right.''

It is because of their hard work and dedication, that the Glen Carbon Centennial Library earned this honor. I would like to congratulate director Anne Hughes, the management team, librarians and volunteers who have made the library into the award-winning institution that it is today and wish them continued success in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize that this week of January 24-30, 2010, is National Nurse Anesthetist Week and want to acknowledge the high quality health care that Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) provide in my district and to patients around the U.S.

Nurse anesthetists have been providing anesthesia care to patients in the United States for nearly 150 years and are anesthesia professionals who safely administer approximately 32 million anesthetics to patients each year in the United States. They are the primary anesthesia providers in rural America, enabling healthcare facilities in these medically underserved areas to offer obstetrical, surgical, and trauma stabilization services. In some states, CRNAs are the sole providers in nearly 100 percent of the rural hospitals. Without CRNAs, America's seniors would lack the care they need since CRNAs predominate where more Medicare patients reside.

Furthermore, CRNAs practice in every setting in which anesthesia is delivered: traditional hospital surgical suites and obstetrical delivery rooms; critical access hospitals; ambulatory surgical centers; the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, plastic surgeons, and pain management specialists; and U.S. military, Public Health Services, and Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare facilities.

In fact, nurse anesthetists have been the main providers of anesthesia care to U.S. military men and women on the front lines since WWI, including current conflicts in the Middle East, and they are currently providing much needed care to patients in Haiti as they seek to recover from the recent devastating earthquakes.

Not only do they provide high quality anesthesia care in rural and medically underserved areas, they do so cost-effectively. It is no surprise that health plans increasingly recognize CRNAs for providing high-quality anesthesia care to patients, and for helping to control healthcare costs without cutting corners. In a time of escalating health care costs, it is important to note that the cost-efficiency of CRNAs helps control escalating healthcare costs.

In my own congressional district, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville is home to one of America's 108 accredited nurse anesthesia educational programs. The people of my community appreciate the very fine work of this institution, and the care provided by SIUE's CRNAs across central and southern Illinois and around the country.

For CRNAs across the U.S. and those serving our nation in the Armed Forces, I commend you for your work as a profession and your passion for patients.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my opposition to the encroachment of federal authority into matters of the state and the continued appeasement of environmental special interests over the well- being of the American people.

Several weeks ago, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency permitted the construction of a new coal gasification plant near Waltonville, IL. An appeal was filed to prevent construction with the U.S. EPA based on their ``finding that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases represent a significant threat to public health and welfare.''

Burdensome regulations levied on unsubstantiated science will destroy jobs. Coal gasification, the production of coal gas to convert

into liquid gasoline, is a real solution to rising energy prices and it creates jobs here in the United States.

Taking drastic precautionary steps like those suggested by the EPA will have profound consequences on workers in Southern Illinois and all people throughout the country. Government action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is not without a heavy cost. It is irresponsible for a group of unelected bureaucrats at the EPA to make significant policy decisions that will restrain and prevent job creation based on unproven science. The EPA's response to their endangerment findings will more certainly endanger the economic well-being of Americans than fulfill the Obama Administration's promise of reducing carbon emissions or lowering global temperature.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the achievements of the Principia College Solar Team at this year's Global Green Solar Challenge.

Thirty-two teams from around the world traveled to Darwin, Australia for a 3000 kilometer race across the Australian outback in solar powered cars. Only nine teams were able to finish the grueling challenge, included among them was this outstanding group from Elsah, Illinois. Principia's Ra7 finished seventh in the world in this year's race and third among American entries.

While other teams spent millions from corporate sponsorships, the Principia team spent less than $180,000. The winner, Tokai University of Japan, was sponsored by Sharp Electronics, a leader in solar engineering. This year's runner-up was sponsored by the European Space Agency. When the race was over, Principia earned the Safety Award from race officials, their fourth overall and first in international competition.

I want to congratulate John Broere (Director of Engineering Science), Joe Ritter (Assistant Dean of Academics) and the members of the Principia College Solar Team on their outstanding achievement. Their efforts have done much in accelerating this exciting field of scientific exploration.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Mount Vernon, Illinois for reaching the centennial milestone.

Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church opened in 1909 on Vaught Avenue in Mount Vernon and held services at the location throughout 1960's. After being sold, the congregation was unable to find a new location. Being unwilling to dissolve their tight-knit congregation, the Shiloh Missionary Baptist family held services at a member's home for years before acquiring property on Conger Avenue in Mount Vernon.

In spite of adversity, including a disastrous fire in 1999, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church has held true to its mission in the community and has become a part of Mount Vernon. Its congregation continues its outreach ministry to troubled youths and many others in the community.

I want to join with the members of this House in congratulating Reverend Lawrence James and the men and women of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church on celebrating one hundred years of good works, to thank them for all they do for our community and to wish them another hundred years of success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2055 in Centralia, Illinois, as they celebrate their 75th anniversary on December 18.

Post 2055 began in a renovated church in 1934 and was followed a year later by the chartering of the local VFW Ladies Auxiliary. The post has grown from its original membership of 56 to a high of more than 600 members.

The men and women of the Centralia VFW post have continued to serve their community and our nation long after their terms of active duty military service have ended. Post 2055 members assemble and send care packages to service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Members of VFW Post 2055 are dedicated to serving their community. They regularly volunteer at the local Veterans Administration hospital, teach firearms safety courses and participate in cancer research fundraisers.

I would like to thank the men and women of VFW Post 2055 in Centralia, Illinois, for their service to our nation, their continued support of America's soldiers and their dedication to their community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to join in the celebration of the 75th anniversary of an important community organization in Collinsville, Illinois.

The Junior Service Club has worked for three quarters of a century to better the lives of the children in the community. The group's volunteers have worked tirelessly to provide fun activities for the community's youth. Over the decades, they ensured the children had a good meal during the holidays and have taught them the value of service to one's neighbors.

The club's fundraising efforts have gone to benefit hospitals, fire victims, community parks, senior programs and scholarships for graduates of Collinsville High School. Today, the club consists of about 50 members. Many of the volunteers are teachers who represent the third generation of their family to belong to the Junior Service Club.

I want to join with the members of this House in congratulating the members of the Collinsville Junior Service Club on celebrating their 75th anniversary and thank them for their service. I want to wish them another 75 years of continued success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Judge Dorothy Spomer, who broke barriers as she served on the bench in Southern Illinois. Judge Spomer was recently honored at Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Inpiring Women Gala.

Judge Spomer graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1943, at the age of 22. Throughout her historic career, she set an example for other young women as the first female judge in Alexander County, the first female circuit judge in the First Judicial Circuit and the first woman to sit on the appellate court in the Fifth District.

A dedicated public servant, Judge Spomer came out of retirement in 1977, when Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joseph Goldenhersch called on her to serve on the appellate court in Mount Vernon.

Judge Spomer's example inspired her son, Judge Stephen Spomer, to carry on the proud famiy tradition of public service as he presides over the same Fifth District Appellate Court.

I would like to join Southern Illinois University Carbondale, as they honor her at their Inspiring Women Gala, in thanking Judge Dorothy Spomer for her lifelong service to Southern Illinois.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a century of service from an institution of healing in Centralia, Illinois.

St. Mary's Hospital opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1909 and has been serving the Centralia area since. As the city grew, the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ and the Felician Sisters worked to meet the medical needs of the growing population. In 1958, the hospital moved to a new 117-bed facility on Pleasant Avenue, where it went through 3 expansions 1969 to 1981.

In 1996, St. Mary's Hospital merged with Good Samaritan Regional Health Center in nearby Mt. Vernon. With the merger, they entered the 21st Century at the forefront of medical care. Over the last 100 years, the people at St. Mary's have not forgotten their core mission and have served our community with a level of devotion that is second to none.

I want to join with the members of this House and the residents of South Central Illinois in congratulating St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital on celebrating its centennial. I want to thank them for their healing ministry and to wish them continued success for the next hundred years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the achievements of an outstanding group of student-athletes from Springfield, Illinois.

The Springfield Senators girls cross country team took the state championship at this year's Illinois High School Association state finals November 7 at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Springfield High finished with a score of 124, six better than the runners-up from Yorkville. The Senators were led by Kirby Hale, who had the fourth-best overall time for the tournament, finishing in 17:51.

I want to congratulate Coach Dan Devlin, Assistant Coach Trae Cotner and the members of the 2009 Springfield Senators state champion cross country team: Kirby Hale, Madie Alexander, Maggie Cornelius, Christy Rolf, Jessica Larson, Leora Reyhan, Sarah Ward, Giuliana Bailey, Christina Kropid, Julia McClure, Erin Shultz and Lauren Smith. They have represented themselves, their school and our community in a first- rate fashion. I want to join with my colleagues in this House in wishing them continued success in their future academic and athletic endeavors.

Thank you, Mr. Barton.

I think what is important, Mr. Barton, was your focus on science and your focus on data points and what we should be able to do in the Chamber in a bipartisan manner is to agree on the data points. We should be able to agree on what the science is, and that's in question. And for many of us it has been in question for a long time.

We're joined by John Linder who's been following this as long as anyone else has, and part of his search has been because the scientists would not give the data. They would never tell us what's the base by which they're making this extrapolation. And so I'm glad that you highlighted the scientific method that I didn't get on the chart but I brought down here.

It's very simple. I taught high school. You're an engineer. I went to an engineering school. This is irrefutable. This is how science is done. You ask questions. You do background research. Background research in this debate would be to get the temperatures.

We're already questioning the background research, one, based upon the request from the Freedom of Information Act, and of course now our friends at the IPCC are saying, We don't have them. The dog ate the homework. It is amazing. Scientists are really some of the most respected professionals. But they're respected because of this, this process, which should be objective. You should be able to follow it. You should be able to construct a hypothesis. The hypothesis is an educated guess. That is all it is. It's not truth. It's a guess based upon the data points. And then you are--then you're to test it. And then you analyze the result and then draw your conclusions.

Based upon the scientific method, you can categorically say right now that those who say the science that solves are in error. The science does not solve. That is why all of this political activity is going on right now. That is why now the EPA administrator is saying, We're going to do endangerment findings. They want to do it before we are able to educate the public that the science is not solid. And they are not providing us with the data points, they're not complying with Freedom of Information Act requests. And so this process is skewed.

So when they tested it, they found out that the results didn't match their educated guess. And what did they do? These scientists are politicians. They went into--we call it in the military they went and holed up. They lowered the turrets; they got under ground. Don't ask questions. And here are some of the emails, in essence, to prove that.

Here's the first one.

``The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment, and it is a travesty that we can't.''

12 October, 2009, at 8:57.

As of 2 months ago, we can't account for the lack of warming.

There's two things here. First of all, they say we can't account for the lack of warming. So their background research, he is already trying to skew the research. And he has an emotional response: ``It's a shame. I'm saddened.'' Scientists shouldn't be emotionally attached to the data. This is the data. Let's test it.

What we would encourage our friends on the other side to say is, in a bipartisan manner, let's get the facts on the table, and let's get the scientists to look at the facts. The facts are being hidden. That is sad.

One is they don't have the facts; two is he's emotionally distraught because his hypotheses cannot be proven.

Here's another one to the ranking member. ``I can't see either of these papers being in the next International Panel on Climate Change report. Kevin and I will keep them out somehow--even if we have to redefine what the peer-review literature is.''

Here's another process on the scientific message. Analyze the results. Draw conclusions. They have got some--they've done some analysis that doesn't support it. So are they going to add that in a scientific objective fashion, say, This is what we believe, but there are some who disagree--they say that the facts don't speak for the hypotheses? No. These scientists say, We're going to bury it. We're going to hide it. We don't want the public to know.

Can you imagine scientists doing that?

Again, the scientific community is one of the most respected communities because they go by the scientific method.

Here they admit that they're going to keep the analyses out of the report--two analyses that contradict what they want their hypothesis to be.

He is the person who just resigned.

That is correct.

They are the foremost promoters of the theory.

And there's the followup. Are they receiving taxpayer dollars to promote this theory through the IPCC, which is the U.N. International Panel on Climate Change, or Virginia.edu, and you could speculate that there are DOE grants, EPA money, going. And another thing, these scientists are for hire. They're for hire.

I will yield.

I believe that those who seek taxpayer dollars--we know here that agencies and programs never go away. If that's why they're not providing the data, that's why they're hiding the fact of the last decade--can you imagine us in this environment of trying to get control of the deficit and the debt, and we're spending billions of dollars to scientists who are not using the scientific method?

So, yes, they're on the dole. They want to keep their jobs so they're continuing to promote and deceive the public. I don't know. I would say it's pretty damaging to their name, to the community, and also to the taxpayers.

Now, if I may, I have one more that I'd like to share. And there are tons. I mean, these are just a small sampling. The ones I picked out I kind of wanted to address the scientific method.

Again, as an engineer, give us the facts, give us the data, test the data, prove if it's right or wrong. If it's wrong, get an analysis, and then maybe try again. Retest it. Let's retest the data point.

Here is another one: I've just completed Mike's Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years, i.e. from 1981 onwards, 20 years, for Keith to hide the decline.

So now, not only are they not providing the data, they are keeping the analysis from being reported in the IPCC report, and they are jimmying the numbers. They are actually using tricks.

These are scientists. Now, we are politicians. I think people would have some skepticism. We don't claim to be--you claim to be an engineer; I went to engineering school. I understand it, but if you were building a bridge, or if you were designing a building, and you jimmied the numbers on the tensile strength of the steel, you would be in real trouble because the design would be faulty, and the building would collapse.

Their design, Administrator Jackson's design to remake the United States is on faulty data. It is on data that has been jimmied. And this house of cards will collapse, and it will be jobs in the wake on faulty data.

Now, bring us real data. Go through the scientific method. Test it, but don't hide it. Don't trick us. Don't deceive us. Don't discourage your profession of scientists by staying on the public dole to receive taxpayer money to continue to promote a fraud, a fraud on the American public. So that's why I real appreciate, Congressman Barton, that you've taken this time to help address this. There's a lot of education. And this education has to go on now because they are going to be making decisions in Copenhagen. They are going to try to bind us to stuff on faulty data.

You bet they are. The International Panel on Climate Change, they are the U.N. designees to continue to provide the information to the folks who attend the conference upon which they make the decisions.

Our lifestyle would be dramatically different.

We rely on jobs and our environment on cheap energy. And as you know I'm from the coalfields of southern Illinois, and I spent this whole year and last year fighting for our coal reserves and the importance of that. And I usually bring another poster of miners who lost their jobs during the last cycle, 1,200 miners in one mine. The State of Ohio lost 35,000 coal miner jobs. That is just a fraction of what we will see in this country if we roll back the carbon emissions, and if they could prove it, but they can't.

Carbon dioxide is not a toxic emission. And that is what Administrator Jackson just said.

I would encourage you to keep up the great work. Thank you for letting me join you.