Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Congress, to acknowledge George Grugett, a man who has devoted his life to his country and to his community at large. Currently, he serves the Mississippi valley as the Executive Vice President of the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Association, a post he has held since 1980.

Mr. Grugett was born and raised in West Tennessee and while he has always been a part of the Mississippi valley, he has served his country bravely outside American borders. After completing his training with the Aviation Cadet Training, United States Army Air Corps, he flew with the 12th Air Force in the European Theatre of Operations in WWII.

After the war, Mr. Grugett obtained a degree in civil engineering and worked as a civilian employee of the Corp of Engineers. Upon his retirement in 1978 after 35 years of service, he was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award and was inducted into the Gallery of Distinguished Civilian Employees, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1991; awards befitting his commitment and his abilities. He retired from the Corp of Engineers to take up his position with the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Association.

In addition to an impressive record of public service, Mr. Grugett remains active in his church and community. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, the Scottish Rite Shrine, American Legion and the Society of American Military Engineers.

In light of recent natural disasters, I can't help but think of our own corner of the world and how thankful I am for people like George Grugett, who have worked with such dedication to foster flood control, bank stabilization, drainage and navigation; everyone of them integral to the survival of our area both economically and physically. On behalf of the Congress, I thank George for his dedication and congratulate him for his years of skilled service to his country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a company that has spent 100 years making a name for itself and has been with our U.S. Armed Forces every step of the way. I am proud to recognize Belleville Shoe and Belleville Shoe South, Inc. in this Congress for their commitment to their community and all they do for our nation's soldiers.

While Belleville Shoe in Southwestern Illinois marks its 100th anniversary this year, Belleville Shoe South, based in DeWitt, Arkansas, has been a part of the Belleville Shoe Manufacturing Company since spring of 2002. It was then that Belleville reopened the DeWitt shoe plant that had closed four months earlier; today that plant employs 650 people, pumping $12 million in wages into the local economy annually.

Perhaps most important is the product the plant produces: boots for the U.S. Army. The plant's employees turn out an astonishing 3,600 boots each day for the Department of Defense and do so with a great deal of pride, knowing they are making shoes for America's military men and women.

Not surprisingly, much of the credit for Belleville's success belongs to the Weidmann family that has overseen the company since its creation in 1904. What started with William Weidmann in 1904 and has been passed down to the fourth generation in Eric Weidmann today has become a company that reflects the family that created it. Compassionate, unwavering and innovative.

Belleville Shoe has also improved the quality of life for many in DeWitt and the surrounding areas. The wages and benefits it offers exceed the area average; in fact, many employees have never had any benefits before working for Belleville. When a qualified labor pool in DeWitt began to dry up, Belleville hired two transportation companies to operate a van service to bring in about 100 employees from outlying areas to work at the plant.

On behalf of the Congress, I am honored to recognize Belleville Shoe and their contributions to the community they live in as well as the military community they serve so proudly. They are a shining example of what can transpire when a company treats its employees with respect, helps its community grow and creates a product that moves this country forward--one step at a time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man with a very impressive public service record. Jonesboro Mayor Hubert Brodell is retiring after 17 years of serving the needs of Jonesboro's citizens. He has served four consecutive terms as mayor and will be stepping down this year. I would like to pay tribute to his service and dedication and acknowledge his retirement today.

Hubert Brodell has worked very hard for both the economic development and the industrial growth of Jonesboro. Under his leadership, the city has expanded by 2/3 its original size, primarily due to the 1987 annexation referendum he put together to prepare for future growth. This has allowed and also attracted various industries to the area. The population has doubled during his time in office, and Mayor Brodell has risen to the challenges of a growing community by meeting them head on. He implemented the 911 Center that expanded and improved emergency services; maintained a goal of keeping the streets and highways up to par; and worked fervently with city services to better meet the needs of all who call Jonesboro home.

In his personal life, Hubert Brodell is a family man. He has been married to his wife, Dorothy, for 50 years and has 6 children and 17 grandchildren. He has decided this to be his last term so he can spend more time with the people he loves.

So on behalf of the U.S. Congress, I extend my sincerest appreciation to Hubert Brodell for his outstanding service and citizenship. Jonesboro and all of Northeast Arkansas is a better place to live and work because of his service, and I am proud to call him my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Wesley and Ella Mae Rooks. They are a very special couple who have given so much to the community they adopted over forty years ago. Wesley came to Gillett, Arkansas, as a math teacher, and Ella Mae found a job in a neighboring town as a secretary. Eventually, Ella Mae was employed as a secretary to the principal at Gillett High School where Wesley was teaching.

Mr. Speaker, there is no way to adequately measure the positive influence Wesley and Ella Mae had on the young people of Gillett in their years at Gillett High School. I personally know from my own children's experience how they valued every child and encouraged them in their class work and in life beyond the classroom. They were demanding of a child's best, expected it, and did so with a large dose of good humor. Young people knew the Rooks were rooting for them to succeed.

Their retirement has given them other outlets to find ways of encouraging others. Whatever need presents itself, they respond.

So on behalf of the U.S. Congress, I take this opportunity to wish Wesley my congratulations on his 80th birthday, and he and Ella Mae are both congratulated on being loved and appreciated by a host of friends and relatives. They are the essence of what makes America great. I am indeed blessed to have them as my friends and neighbors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Georgea Black McKinley, an Arkansan whose dedication to her family, her church and her community was as strong as the constitution of her pioneering ancestors.

Mrs. McKinley could trace her family roots all the way back to the true founders of this great nation: America's first pioneers. In order to stay in touch with her historic and noble history, Mrs. McKinley was a member of the Arkansas Pioneers, United Daughters of the Confederacy and Daughters of the American Revolution.

Born in DeWitt, Arkansas, she was the daughter of the late Lester A. and Mary Black. Mrs. McKinley attended DeWitt schools, Ward Belmont School in Nashville, Tennessee and then Randolph Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Mrs. McKinley's family holds a special place in my own career, as well. It was Georgea's father, L.A., who had vision of how crucial water is to a farmer. I have no doubt Mr. Black also passed down his knowledge of irrigation strategies and water management issues to his daughter. I never met him, but the legacy of the value of water has impacted my home community forever.

Georgea McKinley was an active Methodist, but her commitments to her community did not stop at the church steps. She was a member of the Aesthetic Club, The Colonial Dames of America, Little Rock Garden Club, Junior League of Little Rock and the Edelweiss Club.

Mrs. McKinley leaves behind a large and loving family filled with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. On behalf of the Congress, I extend sympathies to her family and the utmost respect to a woman whose love for her friends and family was unlimited and whose time was generously shared with the community. Georgea Black McKinley was a true role model, and I am honored to be able to recognize her in this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding me this time. I cannot think of a more disturbing situation than we face today. I hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk about this great prosperity that we are enjoying. We all know that is not true. We all know that the average family in this country, at least in the First Congressional District of Arkansas, the average family has lost $1,500 a year in income. The cost of gasoline has doubled. The cost of health care is so high they just simply cannot afford it anymore, yet we are presented with this idea.

If we do this ridiculous thing, and we continue on this path of reducing taxes on the very wealthiest people in this country, and allow working people to be taken advantage of in the way that is happening today, it is going to destroy this country. I agree with the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor), this is immoral.

It is wrong to continue to add debt on top of debt on top of debt on our children and grandchildren. No right-thinking person in the world would do that, and yet the Republicans all continue to want to do that. And then my

colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk about how prosperous we are.

My goodness alive, if we are doing so good, how did we go from a $5 trillion surplus to $3 trillion in additional debt? That is impossible if we are doing well. You do not have to be all broken out with brains to figure this out. My colleagues do not want to do this to their children and grandchildren, and I do not either.

Madam Speaker, I remember in 1995 when the leadership on the other side of the aisle stood before this House and talked about how they wanted to see Medicare and Social Security wither on the vine. It is a matter of public record. It is not speculation; it is not putting words in someone's mouth. Now they have been in power long enough to begin to accomplish that goal.

Part B Medicare premiums have gone up 17 percent, from $66.60 to $78.20. We have raised $10 a year the deductible for part B services, and the story goes on and on. This is a catastrophic event for senior citizens, particularly in rural America, where they get charged four times as much for their prescription medicine as anyone else in the world.

This administration has been working on this issue for 4 years. It gets worse and worse and worse. It is time to make a change.

Mr. Speaker, I find this debate we are having this evening most amazing. I was eating breakfast Monday morning with a dear friend of mine. He is a farmer and lives on the bank of the St. Francis River in Clay County, Arkansas. He is full of wisdom. He knows that if you do not make a crop, you cannot pay the bank off. He understands that. We were sitting there eating breakfast just at daylight looking out across some beautiful cotton; and he said, Marion, those guys are not going to know they are broke until they have sold their last chicken. We have already sold our last chicken, and you guys want to just keep borrowing money and borrowing money and piling the debt on top of debt on top of debt on top of my grandchildren.

Like everyone that has grandchildren, I think they are the most special thing, and it breaks my heart to see what you all are doing to them and this country. I do not see how you can continue to deceive yourselves and try to deceive this great Nation by doing that. And you can talk about raising taxes and you can talk about whatever you want to. The bottom line is, you cannot hide from that debt. You got to pay it. You got to pay the interest on it. There is no place to go when it gets so high that nobody can afford it, and we are already there. Yet you want to keep playing these little games. There are lots of things you can say about this, but one thing is for sure: it is irresponsible.

I do not think anybody has children or grandchildren that they do not care a lot about and they love them deeply and they do not want to leave them in debt.

I remember so well when President Bush first came into office and the Blue Dogs reached out to him and said we know you want to cut taxes. We will work with you. We will help you. But let us not get back into that deficit ditch. He sent Vice President Cheney to the Blue Dog meeting and it took him about 3 minutes to say we think you are pretty good folks, but we do not need you and we do not care whether you like it or not, we are going to do this, and they did. And they took a $5 trillion surplus and squandered it. It is gone. There is not a dime left in the trust funds of Medicare, Social Security. They are all gone. It has been spent. And we are deeper in debt today than we have ever been.

Then they sent this little fellow, Mitch Daniels, to explain to the poor, ignorant Blue Dogs that these tax cuts were going to create so much prosperity that our greatest danger in this country was going to be that we would not have any bonds to sell because we were going to be out of debt and we would not have to borrow any money. Not a more ridiculous idea has ever been presented in this building, and there have been some real dandies brought forth.

The fact is, the Nation is bankrupt, the $5 trillion surplus is squandered, the ability to deal with Medicare and Social Security is gravely threatened, and nobody wants to acknowledge it. It is like, oh, just say it does not matter. Just tell them anything. The American people are smarter than that.

Some day, you guys will figure that out. I hope I am still around when that happens, but I hope my children and grandchildren do not have to pay the bill for it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud Wal-Mart's recent investment in community. Wal-Mart has decided to look no further than America's backyard to facilitate the manufacturing of quality products from a quality company here at home, Pinnacle Frames & Accents. Wal- Mart's recent decision to renew its contract with Pinnacle displays the company's desire to help the American worker as well as stimulate the American economy.

Wal-Mart deserves praise for making a conscious effort to employ American workers producing American products. Not only has Wal-Mart supported a superior company manufacturing a superior product, but it has deliberately strengthened the company's own ties within the community.

As a further example of Wal-Mart's commitment to community, as Reservists and members of the National Guard are called up for duty, Wal-Mart has ensured our brave men and women receive 100% of their salary while they are protecting our freedoms abroad. This selfless act on behalf of our troops is rare and sets an example we can only hope the rest of corporate America will follow.

Pinnacle Frames & Accents, who just recently renewed their contract with Wal-Mart, is located in Piggott and Pocahontas, Arkansas and maintains a commitment to creating excellent products through their diligent work ethic and professional attention to detail. Pinnacle's employees are hardworking Americans eager and enthusiastic to produce the best products on the market. Wal-Mart, through its recent contract, has proved that one does not have to venture outside of the U.S. to find first-rate, premium products at a fair price like those produced by Pinnacle.

On behalf of the Congress, I recognize Wal-Mart for its decision to continue to invest in its rural roots as well as Pinnacle for their devoted workers and their distinguished business ideals. Wal-Mart's interest in American business practices is apparent through the renewal of this contract with Pinnacle who jointly shares in the company's desire to manufacture superior, quality products.

Mr. Speaker, I come here night after night, and I see these Howdy Doody neo-cons come to the well and present this ridiculous idea that everything is all right, everything is wonderful. All we need to do is just keep cutting taxes and borrowing money and acting like we have not got good sense, and everything is just going to be wonderful.

I heard a speech this evening about how great the economy is in Tennessee, and I just ask you one question, Mr. Speaker, if things are so doggone good, how come we are broke?

I met with the manufacturer of Army boots last week. He was not complaining. I just happened to run into him, and we had a conversation. He was not asking me to do anything. He said, We do not have money to warehouse Army boots for our troops. We have to ship them directly to the field because we do not have the money to buy any more Army boots for the troops until the year comes in, until October. He said, We are making boots and warehousing them at our own expense so that they will be ready when the time comes because we do not want our men and women in the battlefields to not have boots.

I was just astounded because I hear these folks come down here and talk about how wonderful it is. This is insane what is going on here. We cut taxes and brag about what happens that is good about it. We borrow money that our children, our grandchildren will not even be able to pay back, and act like we do not know what the consequences of all this is going to be. And it is the Republicans that are doing it.

All we get to do is come down here and have a 5-minute discussion about why it is the wrong idea. You have heard tonight, 70 percent of our debt is being bought by foreigners; we have borrowed $2.5 trillion, and we owe another $2 trillion in current account deficits. You cannot be broke and free. Everybody knows that.

Health care costs are in runaway conditions because the Republicans and the Republican administration are so determined to pass public law and public policy that gives the pharmaceutical companies the exclusive right to rob the American people.

You cannot fund veterans, you vote to send men and women on the battlefields and then you do not have enough money to pay for the veterans benefits that they are entitled to, and you keep coming back with budgets that cut that and then come back here and talk about how wonderful things are.

I do not know what in the world they are thinking about. Where I come from it is just as bad to be lying as it is to be stealing.

I just wonder, where is the vision?

There was an article in The Washington Post yesterday about where are the patriotic businessmen; where are the people in this country, the leaders in the business community that used to stand up and say, This is a bad idea, do not do this. It will hurt everybody. It will hurt our children and grandchildren. We want this country to continue to be good and strong and wonderful like we have had it. And yet these people come down here and try to blow smoke at everybody and tell them everything is going to be all right and it is going to be wonderful; and then they put everybody's children and grandchildren at risk.

I just wonder where is the vision. What were you people thinking about?

We met with Mr. Cheney, the Blue Dogs, we met with Vice President Cheney back in the Spring of 2001. He said, we think you are nice people, but we can cram this down your throat and that is what we are going to do. And they did. We voted against it.

Then they send that little fellow over there from OMB, I cannot remember his name. He is running for Governor of Indiana today. And he said, Do not worry. We are going to have so much money, we will not even have any bonds to sell. Now look at this mess we have got.

It is time for us to do something about it. And the good news is it is up to the American people, and we still get to vote in November, and we are going to make the decision.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding citizen and an admirable leader, COL Jack Scherer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Memphis District.

On July 12th, COL Scherer will step down as Memphis District Commander after finishing his 3-year term. He leaves behind a legacy of infrastructure and development all along the Mississippi River from Cairo, Illinois, to Rosedale, Mississippi.

COL Scherer has served his country with distinction as a member of several troop assignments including as Platoon Leader, Company XO and Battalion Logistics Officer for the 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He also commanded Company E (Mobile Assault Brigade), 1st Engineer Battalion, and 82nd Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized).

His wide-ranging experience in the field and with the Defense Logistics Agency in Ft. Belvoir, VA, has led to a vision and knowledge of water-borne infrastructure far exceeding the norm. The rivers and levees, especially the Mississippi River and tributaries, of our area have not known a greater advocate than COL Scherer; his absence from our future efforts will be terribly apparent.

In addition to his infrastructure development, COL Scherer has been involved in many humanitarian relief operations. Deployed to Bosnia- Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Guard, he was the Multi- National Division (North) Engineer. While there, he coordinated the work of eight national engineer units supervising land mine-removal operations.

COL Jack Scherer is a hero not only for his courage and leadership as Army colonel, but for his commitment to the infrastructure our region is so reliant upon. On behalf of the Congress, I extend deep appreciation to COL Scherer for his leadership and his dedication to making the area's waterways efficient and practical.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great civic leader and great Arkansan; I am honored to recognize Phil Jones in the Congress. His recent death was a great loss to his community, his family, his state, and this Nation.

Phil Jones' commitment to Northeast Arkansas was beyond compare. Mr. Jones demonstrated an energy few can match. In addition to tirelessly serving his church and his community, he is survived by his seven children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Mr. Jones was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and graduated from Jonesboro High School. He served his country honorably as a supply corps officer in the U.S. Navy during the Korean Conflict and has served in a public accounting practice since the late 1950s. Mr. Jones is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants (ASCPA) and received the First Annual ASCPA Outstanding CPA in Business and Industry Award for his accomplishments in the field. Most notable in a distinguished professional career was more than 40 years of service with Hytrol Conveyer Company, most recently as vice chairman of the board of directors prior to his retirement last year.

But Mr. Jones made one of the most important realizations a member of a rural community can make: education and health care drive a region's growth. Mr. Jones graciously served on several boards affecting education issues for students ranging in age from kindergarten to college. He also served on a fund raising committee for St. Bernard's Cancer Treatment Center, as a board member of St. Bernard's Hospital Development Foundation, and as president of the Parish Council at Blessed Sacrament Church.

Mr. Jones' commitment to others did not end at our Nation's borders, however. He and his wife, Flo, helped bring health care to the under- privileged in Mexico, Colombia and the Czech Republic.

Phil Jones knew that in order for a community to thrive, it must be supported by those within it. He was an impassioned community leader and was deeply devoted to his family. On behalf of the Congress, I extend sympathies to his family, and gratitude for all he did to make the world a better place.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my concerns with the alarming state of immigration in this country. As a member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I have heard numerous officials testify to the porous state of both our northern and southern borders. For example, the U.S. Border Patrol has reported a jump in illegal migration rates of 25% to 535,000. In Tucson, Arizona alone, the Border Patrol averages daily arrests of 2,000. Border Patrol agents continue to be overworked and understaffed. The U.S. continues to add millions of illegal aliens to its population. We must start taking a hard look at how to handle the influx of people entering into the U.S. I believe that any discussion of our immigration policy should begin with the security of our borders. As we continue to combat terrorism and heightened terrorist threats, we must begin working towards solutions to help our agents and secure our borders.

As the tragic events of 9/11 demonstrated, our immigration system needs a major and comprehensive review. Our borders are a security gap that must be addressed now. The challenges we face with our immigration policy are well known to Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Administration. The time has come for us to act now on preserving our security and liberty.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a man who embodies philanthropy. Wallace Fowler has worked for years growing the business communities of rural America. His successes are many, but it is his unabashed willingness to give back to his community that demands recognition.

Mr. Fowler was educated in Arkansas and has worked in The Natural State since the 1950's. Today, he serves as Chairman or vice-chairman for a half-dozen companies in Arkansas. He sits on several civic commissions, planning associations, and development councils. His list of honors is long and distinguished.

Blessed with an appreciation of local and rural business communities, Mr. Fowler has dedicated his life to growing rural America one business at a time. As Chairman of several local banks, he knows better than most how to give a helping hand when it's needed. More importantly he has learned rural America is capable of achieving its goals if given a chance.

He has been awarded most recently with the Arkansas State University (ASU) Indian Club's Distinguished Service Award, the Jonesboro, Arkansas, University Rotary Club's Vocational Excellence Award and ASU College of Business' Executive of the Year. These awards, along with the several others he has earned, are ample proof of his unrelenting drive and his strength of character; but they do not accurately depict his generosity.

On behalf of the Congress, I extend the utmost respect and thanks to a man who not only grew businesses and communities through his professional life, but also gave his personal time to the same goals. Mr. Fowler is a devout family man and a distinguished Arkansan and I am honored to recognize him, a great friend, in this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great Arkansan and an outstanding citizen with a long history of service to his country. I am proud to recognize Riley P. Porter and congratulate him on his recent promotion from Colonel to Brigadier General.

Born and raised in Arkansas, Gen. Porter is a native of West Helena, and a 1974 graduate of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Upon completion of his degree in business administration and marketing, Gen. Porter committed to the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

After completing a rigorous pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Gen. Porter's commitment to service continued by attending the Strategic Air Command Combat Crew Training in the KC-135 at Castle Air Force Base in California. In 1981, Gen. Porter joined the Arkansas Air National Guard at the Little Rock Air Force Base and is now an accomplished command pilot with more than 5,700 flying hours in training, tanker and airlift aircraft.

Gen. Porter's abilities and leadership are exemplified in the many awards and decorations he has earned, including the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Outstanding Excellence Award with one oak leaf cluster, and the National Defense Service Medal with service star.

Gen. Porter continues to serve his country with distinction as the Chief of Staff for the Arkansas Air National Guard and Joint Force Component Commander. Throughout his career, Brigadier General Riley P. Porter has served his country with honor and dignity. On behalf of the Congress, I would like to extend our gratitude and appreciation for his service and commitment to our great Nation.