Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor President Ma Ying-jeou and the people of Taiwan as they celebrate their centennial National Day on October 10, 2011.

Nearly 65,000 Taiwanese-Americans live in the Chicagoland area, and I am always impressed by their engagement in the political process and pride in their culture and history.

Taiwan is an important friend and ally of the United States. The United States and Taiwan enjoy a robust trade relationship that totals $59 billion in goods and services, making Taiwan the ninth-largest U.S. trade partner. Taiwan also stands as a strong democracy in the Asian- Pacific region.

It is important to mention the strides Taiwan has made in improving its relationship with mainland China too. The most significant development in recent times was the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement on June 29, 2010. The agreement reduced tariffs and trade barriers between the two sides, improving not just bilateral trade, but the cross-strait relationship. Regular dialogue between Taiwan and mainland China has also helped reduce military tensions.

Please join me in congratulating President Ma and the people of Taiwan as they celebrate their centennial National Day, and in wishing them many more years of friendship, prosperity, and peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Harold Blanchard Mackenzie, a model constituent and a loyal citizen to the United States.

Harold was born on October 14, 1913, in Forsyth, Montana. Harold's great-grandfather and grandfather, Jonathan and Charles Blanchard, were the first two Presidents of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, where he would often visit as a young boy. He eventually attended Wheaton College, graduating in 1936. He then went on to graduate from law school at Northwestern University in Chicago in 1940 and was admitted to the Illinois Bar.

That same year Harold felt the call of duty and enlisted in the Illinois National Guard in what would become the 9th Armored Division. In 1944, along with the Division, Harold sailed to Europe and participated in some of the most pivotal moments of World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge, the Battle at Bastogne, and the capture of Ludendorf Bridge at Remagen, Germany, in 1945. Harold was also a witness to the horrors of the Holocaust when he visited Buchenwald concentration camp a day after its liberation.

Upon returning home to Wheaton, Harold opened his own firm and practiced law for over fifty years, earning widespread respect and admiration for his legal advice. Always a generous man with a servant heart, Harold would often do work pro bono.

This generosity was a reflection of his deep faith in God. An active member of Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church for more than fifty years, Harold would frequently serve on the church's Missions and Evangelism Committees. He also played a key role in the founding of the Christian Medical Society, the Christian Booksellers' Association, the Evangelical Child and Family Agency, and the Missionary Furlough Homes Foundation.

Mr. Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, Mr. Harold Blanchard Mackenzie was a man who understood well his duty to family, to his country and to God. After ninety-seven years of a life of commitment, love and sacrifice, he is worthy of our deepest honor, respect and admiration. Please join me in remembering him as a shining example of the best the ``Greatest Generation'' ever had to offer.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I sit back, and as we are watching the debate today, I have got to take my hat off to the gentleman from Maryland, who I think has the toughest job in the whole Chamber, Mr. Speaker; and that is, he is basically, today, the lawyer for the status quo. And that's a tough job. That's a tough argument to make. No matter how thoughtful the arguments have been on this side of the aisle that there is an urgency, no matter how poignant the arguments are that there is an urgency, no matter how jarring the unemployment figures are at 9.2 percent, no matter what the rating agencies are saying, the gentleman from Maryland is basically saying: No, no, no, there's a better plan.

But I would submit that there is no better plan. There is no more balanced plan than cut, cap, and balance.

Most Americans as they are listening to this debate, they are hearing Washington, D.C., basically say hold the line. Defend the status quo. Lash ourselves to the mast and we're going to get around the cape, by golly, if we only stick on the current course. Well, the current course is a failure. There's nobody who can defend the status quo with a straight face.

What happens now is this majority has come up and said: Okay, there is a pathway forward, and the pathway forward is immediate short term and long term. And I don't see what the argument is.

I am happy to yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

I will graciously reclaim my time.

Furthermore, they are doing it in an orderly basis; that is, amending the Constitution forthrightly and directly.

I think, in closing, Mr. Speaker, my hat is off to the gentleman from Maryland who, no matter what the majority has come up with, always comes up with some argument that just defies logic. But I think most Americans, as they are listening to this debate, are saying cut it, cap it, and balance it. And do it now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an aspiring leader from my Congressional District, Madeleine Jaras. Madeleine's essay was recently selected as the winner of the City of Elmhurst's ``Mayor for a Day'' competition. On behalf of this Congressional body, I welcome Madeleine and her family to our nation's capital.

The text of Madeleine's essay reads as follows: ``If I were Mayor of Elmhurst, I would demonstrate my Trustworthiness to the citizens of Elmhurst by following through with my promises, being honest, being reliable, being loyal, being dependable, and having the courage to do the right thing, not always the easy thing. All these things are hard sometimes, but if I were Mayor, I would try my hardest to make the citizens safe, happy, and help the city of Elmhurst blossom into an even greater community than the past leaders have made it.''

Even in her youth, Madeleine recognizes that in light of today's critical debates, tough decisions need to be made with great integrity. Madeleine's virtuous beliefs should serve as a reminder to all citizens and leaders that we should be courteous of others, and that honesty is of utmost importance. Her positive outlook is exemplary of her outstanding character.

Mr. Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, Madeleine Jaras is a promising young leader, full of modesty and confidence. It is truly a privilege to serve as her Representative. Please join me in honoring Madeleine's spirit and wishing her all the best in her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to recognize the valiant efforts of Joel Arnier, an 18-year firefighter-paramedic from Addison, Illinois.

A few weeks ago, while fishing on the Fox River, Joel heard a woman screaming for help in the distance. Sensing trouble, Joel rushed to the scene and discovered that the woman's infant daughter had fallen into the water. Joel immediately recognized the urgency of the situation and quickly began performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After a few critical minutes of attentive care, Joel was able to successfully revive the infant and save her life.

Although Joel was off-duty that day, he did not hesitate to come to the mother's assistance. Joel's training and expertise allowed him to respond promptly and effectively to such an urgent and terrifying incident. Every day, heroic men and women like Joel keep our communities safe, and they deserve to be recognized.

Mr. Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, please join me in commending Joel Arnier for his extraordinary effort.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to recognize Kevin and Sarah Diamond of Elmhurst, Illinois, for their outstanding display of service.

On May 5, 2011, Kevin and Sarah were presented with the Elmhurst Jaycees Distinguished Service Award. Each year, this award is given to a resident in recognition of one's dedication to bettering the City of Elmhurst. Typically, the Distinguished Service Award is reserved for a single person, but in this case, both were seen as deserving of this honor.

Kevin and Sarah have been involved with numerous improvement projects in Elmhurst. In particular, Kevin led the passage of a referendum that brought new classrooms to every school in District 205. Kevin is especially active with the Elmhurst Children's Assistance Fund, which provides assistance to families with children impacted by a serious medical or disabling condition. Sarah serves on the board of the local YMCA and has assisted with the organization's fundraising efforts. She previously served on the District 205 Foundation Board, and has recently joined the Hospital Board. In addition to participating in all these volunteer activities, Kevin and Sarah are also busy raising three daughters.

The Diamonds have demonstrated exceptional civic service, and I am proud to represent them. Mr. Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, please join me in commending Kevin and Sarah Diamond for their extraordinary commitment to their community.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

My colleague from Connecticut talked about a guarantee. Well, there is one guarantee that is for sure, Mr. Chairman, and that is the guarantee that Medicare as we know it is a pipe dream into perpetuity. It's going broke. The guarantee that the Democratic House has brought us in the past is a guarantee that says 47 percent of our debt obligations are to foreigners.

We are guaranteed right now to borrow 40 cents on every dollar unless we do something about it. So what do we do about it? There are famous themes in literature that fast-forward into the future. You get a glimpse of the reality of the future, and then we always love it when the hero comes back and says, Oh, here's what's going on. There's a choice. Let's make a good choice and let's move forward.

Well, we don't need fiction today. What we need is the clear-eyed reality of what these numbers present to us, and they present to us a choice:

We can either choose to do nothing, and I would say that is choosing, or we can choose to do something. We can choose to do a historic plan that brings a brightness to the economy, that creates jobs and opportunity, that doesn't mortgage our children's future to China and ultimately puts the U.S. on a global competitive basis, the likes of which the world will have never seen.

This is a time of choosing. Let's move forward and choose the House Republican plan, which makes guarantees and makes promises that we can keep with.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the vital contributions made by our nation's nurses and call attention to the quality healthcare services that nurses provide to patients within my district and across the nation. As the largest group of health professionals, nurses serve among healthcare providers on the front lines of our delivery system.

Whether in a school, a physician's office, or a hospital setting, nurses provide the personal attention that is necessary for their patients.

I commend the great commitment that these educated and qualified nurses consistently give to their profession and to their patients, despite the challenges they face. Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with a registered school nurse, Susan Voss, from Elk Grove Village, Illinois. She came to our nation's Capitol as part of the Nurse in Washington Internship Program to share her own experiences in the healthcare field.

In our meeting, Ms. Voss spoke passionately about her work and the students she serves. The devotion she has towards her profession is extraordinary. Every day, Susan drives over one hundred miles to help students and faculty with their routine treatments. In addition to her daily duties, she assists and monitors students with special needs. Her love for nursing and her dedication make her a powerful advocate for the nursing profession.

I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding Ms. Voss and nurses throughout the U.S. that help deliver quality healthcare services to American families.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to recognize Tristan Fissette, an exceptional and accomplished young man from the Sixth District of Illinois. Tristan is a recent recipient of a grant award from Our Military Kids and was selected as one of four honorary ``Our Military Kids of the Year.''

Serving our country requires an extraordinary sacrifice from service members and their families. Founded in 2004, Our Military Kids has provided grants to children of deployed military personnel to be put towards fine arts activities, sports programs and academic tutoring.

At the early age of eight, Tristan began taking karate lessons. His primary aspiration was to obtain a black belt by the time his father returned from his second deployment to Kuwait. With the help of a grant from Our Military Kids, and personal determination, Tristan was able to reach this goal. Tristan has also been involved in ``Feed My Starving Children,'' a distribution program that prepares bags of food for children in need in developing countries. At home, Tristan has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to his family and community. In his father's absence, Tristan has been diligent about completing household chores and maintains excellent grades in school. As the eldest child, he has set a good example for his younger brother and sister. Tristan possesses great potential, and it will be incredible to see how he applies his talents in the future.

April is the Month of the Military Child, and as such, I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate this special occasion. Mr. Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, please join me in honoring Tristan for his remarkable achievements.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Republican Conference, I send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Linda Jackson's 20th anniversary of serving on the Glendale Heights Village Board, and her 10th anniversary serving as Village President. This is an extraordinary milestone in that it makes her the longest serving public official on the Glendale Heights Village Board as well as the longest serving Village President.

As a resident of Glendale Heights for 37 years, Mayor Jackson has distinguished herself as a well-respected leader. Prior to becoming Mayor, she was an Elected Trustee in 1991, 1995 and 1999. Throughout her career, Mayor Jackson has served on numerous Village Committees and Commissions and has played a primary role in the improvement of several public buildings and parks within Glendale Heights.

Among other projects, Mayor Jackson has overseen the development of Camera Park, the Glendale Heights Aquatic Center, Veterans Memorial Park and the Glendale Lakes Golf Club and Banquet Facility. She is an active member of the community, serving as a member of the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and the Neighborhood Watch.

Mayor Jackson has also been a recipient of several notable awards, including the Illinois Woman of Achievement Award in 2000 and the Outstanding Patriotism Award from the State of Illinois V.F.W. in 2006. She is truly a committed public servant and a model citizen.

Mr. Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, please join me in recognizing this special occasion as we celebrate Mayor Jackson's faithful service to the Village of Glendale Heights.

Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in recognition of the long and distinguished service of James D. MacArthur on the occasion of his retirement. On March 31st of this year, Mr. MacArthur will conclude his loyal service as Fire Chief of the Itasca Fire Protection District.

Chief MacArthur has served the community for a total of 38 years, including 8 years as Fire Chief of the Itasca Fire Protection District No. 1 and 15 years as Fire Chief of the Elk Grove Village Fire Department.

Throughout his career, his extraordinary leadership has earned him great respect among colleagues and members of the community. He has held many noteworthy positions, including President of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association. Along with other members of the Illinois fire service task force, Chief MacArthur assisted in the Louisiana response and relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

Time and time again, Chief MacArthur has exhibited the characteristics this line of duty necessitates: enormous sacrifice and courage.

Mr. Speaker and distinguished colleagues, please join me in celebrating this special occasion and wishing him every happiness in the well deserved respite of his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mark Dyer, a resident of Elmhurst, Illinois. Mark was recently recognized along with other volunteers for their efforts in furthering disaster relief efforts through ShelterBox USA. ShelterBox USA is a worldwide relief organization that specializes in providing emergency shelter to those displaced by natural disasters.

As the horrific events unfolded in the wake of Haiti's devastating earthquake, many watched as news reports flashed images of human tragedy and suffering, but Mark Dyer was moved to action. Through Mr. Dyer's hard work to raise awareness and funds, ShelterBox was able to provide more than 28,000 ShelterBoxes full of cooking sets, tents, water purification supplies, and other essential items to the survivors in Haiti. Mark's determination is reflected in the fact that those 28,000 ShelterBoxes accounted for one-quarter of all the tented shelters in Haiti.

Mark is also a ShelterBox Response Team member who volunteers his time all over the world. In the past two years Mark has deployed to Somaliland, Niger, Columbia, and Haiti to deliver much needed assistance following disasters.

Few are willing to heed the call to service following devastating natural disasters, and even fewer are willing to commit to such a level, and with as much passion, as Mark Dyer. His efforts were recently recognized with The President's Volunteer Service Award, a special recognition presented on behalf of President Barack Obama for those who contribute a significant amount of time to volunteer activities. Mr. Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, Mark Dyer deserves our recognition and commendation.

Please join me in recognizing the impressive work of Mark Dyer and the volunteers of ShelterBox USA while wishing them every success in their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, today the folks on the other side of the aisle are actually arguing in the alternative. We heard the gentleman from New Jersey say, well, Republicans at least are finally getting to it. You don't need this resolution. And the gentlelady from California says, the resolution isn't good enough.

I think what is clear is one thing. What we've seen from the past 2 years has been failure. I mean, it's ironic. There's nobody, Mr. Speaker, that's on the floor today defending the economic policies of the past 2 years, the stimulus that promised 8 percent and obviously, the overpromising and under-delivering.

Jobs are job one of this Congress. It is imperative that we focus. And what we're doing with this resolution is putting an imprimatur of the work of these committees, saying your priority is to go through chapter and verse on these regulations and separate that out. The ones that don't add value, the ones that aren't making people safer, the ones that are complete nonsense, let's focus in on them, highlight them, and remove them.

We have to remove the barriers to job creation. That is our responsibility. That is what should be bringing us all together.

I urge the swift passage of this resolution.