Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Ray Wright and Doug Shriver of Alamosa, Colorado, for their agricultural, educational and commercial efforts to conserve and protect the state of Colorado. Both men recently passed away due to a tragic accident, a loss for both my state and this country.

Doug Shriver served on a number of boards and committees while he simultaneously volunteered for other commissions. Among other pursuits, he was the vice chair of the Rio Grande Roundtable, the director and president of the Rio Grande Water Users Association as well as director of the Lariat Ditch Company. He also served as a board member for the Colorado Ground Water Commission.

Ray Wright was also integral in conservation in Colorado and an avid supporter of the State's agri-business. Mr. Wright was a longtime farmer and leader in the effort to protect water rights. One of his most important contributions was developing a locally controlled mechanism designed to protect water rights. It's success translated to much larger districts as well, and ensures Colorado's future water rights.

In memory of both men, their colleagues created The Shriver/Wright Agricultural Endowment, which supports the agri-business program at Adams State College in Alamosa. The endowment provides scholarships and other forms of support for the school. Water rights will continue to be a vital issue in the Southwest part of the country and the work done by Mr. Wright, Mr. Shriver and the young people who follow them will be of great importance.

Given the invaluable contributions Doug Shriver and Ray Wright made to the state of Colorado, I feel it is fitting that this body recognizes them for their lifetime of service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Luis Nazario of Pueblo, Colorado, for pioneering the use of technology in education. Mr. Nazario became a leader among Colorado's community colleges and online education programs before use of the internet for teaching purposes was popular.

As an English teacher, Mr. Nazario has been commended not only by his school, Pueblo Community College, but also by the Colorado Community College System at large. Students have broader access to educational tools both in the classroom and online in large part because of his efforts. Colorado stresses the importance of education for all of its citizens and Mr. Nazario is an example of innovation in that pursuit.

Mr. Nazario graduated from Inter American University in Puerto Rico with a degree in English Literature. He emigrated to the United States to receive his master's degree as a teacher of English to other languages from New York University. He then moved to Colorado to begin teaching in the state's community college system. Mr. Nazario continues to teach English and foster learning among students who speak English as a second language in Colorado.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Luis Nazario for his exceptional commitment to the emerging presence of technology in education. I thank him for dedicating himself to education and reaching out to Colorado's youth.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to stand and pay sincere tribute to the life of Seth King. Sadly the city of Pueblo, Colorado, will have to continue on without the talents and gifts of the revered local legend. Mr. King was a barber and clinical chemist by trade, but he represented much more to the Pueblo community.

The owner and operator of King's Barber shop, Seth King cut hair for 45 years and had a positive effect on the lives of countless individuals. Mr. King moved to Pueblo as a young

man from the still segregated south. He wanted to pursue his dream of becoming a clinical chemist, and achieved that goal as he worked for The Colorado Mental Health Institute for 35 years. Mr. King was also a staunch supporter of the Republican Party, and was the first black man to run for the state senate in 1968. Seth King was also an active member of the Catholic Church and The Knights of Columbus. Whether cheering a customer up at the barbershop, or giving his time in faith- based outreach, he spent his lifetime improving the lives of those around him.

Mr. Speaker, Pueblo may have lost a wonderful member of their community, but there is no doubt that the spirit of Seth King's life still reverberates throughout the city. It has been a privilege to stand and pay tribute to Mr. Seth King's accomplished life.

Mr. Speaker, it brings me great satisfaction to rise and pay tribute to a man whose youthful spirit and exuberance proves that age is just a number. Charles Elliott, of the San Luis Valley, will be inducted into the 2011 class of the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

Mr. Elliot began skiing in the early 1930s on a pair of homemade wooden skis he and a friend took to Wolf Creek Pass. From the mid 1930s to the mid 1940s Charles Elliot was a major catalyst and pioneer in the rapid growth of skiing in southwestern Colorado. After serving his country in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a weatherman from 1942-1946, Mr. Elliot returned to skiing in the State he loves, and re-started Wolf Creek Pass skiing operations which had been shut down due to World War II. Charles Elliot then served as ski patrolman and performed that duty so well that he was given the lifetime badge from the National Ski Patrol. The 98-year-old is now the ranking member of the Grey Wolf Ski Club. Charles Elliot has now been skiing for over 75 years, and at the age of 93, he recorded over 50 days on the slopes. Mr. Elliot's passion for skiing is only matched by his dedication to cultivate the continued growth of his sport.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to stand and recognize Mr. Charles Elliot on his induction into the 2011 class of the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, it is my sincere honor to stand and pay tribute to a heroic American who was awarded our nation's highest honor for his conspicuous gallantry in the Kontum Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Major William Edward Adams is an inspiration to every citizen of our great nation, and a reminder to all Americans that some will sacrifice everything to preserve our way of life.

Maj. Adams was born in Casper, Wyoming, and raised in Craig, Colorado. He went to high school in Missouri at the Wentworth Military Academy. He graduated from Colorado State University, where he also met his future wife Sandra Adams. Upon graduation he joined the United States Army. Major Adams was deployed to Vietnam in 1970.

On May 25th, 1971, Maj. Adams willingly volunteered for a helicopter rescue mission that would undoubtedly endanger his lightly armored aircraft and his life. The mission was to fly into a remote fire base that was under heavy attack to pick up three critically wounded soldiers. Maj. Adams was fully aware of the advantageous position of the enemy's formidable anti-aircraft guns; as well as the clear skies that would provide no cover from the imminent barrage. While directing and coordinating fire support from other attack helicopters, Major Adams landed his aircraft and picked up the three wounded soldiers. As he began his return flight, Maj. Adams' helicopter was bombarded with enemy rocket and gunfire. He calmly regained control of the aircraft, and prepared to make an emergency landing, but the helicopter exploded before Maj. Adams could touch down. For these actions, Major William Edward Adams posthumously received the Medal of Honor.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me pride to know that I have fellow countrymen who are capable of such selfless feats of bravery. It has been a true privilege to rise and pay tribute to Maj. William Edward Adams.

Mr. Speaker, it brings me great pride to stand and recognize the courageous and patriotic actions of young Sam McBurney. In a display of conviction and principle that was far beyond his years, this 13 year old boy took it upon himself to make sure his Fruita, Colorado, middle school recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

Sam realized that the Pledge of Allegiance was not being said at the start of each school day, and this did not sit well with him. Being the son of a former Marine, Sam has always possessed a profound respect for our nation, and the knowledge that you must stand up for what you believe in. With his beliefs in line, Sam organized events and created a petition to ensure that the Pledge of Allegiance was recited at least once a week at his middle school. After months of hard work and determination, Sam finally gathered enough signatures to convince the school district that our nation's Pledge of Allegiance was a necessary and important part of the school day.

Mr. Speaker, it warms my heart to know that there are young, concerned citizens of our nation that will go to great lengths in an effort to make sure our flag, and all that it stands for, receive its due respect. It has been an honor to rise and pay tribute to Sam McBurney.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Moffat County, located in Northwestern Colorado. The historic county celebrates its 100th anniversary this month. It stands as a reminder of the pioneering spirit that drove westward expansion and made this country great. It's roughly 14,000 residents are proud to call Moffat home and eagerly await February 27th, when the county officially celebrates its centennial.

Moffat County is known best for its open space and fossil discoveries, but has a history rooted in western railroad expansion. David Moffat, the man after whom the county was named, made it a point to run his railroad through Craig, the county seat, on its way to Salt Lake City. The railroad became the backbone of the county's economy. It made the area ideal for farming and ranching. Craig, in fact, became the world's largest shipping point for wool in the 1950s. Not long after, oil and natural gas supplies were discovered and further drove growth in both the economy and population of the area.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to represent a proud and historic community like that of Moffat County, Colorado. It is no surprise that the hardworking and self-reliant residents of the area have maintained a strong county for 100 years. There is no doubt that those same people will ensure Moffat County survives for another 100 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Edward Raps, of Del Norte, Colorado. Undersheriff Raps was recently appointed Rio Grande undersheriff.

Undersheriff Raps served in the U.S. Army for four years, where he served in the Airborne as a military traffic accident investigator, and as a traffic division leader. His military experience provided an ideal backdrop for his transition to civilian law enforcement.

Undersheriff Raps' expansive career in law enforcement includes work in Missouri, El Paso County, Kit Carson County, and the Colorado Corrections Association. He served as Kit Carson County Sheriff for a number of years as well. Attending numerous classes, certificate programs and schools over the past few decades, Edward's law enforcement pedigree is well-rounded and extensive.

He has a passion for agriculture and the outdoors. Aside from having an extensive knowledge and background in farming and agriculture, Edward is a supporter of wildlife habitat preservation, and also teaches youth courses in hunter safety.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Undersheriff Raps for his service to the law enforcement field. Any organization is lucky to have him, and I would like to thank him for decades of service in both the civilian and military law enforcement fields.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Kohler McInnis of Durango, Colorado, for his courage in the face of a direct threat of his life. His recent actions protected the lives of his fellow classmates, teachers, and St. Columba Catholic School staff. Kohler's actions were celebrated with the Citizen Commendation Award, presented by Durango Police Chief David J. Felice.

Last April, Kohler was a seventh-grader at St. Columba Catholic School, when a fellow student told Kohler that he was planning on using a gun he had brought to school to harm one of the teachers. Despite a death threat from the student if Kohler told anyone, Kohler put aside his own well-being for the sake of others and informed a staff member of his classmate's intention. After a quick search of the student's belongings, a .22 caliber pistol was found.

Kohler's actions show his strong inclination to do the right thing regardless of consequence or outcome. Kohler not only protected the lives of those around him, but gave a misguided child a second chance at a successful life.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Kohler McInnis for his exceptional conduct in the face of personal harm. I thank him for his ability to stand strong for what he believes right.

Offered By: Mr. Tipton

Amendment No. 19: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Mr. Speaker, It is my sincere privilege to rise and pay tribute to the lifetime achievements of Robert H. Rawlings, a man whose personal compass has guided him to business success, philanthropic accomplishment, and given him a deep conviction for civic duty. For all of this Mr. Rawlings will be the recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Rocky Mountain Council and The Boy Scouts of America. In receipt of this prestigious honor, Robert Rawlings joins an exclusive fraternity whose roster includes Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and President Gerald Ford.

This Las Animas, Colorado, native is most prominently known for his successful ownership and editing of The Pueblo Chieftain, Southern Colorado's most circulated publication. This alone merits recognition, but Mr. Rawlings' accomplishments are far more reaching than simply owning and editing a newspaper. Mr. Rawlings admirably served his country in World War II as a member of the Navy in the South Pacific. Then he endeavored to become the newsman he is today. As his newspaper career began to flourish, so did Mr. Rawlings ability to give back to Southern Colorado. The size and scope of his community involvement has been immense; ranging from the financing and leadership behind the Robert H. Rawlings Outdoors Sports Complex to co-founding of the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation. Mr. Rawlings has also made notable contributions as president of the Colorado Press Association, Colorado Associated Press, Colorado Bar Press; he has been involved with the Robert Hoag Rawlings Public Library, served as chairman of The Pueblo Medal of Honor Committee, and has worked

to establish a water district to help preserve Arkansas Valley water. This may sound like an incredible list of accomplishments, but it only scratches the surface of what Robert H. Rawlings has been able to do for Southern Colorado, and our nation.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot think of man more deserving of this esteemed honor than Mr. Robert H. Rawlings.

I thank the gentleman from Missouri.

Mr. Speaker, regulations cost the American people $1.75 trillion annually. And just last year, the Obama administration unleashed 46 new regulations that will place an additional $26.5 billion drain on the American economy.

Of those 46 new regulations, 10 came from the EPA, including job- killing regulations of carbon emissions and increased CAFE standards. The cost of these new EPA regulations alone total $23 billion annually. These EPA regulations run counter to the free market principles and directly impact rural communities, small businesses, and families in my district. We simply cannot continue down the path of creating unnecessary regulatory traps that drain our economy and do little more than penalize small businesses and discourage job creation.

To be clear, not all regulations are unwarranted. Commonsense rules play an important role in our economy and in keeping the American people safe. However, common sense has been lost in the regulatory process that has become politicized and wrought with bureaucracy and overlap.

As a small business owner, I know firsthand the negative impacts that unnecessary regulations and excessive government involvement can have on entrepreneurs. Just yesterday, I participated in a hearing with the Small Business Committee where we focused on one such example of the job-killing government interference of the 1099 reporting requirement included in the President's health care law.

Repealing the 1099 requirement is a good start, and our focus must remain on restoring a stable climate in our economy so it will not be rife with uncertainty and overregulation so small business, the backbone of our economy, can do what it does best: create jobs and grow our economy.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade for the Small Business Committee, I will take action. The fact that the Federal regulation targets on small businesses more than on any other sector is not acceptable. It's time we change the way that regulation is enacted and increase congressional oversight.

You know, it really is. We just finished a tour of the Third Congressional District of Colorado. Our district is about the size of the State of Florida, the fifth largest congressional district in the United States which is not an entire State, a massive land area, a lot of diversity in terms of the economies.

Incredibly interesting to me as we traveled throughout that Third Congressional District over this past week, we put on probably a little better than 1,500 miles.

Better than 30-plus meetings throughout that district. The frustration level of the American people, the people in my district, their understanding of the challenges that we face as a nation is truly remarkable. The American people get it. And what they want to see out of Washington is that Washington truly gets it.

As we're looking at your chart right now and we go to the revenues that are coming in, the spending which is going out, we're looking at a $1.5 trillion deficit that we are facing. That's going to be going on top of a debt in this country of $14.3 trillion, an unsustainable glide path that is going to take us to economic ruin.

As I traveled through my district, we found people that understood that it's important to be able to build for the future. We challenged them, and they rose to that challenge when we brought it down to taking a picture out of their own wallet and looking at their child or their grandchild. Many of us, myself and perhaps you as well, were raised with that concept of the American Dream. We always believed that we would have it better than our parents and our grandparents before them. The challenge which lies before us is to deliver that American Dream to our children and to our grandchildren.

I was in a conversation with a man from Craig, Colorado, born in 1924. In this conversation he recounted his life. He talked about living through the Great Depression; obviously, World War II. And we were talking about the economic circumstances of our time. And he said, Scott, this is the challenge of your generation. The question yet to be answered is: Will we rise to meet that challenge?

We've seen the government--and I think none of us can question the intent has always been good. And I would challenge anyone who will demonize others for their intent, because I think no matter whatever program, there was a thought behind it. But the problem is, as Americans, when we pull that checkbook out of our hip pocket, we know there's only so much money. And if we exceed that amount, there are going to be consequences that have to be paid. That's the reality that the American people expect us to truly deal with here in Washington. And they know that there are going to be some sacrifices. But those sacrifices are going to be from the standpoint that we have overspent. We're going to have to cut back. We have to be looking to the future. We have to be standing for our children, for our grandchildren, to deliver that dream that we have always believed as the American promise.

It truly is. I believe that I grew up with--and perhaps you did, too. My parents raised me with phrases like ``Yankee ingenuity,'' ``American know-how.'' And I think that when we look at the entire mesh of what's been coming out of Washington, frankly, over the course of the last 10 years, we have seen an overreach of government, which has stifled American creativity.

I'm a small business man, not a career politician. I've actually gotten my hands dirty. I've created a business from the ground up. I have risked. We've had to work hard. But one thing I've learned being a small business man is you have to be nimble. You have to be creative in terms of addressing the problems.

One of the real challenges that we face is there seems to be a mentality in Washington, D.C., that once a program starts, it never ends. We will build on it. We will expand it. We will create redundancies, and we will build out that bureaucracy.

In the private sector, we do things a little bit differently. Periodically, we audit. We take a look to see what we are doing and is it achieving the goals that we are trying to achieve. If not, we eliminate it. We start to approach it from a different fashion to be able to make it work. I think it's that sort of creativity, that sort of nimbleness, which Washington lacks, and it's what the American people are truly crying for. They want to see us be innovative. If it isn't working, don't do it.

Ronald Reagan made the comment, he said the nearest thing to eternal life on Earth is a government program. Nothing has ever been said that is probably more true here on Earth.

I think that, first of all, just to set the plate, and I know that you will join with me on this, we have an obligation to our senior citizens that are receiving Social Security, to those who are about to receive it. And we also have another obligation, again, to our children and our grandchildren. And we need to be able to have that conversation in terms of how are we going to make sure that their opportunities are going to be the equivalent or even better than what our current senior citizens are receiving.

You show a pattern right now in terms of average revenues in relation to expenditures, particularly as baby boomers come on line. That is going to be something that we are going to have to deal with as a Congress, and I think it's something certainly that they're expecting leadership out of Washington. We are compassionate people. We will stand up for our senior citizens. It's a pledge that I made that I will keep for our senior citizens that are receiving Social Security. But I'm also making a pledge to our children and our grandchildren. We are going to be looking at ways to be able to address this so that their future can be as bright and they're going to be looking at a better America as well.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. And, indeed it was. Thank you so much for your hospitality. That was exceptional.

Members, in 1976, I had the honor and pleasure of serving as the youngest delegate to the Republican National Convention. At that convention, I listened to Ronald Reagan tell us, ``Go out and communicate to the world that we may be fewer in numbers than we have ever been, but we carry the message that they are waiting for.'' His words inspired me to the realization that ours is a Nation of ascendancy, and filled me with hope for the future.

Like then, the future of our country now depends upon our present actions and our ability to deliver a powerful message. Our message is, and must be, clear. We cannot continue down a path of reckless spending that satisfies government excess while enslaving future generations to insurmountable debt. It is time that we roll up our sleeves. For while many may have never met a government program that they do not like, it is time that we get to work cutting spending.

We must embrace Reagan's prudence and heed his warning that government always finds a need for whatever money it gets, and remember that it is our responsibility to tend that fragile flame of liberty so that our children and grandchildren may know brighter days.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Alex Walker IV, of Salida, Colorado. The Colorado District Attorneys Council named him Investigator of the Year for his outstanding track record and tenacious work ethic.

A native of Salida, Alex has progressively worked his way up through the law enforcement field. He served as a corrections officer at the Buena Vista prison for two years before becoming a detective at the Salida Police Department. After four years of detective work, Alex went to work for the 11th Judicial District Attorney's office as an investigator. Superiors and coworkers quickly recognized Alex's high level of integrity and determined approach to tackling tough cases. One murder case required Alex to document 60 miles of disjointed and rambling crime scene to prep a case for trial, a task few others wanted to take on. Another case looked hopeless after three failed searches for a missing murder weapon. After other members of his team thought it was a lost cause, Alex was able to turn up with the weapon and close the case for good.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Alex Walker's committed approach to law enforcement. I would like to thank him for his service.