Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize a man that has tirelessly served the great state of Texas and tens of thousands of university students at my alma mater, Abilene Christian University. It is rare that a person selflessly gives of himself and his family for the good of others, and I am pleased to acknowledge my esteemed colleague and dear friend Dr. Royce Money, a true example of a lifetime servant-leader.

Dr. Money is the 10th president (1991-2010) of Abilene Christian University, and has served the university in various capacities for nearly three decades. He will be transitioning on May 31, 2010 to continue his university service in a new role as chancellor. He will be greatly missed as ACU's 10th president for his visionary leadership and personal commitment to modeling ACU's mission of ``Educating students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.''

Dr. Money, like myself, was born in Temple, Texas. Interestingly, my grandmother, Lucy Hill, was his Sunday school teacher when he was a child. Dr. Money comes from a long line of faith, with a strong work ethic and a generous spirit. These values have served him throughout his childhood into his professional life.

During Dr. Money's tenure, the campus has taken on a massive building program. ACU has become a first class institution. It truly is a university set on a hill in West Texas that shines influence throughout the world.

Dr. Money says that one of the most pivotal roles as president is to tell the story of ACU to as many people who will listen. He is an ambassador for this unique university.

Dr. Money's story in higher education began at Abilene Christian in 1960 where he enrolled as an undergraduate student and served as vice president of the Students' Association his senior year. In 1964, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree in 1967 from ACU. He completed his Doctorate of Philosophy in religion in 1975 from Baylor University and in 1982 he earned an additional Master of Science degree in human development from the University of Nebraska.

After completing his education, Dr. Money joined the Abilene Christian faculty in 1981 as an associate professor of marriage and family therapy. In 1986, he became chairman of the undergraduate Bible and ministry department and then became chair of the graduate Bible and ministry department in 1987.

Just a year later in 1988, Dr. Money became vice president and provost of the university, and since 1991, he has been ACU's 10th president. Though his primary roles within the university have changed over the years, Dr. Money has always remained committed to the classroom, serving as a professor of the College of Biblical Studies. He plans to continue teaching after retirement through study abroad trips to Oxford and Leipzig with his wife Pam.

On January 23, 1965 Dr. Money married Pam Handy in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Money and his wife Pam are both extremely committed to education. Mrs. Money, a licensed

marriage and family therapist has served as an adjunct professor in the College of Biblical Studies while taking on various duties and privileges as First Lady of ACU. As education has played an invaluable role in their lives, Dr. and Mrs. Money want to provide other young, achieving minds with the same opportunities they have had. The recently established Royce and Pam Money Fund for Excellence in Education provides scholarships for top-ranking students to continue their educational endeavors at ACU with a goal of $1.9 million in aid.

Royce and Pam are deeply involved in the university community. They frequently extend a personal invitation to students to share a meal together. It is not uncommon to find Dr. Money eating lunch in the Bean Cafeteria with students, getting their perspective. The Moneys are both committed members of the Church of Christ and attend University Church of Christ, which is directly across the street from the university.

Dr. Money has enriched the educational system across Texas and throughout the country through memberships, chairmanships and board positions. More importantly, lives have been influenced in a positive way because students crossed paths with this remarkable man--Royce Money.

Beyond his commitment to academia, Dr. Money is an esteemed author, an outstanding role model and community member. He has served as chair of Abilene Chamber of Commerce and as president of the Lone Star Conference, as well as in positions on countless other boards throughout the community. Dr. Money's dedication to the community was honored when he was named Abilene's Citizen of the Year in 2007.

I am humbled to have had the pleasure to know Royce and Pam during my time on the board at ACU. Dr. Money is a man of integrity, who lives by his principles and stands up for his beliefs. Dr. Money will always hold a place in the hearts and minds of everyone whose life he has touched.

We honor Dr. and Mrs. Money for their lifetime service to this educational institution whose university goal is to ``Change the World.'' We look forward to seeing more great things come in the story of Abilene Christian University as Dr. Royce Money's influence does in fact help university students to change the world for the better.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, the United States Government wants to dictate where the people of the sovereign State of Israel are allowed to live. Now who do we think we are? Israel is our ally, not our subject. What if Prime Minister Netanyahu said that our people weren't allowed to live in certain parts of D.C.? That makes about as much sense. The American people support Israel and the U.S. Government better get onboard. The people I represent are not ``embarrassed'' or ``humiliated'' by the actions of Israel.

Israel has the right to determine where their people live, including in Jerusalem. Also under international law, Israel is not obligated to give back land won in a defensive war. But they tried anyway. When Israel gave back land for peace, it didn't work. They still don't have peace. There will be no peace until the terrorists come to the peace table because the terrorists don't want peace. They want to drive Israel into the sea. Peace will come in the Middle East when the terrorists are defeated.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, today I want to show appreciation to an organization that is doing something unique for our wounded warriors. Show of Support Military Hunt honors men and women from different branches of service with a Texas way of saying ``Thank Ya'll.'' We Texans love to hunt. It's a way of life in the South and Terry Johnson founded an idea to thank these brave men and women who sacrificed so much with all expenses paid guided hunts.

Terry wrote letters and made calls to get people on board. He sought to bring awareness to outdoor sports while showing his gratitude to our warriors. The first hunt began in

2002 with only two soldiers. Now, due to overwhelming support, over 50 wounded soldiers released from duty have been on one of these memorable hunts. Everything is donated; the land to hunt on, rifles and ammunition, hunting gear, airfare if they are flying in from another state, and anything else that may be required. Not to be left out, they also pay tribute to the families of the soldiers.

While the men are hunting, the wives are treated to a day on the town. The Show of Support Military Hunt, ``Hunt for Heroes'' has brought about a new way for the public to offer its thanks and I cannot imagine a more noble cause.

Madam Speaker, they're back.

We've all heard about ACORN, and it seems to me that ACORN is nothing more than a criminal enterprise. Here's why. They've been caught helping undercover journalists open a prostitution ring with underage girls. They've been caught in voter registration fraud scams. At least 14 States are investigating ACORN for voter fraud. Even Mickey Mouse can now vote. Imagine that. And ACORN signs up the poor into their membership rolls. The poor give their bank account information, and ACORN deducts membership dues without the express consent of these individuals.

In a bipartisan vote last year, Congress voted to strip Federal funding from this rogue fraudulent organization. Not one dime of taxpayer money should be spent on this group. However, White House Budget Director Peter Orszag has directed all Federal agencies to open the Federal funding floodgates for ACORN again.

Why did the administration trump the will of Congress and the American people? American tax dollars should not fund this apparent band of thieves.

And that's just the way it is.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Once again, there's a new push for an amnesty bill to pass this Congress. Yesterday, tens of thousands of people marched in Washington, D.C., wanting amnesty. And it was interesting. As I looked over this very peaceful crowd and all those people marching, I wondered why there were no American flags.

In any event, amnesty is not the answer. Even the talk of amnesty causes a flood of people to come across our southern border. Amnesty is no answer to the problem because the problem is the lack of border security. The violence is already out of control in the border region. Thousands more people illegally crossing the border will make an already dangerous situation a much worse disaster, so we have to start with the basics.

First, we must secure the border. We must start with securing the border from the criminal enterprises, including the drug cartels. Just over a week ago, an American consulate employee and his wife were murdered in Juarez, Mexico. Lesley Enriquez, 35, and her husband, Arthur Redelfs, 34, were murdered in a drive-by shooting near the Santa Fe Bridge. The husband of another U.S. consulate employee was also gunned down on the Mexican side of the border.

Murders and kidnappings have caused the closing of the U.S. Embassy in Reynosa until further notice. The U.S. State Department is now rushing to relocate consulate employees in Juarez, Tijuana, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey, and Matamoros, all because of the violence on the border and the kidnappings. Shoot-outs in the streets have killed thousands of people, mostly Mexican nationals.

The drug cartels are fighting each other and fighting law enforcement for control over the lucrative drug routes into the United States. Good people from both sides of the border are being placed in harm's way by these murderous thugs. Even an armed Mexican military helicopter intruded into the United States airspace in Zapata County, Texas. The intentions of this incursion are still unknown.

Over a year ago, Texas Governor Rick Perry asked for Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano for a thousand troops at the border to help with the increasing violence and to prevent the drug cartels from entering the United States. The Governor has asked for more Predator drones for increased surveillance. He was trying to head off this escalation of violence that has occurred recently. The help he requested has never come, and the Governor's request for more troops and drones at the border has been ignored for over a year.

In response to the murders of these Americans, Governor Perry again eventually asked for help. He asked for surveillance planes and a thousand fresh troops at the Texas border with Mexico to help stem the violence. Secretary Napolitano said she would ``look at'' the request, but she thinks there's already enough troops on the border. So Governor Perry has decided he can't wait around on the Federal Government, even though it's the Federal Government's responsibility to secure our borders. He's ordered Texas National Guard helicopters to the border to support law enforcement that is on the border already. They're trying to fight the border violence spillover into the United States.

Texas military forces have requested and obtained OH-58 Kiowa and UH- 72 Lakota helicopters to be used to fly up and down the Texas-Mexico border along the Rio Grande River from Brownsville to El Paso, Texas. Of course, their number and exact location will not be disclosed for security purposes.

I've had the opportunity to be on the Texas-Mexico border with our Texas Air National Guard and fly up and down that region to see firsthand the problem of the incursions into the United States, all because the border is not secure. I would hope our Federal Government would support the Governor's actions.

The Federal Government should actually do something to stop the violence and secure the border. It is the first responsibility of government to protect the people, and that includes the people who live along other international borders. We should send more troops. The violence is getting worse every day. Our border sheriffs and law enforcement are outmanned, outfinanced, and they're outgunned, but they're doing everything they can to protect the citizens along the Texas-Mexico border from the violent drug cartels that have come into the United States.

Every single county and city and town along the border needs help in the border war. It is irresponsible to leave these people defenseless. Once again, it affects good people on both sides of the border, Mexicans and Americans as well.

Cartels are waging war on our border. People are not only sneaking across into the United States, they're shooting their way into our country. The violence is exploding into America's border communities. So it's time to put an end to this madness, send sufficient troops to the border, and uphold the national responsibility to protect the citizens of this United States.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, today is a defining moment in this Nation's history. Will we choose the path of individual liberty or will we choose the path of government tyranny? Will we choose the path to be in control of our own health, or will we choose to go the way of a European nanny state where government forces health choices upon us? Will we choose to uphold the sacred motto ``We the People'' or will we return to the chains and slavery of government and choose ``We the Subjects''?

Our choice is clear. The American people don't desire more oppressive, intrusive government in charge of their health. The people want to control their own lives.

Thomas Paine in the Revolution said, ``These are the times that try men's souls. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered.'' Our Founders made the right difficult choice.

So will we at this time, on this day, this hour, stand for government tyranny or personal liberty? I choose ``We the People,'' not ``We the Subjects.''

And that's just the way it is.

This bill has special deals for special folks. The Louisiana purchase, a special deal for Florida, a special deal for two States in New England, and a special deal for Connecticut. And as much as my friends like to rail on the insurance companies, they give a special deal to Michigan Blue Cross so that they don't have to get the new tax increases. Why is that? Because it's special deals for special folks.

This bill is unconstitutional. The Texas State Attorney General plus 30 other Attorneys General will sue the Federal Government if this bill passes because of special deals for special folks.

Also, this bill is unconstitutional because it forces the American people to buy a product. Nowhere in the Constitution does the Federal Government have the authority to force you to buy anything, whether it's insurance, a car, or a box of doughnuts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this flawed health care bill.

Mr. Speaker, in a new survey of doctors published by The New England Journal of Medicine--nearly half of all primary care physicians said they may leave the medical profession if Obama-care passes.

Doctors are getting railroaded out of practice now. Medicare doesn't pay the cost to keep their doors open. The new healthcare scheme makes it worse. Some doctors who can stay in business won't see Medicare patients anymore. They can't afford it.

More patients and fewer physicians will cause long lines and rationing for our senior citizens.

Government-run Medicare already denies claims twice as much as private insurance. But when Medicare denies coverage for a procedure-- you can't pay for it with your own money. The procedure--not the coverage--but the procedure is denied under Medicare. That's government rationing.

Passing the healthcare bill would only make those problems worse.

Government-run healthcare has the competence of FEMA, the efficiency of the Post Office, and the compassion of the IRS. It is not fit for a free people.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, the United States is positioned to raise the white flag of surrender in space exploration. America is the leader in space technology, but yet there are plans afoot to turn our lead over to the Russians and the Chinese.

By foolishly canceling the Constellation Program and when the last NASA shuttle flight occurs, we will have no means to transport our astronauts into space. We will have to hitch a ride with the Russians if we want that transportation. And if one of our security satellites needs repair, who's to say the Russians will even let us buy a coach ticket on their space aircraft.

Now even the Iranians have entered the space race. Last month they sent a rat, two turtles, and a worm into space.

Keeping our edge in spaceflight is a national security issue. We can not give that away to anybody. After all, when Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon, the first word was ``Houston,'' not ``Moscow'' or ``Beijing.''

And that's just the way it is.

I appreciate the gentleman yielding.

I totally support H. Res. 1075 and the support of the National Guard and the Agri-business Development Teams.

The National Guard is doing a phenomenal job in Iraq and Afghanistan. The chairman could give me the exact number, but I don't know the percentage of the National Guard troops that are in Afghanistan, but it's extremely high. We count on the citizen soldiers to help us in times of war, and they are there not just from the State of Missouri but from the State of Texas as well.

And I had a chance to be with some National Guard troops in Afghanistan during the Christmas season. They're doing a phenomenal business in helping those Afghans change from growing poppies that is turned into cocaine and heroin that is sold primarily in Europe and teaching them to farm wheat and soybeans. In fact, Texas A&M University has developed some type of soybean that yields ninefold what a typical soybean yields, and they are being planted in Afghanistan so that farmers can sell legitimate crops on the open market.

This bill is an important bill because it recognizes our National Guard, but also this bill is a bipartisan bill. It is supported by both sides. And legislation in this House, to be successful, should be supported by both sides, unlike the health care bill that we're going to vote on tomorrow afternoon. It's only supported by a portion of one side with no input from the others. And I think that we should have a bipartisan vote in support of the health care bill as well, which, unfortunately, we are not.

Mr. Speaker, the Constitution of the United States of America was written by our Founding Fathers to limit the size of government. The Constitution sets limits on what the government can do for us and what the government can do to us.

The people decide what is best for themselves and our country, not the all-seeing eye of the Federal Government. James Monroe said in 1788 at the Virginia convention to ratify the United States Constitution, How prone all human institutions have been to decay, how difficult it has been for mankind in the ages and countries to preserve their dearest rights and best privileges, imperiled as they were by an irresistible fate of tyranny.

Now the tyrannical all-seeing eye of the Federal Government is trying to take care of us. The government doesn't think we know how to take care of ourselves, so it must come in and take care of us. We are to be made subjects incapable of taking care of our own health. Nowhere in the Constitution is the Federal Government given any authority to control the people's health, not one place.

George Washington didn't fight the redcoats so people could be the subjects of the new, oppressive, and untrustworthy Federal bureaucracy. The colonists didn't die in the War of Independence so a health care czar could rule over us.

The government takeover of health care is unconstitutional. And if this bill passes, the Texas attorney general and 30 other State attorneys general are prepared to sue the Federal Government for an exercise of unconstitutional action because this bill is unconstitutional. It forces Americans to buy health insurance against their will. And if people don't buy the insurance, they will face fines or go to jail. And on top of that, it forces people to buy government- approved health insurance. That means the Feds tell people they have to buy the Federal-approved insurance, and it tells them what insurance they must buy. That's not allowed under any stretch of the law or imagination. That is unconstitutional.

And of course, in this bill they are hiring 16,000 new IRS health care police to enforce that dictate. The IRS health care police will verify that American citizens have acceptable health care insurance every month. I say American citizens because illegals are exempt from paying health care fines and taxes, although illegals can receive coverage in this bill. The health care bill also violates the people's right to privacy. People's most secret, private, intimate medical records will become the property of the U.S. Government.

Health care busybody bureaucrats will burrow through private medical records and decide what medical care people are allowed to have. Health care bureaucrats will stick their nose into private banking accounts and their records to decide how much people have to pay for that health insurance. They will be able to seize tax refunds, bank accounts, garnished wages all in the name of forcing people to buy insurance for their own good. And of course, this is in the bill.

This power grab is not about health, and it's certainly not about care. It's about liberty. It's about Federal Government control over people's lives against their will. The Federal Government has no right to dictate to the people their health care needs. And in my opinion, it's unconstitutional. Most of the American people oppose the government plan to take over this health care. There were thousands of people here today making their voices known that they are opposed to this bill. It costs too much, it borrows too much, it taxes too much, it's inefficient, and it gives government bureaucrats the control of our medical decisions.

Even Thomas Jefferson talked about government-run health care. He said, ``If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.''

Mr. Speaker, government-run health care is unconstitutional, and it's unhealthy for everyone. We must remember the Constitution says and begins with ``We the People,'' not ``We the Subjects.''

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, a team of militants launched a spectacular assault at the heart of the Afghan government on Monday, January 18, with two men detonating suicide bombs and the rest fighting to the death only 50 yards from the gates of the presidential palace.

The attack paralyzed the city for hours, as hundreds of Afghan commandos converged and opened fire. The battle unfolded in the middle of Pashtunistan Square, a traffic circle where the palace of President Hamid Karzai, the Ministry of Justice and the Central Bank, the target of the attack, are located.

As the gun battle raged, another suicide bomber, this one driving an ambulance, struck a traffic circle a half-mile away, sending a second mass of bystanders fleeing in terror. Afghan officials said that three soldiers and two civilians--including a child--were killed, and at least 71 people were wounded.

The war in Afghanistan is dynamic, fluid, and ever-evolving. What was true 9 months

ago is no longer the case. This means both that we cannot rely on our previous successes and that our current shortcomings can be fixed. It should give us hope but not foolhardy confidence. What the Kabul attacks prove is that we constantly have to be adjusting our strategy to keep up with the evolution of our enemy. The Taliban are a mostly rural phenomenon in a mostly rural country; the overwhelming majority of United States troops are deployed in small outposts in the countryside.

On most days, the war does not reach the urban centers, but on January 18 it did. Our strategy must be flexible enough to adapt. So to set an arbitrary deadline, to pull out our troops of Afghanistan in 2011, not only endangers our troops on the ground but also the ultimate success of our mission. We must finish the fight, root out the Taliban, and destroy al-Qaeda.

Madam Speaker, if the health care bill passes, the IRS will ``verify'' that American citizens have ``acceptable'' health care insurance every month. I say ``American citizens'' because the bill bars imposing health care taxes and penalties on illegals who will receive health care under this bill.

The IRS will charge fines up to $2,250, or 2 percent of your annual income--whichever is higher--for failure to buy that government- approved health insurance.

The IRS will need over 16,000 new health care police to snoop around in your bank account. That's more people than live in my home of Humble, Texas. The IRS health care police will have the power to confiscate tax refund checks. They can levy bank accounts, garnish wages, and could put you in jail for failure to pay the piper, for failure to buy those health care insurance premiums.

The health care bill costs too much, it taxes too much, and it invades people's privacy. Now we're going to have the health care police courtesy of the good old IRS.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, ``These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country. But he that stands by it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.''

Thomas Paine spoke these words at another crossroads in this Nation's history, back when Americans were fighting the tyranny of King George and the British Empire. The question to be asked today is: Will we stand up to government tyranny as our Founding Fathers did over 200 years ago?

Government is taking over every aspect of our lives, and it's not just the big things, like the automobile industry, the banking industry, student loans, home mortgages. They're telling us what kind of cars we can drive, what kind of lightbulbs we can use, and they're even telling us how much water we can put in our toilets. We are living under the ever-growing oppression of government. The government has stolen our liberty one right at a time. They are building us into a prison of tyranny. Brick by brick, that wall of tyranny increases every day as the Federal Government intrudes into our personal liberty and takes over every single aspect of our lives.

Have we forgotten about the unaccountable czars who work in the shadows? At last count, we have 45 czars that rule over us. Most of them have not been confirmed by the Senate, as required by the Constitution. We've got a behavioral science czar that's studying human behavior. The government wants to know how they can influence human conduct. It sounds a bit like the book ``1984'' to me. We have a bailout czar. We have a border czar, but nobody knows whether the border czar is to secure the border or open it up.

We don't know what these czars do. We have a climate change czar and a communications diversity czar. We have a disinformation czar. It sounds like he should be called the ``government propaganda czar'' to me. We have two economic czars. We probably could use a few more of those. We have an energy czar, a food czar, a Great Lakes czar, and a Gitmo closure czar. We have a pay czar, and we have a religion or God czar. With our government, we don't know whether he's for or against God and religion.

We have a safe school czar, a science czar who wrote a controversial book from promoting population control. Now isn't that lovely. What are all of these people doing? Why are they working in the shadows, controlling our liberty?

Today as we debate health care, the government wants to take over America's health care system. We'll have a health care czar and a health choices czar because we're not smart enough, according to the government, to sit down with our own doctors and decide what's best for our own health care. So some bureaucrat here in D.C. has to decide for us. The health care takeover gives the Federal Government access to our bank accounts and our private medical records. The IRS will get 16,000 new agents to snoop around in these records. Whatever happened to the right of privacy?

This is not about health, and it's certainly not about care. This is about government control over every aspect of our lives without accountability and against the will of the people. In the long, lamentable catalog of human history, a person or a people yearning to be free have had to make tough choices. Will we stand at this hour for government tyranny or personal liberty?

As Patrick Henry once so famously said: ``I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.'' Now our choice today is the prison of tyranny or the frontier of freedom. Let us choose wisely or suffer the abominable chains of the oppression of tyranny.

And that's just the way it is.