Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, talk radio today is like the Liberty Tree in Revolutionary War times.

The first Liberty Tree was in Boston where the Sons of Liberty would gather around a large elm tree in the public square. They would talk about the issues of the day and voice their political opinions. Anyone could speak. But the British military cut down the Liberty Tree because colonists spoke out against taxes and the King.

Now it sounds like the redcoats over at the FCC are trying to put the ax to the Liberty Tree of free speech again. They say they need to protect the American people from hearing things that are just too controversial. So their answer is to control the speech content of those radio rebels. The redcoats at the FCC say they must determine what the masses hear.

Mr. Speaker, the notion that anyone in the Federal Government has the right to censor political speech is an affront to a free people. The Constitution protects political speech because it's sacred. We defeated the British because they wanted to control speech, and now it's time for those who still believe in the First Amendment to defy the redcoats at the FCC.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, we have some important legislation before us today. House Resolution 729 expresses support for designation of a National Firefighters Memorial Day, and I am honored to be the sponsor of this legislation. Also, I want to thank Chairman Towns for bringing this legislation to the floor, and the other 59 cosponsors of this legislation.

The legislation is to honor the dedication and sacrifices of firefighters and the dedication they make every day to keep families and our communities safe. In 2007, there were over 1.1 million firefighters in the United States. Of these, about a third are professional firefighters in the sense that they are career firefighters. But the other 825,000 are all volunteer firefighters. What that means, Mr. Speaker, is they volunteer their services to protect the communities they live in and the people who live around those communities, but they have other jobs to support their families.

One of the volunteer fire departments in Harris County, Texas, is the Atascocita fire department. They still drive around with those reds trucks with the big American flag on the back, something that started after 9/11.

There are 30,000 fire departments that operate in the United States. It is time for the Nation to recognize and honor the bravery and create a National Firefighters Memorial Day to honor Federal, State, and local firefighters who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. These brave men and women deserve our respect and our gratitude. The time has come for us to create a National Firefighters Memorial Day.

Congress, several years ago, created a National Law Enforcement Memorial Day that we honor and recognize even here on this Capitol grounds every May 15, and it is time that we also recognize and elevate the sacrifices that firefighters have made to a national memorial day as well.

This past Easter Sunday in Houston, Texas, we had two Houston firefighters killed in a house fire saving two people. They were Captain James Harlow who had been a veteran of the fire department for many years, and a rookie, Damian Hobbs. This happened to be his very first fire, and he was killed in that tragic incident. The people in that house were rescued, but after the fire was over with and before the two firefighters were brought from that house, other firefighters from the Houston area came to the home and assembled in two lines as their bodies were brought from the ashes of that fire.

Firefighters are a unique and rare breed. They not only protect and serve our communities, but they are very loyal to each other. The last firefighters killed in the Houston area were also important firefighters, and their names are:

Grady Burke was killed in a fire started by a man that was trying to light a crack pipe.

Kevin Kulow was killed in the El Festival ballroom in a fire set by a man who was trying to get back at his estranged wife. The building burned down, and Officer Kulow was killed.

Captain Jay Jahnke was killed in a high-rise fire in the Galleria area of Houston, Texas.

Also, two firefighters were killed while they were putting out a fire at a McDonald's restaurant in southwest Houston. Their names were Lewis Mayo and Kim Smith.

All communities are affected by fires, and all communities are affected by the fact that firefighters, men and women that wear that uniform, sometimes are disabled, injured, or killed protecting the rest of us.

Mr. Speaker, there is a fire in the United States every 20 seconds. There are 1.6 million fires in the United States every year. Some of those are caused by accident, but many of those are caused by arson. Every year there is an average of 100 firefighters somewhere in the 50 States and our territories that are killed in the line of duty, and some of those are volunteers and some of those are career firefighters. In 2008, there were 118 firefighters killed in the line of duty.

Of course we all remember September 11, 2001, which raised the awareness of the first responders in our country and what they do for the rest of us. When on September 11, 2001, as many people remember when the World Trade Center was attacked, when the Pentagon was attacked, and when there was a plane that crashed trying to protect the rest of us from an attack in Pennsylvania, someone had to respond to those tragedies, and they were our first responders.

Many of the firefighters that responded at the World Trade Center went into those buildings and never came out. Later on September 11, 2001, while many people like myself were watching the video of what was taking place specifically in New York City, observed that when those planes crashed into the World Trade Center, the north and south tower, a lot of folks, thousands of people, good people, but when those planes hit the World Trade Center, Mr. Speaker, those people were running as hard as they could to get away from that terror in the sky. There were other people that when those planes hit the World Trade Center, when they hit the Pentagon over here, they were running as hard as they could to get to that terror that occurred at the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon.

Who were those people? Well, they were the Port Authority in New York, they were New York City police officers, and they were firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

While it is important for us to always remember the 3,000 people that were

killed on September 11, 2001, it's equally important for us to remember the hundreds that got to live because those first responders ran into those burning buildings and saved other people. Of those responders, there were 37 Port Authority officers killed, there were 23 New York City police officers, and there were 343 firefighters, including 41 of those who were emergency medical technicians. They gave their lives so that others could live.

That is what they do; that is what firefighters do. When they hear the alarm, they know they are going to danger, but because they are a special breed, a rare breed, they do that. They do that because their community and the people are important. And they rush into that fire, whether it's a home that's burning in Houston, Texas, or whether it's an attack on America in New York City. So we honor them by passing this resolution to give them a special memorial day.

Every year in October, we recognize the sacrifice and the commitment that these firefighters do for this country and for the people of this Nation.

And that's just the way it is.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) and the gentleman from Washington, Sheriff Reichert, for introducing this legislation.

H. Con. Res. 177, which is Celebrate Safe Communities Week, supports the designation of October 1, 2009, through October 3 as Celebrate Safe Communities Week and October as Crime Prevention Month. H. Con. Res. 177 also calls attention to the need for crime prevention in communities across the country.

In 1984, the National Crime Prevention Council established Crime Prevention Month to encourage public education on awareness and prevention of criminal activity within communities and neighborhoods. Every year since then, government agencies, volunteer groups, schools and businesses have reached out to the public to do just that.

In conjunction with the ninth National Crime Prevention Month, the National Sheriffs' Association and the National Crime Prevention Council, in partnership with the Department of Justice, they all came together to create the Celebrate Safe Communities initiative. In its very first year, the program recruited 153 communities in 32 States as well as the District of Columbia to participate in the weeklong event.

This year, from October 1 through October 3, Celebrate Safe Communities Week kicked off their recognition of October as Crime Prevention Month. Crime Prevention Month and Celebrate Safe Communities Week strive to enhance the public's awareness of local law enforcement- led community safe initiatives, thus motivating people in the United States to learn what they can do to stay safe from criminal conduct in their communities.

While Celebrate Safe Communities Week highlights the importance of citizens protecting themselves through crime prevention, initiatives also stress the importance of community participation with local law enforcement agencies after a crime has taken place.

Volunteer organizations have proven to be invaluable in their coordination with law enforcement officials and with other community leaders. After all, a partnership of those who have firsthand knowledge of their neighborhoods is, without a doubt, the most effective way of attacking crime head on.

This resolution reminds us that prevention is critical to the fight against crime in our society. This resolution also reminds us that crime is a local problem. There is no better time than Crime Prevention Month and Celebrate Safe Communities Week for citizens to start learning how they can take control in protecting their families and their communities.

I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 177.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cao).

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he wishes to consume on this resolution to the author of the resolution, the gentleman from Washington, Sheriff Reichert.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3632, and I yield as much time as he wishes to consume to the ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith).

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee has noted, Mr. Smith from Texas, H.R. 3632 contains a number of administrative improvements to title 28 of the United States Code which will improve the operations and efficiency of the Federal judiciary. The previous speakers have highlighted many of the provisions set forth in H.R. 3632, but I would like to note two specific items:

First, section 4 of the legislation adjusts the disability retirement coverage and COLA adjustments of territorial judges, thereby reducing existing inequities between them and other term judges, such as magistrate and bankruptcy judges. The CBO estimates that this will not result in an increase in direct spending.

Second, section 5 of the bill extends to senior executives in the Federal courts, the Federal Judiciary Center and Sentencing Commission the same ability to carry over up to 90 days of annual leave just as comparable officials within the executive branch and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts are treated.

Mr. Speaker, such changes are obscure but necessary to increase efficiency in our Federal courts, and I urge all Members to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it's nothing new for the Federal Government to try to run health care. The Federal Government has been committing medical malpractice against the Native American Indians for over 200 years. It's a miserable failure. Just ask those folks that live on Indian reservations. They are treated under a system called the Indian Health Service program, a universal government-run health care system for, specifically, Native American Indians. There are long waiting lines for service; doctors are scarce; the quality of medical care is poor; it costs too much, and it results in rationed health care. When the government is running health care, people get inferior treatment.

There has been a lot of talk lately about changing the name of ``public option'' to call it ``Medicare part E'' so that will sell with the American public, or the ``consumer option'' is another

new politically correct phrase. I would like to suggest that we call it the ``Public Indian Health Care Option for Everybody.'' The Indians have no option. They're forced to take the public plan.

Now let's look at the American government-run health care as it has worked out for them for 200 years. We have a lot of history taking care of the American Indians--or, shall I say, not taking care of them.

When Stephanie Little Light took her daughter, Ta'Shon Rain, to an Indian health service clinic in Montana, which she is required to do since she is under the universal health care Indian program, the doctor said that her little 5-year-old girl was just depressed. She had stopped eating and stopped walking. The little girl kept complaining to her mother that her stomach hurt all the time. After going back to the government-run health care clinic 10 more times, Ta'Shon's lung collapsed. She was then airlifted to a private, nongovernment hospital in Denver where they told her mom she had terminal cancer. The little girl who loved to dance and sing and dress up in Indian costumes always wanted to see Disney World, specifically Cinderella's Castle. So a charity sent the whole family there, but Ta'Shon didn't get to see that castle when they got to Florida. The little girl had died in a hotel room. This is a tragic example of universal medical health care run by the United States Government.

There is a big difference between good intentions and what really happens in the real world. When there are no doctors left and the taxpayer money is gone and when the bureaucrats control health care, people die. Is this what we are to expect under the new nationalized health care system?

They're trying to tell us that this new, improved disaster on Americans is going to be different. Yeah, right.

Mr. Speaker, they say on those Indian reservations, Don't get sick after June because that's when the Federal money runs out. So they ration health care. The Federal Indian Health Service agency calls itself--get this--a ``rationed health care system'' for Indians. How's that for truth about socialized medicine?

On another Indian reservation, Ardel Baker went to the reservation government-run clinic. She had chest pains. They sent her to a private hospital in an ambulance and put a note on her chest. The note read, ``Understand that Priority 1 care cannot be paid for by us at this time because of funding issues.'' So they put a note on her and sent her on her way to a private hospital because the government would not take care of her. Ardel managed to survive that ordeal, thanks to private medicine.

Victor Brave Thunder was not so fortunate. He felt real bad and went to a government clinic on the reservation. They misdiagnosed the fact that he had heart failure and gave him Tylenol and cough syrup and said, Get better. He later died.

Then there is Harriet Archambault. She tried five times to get an appointment on a reservation to get her hypertension medicine refilled, but government bureaucrats were nowhere to be found. So she died before she was able to get that sixth appointment at the government clinic for her medicine.

Mr. Speaker, these are examples of government-run medical malpractice against American Indians right here in America. Government-run health care never works. It never has. Even in America, we've proven it doesn't work.

The health care bill being pushed on the American people is not really about providing better quality at an affordable price. The government cannot do it better or cheaper. It's really about government control and intervention in the lives of the American people. It's about oppressive government.

So let's address specific issues of health care and solve them, like being able to buy insurance across State lines, allow businesses and associations to pool employees to get a better insurance rate, provide for a safety net for preexisting conditions and catastrophic injuries and illnesses. But we should never turn our health over to the United States Government. Just ask the American Indians.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, in the dark caverns of the Capitol where the trolls roam at night, the Halloween health care bill is being drafted by a secret few. The bill is being written in secret so no one, especially seniors, see it.

Mr. Speaker, what is being cooked up in the dungeons of this building? Is it just too scary for people to know about? Well, probably so. You see, it takes $500 billion from Medicare and gives that money to the national Halloween health care bill. That's a frightening nightmare for people, especially seniors. And more importantly, it turns America's health over to the government.

Does anyone actually think the government can do it better? The Halloween health care bill will probably have the competence of FEMA, the efficiency of the post office, and the compassion of the IRS. The bill may be ready just in time for Halloween, and it will be a treat for the special interest groups, but it's a trick on the American people, especially the seniors. No wonder they're scared of it.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, this year at Halloween, the Feds will be going door to door playing trick or treat on seniors by taking their Medicare coverage. When they knock, seniors should not answer the door. When they peek through the peephole, the bureaucrats will be dressed as snake oil salesmen because they are cutting Medicare parts A, B, C and D. They are going to try to sell seniors on the new bill which we call Medicare part E, but it doesn't cover one senior citizen. Not one. Just call it Halloween health care because it is really scary.

What is in this Halloween health care bill? Well, just look at the latest and greatest Senate bill. You know, that is

the bill that is being drafted in the dark corners and the dungeons of the Capitol where the light of transparency and truth never reaches.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the Halloween health care will do the following things: It will cut Medicare part A for hospitals by $128 billion. It will cut Medicare part B for doctor reimbursement $130 billion. It will rob Medicare part C, Medicare Advantage, off $133 billion. We are not through yet. And yes, Medicare part D for prescription drugs is cut $20 billion. The total: $411 billion cut for seniors and Medicare. That is enough to scare everybody.

This new Medicare part E takes a half-trillion dollars out of Medicare, but it doesn't cover the seniors. In this new Medicare part E, the ``E'' stands for everybody else, including those in the country illegally.

I know, they keep talking about and saying that illegals will not be covered. But when attempts were made to require proof of citizenship to sign up for Halloween health care handouts, the amendments were voted down. The bill also raises $424 billion in new taxes.

Now why would they do that when the country is in a recession? The country is broke. We don't have the money. Well, Halloween health care will cost a trillion dollars, and they have to get the money from somewhere. We can't afford another thousand-page, trillion dollar bill. Our seniors are going to pay for more than half of the tab out of Medicare, and not one single senior will get more coverage out of this new health care bill.

Here is where it really gets dicey. The new Halloween health care proposal still rations health care services based on age. If you need a pacemaker, the snake oil salesmen are going to look at your age, the cost in what they call survivability rates. If the bureaucrats think your health care needs are just too expensive, they will hand out pain pills instead of approving that new pacemaker. That is what they already do in other countries where the government runs the health care system. In England it is called, and get this, the Quality Adjusted Life Years, and they have the power to make these life-and-death decisions on seniors.

When the Federal Government is in charge of health care, they are the only game in town and this so-called public option will be costly. You think health care is expensive now, just wait until it is free.

There are commonsense health care reforms we can all agree on. We don't have to have the government take over the whole system to fix what is specifically wrong with the system. That is like pulling all of your teeth when you have a toothache.

Halloween health care will be another thousand page, trillion-dollar bill. It will raise Medicare and other premiums, raise taxes, and slash Medicare coverage for seniors. This is not reform, that's abuse. But that is Halloween health care and it is coming to your door. Trick or treat.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Kaylin Mancera, a fourth grader in Groves, Texas, for her heroic actions. May 1, 2009, has been proclaimed ``Kaylin Mancera Day'' on behalf of the city of Groves.

The students at Groves Elementary went about their normal lunch period during socializing and laughing until a fourth grader, Kaylin Mancera had noticed her friend choking on her hamburger. Once Kaylin realized that her friend, Annie Gil needed help, she successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver undoubtedly saving her friends life.

Kaylin did not ask for assistance, but promptly performed the Heimlich on her own. Kaylin had learned how to perform the Heimlich from a poster that she passed by everyday at Van Buren Elementary, her former school. Luckily Kaylin was sitting close by and did not hesitate to respond.

It is likely that most children Kaylin's age would not have been so perceptive of such visual instruction. Because of Kaylin's heroic actions, school officials have committed to a higher awareness of basic health and safety practices within the school.

On behalf of the Second Congressional District of Texas, I would like to honor Kaylin Mancera for her heroism. Her quick response on April 8, 2009, will be remembered and will have an impact on others around her.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution is to remind all of us that domestic violence here in the United States is as prevalent now as it has ever been. Millions of men, women and children across the country are affected by domestic violence each year.

In a day last year more than 60,000 victims sought and received help from domestic violence programs, and due to lack of funding and resources, 8,927 requests were left unmet. Some may even die because of the lack of services counties across the country are unable to provide for families affected by family violence. In Harris county Texas alone, filings for domestic violence are 18 percent above last year and 40 percent more than 2007. These numbers are not only staggering but they are unacceptable.

On October 10th, 2005 in Baltimore, Maryland Yvette Cade's estranged husband, Roger Hargrave, carried a soda bottle filled with gasoline to her work and poured it over her body. As she ran outside, she tripped in the parking lot and he set her on fire. Ms. Cade was attacked three weeks after; Prince George's County District Court Judge Richard Palumbo lifted a protective order against Hargrave. Judge Palumbo is being charged with misconduct, claiming he violated judicial standards when he dismissed the protective order against Hargrave despite Cade's protests. Ms. Cade has third-degree burns over 60 percent of her body and has had over 15 surgeries due to this horrific crime.

On January 29th, 2009 in Houston, Texas a man was accused of killing his estranged girlfriend's mother and then shooting himself. He had been charged with domestic violence days earlier, after he beat his 17- month-old daughter. Elaine Walker was shot trying to protect her daughter when Roydrick Jiles burst into the daughter's home. Auriel Walker had refused to see or talk to Jiles, after he beat her and their child several days before. She tried to stop him from breaking into their home and he then shot Elaine Walker, Auriel's mother. He then abducted his estranged girlfriend and their child until he shot himself.

Both of these stories prove that sometimes there are preliminary warning signs of domestic violence which, if not handled correctly, can often times lead to severe abuse and even death. Approximately 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States. One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

Witnessing violence between one's parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next. Boys who witness domestic violence are twice as likely to abuse their own partners and children when they become adults.

We must continue to raise awareness in this country of how common domestic violence is, and without funding and proper resources local governments cannot combat this problem alone. It takes all of us, and informing people of this nationwide problem is the first step. And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, the first stimulus bill was 1,000 pages long and cost $1 trillion. We were, in essence, told, Pass this or America is doomed. It was railroaded through before anyone could even read the bill. Now we know why. It wasn't about creating jobs; it was about more government spending. Since then, 3 million more people have lost their jobs, over 15 million people are unemployed, and the unemployment rate just keeps growing.

And so the government's answer is, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. So the government this year is going to have a second stimulus bill. The Federal Government has already spent more money this year than all previous years in American history combined.

The American people have had about all the big government spending they can stand. With that kind of government success, it's time to try something else, like cut taxes instead of cutting jobs.

We cannot spend, borrow, and tax our way into more jobs or prosperity; big oppressive government just has proved it. Government needs a health care plan for compulsive, addictive government obesity.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, I bring you news from the second front--the war on the border between Mexico and the United States. Dangerous drug cartels are already in control of major stretches of the U.S.-Mexico border, and they're taking over whole Mexican border towns.

The Zeta drug cartel is the most violent and the most feared of the Mexican drug cartels. Zetas have attacked Mexican towns in military- style operations at platoon-strength numbers. They have massacred hundreds of their competitors, often beheading and dismembering them. They have fought hour-long battles with the Mexican military in the streets of Matamoros. Madam Speaker, Matamoros is a border town on the Rio Grande River across from Brownsville, Texas.

Recently, shots came over that border, hitting buildings and a parking lot at a University of Texas branch in Brownsville. Authorities presumed this violence was from the drug cartels, themselves. The Zetas have moved into Matamoros. They also claim to control Nuevo Laredo, which is across from the Texas town of Laredo.

The Zetas have no fear of the authorities. There is no law or order in any of the towns they control, and they have assassinated police chiefs and local politicians. They own the towns. They have raised terror throughout Mexico--fighting their rivals, the Mexican Army and the police. The success of the Zeta cartel has forced other Mexican drug cartels into an arms race with military weaponry and tactics.

Who are these Zetas, and where do they come from?

Well, the Zetas were formed by deserters from the Mexican Army's veteran elite Airborne Special Forces Group. The Zetas also include former members from the Guatemalan Kaibiles Special Forces organization. We trained them here in America, at the School of the Americas, in the latest and best tactics and weaponry. When they got back home, they deserted from the military, and they went to work for the drug cartels. In essence, they declared war on the Mexican Government, and they became part of what they were trained to fight.

They make a lot more money in trafficking guns, drugs and people than they would ever have in working as a Mexican or a Guatemalan soldier, and they're using superior military training--that training they received at the expense of the United States. Trafficking in drugs, arms and human beings is a very lucrative business. Billions of dollars worth of merchandise is moved across our southern border every year.

The Zeta international trafficking cartel has evolved into a privately funded military army. They have the best military equipment money can buy, and they have transformed into an international gang, working even in the United States. Without a secure southern border, the violence will continue in Mexico, and only those who live in never- never land will think the problem will not get to the United States. The Zetas are an urban guerrilla organization which threatens to topple any semblance of law and order.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the ``Zeta gunmen and their accomplices routinely blockade Matamoros' downtown streets. Last winter, the gangsters mobilized thousands of people to briefly close the region's bridges across the Rio Grande, halting trade'' with the United States into Brownsville.

Now, the administration's strategy is to look the other way and to pretend it's not happening. Well, we cannot wish away this threat to public safety and to America's national security. We must not allow the situation to continue to escalate unchecked, because violence is actually spilling out into the streets of America near our border towns. Our local law enforcement is overwhelmed. The border sheriffs need more assistance. They are not equipped or trained to handle these military-style incursions by the Zetas and by other drug cartels.

While the administration is stalling and deliberating about what to do in Afghanistan, the government is also giving little attention to our southern border, but this is not the first administration to neglect enforcing the rule of law on the southern border. There has been much rhetoric for years from the government about protecting the border, but like my grandfather used to say, ``When all is said and done, more is said than done,'' and that is especially by the government.

The Nation needs to understand there is a border war on our southern border. Immediate action is necessary, and the United States should conduct training on the southern border with our military. This will help deter incursions. Plus the Governors from Texas and New Mexico have asked for the National Guard to be sent to the border. So more National Guard troops should be sent to protect the dignity and the sovereignty of our Nation, because the first duty of government is to protect the people, to protect us from the invasion of the crime cartels.

The people who live on the border on both sides of the Rio Grande have a right to expect their government to protect them from the Zetas and from all other criminal cartel enterprises which illegally cross the border.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the new reformed, revised, special edition version of the Senate health care bill written in the dark, secret caverns of the Capitol is a whopping 1,500 pages long. Americans for Tax Reform did a word search on the bill and they found some interesting words.

Right here on this chart, the word ``tax'' is used 124 times. You know, that is the government's favorite word. ``Taxes,'' 16 times; ``excise tax,'' 12 times; ``taxpayers,'' 79 times. Here is a bad one, ``taxable,'' 158 times. That is a whole lot of taxes in this bill.

Of course, the words ``tax exempt'' are found only 15 times in the bill. There are some more bad words like ``penalty'' and ``require'' and ``must.'' And here is a bad one, ``shall,'' 2,585 times in this tax bill--I mean health care bill.

Mr. Speaker, these are some bad words, totaling 3,196 words about taking money from the American taxpayer.

Sounds like somebody is getting a tax hike. No wonder the bill was written in the secret caverns out of public view in this Capitol.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, there is trouble in Honduras, and the United States has chosen sides in this conflict. Here are the facts: the people of Honduras are holding an election on November 29. Honduras is a democracy. Their elections will fill 3,000 offices nationwide and all 128 seats of the national congress, and they will elect a new President.

They've had some trouble recently with their current President. Manuel Zelaya attempted to stay in office and be on the November ballot, which is not allowed by term limits in their Honduran Constitution. Zelaya wants to become a permanent President of Honduras and has tried to illegally change the Constitution to keep himself in power.

The people have followed the rule of law, however. They followed their own Constitution. Just as the people of this country would follow our Constitution under similar circumstances, they took proper, legal action to stop Zelaya's illegal behavior, and they removed him from office through the legal court system.

Article 239 of the Honduran Constitution states: ``The citizen who has already held executive power''--that would be the President--``may not be President or designee. Anyone who violates this provision or proposes its reform and supports those who do directly or indirectly, must immediately cease the discharge of their duties, and shall be disqualified for 10 years from the exercise of any public function.''

Those are pretty simple words. It sounds like the Constitution prevents Zelaya from trying to hijack the government.

The self-governing people of Honduras set forth in their Constitution that a tyrant could not abuse the process and become a dictator. They set rock solid term limits to one term for President. These good people legally removed Manuel Zelaya, the man who would be dictator, a tyrant, and a special friend of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Now that's special.

Here's how the people acted legally. After several attempts by legal means to prevent Zelaya from staying in power, the Office of Public Prosecutor filed a criminal complaint. The charges were treason, abuse of authority and usurpation of power in violation of the Honduran Constitution. The Supreme Court of Honduras agreed with the charges and issued an arrest warrant for the armed forces to arrest Manuel Zelaya. So Zelaya was legally arrested. And because he violated the Constitution, he was exiled from the country.

We should be applauding the people of Honduras for following their rule of law. In America, we honor the rule of law. We believe in self- determination and constitutional limits on government power, but we picked the wrong side in this case. We took the side of the tyrant versus the people of Honduras.

Now why would we do that? We cut off foreign aid to Honduras. We have refused to recognize the interim government that followed the rule of law. This is a Honduran Government that is doing everything despite America's interference to make sure that their elections take place as scheduled, to make sure their democracy survives according to the Constitution.

In the meantime, Zelaya, who was exiled, has slipped back into the country. He's holed up in the Brazilian Embassy. He's being funded by guess who? The Communist dictator, Hugo Chavez. Zelaya's thugs are targeting select groups with violent acts, including attacks on Christians. Zelaya is attempting to create chaos, but the popular will does not exist to return this would-be dictator to power. The people want their free elections to take place as scheduled.

One of our Senate colleagues, Senator DeMint of South Carolina, recently returned from Honduras. He said that the only person he found in Honduras interested in putting Zelaya back in power was guess who? The American ambassador.

Mr. Speaker, it is a moral imperative that we back the rule of law, that we honor the decision of the democratically elected institutions of Honduras, that we support the elections in November, and that we recognize the new government, whoever wins the race.

Why do we, as a Nation, say we believe in self-determination but deny self-determination to Honduras? Why do we say we believe in a constitutional government but bash the nation of Honduras for following their own Constitution? Why do we support the likes of a deposed ruler like Zelaya? And how is it any of our business to determine who should be President of Honduras anyway?

Honduras has been an ally of the United States, yet appears to be another example of how we treat our allies worse than we treat our enemies. We are on the wrong side of things when we stand by the bandit dictator Hugo Chavez and his buddy, Manuel Zelaya.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, there are families in America where assault, violence and terror at home are a way of life.

Yvette Cade got a restraining order against her abusive husband, a man that she daily and dreadfully feared. But a Virginia judge lifted that protective order when her husband, Roger Hargrave, promised he would seek counseling.

Soon after the order was lifted, Yvette went off to her job at a T- Mobile store. Her husband later walked in the store, doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. A customer boldly put out the fire that resulted in third-degree burns over 60 percent of Yvette's body.

That was 4 years ago. Yvette, a survivor, has spent 92 days in the hospital and she has had 14 surgeries. She lives in daily turmoil and pain, pain inflicted on her by her worthless, wretched husband.

Mr. Speaker, October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Brutality at home cannot remain a dark secret any longer. Domestic violence is a national health care issue; a crime and a scourging plague on a nation's culture.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, if there is one thing the Federal Government is really good at, it is wasting money, and thanks to the so-called stimulus bill, there are millions of citizen dollars floating around loose being blown by the wind of the waste-acrats.

The money is not being used to create permanent jobs in the private sector. State governments are using stimulus money for their own pet programs. But States are also required to put up stimulus signs where no projects have even started.

One New Hampshire community was told if they didn't put up a government sign, they wouldn't get any money. Pay for the stimulus boondoggle PR blitz, or no funds. And these signs cost taxpayers up to $2,000 a piece. Now, here is one of those signs. The Feds are trying to convince people that the stimulus is a success. Of course, there is no work taking place below this sign.

It is easier to create million dollar public relations signs than it is to create real jobs. The PR propaganda campaign by the Federal Government claiming the stimulus plan is working is an expensive myth.

And that's just the way it is.