Terry Everett

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life and public service of long-time Montgomery, Alabama resident Mr. Walter J. Bamberg, age 78, who passed away on October 3 after a brief illness.

Walter Bamberg was an institution in central Alabama. His life epitomized public service. A U.S. Army Korean War veteran, Bamberg began his career as a Montgomery radio and television personality in the early 1950's. During his 12 years on the air, Bamberg took advantage of the space craze gripping the nation as creator and host of a popular local children's program called ``Captain Zoomar'' on WCOV-TV 20.

In 1964, Bamberg left Montgomery broadcasting to serve as Job Placement Director for the Rehabilitation Research Foundation at Draper Correctional Center in Montgomery. Five years later, he was appointed as District Director for Alabama Second District Congressman Bill Dickinson. Bamberg supervised constituent outreach duties of Congressman Dickinson's south Alabama offices for two decades. He was so effective that Dickinson tried on at least one occasion to convince Bamberg to join him in Washington, but he declined to leave Alabama and the life he enjoyed directly serving the people.

In 1989, Bamberg retired from Congressional service and was appointed by President George H. W. Bush as U.S. Marshal for the Middle Judicial District of Alabama. His responsibilities extended over 15 counties. Bamberg was also a member of the Montgomery County Republican Executive Committee.

He was active in local politics, including a run for Montgomery City Commission, and he remained engaged in community affairs after his retirement from the U.S. Marshal Service. Once cannot think of Montgomery Republican politics without thinking of him. He liked to joke that he was a Republican in Alabama when the party could hold their convention in a phone booth.

I was pleased to visit with Walter Bamberg in April while attending the funeral services for Congressman Dickinson. Barbara and I offer our condolences to his wife, Peggy, and children, David, Dale Franklin, Matt, and entire family during this time of loss. Walter Bamberg was an Alabama institution and a man of many talents. His legacy of public service lives on in the strength of the Alabama Republican party.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I submit the following information regarding one earmark I received as part of H.R. 2638, the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act (P.L. 110-329).

Requesting Member: Congressman Terry Everett.

Bill Number: H.R. 2638, the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance and Continuing Appropriations Act.

Account: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDTE), U.S. Army.

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Lockheed Martin.

Address of Requesting Entity: Pike County, Alabama.

Description of Request: The Close Combat Missile System Modernization for Javelin earmark funding is for $3,700,000. This funding will help the Army meet its requirements in the Concept Development doctrine stating that the Javelin missile be modernized to meet modern and irregular warfare needs. The modernization addresses known obsolescence issues such as parts replacement and decreasing inventory levels.

Javelin has been in production since 1994. This modernization program will move the missile closer to its objective performance standard, while maintaining cost effective production levels and help sustain the industrial base.

The funding is to be used to evolve Javelin capabilities and address the requirements stated in the Joint Service Operational Requirement for Advanced Anti-Armor Weapons Systems-Medium.

Madam Speaker, in the years since I was first sworn in to office in 1993, our Nation has faced a number of major challenges that required tough and courageous decisions. I have always believed public service to be the noblest of calling. I still believe in the concept of ``citizen statesmen'' as envisioned by our Founding Fathers who recognized that private citizens motivated to serve in Congress were vital to the future of our Nation. I came to Washington not as a politician, but as a businessman ready to make tough votes for the good of the country. I believe my final vote to pass the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act is such a vote.

The impact of nearly a decade of granting home loans that were doomed to fail has reached a crisis point in our economy. The combined weight of hundred of billions of dollars in low value mortgages has created an economic aneurysm that is beginning to burst and usher in the collapse of our financial markets and take with it many American jobs. The national media have repeatedly spun this dilemma as one that solely afflicts ``Wall Street.'' This is simply not accurate.

Many Americans believe this is a cry of Chicken Little and that it is not their problem, and we should let the markets fail and let the consequences fall as they may. However, if we allow our markets to fail--no one will be insulated from the impact. Our whole economy is underpinned by the availability of credit. Without access to credit, banks fail, businesses are forced to layoff workers or close altogether, and even people with good credit cannot get loans for cars, college, new homes, or other essential needs. We are already seeing that universities are having trouble accessing their funds, municipalities are experiencing losses in property taxes since mortgage banks can not pay on foreclosed homes, and lack of availability of bonds for infrastructure and other local needs. Soon our farmers will be getting ready to start planning for next year's crop--and there is fear they will not have access to the credit necessary to plant next year's crop. We have already seen food prices increase over the last few years, and that pain will have been nothing if farmers do not have the necessary credit.

As a conservative Republican, I believe in a free market and less government intervention. However, these are extraordinary circumstances that will impact all of us. Many Americans might not have felt the effects directly yet and hopefully they will not because of the action being taken today. This legislation includes safeguards to protect taxpayers, not making the total amount of funds available at once, ensuring that there are no golden parachutes, and holding executives accountable.

I cannot leave office taking any position that is counter to the best interest of our Nation. I would have preferred to not have the Federal Government intervention, but failure to act to shore up our economy would allow far greater damage to millions of average Americans and hundreds of thousands of Alabamians. I have been honored to serve the Second District these 16 years and would never have thought one of my last votes in Congress would have been on this type of legislation. Very few things are easy in politics, and I have thought long and hard on this difficult issue, and I believe that voting in favor of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act is the necessary thing to do.