Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, here is a quote: Others have talked about this threat that is posed by Saddam Hussein. Yes, he has chemical weapons. He has biological weapons, and he is trying to get nuclear weapons.

That is not President Bush. That is Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi. But now what we are seeing is some revisionist history, and this Monday morning quarterbacking is a disservice to all of America.

Remember Secretary Colin Powell's testimony in front of the U.N. on February 5, 2003? One of the things that was never questioned was a tape that he played. It was between an Iraqi colonel and an Iraqi general. The colonel says, About this committee that is coming, and he is talking about the U.N. nuclear weapons committee. And the general says, Yeah, I am worried that you have got something left. And the colonel says, We have evacuated everything. We don't have anything left.

Now, what were they talking about, Mr. Speaker? What were they talking about?

It is no wonder that both Republicans and Democrats both voted to go to war. Both had the same intelligence and both saw the writing on the wall. Disagreeing about current policy is one thing, but changing historical fact is the tired, old, petty, partisan politics of the past.

Mr. Speaker, contrary to what some of my friends on the other side of the aisle do, I like to take this time, morning hour, and share a little good news with the American people, because this is an exciting day. It is a new day for health care in our Nation. It is a day of great opportunity for seniors all across our Nation. Today is the first day that seniors all across America are able to sign up voluntarily and participate in the new Medicare part D prescription drug program.

As many members of Congress know, I am a third-generation physician, and the things that were available to treat patients by my father and my grandfather have changed so significantly. The kinds of things that I was able to use to take care of patients were remarkably different than those that my father and grandfather were able to use. Medicine is an evolving science, and it changes almost daily.

But the Medicare program, like most government programs, has not kept up. When Medicare started 40 years ago, there really were very few medications that were able to be used to significantly alter the course of a disease or to prevent disease. But a lot of things have changed. Over the past 40 years, there are wonderful opportunities that have been created with the use of drug treatments and medications to prevent and cure diseases.

Yet Medicare, until now, has not covered a single medication. None. The Medicare system would cover, for example, the incredibly expensive surgery to take care of an ulcer, but it would not cover the medications to prevent the ulcer in the first place. That Medicare would cover, for example, the expensive hospitalization or potential surgery to treat an individual who had a stroke but would not cover the medications that were available to prevent a stroke, itself, does not make any sense at all. But all that is changing, and all of that is changing beginning today.

I want to stress that this is a voluntary program, a voluntary program for all seniors. Most seniors, if they look at the options available to them, will be helped significantly and assisted in their purchase and the ability to purchase medications by this new program.

Some might argue that much of this will be confusing, and it may be at the beginning. All kinds of programs that start anew oftentimes have many things that are confusing in them. However, I encourage my colleagues, both in Congress and in the medical

profession, to assist in educating seniors about the options that are available to them.

I have held a number of meetings around my district with seniors in an effort to try to educate them, and they have wonderful questions, will this program help me, how do I know that it will cover the medications that I have, how do I sign up, how do I get that information.

If I may pass along a couple of items, the first is the Medicare number: 1-800-Medicare. There are many individuals available at that line to be able to help seniors. Also, the Web site, www.medicare.gov. I was on it just this morning and it has a wealth of information available to folks.

In these meetings that I had, I always had somebody available from CMS, or the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, with me to be able to help answer questions. But what I was most impressed with, in Georgia at least, the vast majority of seniors will be able to have a program that is better for them, covers more of their medications than they currently have with this Medicare program.

There are some important dates to remember. Today is the first date that is important. Today is the first day that seniors are able to sign up for a program whose coverage begins on January 1. This window of opportunity, that time to sign up, is between now, November 15, 2005, and May 15, 2006, even though the program begins on January 1.

Many seniors are currently receiving some prescription drug coverage now through a Medicare plus program or a supplemental program. I think it is important again for most seniors to appreciate that this program, the Medicare part D program, will be better for them than the current program that they have.

Again, 1-800-Medicare is the phone number. The Web site is www.medicare.gov. It is important that seniors look at the list of medications that they are currently taking and the list of medications that are available through the plans that are available to them and select one that is able to meld those that is going to cover the medications that they have.

It is an exciting time. It is a great opportunity for all seniors across our Nation. I encourage every senior to look at the options available to them and make certain that they are selecting a program that suits them best. I am hopeful that this will help improve the health care and the healthful status of all seniors across our Nation. I look forward to watching this program as it unfolds and as it evolves, and hopefully this will be an impetus to allow Medicare to be a much more nimble program.

Mr. Speaker, can you imagine an insurance policy that paid thousands of dollars for the most expensive treatment for a disease but not a few hundred dollars for medicine to prevent that disease from occurring? Well, that is what Medicare has been, until now. Today is the first day that seniors all across our country can join Medicare part D.

As a physician, I am keenly aware that medications are a mainstay of the treatment and prevention of disease and, with this new prescription drug benefit, Medicare will now assist seniors in obtaining medicines that can prevent serious illness. Seniors should get more choices and better treatment, and America will get a Medicare system that moves into the 21st century.

In my district, I have held senior education seminars, trying to give seniors helpful information about this new and exciting program. This is not about politics, this is about helping those eligible for Medicare to select the plan that is best for them.

I encourage all of my colleagues in medicine and in Congress to help seniors as they have the opportunity to participate in a new health program, one that should result in a more rewarding and healthier life.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow we celebrate Veterans Day to honor America's most courageous men and women of the past and the present. In conflicts around the world, those serving in our military protect our country and safeguard the values that Americans hold dear: safety and freedom and democracy.

The Defense Department has a program allowing a recorded phone call so that soldiers from my district serving overseas can listen to it and then contact me. The opinions of those serving our country are so very important, and I encourage all Members of Congress to participate in this program.

Veterans Day is often marked by parades. However, we in Congress must remember that the celebration of our veterans is more than just a once- a-year event. Over the past 5 years, we have increased benefits to veterans by over $20 billion, from the GI Bill to VA home loan guarantees to benefits for disabled veterans, widows, and dependents.

However, dollars and cents cannot measure the sacrifice of our soldiers. We enjoy our freedoms today because of what they do every day of every year. To those who have served, a grateful Nation says thank you.

Madam Speaker, last March Atlanta experienced one of the worst instances of courthouse violence on record. A defendant overpowered a courthouse security guard, grabbed her weapon and shot a judge dead in his own courtroom. The defendant then escaped, setting off a massive manhunt until he was captured a short while later.

Incidents of courthouse violence are spreading. Chicago, Illinois, and Tyler, Texas, have also experienced vicious crimes against our judicial system. Many States are working to prevent this from happening again by improving courthouse security. This is a step in the right direction. But we must do more to protect judges, attorneys, jurors, and other courthouse employees from ever having to confront this kind of danger. We must not allow criminals to compromise our judicial system.

Today we have an opportunity to act to strengthen penalties against those who commit courthouse violence and protect Federal judiciary employees from falling prey to criminals attacking their personal finances.

Madam Speaker, the Secure Access to Justice and Court Protection Act is before us today, and I urge my colleagues to support this important initiative to preserve and protect our system of justice.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 585 I was inadverently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 3146.

Mr. Speaker, while watching the nightly news last night, I was shocked by the stories being reported or, more accurately, by those stories that were not being reported.

What, you say. Well, during the month of October we added over 50,000 jobs to our economy. Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma wreaked havoc in cities across our gulf coast, displacing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and jobs.

During this time, our economy was still able to continue to grow in the face of these tragic events. Our Republican policies worked to stimulate the economy. Job creation averaged 194,000 per month for the year prior to Hurricane Katrina. Third quarter GDP increased by 3.8 percent, capping 10 quarters of growth in a row. Yet you would not know it unless you searched deep past the front pages of your local papers. There have been increases in new and existing home sales, declines in unemployment, and increases in business investment. All good news.

Mr. Speaker, an examination of the facts makes it quite clear. Republicans have a plan to reform the Federal Government and increase savings for all the American people.

Mr. Speaker, our brave men and women in the military are accompanied by other brave men and women who work hard to protect us. They are our border agents who guard our international boundaries, and they are now often serving in what amounts to a war zone.

In the fiscal year just ended, over 650 border agents reported being assaulted, the highest number since they began tracking these incidents in the 1990s. Compare that to last year's total of 354, and you have to wonder just how secure our borders are. Even with sensors and cameras and fences, that is not enough. Incidents have increased from San Diego to Nogales, Arizona to the banks of the Rio Grande in Texas. It is clear we are not getting the job done, and our efforts need to be strengthened.

If our agents have to dodge bullets, then who is controlling our borders? Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff said last week that when it comes to illegal immigration, time is not on our side. Mr. Speaker, Congress should take action now to secure our borders. Our Nation is not secure until our borders are secure. That is the necessary and first step to any immigration reform. H.R. 3693 is legislation that America needs now.

Madam Speaker, if you were to listen to many folks in this Chamber, you would think there was absolutely no good news to be heard anywhere. With the challenges this Nation has faced over the past couple of months, the economy ought to be in awful shape. Right?

Madam Speaker, there is news that you just will not see on the major television stations or read in the newspapers, the one success of our economy, the amazing American economy. The gross domestic product, the most clear measure of our economic activity, rose by 3.8 percent in the third quarter. That is an increase of 3.8 percent. That is in spite of Katrina and Rita and all the damage that they brought to our shores. The past 10 quarters have been phenomenal. That is 2\1/2\ years. Growth during that time has been greater than 3 percent in every quarter and more often more than 4 percent. That is good news.

And the deficit? Well, that has improved as well, decreasing nearly $100 billion in the last fiscal year alone. That is good news.

Madam Speaker, Republicans have a plan to reform the government in order to achieve savings for the American people. I urge my colleagues to embrace the good news in our plan.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Chairman, the fifth amendment to the Constitution states that ``no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.''

Thomas Jefferson said: ``The true foundation of republican government is the equal right of every citizen in his person and property and in their management.''

However, that was then. We have heard a lot of talk about the Founding Fathers; and they are not turning in their graves, Mr. Chairman, they are spinning.

Jefferson warned: ``A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take away everything you have.''

It looks like we are at that stage.

A school does not generate tax revenue. A church does not generate any tax revenue, but that does not mean that a school ought to become a Starbucks and that a church ought to become the next Costco.

Thanks to the recent Supreme Court decision on eminent domain, the fifth amendment has been vastly expanded. In the past, public use meant projects for the common good, not for the bottom line. With this decision, no citizen's property is safe and the American dream of owning your own home is now at risk. Private ownership of property is a pillar of our freedom and our prosperity.

The Private Property Rights Act, H.R. 4128, will begin to right the wrong that was wrought on our Nation this past June. I urge all Members of this House to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, Thomas Jefferson said that ``the true foundation of republican government is the equal right of every citizen in his person and property,'' and the fifth amendment to the Constitution states ``nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.''

Thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling on eminent domain, the fifth amendment has been vastly expanded so that it now means ``for the bottom line.'' Public use has been redefined to say simply that tax revenues are more important than neighborhoods.

The Founding Fathers did not mean ``public use'' to be defined as potential future economic development to increase tax revenues. Private property rights of our citizens are now competing with tax revenue and private developments. The Constitution is meant to protect the rights of our citizens, not compete with the bottom line, and certainly not to provide the government with an excuse to seize our property.

Our system only works with appropriate checks and balances, and this week Congress should exercise its check on a wayward Supreme Court decision and pass legislation that will demonstrate that increasing tax revenues should not trample the rights of private property owners.

Mr. Speaker, there has been a whirlwind of news lately, from Supreme Court nominees to hurricanes and natural disasters and the cost of gasoline. If you were to listen to many folks in this Chamber, you would think that there was absolutely no good news at all, anywhere. I, like most Members of Congress, go home virtually every weekend. When I am home, I try to take every opportunity to listen to people, what are their concerns and what are their interests. They have been worried about a general sense that we here in Washington have gotten distracted from the real issues. I gain strength from those discussions and from those folks at home.

The wonderful news about America is that hardworking men and women across this country are doing just that--they are working hard. To all of them, we owe an incredible debt of gratitude, because they really are the real heroes. Day in and day out, they are the real heroes.

With the challenges that this Nation has faced over the past couple of months, including the record destruction from the hurricanes across the gulf coast and in Florida and the remarkable increases in gas and oil prices, the economy ought to be in the tank, or at least flat, right? It ought not be growing at all.

Hold on, Mr. Speaker. This news, you have not heard in the major media, you have not heard it read in the newspapers, and that is the good news of the wonderful success of our economy, the amazing American economy. This chart shows the gross domestic product, which really is kind of the benchmark of how our economy is performing. This chart demonstrates that in the last quarter, in the third quarter of 2005, the economy grew at a rate of 3.8 percent. That is an increase. This is in spite of Katrina and Rita and all the

damage that they brought to our shores. Economists have estimated that if those events had not occurred, this economy would have grown at about 5 percent in the last quarter. The good news is that this economy continues to grow.

The question that most thinking people would ask, how can this be when most of the media, financial and otherwise, keep saying how awful this economy is, how it has no staying power, how it has no energy at all? I am reminded of the old adage that says that even a broken clock is right twice a day. If people keep predicting that there will be a recession, sooner or later they are going to be right.

This chart demonstrates that the past 10 quarters have been phenomenal. That is 2\1/2\ years. Growth during that time has been greater than 3 percent for every single quarter and in some of those quarters it has been greater than 4 percent. Again thinking people would ask, What happened 10 quarters ago to bring this about? What began this growth cycle? Curiously, that is about the time when the tax cuts on dividends and the tax cuts on capital gains and the tax cuts on income taxes were clear that they were going to take effect retroactive to January 1, 2003. That is all good news.

What is more, real business investment has grown at an average annual rate of 9 percent over that period of time, nearly twice the rate of the overall economy. This investment in business is exactly what the tax cuts were meant to address. The evidence is very, very clear. The tax cuts have had the effect that they were desired to have.

How about the deficit, you ask? Well, that has improved as well, decreasing by nearly $100 billion over the past fiscal year alone. That is good news, Mr. Speaker. How could that be, lowering tax rates, increasing tax revenue and decreasing the deficit? That is exactly what lowering taxes does.

I have heard my colleagues on the other side say, well, nobody else is being lifted up. In fact, the unemployment rate reached 4.9 percent in August 2005. Most economists will tell you that an unemployment rate of 5 percent is full employment, because people are changing jobs and moving. That is good news surrounding our Nation as it relates to the economy.

Soon Congress must decide whether to make these tax cuts permanent or they will expire. I think the evidence is extremely clear. If we wish this good news on the economy to continue, the tried and true policy of decreasing taxes will result in an increase in economic growth, more money in people's pockets and more financial success for more Americans. Just look at the evidence. This is the evidence that decreasing taxes works for all Americans, 10 straight quarters of economic growth.

I urge my colleagues to embrace this good news and act expeditiously to make certain that the tax cuts be permanent.

Mr. Speaker, today, I had the privilege of joining the President for his speech at the National Institutes of Health where he discussed the avian flu and a potential pandemic. He talked about our Nation's strategy to protect outbreaks, expand domestic vaccine protection, stockpile treatments and prepare our response.

The take-home message of all of this is preparation, not panic. It is important that we bring calm to the sea of sensationalism about the bird flu. Is this a threat? Yes, potentially. Do we need to be prepared? Absolutely.

What the President outlined is a strategy for Federal, State and local governments and communities, neighborhoods and families. All must play a role. This cooperation is vital to the strategy and success.

As a doctor, I understand and appreciate the importance of prevention. It is the most efficient and cost-effective way to treat diseases, any disease. That is the goal and the plan, to have a structure in place to rapidly detect outbreaks anyplace in the world, have the medicines and vaccines necessary to treat everyone and respond at every level.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the President for outlining a proactive, successful course, preventive measures to ensure the safety of all Americans.

Madam Speaker, have you seen the headlines:

Bird Flu Anxiety Spreads Across Europe.

Bird Flu Could Kill 150 Million People.

WHO Warns of Dire Flu Pandemic.

Media should report facts, not create panic. Unfortunately, today many of the stories we see and read are short on facts and long on panic. It is time we brought some sanity to all the sensationalism. No one should doubt the potential of the bird flu. However, responsible people are working diligently to be certain that we are prepared for any threat and are able to respond quickly.

Certain facts are important to keep in mind. This Avian flu virus has been around since at least 1997. It is not a new phenomenon. The CDC states that ``the current risk to Americans is low.'' So there is cause for concern, but not panic. Our real concern should be expanded. We need to address our ability to respond to any infectious disease. Providing incentives to U.S.-based companies for vaccine production and building a routine adult immunization program are just two of the positive steps we should take. Importantly, these actions should move forward in an environment of concern, not panic.