Kevin Brady

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor two great southeast Texans. Every weekday morning for more than a quarter century, Texans have started their mornings off by tuning into JP Pritchard & Lana Hughes for the latest news. These two consummate radio professionals have been there for us through Hurricanes Alicia, Rita and Ike and Tropical Storm Allison, the most destructive tropical storm in U.S. History. They've kept Houston in the know through good economic times and bad--winning more national, state, and local awards than they have time to count or shelf space to display. Lana Hughes, a native southeast Texan, is a graduate of Conroe High School in the Eighth Congressional District and Baylor University. She got her start in journalism working for the Conroe Courier and KIKR Radio before joining KTRH in the early 1980s. An avid fan of the NASA Human Space Flight Program, Lana can cite stats on every mission, but her greatest passion is saving animals. Her blog, Animal House, has placed numerous pets into loving homes and informed all of southeast Texas about the problems of abused, neglected, and abandoned animals. If Lana is not in the newsroom, she can found volunteering at a local animal shelter or getting one of her many friends to fall in love with a new four-legged family member. JP Pritchard got to Texas as fast as he could and once here he stayed. A graduate of Drake University and the broadcasting school of hard knocks, JP and his lovely bride, Esther, have three sons and two grandsons who are the apple of their grandfather's eye. His first job in southeast Texas was as reporter/anchor and news director of KULF Radio, now known as KBME, The Sports Animal. From there, he joined the KTRH team where he has been ever since. While he enjoys anchoring the news, JP is also proud of his documentary work having won top honors for his 2-hour special on the history of Houston. JP has been used to having his name be ``JP & Lana'' for more than a quarter century. Together, these two amazingly talented people have become family members to millions in southeast Texans who instinctively tune to NewsRadio 740 AM, KTRH whenever news is breaking.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this is the Pelosi health care plan, and it's wrong for America. Over 100 new Federal agencies, commissions, and mandates standing between you and your doctor. This huge, inefficient new bureaucracy makes your health care insurance more expensive, forces millions of Americans into a government-run plan, raises taxes on workers and small businesses, increases Medicare drug costs for seniors, adds billions to our frightening deficit, and after throwing $1 trillion at the problem, still leaves 18 million Americans uninsured. Big government doesn't mean better health care. To pay for this massive new bureaucracy, Democrats slash Medicare for our elderly by a half-trillion dollars. That means 660,000 Texas seniors are going to lose their plan. It shuts 40 doctor-owned hospitals in Texas, costing us 15,000 jobs. And 1.5 million Texans will have their plans disappear. This is not the reform families need. Instead, this is all about taking the giant first step toward a single-payer national health care system. If the Pelosi plan passes, Washington will ultimately decide which doctors you can see, what treatments you deserve, and what medicines you receive, and when you're sick, will you be worth their cost? House Republicans have a different vision. We listened. Ours is a careful, step-by-step solution to the complex issue of health care, focusing first on lowering your health care costs so more can afford it. We have no tax increases, no Medicare cuts, no rationing, no mandates, no huge intrusion of government into the most intimate parts of your health care, just more choices, more fairness, less lawyers. Best of all, our Republican plan is the only reform that actually lowers your health care premiums and lowers the deficit. We need to get health care reform right the first time. The Pelosi plan is wrong.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Texas Marines Medal of Honor Monument in The Woodlands, Texas. Marines Thomas R. Early, Burt Cabanas, Jim O'Connor and Bill Leigh were instrumental in bringing the monument to The Woodlands. It is truly inspirational to know that this monument is now in existence due to the determination of these local Marines who brainstormed this one of a kind monument as a fitting tribute to all Texas Marines. The monument was dedicated on May 25, 2007, at Town Green Park to pay tribute to seventeen Texans awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It stands to pay reverence to these men including five Marines from World War II, four Marines and one Navy Corpsman from the Korean War, and seven Marines from the Vietnam War. One can hardly pass the Texas Marines Medal of Honor Monument without feeling an overwhelming sense of appreciation for the sacrifice of these brave patriots as you stand before the monument and read the seventeen names engraved in gold. The Marines honored are as follows: SSGT William James Bordelon, 22, San Antonio; PFC Charles Howard Roan, 21, Claude; 1st LT Jack Lummus, 29, Ennis; SGT William George Harrell, 22, Rio Grande City; 1st LT William Deane Hawkins, 29, El Paso; 1st LT Frank Nicias Mitchell, 29, Indian Gap; SSGT Ambrosio Guillen, 23, El Paso; PFC Whitt Lloyd Moreland, 21, Waco; 2nd LT George Herman O'Brien, Jr., 26, Fort Worth; Hospitalman John Edward Kilmer, 21, Houston; PFC Alfred Mac Wilson, 21, Abilene; LCPL Thomas Elbert Creek, 18, Amarillo; SGT Alfredo (Freddy) Gonzalez, 21, Edinburg; LCPL Richard Allen Anderson, 21, Houston; PFC Oscar Palmer Austin, 21, Nacogdoches; 2nd LT Terrence Collinson Graves, 22, Corpus Christi; LCPL Miguel Keith, 18, San Antonio On top of this monument stands a sculpture of the Marine Corps official emblem--the eagle, globe and anchor. The eagle with spread wings resting on top of the world reminds us what our Marines do for us--they protect us at all costs. I hope that as families use Town Green Park in the future, they look upon the monument with pride and honor these brave soldiers by reflecting on all those serving in our Armed Forces. Parents will impress upon their children the great honor bestowed on these great individuals from the Lone Star State and tell them how admirable it is that these men have sacrificed much to allow us all to freely walk, worship and live in America. Madam Speaker, it is an honor to recognize the Texas Marines Medal of Honor Monument in the U.S. House of Representatives. I urge you to join me in remembering these seventeen Texans who received the Medal of Honor as well as all of our Marines and other servicemen and servicewomen for the sacrifices they have made for the people of the United States of America.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I would like to honor Mr. Robert ``Bob'' Williams, a long-time resident of The Woodlands, Texas, and a dear friend. The Woodlands was lucky enough to gain Mr. Williams as a resident when he moved from Chicago after being director of the Chicago YMCA for 25 years. It wasn't long after Mr. Williams came to The Woodlands, that he helped establish the first YMCA. Among Mr. Williams' firsts in The Woodlands are that he was a founding member of the Woodlands Community Presbyterian Church and one of the original Hometown Heroes of The Woodlands--he was awarded this honor because of his commitment to the community. Mr. Williams is an Eagle Scout, World War II veteran, and lifelong Kiwanis Club member. Mr. Williams has been very active in the Kiwanis Club in The Woodlands from the beginning. He founded The Woodlands' first Kiwanis Club and has served the club and the community for 53 years as a highly distinguished member. Mr. Williams has directed The Woodlands' Kiwanis Prayer Breakfast for 18 years. He also helped charter the Kiwanis Key Clubs in four Woodlands High Schools to teach our young students how important it is to serve your community. His life was a direct example for those students because they saw him serving others tirelessly--and well past retirement. Mr. Williams has a heart for youth and spent his life encouraging them-- through Kiwanis Key Clubs, Special Olympics, and the YMCA. He is a great role model, mentor and undoubtedly has impacted countless lives, young and old. At age 85, he traveled to Haiti to represent Kiwanis International to work on Iodine Deficiency. And on his 90th birthday, he even held a food drive for Interfaith of The Woodlands, turning his birthday celebration into a time to help others--now this is a man who never stops serving others and is an example to us all. As you can see, he has committed endless hours to teaching our youth, even after the age of 90. He recently celebrated his 91 birthday and after a lilfetime of community service he is finally taking some time to slow down. The Woodlands truly benefited from his relocation to our community, and as he gets ready to move, we regret that we will lose a great community servant and true friend. Madam Speaker, it is an honor to recognize Mr. Williams and his countless contributions to the people of The Woodlands. I urge you to join me in recognizing Bob Williams for his many years of service, even after the age of 90.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder).

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of key parts of this legislation. The bill before us today offers long-term unemployment workers in all States 14 weeks of additional unemployment benefits and provides 20 additional weeks of benefits in high unemployment States. In all, with the passage of this bill, a record total of up to 99 weeks of Federal and State unemployment benefits will be paid in a total of 29 States and territories where the unemployment rate is 8.5 percent or greater. In the State of Texas, where the unemployment rate is 8.2 percent, it would provide an additional 14 weeks of unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed who continue to struggle to find a new job. In addition, the bill we are considering today includes a number of important tax relief provisions that will help families, businesses, and our economy as a whole. This bill will extend the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit, which is currently scheduled to expire just a few short weeks from now, until the middle of next year. It will also create a new $6,500 tax credit that will help current homeowners who have lived in their homes for at least 5 years to move up into new homes. And especially with Veterans Day coming up next week, I'm pleased this bill includes a number of homeownership provisions that would specifically benefit the brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. Taken all together, this bill's homeownership tax relief provisions will provide a much-needed boost to our struggling housing market and our broader economy by helping to soak up the excess housing inventory that we see in so many parts of our country. Estimates show that there may be up to 3 million renters who are currently financially well qualified to buy a median-priced home. Timely help to bolster the housing market is essential. Another important component is the expanded net operating loss provision, which will provide an immediate cash infusion to struggling businesses, large and small, all across the Nation. By giving businesses that are currently in loss positions the opportunity to claim refunds on taxes they paid when they were profitable, we can help employers make crucial new investments in our economy and, most importantly, free up additional payroll to help get more Americans back to work. That's the goal that all of us on both sides of the aisle should share. And I'm pleased to support the 5-year net operating loss carryback included in this legislation. But this is not the end of the process. There is much more work to be done. Before the end of the year, the House is expected to consider legislation to extend the current Federal extended unemployment benefit program possibly through all of next year. This would cost $80 billion or more and simply add to the enormous deficits and equally enormous State tax hikes on jobs this system is amassing. All of this begs the question: Where are the jobs? While long-term unemployed workers appreciate the additional help, what they really want is a good job. Yet for all the massive spending and debt we've incurred this year in the name of stimulating the economy, job creation is one thing this administration and congressional Democrats have failed to deliver. Unfortunately, that's why we are here today. These policies and stimulus have failed. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. BRADY of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I understand Chairman McDermott has additional speakers, so I will reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I continue to reserve my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. While there are serious disagreements about what direction to go on the economy, there is bipartisan support for the provisions to help people try to buy that first home or to move up into that next one, and there is bipartisan support across the aisle strongly in this Congress to help small businesses survive this recession, not just small businesses but medium-sized businesses and larger businesses. The truth of the matter is, a job is a job. And if we can help companies weather this storm, if we can help them keep workers on the payroll, if we can help them sort of balance out their tax payments over these years, allow them to be in a position to recover and grow when this economy finally does grow, I think that that tax relief, targeted to those who can most create jobs, is extremely helpful. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I reserve my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I yield myself such time as I may consume. There is bipartisan support for much of this bill. For all the good this bill will do to help people buy their first home, and perhaps move up, for all the help it will provide to help businesses survive this recession, make no mistake: the unemployment benefits are no substitute for a good job, and in that regard, this Congress and this White House has failed the American public. We were told that the stimulus bill, all $787 billion of it, $1 trillion with interest, as Christina Romer said, the head of the President's economic advisers, would provide an immediate jolt to the economy. They promised us that it would keep the unemployment rate under 8 percent. They promised it would create jobs in every State in the Nation. Today, the unemployment rate is not 8 percent. It is 9.8 percent and rising, for the numbers we will hear tomorrow, to 9.9 percent in all likelihood. Forty-nine of 50 States have lost jobs. The two areas of manufacturing and construction, where we were promised the greatest rate of job creation, have actually seen the greatest rate of job loss. In fact, nearly 3 million jobs have been lost since the stimulus took effect. We are not simply in, as the White House would say, a jobless recovery. We are in a ``job loss'' recovery. We continue to shed hundreds of thousands of workers every month, 175,000 in the past month; and unfortunately, the stimulus has lost all credibility as to job creation. We hear each day reports of wildly exaggerated jobs claims. The Associated Press did a revealing story that shows that in some cases contractors exaggerated their job numbers by 10 times. In other cases they counted the same job four times. In many cases the money didn't come from the stimulus at all. This morning, a Dallas Morning News investigation showed that in Texas, one out of every four jobs related to education was a part-time summer job. In one community, an organization claimed 450 jobs were created with stimulus money of $26,000. In one case, again, the money didn't even come from stimulus money. And in Beaumont, they are paying for child care for people out of stimulus dollars. Unfortunately, the claim that the stimulus has created millions of new jobs, created or saved them, simply isn't backed up. And, in fact, the majority of economists today say it has had little impact on the stimulus, and a second stimulus down the road isn't needed or, in fact, will be damaging. I think what is critical, too, is a lot of businesses are holding off creating those new jobs, especially small businesses, because of Washington. They watch what we are doing and considering on health care. It will drive up their premiums. Cap-and-trade will drive up their energy costs. New energy taxes will offshore American energy jobs. They look at new financial regulations, tax increases on everything from income to capital to dividends to international investment, and they are saying we are not going to create jobs. They are not going to risk jobs in this environment. It is hard enough to predict the market itself, much less to predict the market and Congress together. And when they look at the bill that this Congress will vote on this weekend on health care, they see tax increases on small businesses that will cost us about 4 million jobs, mandates on small businesses that will force their workers out of their own health care system, and a job trap that actually punishes small businesses. When they hire between 11 and 25 workers, actually in this bill Congress punishes them, and punishes them more if they raise the wages of those workers. So, there is a lot more that needs to be done on the economy. This bill is no substitute for a good job. It is a step forward in housing and for business retention. For that, there is bipartisan support, and I do appreciate Chairman McDermott's work on trying to bring a bill forward to this floor that many can support. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I reserve my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. You are right, Mr. Dreier. Those agreements simply level the playing field. They say if your country sells into the United States, we get an opportunity to sell our products into your country, and we have fair rules to do it. And when we compete, our companies, our workers win. They do it in ag, they do it in manufacturing, in technology, in services, in all types of goods. But, as Mr. Herger said, and you earlier, America is falling behind. This new government has taken itself voluntarily off the playing field. They have said we are not going to engage in trade right now. And while we have benched ourselves, the rest of the world is still playing this game. They are cutting agreements that favor China, Europe, Latin America, Brazil and other countries, Korea, the Asian-Pacific area. They are cutting agreements and deals to give their companies advantages far greater over ours. As a result, that doesn't just cost us sales of our products, it costs us jobs, because we are so good as a country when we compete.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Thank you for raising this issue because I think it is shameful that America has not ratified the trade agreement with Colombia. Yeah, there are strong jobs reasons. Colombia is able to sell their products in the United States almost duty free. We want the opportunity to compete with their customers. Canada, Europe are cutting agreements with them that will cost us about half a billion dollars of sales of U.S. goods and services and products which, again, those are lost jobs. The point you made early on, Mr. Dreier, is that beyond that, here's a country that has brought itself, with America's help, from darkness to light. President Uribe has taken the country, established the rule of law, freedom of democracy, freedom of the press, freedom in the marketplace, has a judiciary that is working. They have lowered the violence rate in a neighborhood, in a region that absolutely rejects America and all we stand for, including this new President, rejecting him as well. Here's America's allies who are fighting with us to stop drug trafficking, stands with us on security issues and human rights, have done remarkable things, and we've turned our backs on them. So whether it is Colombia and that strong national security reason, Panama and the market that goes with that, Korea, and the rest of the world, where, again, as you have said, America is falling behind, it is just a shame.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Let me just say this, because I have enjoyed this discussion. It's about jobs, it's about America falling behind. There is this principle in trade we should not forget. The principle is if you and I build a better mousetrap, we should have the freedom to sell it throughout the world without government interference. If someone else builds a better mousetrap we should have the freedom to buy it for our family and for our business. That freedom to buy, sell and compete is critical because you forget, other countries, because others compete to sell to you and I. We have a wide choice of automobiles and clothing and electronics and all. They say, by studies, that we save so much money because of that trade, that competition, that most families in America can go to a grocery store once a month for free because of the benefits of free trade here in America, which is even more puzzling on raising our standard of living why we allow ourselves to fall behind and why we are giving up on those jobs, why America isn't leading. That is a question I believe only our President can answer.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Well, thank you, Mr. Dreier. Thank you for your leadership on trade for so many years in Congress. Thank you, Mr. Herger, a former top Republican on the Trade Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means. We are here because we want jobs in America, good-paying jobs, the types you can raise your family on, and today is a good day to be talking about it because two things occurred today. One, Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the Pelosi plan--the new national takeover of America's health care system, which we are going to spend every waking hour defeating, sending back to the drawing board, and getting a health care reform bill that's done right. The third quarter economic numbers came out, which show how America has done over the last 3 months. It showed that it grew about 3\1/2\ percent. Growth is good, but if you look at it, what you realize is almost all of that growth are onetime events--Cash for Clunkers, which is over, and businesses have drawn down their stockpiles of inventory. That only happens one time. Looking forward, whether we have hit the bottom or not, the question is: Is the private sector, the private market in America, going to drive our growth in the future or is government? The only way you have a strong recovery is if it's the private marketplace. What we are missing are jobs created by selling American products and services around the world. It's no longer enough to just buy American. We have to sell American because of what you said--so many consumers live outside our borders. We want them to buy our ag products, our services, our computers, our equipment, all of that, but when we go outside the country, what we often find is that the rules are tilted against our companies and our workers. Other countries, China, Europe, Latin America, have reached trade agreements that give their companies and their workers an advantage over ours. Today, what is interesting, as you both have said, is that when we have trade agreements, we win. We sell our American products and services. We have a trade surplus with our trade agreement partners. In Latin America--I was just thinking about it--in Chile people said we would sell about 50 percent more products there. We have sold 250 percent more American products.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I was just thinking about people who are out of work. We have lost 9 million people who no longer have jobs since the recession began--almost 3 million since they passed that huge stimulus bill--who may be watching tonight, to have no jobs, maybe have lost hope of getting them. Yet the companies that could hire them are manufacturing products or offering services or growing agricultural goods they don't have an opportunity to sell throughout the world. That the rest of these countries are just moving past us so aggressively selling, promoting their country's goods and services. And America is so arrogant that we don't even go out there to try to create a level playing field. I always tell people, in closing for myself, that if you drive down a highway, every third acre you see planted is for sale around the world. If you go to a computer company, every fourth worker is building something for sales around the world. If you go to a manufacturing plant, every fifth worker is building something for sale around the world. If you look at our whole economy, four out of every ten workers are tied to trade. So if we can sell American, not just buy American--sell American--we can create jobs for Americans. We can put people back to work. We can improve our own economy. So what are we waiting for? I yield back.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I thank my friend from east Texas, where our districts border each other and whom I have gotten to know and respect here in Congress. And I thank you for this leadership. The timing is now. The bill has been introduced. The fight is on. And rarely in our lives do we have the opportunity to make such a difference on a bill that can take us down such a wrong road for America. I will be brief, but what comes to mind is recently a national pollster whom you would know and recognize did a survey of Americans, and he asked them two questions, and he said, which one is most true: The first question is America is going to spend $1 trillion of your tax dollars to reform health care and it won't add a dime to the deficit. The second statement was there is human life on other planets. By a three-to-one margin, people chose human life on other planets as more true than we can spend all this money and not add a dime to the deficit. The American public is smart. I held more than 50 town hall meetings during August and September, roundtables, all types of forums, and the truth of the matter is this Speaker and this House didn't listen to any of them. This bill, Mr. Gohmert, you talk about and show today, 2,000 pages, $1 trillion, 31 new Federal agencies, mandates and commissions that come between you and your doctor, who ultimately decide what doctors you can see, what treatments the government thinks you deserve, what medicines they think you can get. This bill today, the fight we are engaged in, government will inject itself in our most intimate health care decisions. It raises the costs of health care. It increases the deficit for generations to come. It raises taxes on professionals and small businesses. It will force millions of people out of the private plan that they choose to take. It cuts Medicare for seniors. It will ration care in the future. It opens the door to taxpayer-funded abortions and taxpayer care for illegal immigrants. And it exempts Members of Congress from this government-run plan. This is a bill that is wrong for America. We all, everyone tonight, every Republican, support health care reform. Many of us have worked years, all of us on this floor have worked years for this day. But we can do better than this. And we've submitted now, what, Mr. Gohmert, over 40 Republican health care bills; five of them, comprehensive reform. We haven't gotten an opportunity to offer any of them. They haven't spent an hour listening to any of them. And as our leaders in Texas Medical Center have told me, it is so important we get this right. Health care is so complex. Take it step by step. Focus on affordability. Move to coverage for small businesses and people with preexisting illnesses. Pass lawsuit reform to end defensive medicine. Find innovative ways to squeeze the overhead out of health care. Make it more efficient. There are all these great ideas. They will never be heard in the rush to this national health care system. Now is the time to act. That's why tonight your discussion with the American public, even though there is a World Series Game going on, in truth, at the end of that 9 innings, that game is over. But at the end of this bill, everyone's life in America, our children and grandchildren, will be touched and I think harmed by this bill. I appreciate your leadership. I'm going to spend every waking hour until this vote is held to kill this bill, to kill this bill and send it back to the drawing board and come back with reform that all of America can embrace. Mr. Gohmert, thank you, my friend from east Texas, for leading this discussion tonight.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2996-- Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Requesting Member: Congressman Kevin Brady, Texas 8th Congressional District Bill Number: H.R. 2996--Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Project: Big Thicket National Preserve Account: National Park Service, Land Acquisition Requesting Entity: The Conservation Fund, Texas Office Address of Requesting Entity: 101 W 6th Street, Suite 601, Austin, TX The Big Thicket National Preserve is one of America's ecological treasures. It is an unusually shaped preserve whose boundaries include land once owned by major timber companies. This funding represents the final year in a seven year land acquisition program. This request enables the National Park Service to acquire critical land within the congressionally authorized boundary of the Big Thicket National Preserve to diversify the economic potential of southeast Texas through increased tourism opportunities. This project works only with voluntary, ``willing-seller'' landowners. The $5,000,000 for this project included in this final conference report combined with previous funding will allow the National Park Service to purchase over 2500 acres of land on 23 tracts acquired from willing sellers or by voluntary donation.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, now we know. Speaker Pelosi has released her final health care bill and scheduled a vote within a week. The Pelosi plan is a 2,000-page, $1 trillion, unapologetic, full- throated government takeover of America's health care system. I am devoting every waking hour to stopping this bill, which will interject government into the most intimate health care decisions, drive up costs in the deficit, force millions of people into a government-run plan, raise taxes on professionals and small businesses, open the door to taxpayer-funded abortions, provide care for illegal immigrants, and exempt Members of Congress. I call on every American who cares about our Nation to engage now in every district and every community in every way. These moments come but once in a lifetime. For our children and their future, the time for freedom, the time for action is now.