Marsha Blackburn

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. A couple of other provisions. Talking about your district and the way this bill tomorrow will affect your district, in this bill, H.R. 4297 tomorrow, there will be a technical correction in there that affects this Nation's songwriters, which of course, so many of them live in my district, and I do believe that they are definitely some of the most creative people and such an important part of our creative community. But for years, when a songwriter wants to sell their catalog, which is their life's work, it is like selling that small business that Eddie has and that so many of our constituents have, then they have been taxed at ordinary income tax and had to pay self- employment. This is their retirement. This is their nest egg they have pulled together. And a correction that we will make tomorrow will affect so many of those songwriters that are in Memphis and Nashville and down in Austin and in those areas because it will allow those catalogs to be sold and those individuals to pay a capital gains tax like other small business owners, there again, leaving more money and more of that nest egg for them as they retire and as they are seniors, and allowing them to look at how they do things better, how they grow those small businesses. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Talking about our homes and construction and home sales. In October, home sales reached 7.1 units in October. And the thing that is so interesting is that is just off the historic high of home sales which was in June of this year when there were 7.3 units that were built or were sold. So whether it is new homes being built, whether it is existing homes, the home sales, how amazing that we are seeing home sales reaching such high numbers in both the new construction and the existing home sales category. And I yield back to the gentleman from Texas.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina and I thank her for taking the time this week to look at how workers continue educating themselves and preparing and participating in a changing economy, a changing job market. I mentioned the diversity of experience that comes to this body and what goes into looking at these policies and how we remain competitive, what we need to do to be competitive and the decisions we make, how tax and government budgeting and spending affects the budget. The gentlewoman from North Carolina spent her time in education. Ms. Foxx came to us after working at post-secondary education and looking for avenues to best encourage individuals to become lifelong learners, to continue improving and honing those skills so that they were productive in the job market, and I thank her for her leadership. I thank her for the time spent with the President and with the North Carolinians this weekend as they were able to showcase their facility and showcase what they are doing to be a leader in being competitive in a global economy. At this time, I would like to recognize the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling) who has worked tirelessly not only on budgeting and not only on looking at how we budget, but looking at what happens with tax policy and the ramifications that that has throughout our economy, both for our large businesses, our small businesses and for our families. We appreciate the leadership that he has brought to the budgeting issue, looking at both sides of that ledger, your inflows and your outflows. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentleman from Georgia, and I thank you for your leadership on this issue. One of the things that we are so fortunate to have in this body is such a wide variety of experience from our Members that bring that experience to bear here as we look at how we grow the economy, how we exercise economic opportunity, how we make certain that free enterprise stays free. Just as the gentleman from Georgia has mentioned, it is no secret, everybody knows that this economy, this wonderful U.S. economy, truly is our Nation's, our world's economic engine. It is the envy of all of the world. It is, I guess, something that is really a little bit uniquely American. There is something about us. We strive to do things a little bit better. Maybe it is that Yankee ingenuity. Maybe it is that we are out here with that good old common-sense know-how, but we are always trying to do things faster, better, more efficiently, more effectively; and one of the things we certainly want to do is to build a strong economy so that our children know that they are going to have hope and opportunity and the ability to dream big dreams and create a really exciting life for themselves and for their families. I guess that is just kind of the American way of doing things. We try to improve it. Give us something, and we are going to build a better mousetrap. Then we are going to figure out how to get that mousetrap into the marketplace. In today's economy, we look at it and we say, How do we get that into a global marketplace? We know in order to do that it means you have to stay competitive. We know that as you look at policies, creating the right environment so that job growth can take place, so that economic growth can take place, that when we see that right environment created, then free enterprise and the private sector take over and they do what they do well. The gentleman has shown us the charts which tell this story. You go back and you look at 2003 and look at when those tax reforms were implemented, and what we saw was an economy that took off. What we are seeing is consistent economic growth every single month. We are reaping the benefits from that. We see that our GDP growth continues to be very consistent. It was 4.1 percent last quarter. There are some really wonderful benefits that come from this. As the gentleman mentioned, 4,460,000 new jobs. Those are new jobs. Many of those jobs are jobs that are basically in new sectors, technology sectors, sectors of the economy that will lead to an economic renaissance and lead to an economic renaissance in this country. It works out to be 194,000 jobs a month that we have been creating over the past several months, and I find it so interesting that the unemployment rate is near all-time lows. When we look at the charts on that, we see that as these tax reforms have been put in place, and I applaud the Senate, I applaud the administration, and I certainly applaud the leadership in this House for pushing forward these tax reforms in 2003, and as we see those going into place and we see the GDP growth and we see the jobs creation and we watch the unemployment level fall to near historic lows, there is also another benefit from this. Our colleagues who are joining us here on the floor this evening certainly are watching this one with us, and it is that we are seeing the deficit reduced through two ways. We have talked so many times on this floor about there being two ways that we work through reducing the deficit and reducing the size of government and right-sizing the Federal Government, and that is, we reduce spending and continue to work to root out waste, fraud and abuse, focusing on that spending column, but at the same time, we put the focus on economic growth. That is where our focus rightfully should be. This is an aggressive economy, and it is, therefore, a reason, and tomorrow this House is going to move forward and take some excellent steps to pass a bill that is going to continue these tax reforms. At this time, I am going to yield back to the gentleman from Georgia so that he can yield to another of our colleagues, and we can continue with our discussion this evening on the benefits that lie ahead by extending these tax reforms and continuing to work toward having a Federal income tax system that is flatter, that is fairer, that is simpler and having one that is going to work to energize our economy. I will yield back at this point for further discussion.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained by traffic. Had I been present for the vote on H. Res. 438, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, the Lord knew what he was doing when he sent us Adrian Rogers. And we're so very thankful for that gift. Dr. Rogers lived a life of service. He lived a life of grace. And we cannot help but be inspired by his accomplishments. For 32 years he preached a message of love, hope, and salvation. His inspirational leadership was on display each Sunday as anyone of the 30,000 Bellevue Baptist Church members can tell you. Dr. Rogers not only reached out into his community, he reached out across America and this world to spread God's message. His years at Bellevue spreading the Word to millions through his Love Worth Finding ministry and his leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention will be remembered in the lives he changed and the example he set. He was a great, great shepherd and a humble servant. Regardless of the titles and leadership positions, we all know that Pastor Rogers was most proud to be a loving husband, father, and grandfather. On this day our prayers are with his family whom he loved so much. We thank the Rogers family for sharing him with us for all these years. We will miss Pastor Rogers but we are grateful for his life. I rise today to mark the passing and recognize the service of a beloved Tennessean.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, my Democratic colleagues are coming down here and accusing us of slandering our friend and fellow Member, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), and that is absurd. It is not about him, and it is not about any of us. It is about foreign policy and national security, and, quite frankly, this idea on the left that we can and should immediately withdraw is not only a bad idea, it is dangerous. How do you tell a 19-year-old American, fighting, bleeding for their country, that it is all pointless? How dare you do such a thing? You may not agree with the way things are being managed, but do not minimize the importance of what we are doing in Iraq. You all on the left opened up this debate. I think they have been itching for a fight for a long time from the way their comments have sounded, and now they would like to sneak out of the room and avoid this topic. The left in Congress wants a debate on the idea of immediate withdrawal, and since they have been wanting it, we are going to have it. The left wanted to go out. They wanted to talk about this with no regard for the big picture, with no regard for constituents, who have families, who are fighting. Well, now, we are going to have to stand here, they are going to have to stand here. And they are going to take the heat and take the debate. We are fighting because we do not want our kids living in a world dominated by terrorism. We are fighting for freedom. The left works real hard to isolate Iraq from the Middle East and from the global war on terrorism. The left actually thinks terrorists separate Iraq from the war on terrorism. We know that is not true. We know it is not true. I do not believe America is willing to give up on what is the war for the Free World. I do not think they are willing to give up on the war for the Free World. The left wanted the debate. Let us have the debate. They are going to lose the debate. The American people have stronger backbones than the radical left.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, few words sound as good as ``welcome home.'' This is especially true for our men and women in uniform returning from the Middle East where they've been battling terrorism. In Tennessee we're celebrating the return of our State's 278th Regimental Combat Team. We couldn't be prouder of them, and we want them to know how grateful we are. Their service and dedication should inspire us all. They placed others above themselves. They fought not to conquer but to free. They fought to put right a terrible evil in this world. They fought so that others might know hope and freedom. And they fought so that future generations of Americans would not have to live with the terror that we know all too well. Their deeds placed them among the elite few in American history--in world history. As Tennesseans, we know the separation has been rough and the days have seemed longer with them so far from us. Their return has answered our prayers and we're so glad to have them back where they belong. We are proud of the brave and noble thing they have done for us, and for our country. And we can't thank them enough. We will never forget those 10 among them who aren't returning, those 10 who made the ultimate sacrifice. They will live on in the freedom they've helped preserve. Their families and friends are in our thoughts and prayers. From a grateful, grateful Nation we salute them, and we salute their families. God Bless America and our 278th.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, we were down here on the floor talking about this bill one night. I got an e-mail from a gentleman out in California, identified himself as a liberal Democrat. And he said, your House speech got it right. Programs started with the best of intentions will eventually outlive their usefulness, but their built-in bureaucracies have political champions that will not let these programs die ever. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are seeing. We have before us a deficit reduction plan that would put us on a track to reforming government and yielding a savings. It is a good solid plan. It is a good solid start. Unfortunately, our friends across the aisle do not get it. Ronald Reagan had it right. There is nothing so close to eternal life on earth as a Federal Government program. And the reason that is true is because these folks built a bureaucracy to themselves out of 40 years of Democrat control and they have had a choice and they have chosen to support the bureaucracy. They have chosen not to reduce those programs even when Democrat governors of our own State in Tennessee say the Medicaid programs have to be reformed. They choose not to support those.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 268, regarding oversight of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. As we have been discussing here today, the foundational structure of the Internet is under attack. But this attack is not from cyber terrorists, or high school kids run amok. Rather this attack comes from people who would like to impose the heavy hand of government on a system that is the most powerful example of freedom we may have ever seen. How powerful? Here are a few statistics: More than 1 billion users worldwide; more than half a trillion annual commercial transactions; more than a trillion dollars in private investment; the largest source of news reporting in the world; and the largest communications backbone in the world. But this amazingly powerful engine of commerce and freedom is being attacked as not inclusive enough for the rest of the world. These critics want to replace today's simple system with three new quasi-governmental bodies to oversee the Internet and related public policy issues. Ultimately, these bodies would rule on freedom of speech, privacy, e-commerce, spam, cyber-security, and cyber-crime. They would take the positions of China, Iran and Syria into account when establishing standards for free speech. They would listen to Cuba on questions of eCommerce. They would listen to Congo on questions of cyber-crime. There are those who have characterized this debate as being the U.S. vs. the world. But in fact, this debate is about freedom from government vs. government intervention. I think the U.S. has shown great restraint in supporting an ICANN whose functions are limited to just the most technical management functions. I urge my colleagues to join with me in sending a message to the world that the Internet needs no U.N. ``Governance''. Freedom on the Internet needs a light touch, not a heavy hand. Support H. Con. Res. 268 and support internet freedom from big government.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment today to recognize Nashville Public Television President and CEO Steve Bass for his years of service to our community. While Steve is leaving us to take on another challenge, his accomplishments in Nashville will be a wonderful legacy to his leadership and dedication. Since coming to Nashville in 1998, Steve has worked to help establish our area's public television station as a model for the 21st century. He has made it his mission to put the station on solid financial ground, and that work is paying off. Steve has set an example for the nation's public television stations. He has expanded programming and highlighted Nashville's unique history and culture. We are thankful for Steve's service and we wish him nothing but the best in his next endeavor.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my colleague, Congressman Davis, for his diligence and his attention to this matter. This addresses Williamson County, Tennessee, which he and I share the representation of. He and his staff have worked very closely with us to address this issue of looking at the Franklin battlefield. By way of history, Mr. Speaker, on the afternoon of November 30, 1864, General Hood's Army of Tennessee marched down Winstead Hill in Franklin, Tennessee, and charged the Union forces of General Schofield. Fighting continued until late in the evening as both sides sustained heavy casualties. The following morning revealed the terrible consequences of the fighting that took place and how the battle became the darkest day of the Civil War. With over 9,000 dead soldiers and six dead Confederate generals, the battle would be the bloodiest battle of the Civil War and would sound the death knell of the Confederacy. The battle is known as the Battle of Franklin. Mr. Speaker, the Battle of Franklin was one of the last significant battles leading to the Union victory over the Confederacy in the Civil War and has tremendous significance not only to our community but to American history. Yet there is neither a national cemetery nor a national battlefield park commemorating the battle. This bill is a first step toward preserving and protecting sites that contributed to this important Civil War landscape and achieving a solution to save the area as a national heritage through partnerships with the local communities. It does, as the gentlewoman from Colorado said, direct the Secretary of the Interior to study sites in Williamson County, Tennessee, where portions of the Battle of Franklin took place or were related to the battle. The battlefield will serve as a memorial of the American citizens who fought and died for what they believed was right. I urge my colleagues' consideration on this bill. Again, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for his support and assistance.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, today, this body is going to address and pass the Deficit Reduction Act. While we are doing this, the left is out in full force telling Americans that we are about to cut Medicaid. Mr. Speaker, shame on them. Next year, under this bill, Medicaid will grow 7 percent. That is not a cut. We are taking the rate of growth from 7.3 to 7 percent. If the left wants to lie about it, there is not a lot that we are going to be able to do to stop them, but the American people should know that they are not being told the truth. So when the Democrats come down here today talking about how we are hurting the poor and hurting seniors and hurting children, they are being dishonest, because they know they cannot win this argument. The American people are ready to see Federal Government spending reduced.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, in the midst of our effort to rein in Federal spending, you have Members of this body and special interest groups telling the American people that we are slashing Medicaid. They are saying that our Deficit Reduction Act will actually cut Medicaid. Madam Speaker, our plan does not cut. Since when does slowing the growth, and tremendous growth at that, from 7.3 percent to 7 percent a year constitute a cut? The left needs to stop playing games. If they want us to keep spending and spending until there is nothing left, until we cannot spend any more, then they need to be honest about it and they need to say that. But don't call a 0.3 percent reduction in growth a cut. It is dishonest and our constituents deserve better.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for her comments. She is exactly right. Reforming the process, reforming the way government does business, making it simple, being certain that we find another way to get government off people's back, out of their pocketbook, simplify the system so that the money gets to where it is needed, in this case, in education, getting that money into the student loan programs so that students are in the classrooms, so that they have access to those classrooms. We have been joined by the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Schmidt), and she is new as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. She comes with a State legislative background from the State of Ohio where she has worked on so many of the health care programs, the reform programs that were needed, and working with Governors. At this time she is going to spend just a couple of moments and talk about some of the reforms that were needed by the Governors and are addressed in this bill. I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for his wise words and for joining us in this debate and reminding us we do hear a lot of rhetoric, as he mentioned. We have the Blue Dogs from the Democrat side, who have been coming to the floor demanding spending increases. Suddenly they are not so fiscally conservative. Well, it is like the story I used to read to my children, the Three Little Bears. It is almost as if you have to have it just right. Just right. And they are going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good, because these are good, solid reductions and a good, solid plan for moving forward, a great first step. As we have worked through this process, we have heard from the gentlewoman from Virginia several times in regard to military issues and veterans' issues. She has such a heart for this and works so diligently on these issues, so at this time I yield to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Drake) to set the record straight about the appropriations and the funding for our veterans' programs.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I join the gentlewoman in a heartfelt thanks to our veterans, as she speaks about the fiscal stewardship and the common-sense reforms we need to put into these programs. It is so frustrating to veterans in my district when they get the runaround and cannot get a proper answer and go from one bureaucracy to another bureaucracy. To take three programs and roll it into one, as H.R. 4061 has done, that is common sense. We hope to achieve efficiencies and save money on that program and the administration so it goes into programs and we get that money into programs that are so needed and so deserved by our veterans. Again, God bless those veterans. And I say God bless the gentlewoman from Virginia who has worked so hard on these issues. A leader on agricultural issues is the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King). He is going to talk about the agriculture bill and then will return to the floor to talk about what has been done through the agriculture appropriations process. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King).

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Iowa truly is a great conservationist not only with the soil and the land in Iowa, and we love to say he gets his best information on the back of his tractor working his pastures, as we hear his good, conservative philosophies put to work in this House, as he talks about being a conservative and a conservationist in his spending, in his farming and in his love of the land and in his love of freedom. We are so pleased that he has reminded us and shown us how the Committee on Agriculture, again practicing fiscal stewardship, practicing what they preach, living it out to be certain that every single committee looks at their programs and says there is a better way for us to do this. There is a way to reduce this spending, and the American people are going to benefit. We have heard many times over the past several months from the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling) who has come to the floor and has talked with us about having respect for families and the family budget, about how important it is that we realize that taxes and fees are the largest part of a family budget and how the Federal Government should be sensitive to that and work to reduce that burden. I have asked Mr. Hensarling to join us tonight and talk with us for a few minutes about what happens if we do not pass the Deficit Reduction Act, where will we be if we do not pass this act. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, you know, there is an age-old drama that Americans have seen play out time and time again here in Washington, and I know that some nights as they are watching TV and they click across C- SPAN and they watch individuals come to the floor, they might think this is a rerun or they might think same song, second verse because they have to think that they have heard this before. I think probably their thoughts go something like this, that taxpayers are tired of seeing their hard-earned paychecks wasted by Big Government, and so the taxpayers say we are going to demand some spending reductions. The Republicans agree and the Republicans propose some spending reductions. Well, the Democrats just cannot stand to see those spending reductions. So they start the name-calling, and they come down and they say that any reduction that we want to make in spending, anytime we are going to slow the growth of spending, well, you know what, it is draconian, it is mean-spirited, it is cruel, it is heartless, it is cold-blooded. We all hear all the descriptive adjectives. They start telling virtually every man, woman, and child in America that these reductions will do terrible, awful things and that the Republicans are just mean, nasty people. Mr. Speaker, it is like clockwork. It really is like clockwork, and I think that I know why many times our colleagues across the aisle fight our efforts when it comes to fiscal responsibility, when it comes to reining in the size of the Federal Government, when it comes to reducing spending, when it comes to getting government off your back and out of your pocket. I think I know why the Democrats fight it time and time and time again. This government, this big, Washington-focused bureaucracy that spends your money out of your pocket, that you go to work and you earn, this government, this bureaucracy, is a monument to them. They spent 40 years with an iron grip on this U.S. House of Representatives; and in that time, they constructed a vast monument to themselves called Federal Government bureaucracy. It is expensive, it is old, and it is a mismanaged monument that forces you, the taxpayer, the average, hardworking American family, to spend 6 months every year paying for it. Tax freedom day, look at some of the dates we have had in years past, July 4, June 30, June 28. You are working half the time to pay for government. Well, Mr. Speaker, I can tell you something right now. This Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives is working to change that. We want to change that. Democrats do not. It is that simple. So, tonight, we are going to talk a little bit about the budget savings we are working to pass in this House in a bill that is called the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is a good, solid plan from the Republican leadership. It is a plan that will put this government on track to reform; and in the end, the goal is to yield a savings for the American taxpayer. The bill that my colleagues are going to join me in discussing tonight is finding $53.9 billion in spending reductions over the next several years in a $2.4 trillion-a-year budget. Mr. Speaker, I want everybody at home to hear that: $53.9 billion, that is billion with a B, in savings, over several years of a yearly budget of $2.4 trillion, and that is trillion with a T. Mr. Speaker, we are not asking a lot. In fact, we should be asking for a whole lot more. The constituents in my seventh district of Tennessee want to see us reduce Federal spending more. They want to see more of these programs that have outlived their usefulness put on the table, reviewed, put into sunset, deauthorized, scaled down, or taken away. But I will tell you, I think that for many of the Democrats what we are proposing is too much. They cannot commit even to that. So tonight we are going to talk some about why we need to reform this government and why we need to make these spending reductions. At this time, I would like to yield to one of my colleagues who has joined us. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) is going to join us and talk for a few minutes about Medicaid. We are hearing so much about Medicaid. We have heard the left say that we are slashing it, that we are cutting it; and you know what, in spite of all this talk, Medicaid will grow. We are not talking about cuts. We are talking about reducing spending, and I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his time tonight. I will remind everyone that facts are stubborn things. We know we do not balance the budget by raising taxes and balancing it on the backs of hard-working Americans. You get this deficit under control by cutting spending and promoting economic growth and creating a bright future for future generations.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments, and he is exactly right. Medicaid needed reforms that would address some of the waste, fraud and abuse; reforms that would deal with the processes and procedures of the delivery of the program. Once we go through achieving these efficiencies, there will be individuals who truly need it, who will see a better delivery of service. These are flexibilities that the governors, the nonpartisan National Governors Association, have asked us to make. They are things we have worked with them on, and we are pleased to bring forward the type of reforms that will yield the efficiencies that are needed. Mr. Speaker, another colleague who is joining us this evening is the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp), another member of my delegation who is a member of the Appropriations Committee. He has brought wisdom and expertise to the appropriations process and being certain that we are wise stewards of the taxpayers' dollars. I yield to Mr. Wamp out of Chattanooga, who is going to talk with us for a few moments about the work they have done in the Appropriations Committee as we work toward a Deficit Reduction Act that is going to help put us on track to achieve some savings for the American people through the reform process.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman from Texas for his comments. And he is so correct. If we do not take these steps to rein in spending, to reform government, to get on this plan that is going to reform this government and begin yielding a savings for the American people, we will see it go from taking 20 percent to 40 percent of our resources. Fiscal stewardship demands that we work to find a way to restrain the growth of government, to begin to roll it back. And it is not easy, as I said earlier. The Democrats spent 40 years building a monument to themselves, a great big bureaucracy; and it takes time to begin to break it apart. As the gentleman from Texas was talking, I was looking over a chart that had the 12 largest post-war deficits that we have seen in this country. Of course, one of them was 1946, when we were hard at war and fighting and coming back from World War II. Mr. Speaker, these other years, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1984, 1992, 1991, 1976, 1982, 1993, 1990, Democrat control. It is time for us to put this Nation on a track to reform government, to reduce the bureaucracy, to be certain that money is going into programs to meet needs at the local level; that money is not being soaked up by the bureaucracy that sits in these buildings around Washington, D.C. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), who is a leader in education on the Education and Workforce Committee, and she is going to talk with us for just a few moments and dispel a couple of myths pertaining to education funding and talk about what we are trying to do to be certain that young people have the opportunity to dream big dreams, dream big dreams and have great adventures and look forward with hope and opportunity to a future.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentlewoman for her comments. At this time I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht), who is going to talk with us about the food stamp program and address some of the myths that we have been hearing about this program. This gentleman has done so much work in the agriculture programs, looking to be certain that we address the stewardship requirements that our constituents and citizens have for us.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for his leadership on this issue and for constantly reminding those of us in this body that our work is to protect the family budget and be certain that we rein in that Federal budget. To a comment, Mr. Speaker, that the gentleman from Texas just made, talking about government, and so many people feeling that many times there is nothing good that happens unless it comes from the Federal Government. I have constituents who remind me repeatedly that every time we have a new Federal Government program that is to cure some ill in our country, that there is a cost that comes with that. Yes, there is the cost that comes with putting that program in place, the operational cost, the funding cost. But there is also a second cost. That is, if the Federal Government steps in to fill a void, then neither the private nor not-for-profit sector is going to step in and fill that void. Mr. Speaker, to be quite honest with you, over the past few days, as we have talked about the Deficit Reduction Act, and beginning to put this body on the right track to reducing, spending, restraining the growth of government and then beginning to right-size government, right-size and reform government, I said there is another one, and it is with every program, there is a difficulty with getting that program back under control, because every program has a bureaucracy and every bureaucracy has a constituency. That is another cost for each and every program. Of course, they are all good ideas, but is it the proper role of government. To the gentleman from Texas, I appreciate the chart that he has about mandatory spending and talking about baseline spending in the chairman's mark. I would like to make a couple of comments on this. We have talked about the baseline calling for 6.4 percent growth over the next 5 years; and with the work that this body has already done and is continuing to do, we will see that growth move from 6.4 percent to 6.3 percent growth. One of the things in our district we have talked about is that baseline. Now, as the gentleman from Texas says, the family budget, that is something where we sit down every year with a clean sheet of paper, a No. 2 pencil, and we start at zero and we work out and say what can we afford to put on particular categories this year. Unfortunately, taxes and fees seem to be the biggest of those categories. But we start with a clean sheet of paper and a No. 2 pencil. Unfortunately, government does not do that. They start from what they spent this past year regardless of the effectiveness of the program, regardless of whether the program is still needed, regardless of whether it should be wound down, regardless of whether it has outlived its usefulness. That is where they start, with what they got last year. Based on what they got last year, then they ask for an increase in that funding. Now, let us say they got $100 last year, and this year they are going to ask for $125. We come back and say, well, you can't have $125, but we'll give you $110. Then they are saying, oh, no, you've cut us $15. You can't do that. You can't do that. That's a cut. As the gentleman from Texas said and the gentleman from Indiana, just a few moments ago, in Washington-speak, when you restrain the growth, that is a cut. That is the way many of those from the left who support constantly growing the bureaucracy, constantly giving the power and the money to bureaucrats in buildings, that is how they refer to this process. For our constituents, I think it is so important that we work together on this, addressing that baseline, being certain we are restraining the growth and that we work to pull it down past 6.4 and 6.3 and reduce it even further and then get into that baseline and actually begin to make some reductions in that baseline in programs that may have outlived their usefulness. I commend the gentleman from Texas for the work that he has done on the budget. I commend him for continuing to bring this issue and reminding us that it is important that the Federal budget continue to protect and work to protect the family budget.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to honor Williamson County's own ``Singing Sheriff'', Ricky Headley. Since he took office in 2003, Headley has been instrumental in improving the lives of Williamson County residents--not only as Sheriff, but through his charitable works as well. As Sheriff, Headley has instituted new procedures, increased community outreach, and raised morale in the Sheriff's Office. A few of Headley's accomplishments include: A reduced Staff turnover rate at the Sheriff's Office. The Amber Alert System has been installed to assist in locating missing children. Privatized Jail Medical Program to save taxpayers' money and reduce liability. Sheriff's Office Citizens Academy Classes offered for the first time. Project Lifesaver implemented in April 2005 provides identification bracelets fitted with location transmitters for the mentally handicapped and Alzheimer's patients in order to allow their quick recovery should they wander from home. A Child Is Missing (ACIM) implemented in January 2005. This nationwide program allows for 1000 calls a minute to be made in a specific area should a child be reported missing. The result has been a decreasing crime rate in Williamson County even as the population increases. And despite the incredible demands of his job, Headley continues to delight Tennesseans with his musical talent. Performing with his band, Pure Country, Headley has entertained at more than 100 benefits and fundraisers--helping to raise over 300,000 dollars for charity. Mr. Speaker, I ask my distinguished colleagues to join me in thanking Sheriff Headley for his contributions to Williamson County and sending our best wishes to his wife Melissa and children Ricky Jr. and Matt.