Melissa Bean

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Well, that is why PAYGO is an important thing, because it creates an environment that forces those kind of tough decisions and forces a more honest dialogue with the public about what is affordable and what is not. Absolutely.

Ms. BEAN. I think you have another chart, if I am correct, that talks about what that means in terms of our spending priorities and that while we are spending so much on interest--you do have it--it essentially shows that we are spending more on interest on the debt that we have created than we are on education, on homeland security and on veterans' benefits. And I don't think the American public fully appreciate what those opportunity costs are, that that lack of fiscal discipline has consequences. And, sadly, we are not moving in the right direction as we look at the 2006 budget, which only projects a $423 billion spending deficit, but it is considerably more than that when we factor in AMT fixes, and when we factor in the cost of the war, which we stopped counting in October, even though that is running at $6 billion a week, that we are not even projecting the real deficits, that this chart is going to look worse if we continue down this path.

Ms. BEAN. I think you make a valid point. Americans are very uncomfortable with that foreign debt, particularly that ratio, because it minimizes our leverage in other areas and I think even has national security implications over the long term that make us all uncomfortable.

Ms. BEAN. More than we are bringing in, absolutely.

Ms. BEAN. That is absolutely true. When I talk to the seventh graders and the middle schoolers and I say to them, Well, what would happen if your parents spend more money than they have? And they said, We will get debt. And I said, Then what would happen? And they said, Well, then people would start taking our stuff and then we might even go bankrupt. And, again, they understand that we have not demonstrated more responsibility as a Congress, which, as I know, is frustrating for the American people.

Ms. BEAN. It has been a big issue for constituents of all ages. We initially focused pretty much on seniors in the suburban districts that I represent because they have very much been a target; so what was done was we tried to introduce the legislation that is now moving through from our Financial Services Committee that we both serve on which will require, in addition to financial institutions, those database brokers that hold that personal financial data to have to let consumers know if there is a breach of that security information. But what we have found is there are other Internet challenges beyond data security in that regard. And I mentioned the Internet safety issue, and that has been a big issue that I have also been focusing on with both parents with some evening forums that we have done in our district and also with students themselves. As I mentioned, when I was with those middle schoolers and I asked them, How many of you communicate on the Internet, not only with friends but with strangers on sites like the myspace.com and others out there, 75 percent of the hands go up, and we are talking 12-year-olds. And then you ask them, Do you appreciate the dangers? Only half of those hands went back up. So we were there to remind them of the things they have to be careful about.

Ms. BEAN. That we inform families how to protect themselves and their communities. So I know we are not the only ones doing forums. I know many communities and schools on their own are beginning to roll out those kinds of educational awareness programs, and we want to continue to support that, absolutely. We should talk briefly about, since it is the end of Women's History Month, whom we just had dinner with.

Ms. BEAN. It was such an honor.

Ms. BEAN. It was so inspiring to hear you talk about how it affected you and how it affected all of us, regardless of all our ages, all these women Members of Congress who were so inspired by Sandra Day O'Connor and her leadership, her professionalism, and her dignity with which she served on the Supreme Court and what an inspiration to women she was. I was excited too that my daughters, who you know are here, not in the House Chamber at the moment, but who are here during their spring break vacation to join Mom out here in Washington and get a chance to meet her as well. I know for them that is going to be something they will remember for the rest of their lives. It was so exciting.

Ms. BEAN. You remind me again of being back in the classroom with these kids and talking about that Preamble to the Constitution which talks also about the decisions we make for ourselves and our posterity and how they even understood that the decisions we make as Americans, whether in Congress or at home in our communities, affect generations of future Americans.

Ms. BEAN. It was a number that reached out and grabbed you. Out of 12,000 total, only 200-plus were women.

Ms. BEAN. Even with all that progress, I know it sometimes is shocking to some of those high school and middle school students that we do civics classes with. I know you do as I do, and I will say to them just out of curiosity, What percentage of the Congress do you think are women? And usually they will say 40 percent or 35 percent, and they are shocked to find it is still only 14 percent.

Ms. BEAN. Absolutely.

Ms. BEAN. Across the country, not just in Florida, but I think homeland security is a big issue across the board. I hear it in my town hall meetings and in the forums I had in my district as well.

Ms. BEAN. Absolutely.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend our Armed Forces medical personnel who provide outstanding care to our servicemembers wounded in battle. During a trip to Iraq last fall, I visited our theater hospital at Balad Air Force Base and witnessed these skilled medical professionals in action and met the brave soldiers whose lives they saved. Newsweek's current cover story recounts in harrowing detail Lieutenant Colonel Richard Jadick's heroic performance during the 2004 assault on Fallujah. The 38-year-old Navy doctor and former marine volunteered to serve alongside the First Battalion, Eighth Marines in what would be his first combat experience. During 11 days of battle, Dr. Jadick and his team of 54 Navy corpsmen treated hundreds of men and saved the lives of at least 30 seriously wounded marines. Mr. Speaker, the survivability rate for wounded personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan is the best of any conflict in our Nation's history, due, in no small part, to the skill and courage of personnel like Dr. Jadick. This morning I urge my colleagues to cosponsor H. Con. Res. 309 and join me in saluting these outstanding servicemembers for their hard work and fearless dedication.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Madam Speaker, today I rise to speak about the Energy Star Homes Act. Across my district my constituents have told me about the challenges they face in paying for the rising cost of heating their homes. In response to those concerns, I have introduced this legislation to provide an incentive to help Americans deal with this increasing burden. Under the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Program, homes are independently verified to be measurably more energy efficient than average houses. Americans who meet the guidelines of this program should have access to a tax credit to make the process of building an energy-efficient home more affordable. My legislation will help to encourage Americans to save money and to save energy. By lowering demand for fossil fuels, we can also decrease pollution and our dependency on foreign sources of energy. I encourage my colleagues in the House to cosponsor this important legislation.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross) so much for recognizing me and letting me join my colleagues on the important issue of the rampant fiscal irresponsibility in this Congress. When I came to Congress, I came to bring what I thought was a real- world business perspective to government because, in the business world, I spent over 20 years in the high-tech industry, but it certainly was not unique. In that industry, accountability is more than just a word. Business leaders expect to be held accountable to their shareholders, their customers, their employees and to their communities. But in this Congress, accountability is just a catch phrase, usually directed elsewhere. Demands to personal responsibility or corporate accountability abound, but rarely congressional accountability or fiscal responsibility. Instead of sticking to the motto, ``If it is worth doing, it is worth paying for,'' this administration and this Congress has turned the largest budget surplus in history into the largest deficit in history, with a reckless borrow-and-spend profligacy. For the last 4 years, our Federal Government has produced the four biggest deficits in history, and the estimated 2006 deficit of $423 billion is projected to be the largest of all. As our colleague, Dennis Cardoza, just mentioned, we are even leaving out some of the facts. It would be a considerably bigger deficit if we considered an AMT fix, which is one that is important and will affect the constituents in my district who do not want to pay the higher taxes without that fix. It is also not including the realistic costs for ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The American people expect more from Congress. They expect fiscal responsibility and common sense. They expect us to return to the pay- as-you-go budget rules that we had enacted in the past that helped us establish a surplus, however briefly. It is a simple concept with a proven track record. The budget enforcement rules of the 1990s were an important part of getting the budget back into balance. It was done on a bipartisan basis. Those pay-as-you-go rules were tested and they worked. We are now in a one-party system, and we have thrown them out. Accountability in government should be more than a catch phrase, particularly when the national debt is now at $8.2 trillion, which, by the way, computes to roughly $27,000 of national debt per American. I spoke to some seventh graders in my district the other day, and they were astounded to find that each of them, their personal share of our national debt is $27,000. They were ready for us to do something about it. We need to do something about it and let them know that the buck stops here.

Ms. BEAN. I thank my colleague, Mr. Speaker. It is interesting, I mentioned earlier that I spent some time with some seventh graders in my district; and when we are with these young students, as my colleague mentioned, they are looking to us to demonstrate leadership and to also act like the adults they would expect us to act like and demonstrate some fiscal sense. When I talked to them about the $27,674 of the national debt that they each share, they were saying, well, then, how come you guys keep spending more than you have? And I said, because we are not adhering to the rules we once did before that forced us to do that, that forced us to make tough decisions. And we talked about how in their family budgets they have to make those decisions. Sometimes going to the movies fits in the budget and sometimes it doesn't. But Mom and Dad try to make sure that they are not spending more than they have personally so as to avoid getting into debt. They understood what that meant in their families, and they were, frankly, pretty shocked. But it is not just the kids that are worried. I talk to businesses in my district, and they are very concerned. They understand that deficits matter. Not everybody understands it, but business people understand that access to capital fuels their growth; and that while at this moment interest rates have been kept down, that can't last forever while we become even more dependent on foreign capital to float our spending habits. So business people have concerns. My colleague also mentioned the debt tax, and I think that is an important issue that most people don't appreciate. I have one chart here, and I don't know if my colleague has this up there, but I don't think people realize that net interest is projected to be at such a higher rate than education spending, than homeland security spending, and than veterans benefits in the President's 2007 budget. And when they realize those are the priorities that we are making and those are the decisions we are making, and as more people understand this, they are going to become even more frustrated.

Ms. BEAN. It is so true. And essentially what they were saying and what we talked about is much like if I were to go get a credit card in my children's name and go out and spend money on things for myself and my husband but say to my kids, my daughters, when you are 18 and you get a job, you get to pay for what I have spent on the credit card. That is what we are doing with these future generations. And kids understand the injustice of that. They expect better from us, absolutely. And they were wishing they were old enough to vote so they could do something about it.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, more than 5 months after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and the gulf coast, many small business owners are still struggling with no relief in sight. Businesses are strained from a lack of customers, employees, infrastructure, electricity, and most particularly the access to capital that they need to get back to business. With no other funds available, many small business owners turn to the SBA for assistance. The Small Business Administration is prepared to help entrepreneurs through its disaster loan programs. Yet today, real criticisms continue to surround the SBA over the agency's failure to provide adequate assistance to the gulf coast's businesses. Since the devastation from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, the SBA has declined approximately 80 percent of all disaster loans, with a backlog of over 200,000 pending applications. On January 30, the SBA released a statement that approximately 51,000 applicants have been approved for financial assistance from the agency; but with over 312,000 total applicants, this is a dismal ratio between those businesses and individuals who are getting loans and those who are left waiting. As a member of the House Committee on Small Business and because of my own experience as a small business owner, I am well aware of the stimulative effect that small to medium-size firms can have on our regional economies. In the gulf region it couldn't be more critical to ensure small business owners reopen their doors to provide essential services and jobs that allow families to get back on their feet. We can do better. I ask my colleagues to help me in this effort.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the rule. One of the reasons I came to Congress was to bring a real-world business perspective to government. In the business world, accountability is survival. In this Congress, it is a catch phrase usually directed elsewhere. Demands for personal responsibility or corporate accountability abound, but rarely congressional accountability or fiscal restraint. Instead of sticking to the motto, If it is worth doing, it is worth paying for, this administration and this Congress have turned the largest budget surplus in history into the largest deficit in history with a reckless borrow-and-spend profligacy. It should be no surprise then that today's so-called Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 actually increases the budget deficit, fails to fix the broken budget process, and does nothing to reduce America's dependence on foreign capital. I will oppose this irresponsible budget package which does not include pay go spending controls. We must pay as we go. It is a simple concept with a proven track record. The budget enforcement rules of the 1990s were an important part of getting the budget back into balance. The pay-as-you-go rules were tested and they worked. Accountability in government should be more than a catch phrase. It is time for us to say the buck stops here.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox. Chicagoans--particularly those on the South Side--have been waiting 88 years for this historic win. Today, I am proud to join my colleagues in the Illinois delegation, our constituents across the State and White Sox fans across the country to celebrate the team's long-awaited victory. Led by manager Ozzie Guillen, the 2005 White Sox finished the regular season with 99 wins and 63 losses--the best record in the American League. After the regular season, the White Sox went on to sweep last year's champions the Boston Red Sox and then marched past the Los Angeles Angels. Facing off against the Houston Astros in the World Series, it was immediately evident that this could be our year. Throughout the series, we all sat on the edge of our seats witnessing great baseball between two formidable opponents, ultimately resulting in the White Sox sweeping the series and finishing the playoffs 11 and 1. This year's team proved that hard work, dedication, and the desire to win can prevail against all odds. I want to again congratulate the players and management as well as the fans of the Chicago White Sox. The 2005 World Championship may have been long in the waiting, but don't expect us to wait another 88 years for the next one.

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to vote on final passage of H.R. 250. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on final passage of H.R. 250, The Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act of 2005 (Rollcall Vote 485).

Ms. BEAN

Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I am here to urge my colleagues to act now to protect America's flying public from the threat of shoulder-fired missiles. Unfortunately, today, thousands of portable, easy-to-use antiaircraft missiles are in the hands of terrorist groups around the world, including al Qaeda. The FBI, CIA, State Department, and White House recognize this serious threat. Now is the time for Congress to act. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Homeland Security has been diligently working to apply successful military technology to our commercial aircraft, and now, for the same cost as in-flight entertainment systems, we can install proven portable defense systems on passenger jets. Just this week, the Chicago Tribune editorialized that the financial costs of safeguarding our airlines are well worth it. However, while we have spent billions of dollars on transportation security since 9/11, Congress has not yet committed to providing such protection. Last week, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) and I introduced the Commercial Airline Missile Defense Act, authorizing the TSA to provide missile defense systems to our commercial passenger jets. Today I urge my colleagues to cosponsor H.R. 2780 and join us in protecting America's business and family travelers.