Duke Cunningham

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, this should be a guy thing, and I want to tell my colleagues why. I joined the Labor-HHS committee because it focuses primarily on two issues: one is education, the other is medical research. This century is going to be, I think, not for technology but the most important century for medical research in the history of mankind, from the genome program to cell division where we can take pancreatic cells and inject into maybe a child that has juvenile diabetes. I would like my colleagues to remember that we lost Herb Bateman this year. Congressman Vento, we go to his funeral tomorrow. Cancer is a brutal thing. I know many of our colleagues on this floor have contracted it. I have talked to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro). She is a cancer survivor. My mom is a cancer survivor. There is no better woman in this country than my little mom. But can you imagine, and I know when the doctor looked me in the face and said, ``Duke, you've got cancer,'' that is pretty tough. And I try and put myself in the position that what if I did not have care for my medical retirement from my military retirement, what if someone says, ``Duke, you've got prostate cancer, but you've got no hope. You're going to die.'' How terrible is that in a country as powerful as ours? I look at the things in my own personal life. I am pro-life. My colleagues know that. And I disagree with areas like Planned Parenthood on their abortion issue. But I went to Planned Parenthood, and I saw many women receive mammograms, pap smears, care that indigent women would not have received. At least we need to come together in those areas to make sure that many of our unfortunate that do not have health care can come together and get that. That is why I think this is so important, and I rise in strong support. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for this legislation.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I serve on the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations, and it is one of the most bipartisan committees that I serve on. I appreciate the bipartisanship of the gentleman from California (Mr. Dixon) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss) as well. I think the Members on both sides of the aisle will agree that I think we have a long way to go and a lot of work to do. I think this is a good bill. I think hard work has been done on it, but I think there is also agreement in areas that make up intelligence and the agencies, a strong military. While we may have the strongest military in the world, our national readiness rates are very, very low in many cases. That hurts our intelligence capability. Where our military is strung out for nation- building quite often, according to George Tenet, those assets were spread so very thin that it made it almost impossible to track Osama bin Laden because we were engaged in those events. Our State Department, both under Republicans and Democrats, I think all that needs to be done is take a look at what happened to Enrique Camarena in the drug wars and the lack of support for our agents under the State Department, to Rambouillet, to hitting the Chinese Embassy. I also think it is wrong that we had technology that we were developing to defeat a Soviet missile. I cannot say what that missile is; but when we gained access to that particular missile, we found out our defensive system would not work. We spent nearly a billion dollars to build that defensive system that would not work. And the reengineering of that, we now have a system at very low cost that will defeat that Soviet system, and that is why I think many of us got so concerned when Loral with Bernie Schwartz gave up second and tertiary missile boots to China, they gave up MRVing capability which we, Intelligence, knew that the W-88 warhead had already been stolen by the Chinese, and then the targeting device. The CIA briefed many of us that North Korea was many years away from striking the United States with a nuclear weapon. They can now hit the United States with a Taepo Dong-2 missile. That should concern all of us, and I think we have a long way to go to secure the national security and intelligence forces of our country.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I was not even going to speak on this issue until I heard the Democrat leadership's partisan attacks which has flowed through these Chambers over the last year. When one takes a look at the Democrat leadership and their interest to recapture the majority and gridlock this House and fight against every single thing that we try and do, campaign finance reform was mentioned. The other night when the Presidential debate went forward and Vice President Gore looked at Governor Bush and said, ``would you sign the McCain-Feingold,'' I wanted to jump in the television and ask Governor Bush to ask Vice-President Gore would he sign the Paycheck Protection Act to control the unions. Gore would say no of course. I went in 18 different congressional districts over the last few weeks. The minimum amount that the union goons had spent against our vulnerable candidates was a million dollars each. But yet my colleagues on the other side, because their campaign coffers are filled by the union bosses, will they do that? Absolutely not. So when my colleagues talk about campaign finance reform and their extreme rhetoric, no, we will not support those kinds of things. The Patients' Bill of Rights was mentioned that the Democrats push. It would be so easy for this House to come together. Instead, in an election year, they choose to try to make it a partisan issue. The Patients' Bill of Rights not only has unlimited lawsuits, but unlimited amounts with the intention of killing HMOs. If one kills an HMO, what is left, only a Hillary Clinton government type of health care plan. If one demonizes insurance companies, what is left for prescription drugs? A government-controlled health care system. They say, well, it is under Medicare, but yet the cost would be driven up instead of having insurance. I had pneumonia last year. My wife is a teacher. I used her insurance. I went down and needed augmentin, and I went to the prescription place, and I got augmentin for a much reduced price. That is an insurance company, but which my colleagues tend to demonize and talk about their patients' bill of rights. The second aspect of that, they then, the liberal trial lawyers who also fill their campaign coffers, then go down and sue the small businesses with unlimited lawsuits, the people that hire in good faith those HMOs or those organizations to provide health care for their workers. Absolutely not, we are not going to go along with the liberal Democrat leadership agenda. One takes a look in NFIB and the Chamber of Commerce who produce the jobs in this country they fight it. Talk about education. Talk about school construction. Why do my colleagues think they want school construction to come out of the Federal Government instead of local, because all Federal monies go down and have to go at the prevailing Davis-Bacon union wage. Again, quote the union boss wage which costs 35 percent more money to build our schools. Does one think that my colleagues, if we had a bill that said, hey, we will support your construction bill, waive Davis Bacon and the Union wage, and let us put 35 percent more in building schools, but does one think they would do that, no, because it upsets the unions and the money going to their campaign coffers. It makes me sick on this house floor. Like I said, I had not planned on even speaking on this. In 1993, did you have a minimum wage increase? You had the White House, House and the Senate. Absolutely not. What did you do? You tried to government control health care, you increased the tax on Social Security, you stole every dime, your leadership took every dime out of the Social Security Trust Fund. Al Gore was the deciding vote on that.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Congressional Resolution 390, which acknowledges Taiwan's efforts to become an active member of United Nations. Taiwan's commitment to democratic domestic policies, efforts to engage international organizations, and desire to formalize its role in the international community should no longer be overlooked by the Administration. Driven out of the UN in 1971, Taiwan has tried to gain readmission since 1993. Unfortunately, those efforts have been stymied because of obstruction by the People's Republic of China. The PRC, one of the five permanent Security Council members which determines new UN membership, has threatened to veto Taiwan's application for membership if it ever reaches the Security Council. Taiwan's exclusion is contrary to the single most important purpose of the UN, namely the maintenance of international peace and security. For the past decade, Taiwan, now under President Chen Shui-bian, has denounced the past policy of recovering mainland China by force and striven for peaceful coexistence with the PRC. It is the PRC that has resorted to the use of force, as occurred in 1995 and 1996. While Taiwan should be accepted in its own right into the UN, the efforts by China to isolate the country it deems a ``renegade province'' increase the urgency of moving to approve Taiwan's admission into that international body. Not only will that provide access to the UN Security Council and discourage future Chinese provocations, but it will shift the responsibility for Taiwan's security from a solely U.S. responsibility to that of the larger international community. I hope that with the passage of House Resolution 390 that Taiwan's vigilance for independence, ardent trust in America as an ally and recognition by the international community will be realized. It is important that we make a place at the international table for all supporters of democracy. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote for House Resolution 390.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce legislation that will strike at the heart of a campaign of terror. Few people are aware of the growing terrorist threat that is festering here in America. I am speaking of the growing threat of animal rights violence. All across America, animal rights terrorists have declared war on our nation's researchers and farmers. These terrorists claim that they are fighting for a noble cause. However, their violent reign of terror is not a noble or just cause; it is a threat to all Americans security and liberty. This campaign of violent, threatening, obstructive, and destructive conduct is aimed at researchers working towards cures for AIDS and cancer and family farms. The extent and interstate nature of this conduct place it beyond the ability of any single state or local jurisdiction to control. Such conduct has included blockades and invasions of research and farming, arson and other destruction of property, assaults, death threats, attempted murder, and murder. This violence can and should be prohibited. The right of injured parties to seek redress in the courts can be established without abridging the exercise of any rights guaranteed under the First Amendment to the constitution or under any other law. For these reasons, I am introducing legislation to protect our nation's researchers and farmers from terrorists campaigns in the name of animal rights who restore to violence, property destruction, attempted homicide, blockades, and other vigilante tactics. We must take federal action to deal with the ongoing wave of violence aimed at our researchers and farmers across the country. This legislation is titled the ``Researchers and Farmers Freedom From Terrorism Act of 2000.'' It is my hope that we as a Congress will take steps to protect the farmers which feed America's children and the researchers who may someday cure cancer, AIDS or any thousands of diseases. We must protect them from the terrorists who, through their extreme agenda, would deny America the fruits of the future. This legislation makes a strong three pronged attack on these terrorists. First, the bill makes violations of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism statutes (18 U.S.C. Sec. 43) punishable as RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) crimes to expand the civil and criminal consequences of this terrorist activity. Second, the bill increases penalties for Animal Terrorism by lowering the standard for prosecution by removing the requirement that prosecution prove the ``intent'' of the criminal; the bill increases the penalties for arson and property destruction from 1 year to 5 years, and the bill also includes similar penalties specifically directed at explosive or arson crimes against animal enterprises. This section also expands the definition of animal enterprises to include ``the offices or headquarters of any'' animal enterprise organizations. Finally, the bill establishes the National Animal Terrorism and Ecoterrorism Clearinghouse at the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help law enforcement agencies gather and exchange information on animals and ecoterrorists nationwide. I am introducing this legislation because groups such as the Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front are openly advocating the destruction of property through pipe-bombing, firebombing, sabotaging, and raiding of facilities that house both animals and medical research personnel. More dangerously, these groups advocate the harassment of people that have a prime goal of the betterment to mankind. These noble researchers are actively searching for the cures to the diseases such as AIDS, cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, heart disease, malaria, and tuberculosis. The ``harassment'' of these researchers has included personal and physical violence. These threats of poisoning and personal harm which have now escalated to action. In October 1999, dozens of university scientists were mailed letters booby-trapped with razors. Had the razors gone undetected, they would have caused serious injury to the researchers or their college student assistants. On April 5, 1999, a University of Minnesota lab was destroyed, causing millions of dollars of physical damage from destroyed computers, microscopes, and medical equipment. This vandalism resulted in a 2-year setback to research on both Alzheimer's disease and cancer cells critical to developing a vaccine against cancer. The most tragic circumstance, however, was the fact that irreplaceable scientific information that was to be sent to the Food and Drug Administration to begin trials of a human cancer vaccine was destroyed. Mr. Speaker, over 1,000 major acts of terrorism have occurred since 1980, causing $42.8 million in damages. Two-thirds of this amount has occurred in the last five years, demonstrating a sharp rise in terrorist attacks. Congress can and must act now to protect our nation's researchers and farmers. The right to peaceful protest is protected by the Constitution and nothing in this legislation undermines that basic right. Peaceful expression of animal rights importance will not be barred. But violent, intimidating, and destructive conduct has no such protection, and will be met with severe penalties under this legislation. By stating that ``extreme action'' is the strategy of the animal rights activist, as opposed to ``legitimate pressure,'' on their own website, www.animal-rights.com, these terrorists openly acknowledge that they are committing actions both unlawful and threatening. Moreover, Alex Pacheco, the Director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has deemed ``arson, property destruction, burglary and theft as acceptable crimes (Associated Press, January 15, 1989).'' The ``Researchers and Farmer's Freedom and Terrorism Act'' bill deserves the support of all those who believe in the right to peaceful protest and abhor those who resort to violence. It will send a message that extremist actions will not be tolerated in our society, and that medical research personnel and research facilities deserve the full protection of the law against those who violate the safety of others. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the Energy Efficient Buildings Incentives Act. I am joined in this effort by a substantial and diverse coalition of my colleagues including Mr. Markey of Massachusetts, Mr. Bilbray of California, Mr. Lewis of California, and Mr. Farr of California, as well as Mr. Smith of New Hampshire in the Senate, and many others. This bill is supported by a strong coalition of industries and organizations. I have submitted a list of supporters below. My constituents in San Diego have been suffering from outrageously high-energy prices for the entire summer. Our citizens and city have been forced into a crisis by the State legislature's deregulation of the electricity market. While I and my colleagues from San Diego are seeking solutions to this terrible crisis, I am introducing this bill in an effort to formulate a long-term energy plan. The Energy Efficient Buildings Incentives Act will provide tax incentives for the construction of energy efficient buildings. Structures of this nature could potentially cut energy usage by as much as 50 percent. This would result in a nearly 6 percent reduction in air emissions over the next 10 years--equivalent to taking 40 percent of the automobiles off the road. The bill will offer tax incentives to encourage the production and sale of technologically advanced, energy-efficient buildings and equipment. The legislation is structured to promote the creation of competitive markets for new technologies and designs that are not widely available today, but have the possibility of being cost effective to the consumer in the future. The incentives will apply to: Efficient new residential buildings that save 30% to 50% in energy costs compared to national model codes, including a higher incentive for higher savings. Efficient heating, cooling, and water heating equipment that reduce emissions and peak electric loads by about 20% (lower incentives) and 30%-50% (higher incentives) compared to national standards. Efficient commercial buildings with 50% energy and power cost savings. Residential-scale solar hot water and photovoltaic equipment. The design and administration for these energy efficient structures is based on the track record of successful state programs over the past decade. Buildings account for some 35% of air pollution emissions nationwide, and cost their owners over $250 billion a year in energy costs. They also contribute to well over half of peak electric power demand. If enacted promptly the incentives in this bill will begin to mitigate electric peak reliability problems by the summer of 2001. This bill will help both families and businesses reduce annual energy costs, saving over $80 billion in present value over the next decade. Energy costs of businesses are tax deductible under current law, so reductions in energy costs means billions of dollars in saving to the Federal government. Please join me in supporting the Energy Efficient Buildings Incentives Act which will provide for a cleaner environment and help reduce energy needs, thus postponing the need for building new power plants as well as helping to save our environment. SUPPORTERS OF S. 2718--The Energy Efficient Buildings Incentives Act Natural Resources Defense Council Environmental Defense Consumer's Choice Council

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, we have heard an example of the liberal left wing of the Democrats. When their leadership talks about we will not pass their bills, no, we will not. We will not pass bills that make bigger government, bigger government control, like they wanted in 1993. We will not pass a government-controlled health care plan or prescription drugs. But we will pass government health care, and we will pass prescription drugs that will help seniors and not make bigger government, higher taxes, and restrict our seniors and our children. The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt) said, Well, I wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House. How about walking 15 steps over here and talking to the Speaker? What is the matter with the gentleman? When he wants to talk about bipartisanship, walk down the aisle, sit down and talk to the Speaker. I wrote a letter. Big deal! He talks about a tax break for the middle class. First of all, there are no middle-class citizens in this country. There are middle income citizens. And I am sick and tired of the class warfare. They promised, they fought for a year prior to their 1993 tax increase, they want a tax break for the middle class, they want a targeted tax for the middle class. They could not help themselves. They increased the tax on the middle class, and they are trying to do the same thing now. And that is wrong. No, we will not allow them to do it and we will fight them tooth, hook, and nail every time. They increased the tax on Social Security when they had the White House, the House, and Senate. They took every dime out of the Social Security Trust Fund and put it up here so they could have more spending. They increased taxes $260 billion so they could put it up here for their spending. They increased the gas tax 8 cents and put it into a general fund so they could put it up here for spending. What did Republicans do? We put Social Security in a lockbox so they could not keep driving up the national debt and we protected the Social Security trust fund. We rescinded their tax increase on Social Security and we put the gas tax into a transportation fund so they could not spend it. No, we will not allow them to increase big size of government.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Bernardo Heights Middle School in Rancho Bernardo and its leaders, Principal, Maureen Newell and Superintendent, Dr. Bob Reeves. Bernardo Heights has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2000. I am proud to inform my colleagues that my district had an amazing record of eleven schools selected for that prestigious honor this year. I would also like to note that the Academy of Our Lady of Peace right outside my district in San Diego County was also named a Blue Ribbon School. I applaud the educators, students and communities in each of the San Diego County schools who pulled together in pursuit of educational excellence. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized as some of the nation's most successful institutions, and they are exemplary models for achieving educational excellence throughout the nation. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in academic leadership, teaching and teacher development, and school curriculum, but they have demonstrated exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and strong safety and discipline. After schools are nominated by state education agencies for the Blue Ribbon award, they undergo a rigorous overview of their programs, plans and activities. That is followed with visits by educational experts for evaluation. Ultimately, those schools which best demonstrate strong leadership, clear vision and mission, excellent teaching and curriculum, policies and practices that keep the schools safe for learning, family involvement and evidence of high standards are selected for this prestigious award. I am pleased that they are now receiving the national recognition they are due. As school and community leaders head to Washington for the Department of Education awards ceremony, I want to thank them once again for a job well done. More satisfying than any award, these leaders will have the lifelong satisfaction of having provided the best education possible and a better future for thousands of children. I am proud of what they have achieved, and want to share their achievements so that more people benefit from their accomplishments. I ask that a summary of Bernardo Heights Middle Schools' superior work be included in the record: Located in northern San Diego County, Bernardo Heights Middle School (BHMS) is one of five middle schools in the award-winning Poway Unified School District. The school has a sprawling suburban campus where students are active participants in the learning process. The dynamic teachers are committed to developing a love of learning that will last a lifetime. Bernardo Heights has set expectations and academic standards that foster well being, encourage appreciation of the arts, and at the same time embrace diversity. BHMS is continuously re- evaluating their curriculum and the needs of its students. Using parent input, needs assessments, and up-to-date teaching practices and methods, their curriculum provides a solid scope and sequence that assures students will be ready for the 21st Century. Knowing the pressures and variables of modern society, Bernardo Heights has developed an array of assistance programs to form a safety net for students who are at-risk. From parent-teacher-student conferences to support groups, tutorials to mentoring programs, they do ``whatever it takes'' to provide all students every opportunity to succeed. Almost 80% of all students scored above the 50th percentile on the SAT 9 reading, writing and math tests and Average Daily Attendance (ADA) is at 96.5%. From its unique architecture to the exciting learning environment within its classrooms, Bernardo Heights Middle School is a dynamic, active educational center, filled with the promise of tomorrow.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Scripps Ranch High School in Scripps Ranch and its leaders, Principal, David LeMay and Superintendent, Alan Bersin. Scripps Ranch has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Bule Ribbon School for 2000. I am proud to inform my colleagues that my district had an amazing record of eleven schools selected for that prestigious honor this year. I would also like to note that the Academy of Our Lady of Peace right outside my district in San Diego County was also named a Blue Ribbon School. I applaud the educators, students and communities in each of the San Diego County schools who pulled together in pursuit of educational excellence. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized as some of the nation's most successful institutions, and they are exemplary models for achieving educational excellence throughout the nation. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in academic leadership, teaching and teacher development, and school curriculum, but they have demonstrated exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and strong safety and discipline. After schools are nominated by state education agencies for the Blue Ribbon award, they undergo a rigorous review of their programs, plans and activities. That is followed with visits by educational experts for evaluation. Ultimately, those schools which best demonstrate strong leadership, clear vision and mission, excellent teaching and curriculum, policies and practices that keep the schools safe for learning, family involvement and evidence of high standards are selected for this prestigious award. I am pleased that they are now receiving the national recognition they are due. As school and community leaders head to Washington for the Department of Education awards ceremony, I want to thank them once again for a job well done. More satisfying than any award, these leaders will have the lifelong satisfaction of having provided the best education possible and a better future for thousands of children. I am proud of what they have achieved, and want to share their achievements so that more people benefit from their accomplishments. I ask that a summary of Scripps Ranch High School's superior work be included in the record: Scripps Ranch High School, San Diego, California, opened in 1993, modeling its curriculum on Second to None: A Vision of the New California High School, the 1992 report from the California State Department of Education Task Force. Strong academics, modern technology, a wide variety of electives, block scheduling, advisory periods, and the integration of academic and career curricula are Second to None fundamentals and the foundation of the learning environment at Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS). An innovative and quality staff presently serves an ethnically diverse 2,063 student population. All students participate in a 23-minute CORE (Career Opportunities, Reading, and Exhibitions) advisory period that meets two days each week. The CORE period is used to mentor students, promote school-to- career activities, and to advance literacy through reading. Staff members keep the same CORE students throughout their high school years. Because of this continual mentoring in a 25 to 1 ratio, each student has a link to a staff member who knows and cares about them and can refer them for assistance when a need arises. The heart and soul of SRHS lies in its staff. Their dedication to teaching and students is obvious to anyone who visits a classroom or attends an extracurricular event. Teachers not only sponsor clubs and coach teams, they attend and support student events and activities throughout the school year. This school began with pride in its foundations, continues to build on its reputation of excellence, and is ever ready to enhance its programs to benefit the students that it serves.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Twin Peaks Middle School in Poway and its leaders, Principal Sue Foerster and Superintendent Dr. Bob Reeves. Twin Peaks has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2000. I am proud to inform my colleagues that my district had an amazing record of 11 schools selected for that prestigious honor this year. I would also like to note that the Academy of Our Lady of Peace right outside my district in San Diego County was also named a Blue Ribbon School. I applaud the educators, students, and communities in each of the San Diego County schools who pulled together in pursuit of educational excellence. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized as some of the Nation's most successful institutions, and they are exemplary models for achieving educational excellence throughout the Nation. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in academic leadership, teaching and teacher development and school curriculum, but they have demonstrated exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and strong safety and discipline. After schools are nominated by State education agencies for the Blue Ribbon award, they undergo a rigorous review of their programs, plans, and activities. That is followed with visits by educational experts for evaluation. Ultimately, those schools which best demonstrate strong leadership, clear vision and mission, excellent teaching and curriculum, policies and practices that keep the schools safe for learning, family involvement, and evidence of high standards are selected for this prestigious award. I am pleased that they are now receiving the national recognition they are due. As school and community leaders head to Washington for the Department of Education awards ceremony, I want to thank them once again for a job well done. More satisfying than any award, these leaders will have the lifelong satisfaction of having provided the best education possible and a better future for thousands of children. I am proud of what they have achieved, and want to share their achievements so that more people benefit from their accomplishments. I ask that a summary of Twin Peaks Middle School's superior work be included in the Record: Twin Peaks Middle School is in the city of Poway, a suburban community of about 45,000 located 25 miles northeast of San Diego, California. Known as ``The City in the Country,'' Poway maintains a rural feeling where horse trails are common and the annual rodeo is an important event. Retail trade, service industry, and government jobs presently provide the greatest opportunity for employment in Poway, although most of their residents travel to other areas of the county to work. The dedicated Twin Peaks staff exemplifies its vision of providing an excellent education for all students by making a conscious effort to continuously enhance and enrich the culture and conditions in the school so that teachers can teach more effectively, leading to students who become lifelong learners. This focused effort to strive for excellence is shared by teaches, parents, students, and community members who work together to create outstanding programs that maximize the potential of each student while acknowledging individual learning styles. Students feel this enthusiasm for learning and want to be at Twin Peaks, as shown by the average attendance rate of over 99 percent. Students maintain an active voice in perpetuating these traditions through the Associated Student Body that provides Friday spirit days, barbecues, dances, Teacher Appreciation Day, and Harbor Cruise excursions. Other yearly events include ski trips, Women's Day speakers, Shadow-A-Student Day, the geography bee and spelling bee, Sixth Grade Olympics, sixth grade camp, a seventh grade trip to Medieval Times, band concerts, and choral and drama productions. Visitors frequently comment on the positive atmosphere that pervades the campus. Twin Peaks Middle School truly is a wonderful place to teach and learn.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Rincon Middle School in Escondido and its leaders, Principal, Lou Bailey and Superintendent, Rob Guiles. Rincon has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2000. I am proud to inform my colleagues that my district had an amazing record of eleven schools selected for that prestigious honor this year. I would also like to note that the Academy of Our Lady of Peace right outside my district in San Diego County was also named a Blue Ribbon School. I applaud the educators, students and communities in each of the San Diego County schools who pulled together in pursuit of educational excellence. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized as some of the nation's most successful institutions, and they are exemplary models for achieving educational excellence throughout the nation. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in academic leadership, teaching and teacher development, and school curriculum, but they have demonstrated exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and strong safety and discipline. After schools are nominated by state education agencies for the Blue Ribbon award, they undergo a rigorous review of their programs, plans and activities. That is followed with visits by educational experts for evaluation. Ultimately, those schools which best demonstrate strong leadership, clear vision and mission, excellent teaching and curriculum, policies and practices that keep the schools safe for learning, family involvement and evidence of high standards are selected for this prestigious award. I am pleased that they are now receiving the national recognition they are due. As school and community leaders head to Washington for the Department of Education awards ceremony, I want to thank them once again for a job well done. More satisfying than any award, these leaders will have the lifelong satisfaction of having provided the best education possible and a better future for thousands of children. I am proud of what they have achieved, and want to share their achievements so that more people benefit from their accomplishments. I ask that a summary of Rincon Middle School's superior work be included in the record: Rincon Middle School is located in the northeast part of Escondido 40 miles north of San Diego. One of four middle schools in the Escondido Union School District, Rincon is surrounded by open fields and farmlands and has preserved its rural feel, despite its proximity to the city. The natural beauty of Rincon's setting creates a relaxed and secure environment that welcomes students and staff. Since its inception five years ago, Rincon has been building strong connections between parents, teachers, and students, as well as partnerships within the business community. Rincon students are respectful, eager learners who strive to meet the high standards set for them. Rincon's philosophy is that every student is a learner. The Rincon community values the social, physical, intellectual, and artistic development of all students. Portfolio Day, Americans on Display, 6th Grade Olympics, Living Historians, concerts, and art exhibits are some of the many traditions that foster the full development of the middle school student. These same activities unite parents and community with their school. Community involvement is important to Rincon. The students are emerging as service oriented young adults with a growing sense of community awareness. Students take part in many activities that foster a connection to their community such as: The Garden Project, School Buddy Readers, Park Clean-up Day, Peer Tutors, Natural Helpers, Guardian Angels, and student assistants for the severely handicapped. On Career Visitation Day Rincon students spend a day shadowing a professional and bring back experiences to share in their exploratory classes. Across the spectrum, students at Rincon experience a challenging curriculum appropriate to their academic level.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Meadowbrook Middle School in Poway and its leaders, Principal, Susan Van Zant and Superintendent, Dr. Bob Reeves. Meadowbrook has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2000. I am proud to inform my colleagues that my district had an amazing record of eleven schools selected for that prestigious honor this year. I would also like to note that the Academy of Our Lady of Peace right outside my district in San Diego County was also named a Blue Ribbon School. I applaud the educators, students and communities in each of the San Diego County schools who pulled together in pursuit of educational excellence. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized as some of the nation's most successful institutions, and they are exemplary models for achieving educational excellence throughout the nation. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in academic leadership, teaching and teacher development, and school curriculum, but they have demonstrated exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and strong safety and discipline. After schools are nominated by state education agencies for the Blue Ribbon award, they undergo a rigorous review of their programs, plans and activities. That is followed with visits by educational experts for evaluation. Ultimately, those schools which best demonstrate strong leadership, clear vision and mission, excellent teaching and curriculum, policies and practices that keep the schools safe for learning, family involvement and evidence of high standards are selected for this prestigious award. I am pleased that they are now receiving the national recognition they are due. As school and community leaders head to Washington for the Department of Education awards ceremony, I want to thank them once again for a job well done. More satisfying than any award, these leaders will have the lifelong satisfaction of having provided the best education possible and a better future for thousands of children. I am proud of what they have achieved, and want to share their achievements so that more people benefit from their accomplishments. I ask that a summary of Meadowbrook Middle School's superior work be included in the Record: Located in Poway, California, Meadowbrook Middle School is an energetic and nurturing middle school where young adolescents are valued and respected. It is the school's vision that each student will master the knowledge, and develop the skills and attitudes essential for success in school and society. The staff is committed to providing a strong instructional program based upon high academic, behavioral, and social standards by the use of a challenging curriculum and supportive environment for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. To achieve rigorous standards, the school staff, parents, and other members of the community work together. They provide a well rounded, quality program designed to meet diverse student needs. Their cooperative spirit and dedication to our core value of all students learning keep them focused on providing a well-balanced program designed to excite, build upon interests, and involve students in the process of becoming lifelong learners. Learning does not end at the end of sixth period, but rather it continues through co-curricular sports, clubs, library research, tutorials, and interaction with staff in a less formal setting. The school has a tradition of active parent/community involvement. This past year their PTA was recognized as one of the top ten units in California. Meadowbrook values and rewards student achievement in academics, the arts, athletics, and personal development. Curriculum, instructional practices, and student programs are driven by current research and assessment data. It is truly a school where students succeed as evidenced by their increasing test scores, high rate of student attendance, and their overall positive and caring school environment.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Diegueno Middle School in Encinitas and its leaders, Principal, Marilyn Pugh and Superintendent, Bill Berrier. Diegueno has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2000. I am proud to inform my colleagues that my district had an amazing record of eleven schools selected for that prestigious honor this year. I would also like to note that the Academy of Our Lady of Peace right outside my district in San Diego County was also named a Blue Ribbon School. I applaud the educators, students and communities in each of the San Diego County schools who pulled together in pursuit of educational excellence. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized as some of the nation's most successful institutions, and they are exemplary models for achieving educational excellence throughout the nation. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in academic leadership, teaching and teacher development, and school curriculum, but they have demonstrated exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and strong safety and discipline. After schools are nominated by state education agencies for the Blue Ribbon award, they undergo a rigorous review of their programs, plans and activities. That is followed with visits by educational experts for evaluation. Ultimately, those schools which best demonstrate strong leadership, clear vision and mission, excellent teaching and curriculum, policies and practices that keep the schools safe for learning, family involvement and evidence of high standards are selected for this prestigious award. I am pleased that they are now receiving the national recognition they are due. As school and community leaders head to Washington for the Department of Education awards ceremony, I want to thank them once again for a job well done. More satisfying than any award, these leaders will have the lifelong satisfaction of having provided the best education possible and a better future for thousands of children. I am proud of what they have achieved, and want to share their achievements so that more people benefit from their accomplishments. I ask that a summary of Diegueno Middle School's superior work be included in the record. Diegueno Middle school is nestled in Encinitas, a quite residential area approximately four-and-a-half miles inland from the Pacific coast. Diegueno is one of four middle schools in the San Dieguito Union High School District, and it is a feeder school for two traditional high schools, one ``Academy'' High School, and one alternative high school. Diegueno students are motivated toward high academic expectations and proud of their academic, athletic, and service accomplishments. Diegueno's newly developed Mission Statement is ``to ensure that all students reach their potential as ethical, involved citizens and life- long learners guided by a professional, compassionate staff who provide a challenging, creative, and meaningful education.'' With their mission statement in mind, Diegueno offers many programs and services to support the learning and development of middle school age students, including a rigorous core academic program expected by their community and mandated by the state. In addition, their newly networked and technologically equipped campus supports the goals of developing students' technological skills and connecting them to an increasingly global interaction with the world. Their elective program, lunchtime activities, after school programs, classes and sports teams offered in conjunction with the City of Encinitas and the Boys and Girls' Club help students to discover interests which support and enhance their academic efforts. It is indeed Diegueno's goal to show all their students that they are an integral part of our school, a necessary element of the larger surrounding community, and valuable citizens of the world.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mt. Carmel High School in Scripps Ranch and its leaders, Principal, Joan Stewart and Superintendent, Dr. Bob Reeves. Mt. Carmel has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2000. I am proud to inform my colleagues that my district had an amazing record of eleven schools selected for that prestigious honor this year. I would also like to note that the Academy of Our Lady of Peace right outside my district in San Diego County was also named a Blue Ribbon School. I applaud the educators, students and communities in each of the San Diego County schools who pulled together in pursuit of educational excellence. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized as some of the nation's most successful institutions, and they are exemplary models for achieving educational excellence throughout the nation. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in academic leadership, teaching and teacher development, and school curriculum, but they have demonstrated exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and strong safety and discipline. After schools are nominated by state education agencies for the Blue Ribbon award, they undergo a rigorous review of their programs, plans and activities. That is followed with visits by educational experts for evaluation. Ultimately, those schools which best demonstrate strong leadership, clear vision and mission, excellent teaching and curriculum, policies and practices that keep the schools safe for learning, family involvement and evidence of high standards are selected for this prestigious award. I am pleased that they are now receiving the national recognition they are due. As school and community leaders head to Washington for the Department of Education awards ceremony, I want to thank them once again for a job well done. More satisfying than any award, these leaders will have the lifelong satisfaction of having provided the best education possible and a better future for thousands of children. I am proud of what they have achieved, and want to share their achievements so that more people benefit from their accomplishments. I ask that a summary of Mt. Carmel High Schools' superior work be included in the record: Mt. Carmel High School, located in San Diego, California, is the heart of the local community. Life on campus and in the surrounding community of Rancho Penasquitos centers on families and their involvement in the lives of young people. Mt. Carmel is a four-year comprehensive high school serving 3,506 students in the nationally recognized Poway Unified School district. At first glance, Mt. Carmel might appear to be a traditional public high school, but the vision, traditions, and culture make Mt. Carmel anything but ordinary. Mt. Carmel maintains a long tradition of academic excellence beginning with a rigorous college-bound curriculum, approximately 81 percent of graduates enroll at institutions of higher education. Mt. Carmel teachers respond enthusiastically and capably to the high academic expectations set by the community. Mt. Carmel offers a full range of academic, athletic and activity programs designed to meet the needs of all students. Particularly noteworthy programs include the on-line courses offered in Spanish, art and U.S. History, the fully integrated American Literature and U.S. History courses, and the partnership between the Animation Program and industry leaders such as Disney and Warner Brothers. Mt. Carmel is poised on the threshold of twenty-first century teaching and learning thanks to an investment of over $2 million worth of technology infrastructure, hardware, software, and training over the past four years. To encourage all students to stay connected on such a large campus, Mt. Carmel offers over 80 clubs, organizations and enrichment classes. Mt. Carmel exemplary staff is committed to ongoing professional development, as is evidenced by a significant investment of time and financial resources. The dynamic new principal, along with the secretaries, custodians, teachers, administrator, parents, and students share a common vision of academic excellence and support one another in the endeavor to attain this vision. Yes, Mt. Carmel's outstanding programs make it a model school, but the people make Mt. Carmel a truly special place to learn.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Rancho Bernardo High School in Rancho Bernardo and its leaders, Principal, Paul Gentle and Superintendent, Dr. Bob Reeves. Rancho Bernardo has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2000. I am proud to inform my colleagues that my district had an amazing record of eleven schools selected for that prestigious honor this year. I would also like to note that the Academy of Our Lady of Peace right outside my district in San Diego County was also named a Blue Ribbon School. I applaud the educators, students and communities in each of the San Diego County Schools who pulled together in pursuit of education excellence. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized as some of the nation's most successful institutions, and they are exemplary models for achieving educational excellence throughout the nation. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in academic leadership, teaching and teacher development, and school curriculum, but they have demonstrated exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and strong safety and discipline. After schools are nominated by state education agencies for the Blue Ribbon award, they undergo a rigorous review of their programs, plans and activities. That is followed with visits by educational experts for evaluation. Ultimately, those schools which best demonstrate strong leadership, clear vision and mission, excellent teaching and curriculum, policies and practices that keep the schools safe for learning, family involvement and evidence of high standards are selected for this prestigious award. I am pleased that they are now receiving the national recognition they are due. As school and community leaders head to Washington for the Department of Education awards ceremony, I want to thank them once again for a job well done. More satisfying than any award, these leaders will have the lifelong satisfaction of having provided the best education possible and a better future for thousands of children. I am proud of what they have achieved, and want to share their achievements so that more people benefit from their accomplishments. I ask that a summary of Rancho Bernardo High School's superior work be included in the record: Stimulated by vibrant young professional families and grounded by the wisdom, vision, and experience of a large senior population, Rancho Bernardo High School (RBHS), located in a suburban community in San Diego, California, is teeming with energetic activity. The ethnic and age diversity of the community provides a firm foundation and strongly impacts the educational experience of RBHS students. The students, along with the encouragement and support of the staff and families,have brought pride to the community and they took the school to new heights last year when Rancho Bernardo was recognized as a California Distinguished School. Rancho Bernardo High School offers academic programs that are rigorous and challenging for all students. The programs include advanced placement courses in all academic areas, a model Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, support courses in the areas of math and English, online courses in math and civics, a BRIDGES program for at-risk students (connecting the students to the Bronco community and paving avenues for success), a community mentor program, a ninth grade interdisciplinary academy, incredible visual and technical arts offerings, and academic courses that are linked tightly to academic standards. Technology also plays an incredible role in student learning. Presently, every classroom on campus is home to a minimum of one computer, in addition to the 24 in the Library Media Center. With the campus networked and computers having access to the Internet, modern technology is provided for all students, wherever they are on campus. Ultimately, the RBHS school community is anchored by its prime goal, All Students Learning--Whatever It Takes. This goal drives the competent and caring staff and fosters positive relationships with the citizens of Rancho Bernardo.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratualte Mira Mesa High School in Mira Mesa and its leaders, Principal, Rachel Flanagan and Superintendent, Alan Bersin. Mira Mesa has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2000. I am proud to inform my colleagues that my district had an amazing record of eleven schools selected for that prestigious honor this year. I would also like to note that the Academy of Our Lady of Peace right outside my district in San Diego County was also named a Blue Ribbon School. I applaud the educators, students and communities in each of the San Diego County schools who pulled together in pursuit of educational excellence. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized as some of the nation's most successful institutions, and they are exemplary models for achieving educational excellence throughout the nation. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in academic leadership, teaching and teacher development, and school curriculum, but they have demonstrated exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and strong safety and discipline. After schools are nominated by state education agencies for the Blue Ribbon award, they undergo a rigorous review of their programs, plans and activities. That is followed with visits by educational experts for evaluation. Ultimately, those schools which best demonstrate strong leadership, clear vision and mission, excellent teaching and curriculum, policies and practices that keep the schools safe for learning, family involvement and evidence of high standards are selected for this prestigious award. I am pleased that they are now receiving the national recognition they are due. As school and community leaders head to Washington for the Department of Education awards ceremony, I want to thank them once again for a job well done. More satisfying than any award, these leaders will have the lifelong satisfaction of having provided the best education possible and a better future for thousands of children. I am proud of what they have achieved, and want to share their achievements so that more people benefit from their accomplishments. I ask that a summary of Mira Mesa High School's superior work be included in the Record: Mira Mesa High School (MMHS) is located in the Mira Mesa community of San Diego, California. MMHS has 18.3 and an 89.7 stability rate. Of the 2,262 students enrolled, 768 are registered in the free/reduced lunch program. MMHS boasts a daily attendance rate of 96.2%. The dropout rate is currently 0.03 per 100 students for grades 9-12. MMHS has been recognized for having the lowest dropout rate in the school district. Mira Mesa High School currently has formal educational partners: Proxima, Fieldstone Corporation, the U.S. Army, Wells Fargo Bank, and the San Diego Police Department Traffic Division. MMHS operates as a Second-to-None school with an emphasis on School- to-Career key elements, the University of California a-f graduation requirements, the California curriculum frameworks, and state and district content and performance standards. The education program features curricular paths, integrated academics and vocational education, job shadowing opportunities, career elective classes, advisory classes, college/career portfolios, service learning, and senior exhibitions. A school-wide literacy focus has been implemented through the district's new Institute for Learning. Other guiding forces are the WASC Annual Action Plan, and a variety of assessment measures including the SAT, the state STAR test, and Advanced Placement exams. MMHS has strong values and many traditions embedded in the school's mission statement: ``To educate all students in an integrated setting to become responsible, literate, thinking, and contributing members of a multicultural society through excellence in teaching and learning.'' The school's vision demonstrates pride and commitment to the task, and supports respect for all members.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mesa Verde Middle School in Scripps Ranch and its leaders, Principal, Sonya Wrisley and Superintendent, Dr. Bob Reeves. Mesa Verde has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2000. I am proud to inform my colleagues that my district had an amazing record of eleven schools selected for that prestigious honor this year. I would also like to note that the Academy of Our Lady of Peace right outside my district in San Diego County was also named a Blue Ribbon School. I applaud the educators, students and communities in each of the San Diego County schools who pulled together in pursuit of educational excellence. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized as some of the nation's most successful institutions, and they are exemplary models for achieving educational excellence throughout the nation. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in academic leadership, teaching and teacher development, and school curriculum, but they have demonstrated exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and strong safety and discipline. After schools are nominated by state education agencies for the Blue Ribbon award, they undergo a rigorous review of their programs, plans and activities. That is followed with visits by educational experts for evaluation. Ultimately, those schools which best demonstrate strong leadership, clear vision and mission, excellent teaching and curriculum, policies and practices that keep the schools safe for learning, family involvement and evidence of high standards are selected for this prestigious award. I am pleased that they are now receiving the national recognition they are due. As school and community leaders head to Washington for the Department of Education awards ceremony, I want to thank them once again for a job well done. More satisfying than any award, these leaders will have the lifelong satisfaction of having provided the best education possible and a better future for thousands of children. I am proud of what they have achieved, and want to share their achievements so that more people benefit from their accomplishments. I ask that a summary of Mesa Verde Middle School's superior work be included in the record: Mesa Verde Middle School, located in Rancho Penasquitos, a suburb of northern San Diego, California, exemplifies the educational heights that can be attained when a solid partnership exists between school and community. All members of this team are completely committed to their philosophy of ``doing everything possible to help each student succeed'', while maintaining strong academic integrity. Their school vision for 2002 states that ``Mesa Verde Middle School will create an enhanced learning experience and a unique community environment for all students.'' The success of Mesa Verde's rigorous curriculum is evidenced by consistently high performance on standardized tests and underscored by earning the maximum six-year Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation. Among their noteworthy accomplishments are two wellness programs. Mesa Verde's wellness budget enables them to have a teacher on special assignment (TOSA), devoting a full period each day to drug, alcohol, and tobacco prevention education. The second program, ``Names Can Really Hurt You'' was nationally recognized in Washington D.C. and fosters tolerance of diversity in the classroom and on campus. A 50% drop in negative name calling infractions best illustrates the success of this program. Mesa Verde provides an excellent education to culturally and ethnically diverse middle class population. Their site is designed to accommodate students with a wide range of academic abilities and physical challenges. Designed with technology in mind, Mesa Verde has become Poway Unified School District's model school. Four computer labs are housed at Mesa Verde and each classroom is networked to the Internet and e-mail. A distinct feature of the campus is the village concept design. Classrooms are grouped together and house a single grade level. And added strength of Mesa Verde is the varied ``safety nets'' in place to ensure that students progress and succeed socially as well as academically. Innovative programs such as Peer Mediation, Natural Helpers, Eagle Groups, and Student Outreach Services (SOS) teach students to deal effectively with their emotional needs and to interact successfully with their peers. A commitment to excellence is the cornerstone for all of Mesa Verde's programs. Providing excellence in all they do, Mesa Verde is exemplified by a dedicated, hardworking staff, who truly love children. They base all decisions on what is best for their students. The entire school community: staff, students, parents and community, works together to provide the best possible education for all students.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Black Mountain Middle School in Penasquitos and its leaders, Principal Miguel Carillo and Superintendent, Dr. Bob Reeves. Black Mountain has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2000. I am proud to inform my colleagues that my district had an amazing record of eleven schools selected for that prestigious honor this year. I would also like to note that the Academy of Our Lady of Peace right outside my district in San Diego County was also named a Blue Ribbon School. I applaud the educators, students and communities in each of the San Diego County schools who pulled together in pursuit of educational excellence. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized as some of the nation's most successful institutions, and they are exemplary models for achieving educational excellence throughout the nation. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in academic leadership, teaching and teacher development, and school curriculum, but they have demonstrated exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and strong safety and discipline. After schools are nominated by state education agencies for the Blue Ribbon award, they undergo a rigorous review of their programs, plans and activities. That is followed with visits by educational experts for evaluation. Ultimately, those schools which best demonstrate strong leadership, clear vision and mission, excellent teaching and curriculum, policies and practices that keep the schools safe for learning, family involvement and evidence of high standards are selected for this prestigious award. I am pleased that they are now receiving the national recognition they are due. As school and community leaders head to Washington for the Department of Education awards ceremony, I want to thank them once again for a job well done. More satisfying than any award, these leaders will have the lifelong satisfaction of having provided the best education possible and a better future for thousands of children. I am proud of what they have achieved, and want to share their achievements so that more people benefit from their accomplishments. I ask that a summary of Black Mountain Middle School's superior work be included in the record: Black Mountain Middle School, located in Rancho Penasquitos, a suburb of San Diego, California, is a vibrant, progressive school community that continually strives to reach the district's mission of all All Students Learning--Whatever It Takes. They have a 25-year tradition of excellence, high expectations, and strong support for student learning, Staff, parents, and students work together to create a dynamic learning environment which engages students in learning and achievement. A caring, committed staff provides the cornerstone while standards, varied learning opportunities, and enriched curriculum provide the foundation for our successful school. As a California Distinguished School and former Blue Ribbon School recipient, Black Mountain meets the needs of a diverse student population in a residential area in the north county of San Diego. Black Mountain recognizes the challenges its students will face as they enter the 21st century. Therefore they provide them with a solid academic program that lays the foundation of basic skills through a standards-based curriculum. Their three-period basic education configuration provides the framework for the study of language arts and social studies. Combined, these core academic areas provide students with a powerfully integrated approach to learning that develops and enhances critical thinking and problem solving. Math courses provides students with a structure of concrete facts and skills and then make connections of abstract ideas to the real world. Science lays the groundwork of scientific ideas and principles for the students through their exploration and examination of content and application. Electives provide students with opportunities to explore the world of the arts, foreign language, and technology. With Poway Unified providing the foundation, Black Mountain forges ahead to create a community of learners that continually strive to attain their site mission of developing lifelong, active learners.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm).

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, before I get into my special order, I would like to address the remarks of one of my colleagues just previously on a 5-minute. He made a statement that Governor Bush would replace Medicare with insurance companies. I have never heard something so laughable. Are the Democrats so desperate that they have got to spin something that is absolutely not true? Mr. Speaker, I have never heard something so ridiculous. The gentleman may speak of his own opinion, but I would say that the gentleman is factually challenged. First, 70 percent of Americans have insurance, both for healthcare or for prescription drugs, and they want to keep that. Unfortunately, there is a large portion of the American population that has neither healthcare nor prescription drugs. Governor Bush wants to make sure that those people are taken care of. But if the Democrats can demagog insurance companies or biotech companies, then what is left to pick up the void? Only big government, Hillary Clinton-type of healthcare and prescription drugs, and that is exactly what Al Gore does. He has a one-size-fits-all, big government solution. Now, I have traveled all over the country with Governor Bush, and I know not only what he says, but I know what is in his heart. While the Democrats increased veterans healthcare by zero in the last budget, Republicans put in a $1.7 billion increase. Governor Bush not only wants to keep the promises to our veterans for healthcare that has been given for many, many years, but he wants to also make sure that that percentage of Americans who do not have healthcare have supplement to their Medicare. What does the Federal employee have? And that is FEHBP, the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan, which is a supplement to Medicare. That is what he has said, that is what he talks about in every speech, nothing about replacing Medicare with insurance companies, at least do not demagog, at least do not make up stories that are absolutely not true. If my colleagues want to talk about facts in the Social Security Trust Fund and Medicare trust fund, do we remember the Clinton-Gore budget, they said well, we want to take 100 percent of the Social Security trust fund and put it for Social Security and all of the surplus. Mr. Speaker, weeks later, they came back and said oh, not so fast we want to take 62 percent and put it into Social Security, we want to take 15 percent of the surplus and put it into Medicare. What they did not tell us is that the Clinton-Gore budget took every dime out of the Social Security trust fund, put it up here for new spending. They increased taxes $241 billion for new spending, to justify their budget and their balanced budget. We said no, Mr. President, no, Mr. Vice President, that we are going to put the Social Security trust fund into a lockbox so that politicians cannot touch it, that you cannot keep increasing the debt and you cannot keep spending it. So if my colleagues want to talk about facts, that is a fact. Another fact is that Republicans brought that budget to the floor to show what a sham it was. Mr. Speaker, do we know how many Democrats voted for that budget, because we wanted them to vote for it, to show that they supported increase in taxes, to show that they supported raiding the Social Security trust fund, to show what a sham that the budget was. Do we know how many Democrats supported it? Only four. Yet, Al Gore uses that budget as the basis, and I quote Al Gore, I use this budget as the basis for my plan, which spends every cent and more of the surplus. It dips in and raids the Social Security trust fund. It increases the taxes on the American people. And when my colleagues want to talk about facts, that is a fact. The reason that I stepped up from my special order was that I was in Los Angeles for the Democrat convention. I was on television. I was on radio to see the spin, and it is probably the reason why there is an article in the Washington Post, which is not exactly a conservative paper, about, it is still the economy stupid, by David Broder. And it says that during the past 8 years Lieberman said in the convention, we have created more than 4 million new businesses, 22 million new jobs, the lowest inflation in a generation, the lowest African American, Hispanic unemployment rate in history, the strongest economy in a 224- year history of the United States of America. He could have added that real incomes for even the poorest Americans began to improve and poverty rate declined. But what David Broder goes on to say is, ``But it wasn't until the Republicans took over Congress in 1995 that the goal of a balanced budget came into view, that the economy increased at a much higher rate than under the 1993 tax increase.'' The Democrats in their convention said, well, if you loved the last 8 years of the economy, you need to put us back. That is what I want to talk about, Mr. Speaker. First of all, the Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), went to see the Vice President and the President last night. They asked if the President would set aside 90 percent of the surplus to reduce the debt. We pay nearly $1 billion a day on the national debt, Mr. Speaker. The President agreed. They walked away saying, hey, we will take the other 10 percent, we will debate in Congress, we will work back and forth as to how the 10 percent of the surplus is spent, whether it is for tax relief or increased spending in other areas, like prescription drugs. But when he got away, and I will quote here, now when Republicans say we want to lock away 90 percent of the next year's surplus, according to today's edition of the New York Times, ``Mr. Clinton told Republicans he viewed paying down the debt as a priority, but said he was not sure it could be done in the 2001 fiscal year.'' Does that sound like the balanced budget? It could be done in 12 years, it could be done in 2 years, it could be done in 4 years, it could be done in 8 years, and now already the White House is reneging on putting the money in to pay off the national debt. I think it is ridiculous. The point is, when the Democrats claim that economic prosperity is due to their efforts, I reject that, Mr. Speaker; and I set out to show the reasons why from fact, from budget legislation, and the lack of budget legislation. First of all, not a single White House or Democrat budget since the Republicans took over the majority in 1994 has ever passed either the House or the Senate. As a matter of fact, we brought the Democratic White House budgets to the floor just to embarrass the Democrats, to show what a sham the Clinton-Gore budget was. In 1993, they did pass their budget, because they had control of the House, the Senate and the White House, and I will address that in just a minute. In 1994, the House voted 223 to 175 and the Senate 57 to 40 to pass their budget. But in 1995, Republicans took over and talked about balancing the budget for the first time. In 1996, the budget from the White House failed 117 to 304. In 1997, in the Senate it failed 45 to 53. In 1998 there was no vote. There was a vote on the Democrat budget; and the Blue Dogs, and, by the way, I would say that the Blue Dogs, against the liberal leadership of the House, had some pretty good ideas and some ideas that we could accept unanimously; but the President would veto it, and the Democrat leadership would fight against it. In 1999 we brought the budget forward from the White House, and only two Democrats supported it, because, again, it raided the Social Security trust fund, it increased taxes, it broke the budget, and it increased the national debt. I would say that when the Democrats claim that they are responsible for the economy, and not a single one of their economic plans or budgets ever passed, I would say that that is a sham, Mr. Speaker. Yet the Democrats will go back and say, well, it was the 1993 tax increase. They refer to it as their 1993 economic package. But after I go through this, I will also show in this newspaper article and every newspaper article within the country, liberal and conservative, it says the Al Gore economic plan would spend all of the projected Federal surplus of more than $4 trillion and run up a deficit of $900 billion over 10 years, no cushion at all, $900 billion in the hole. Does that sound familiar? It sounds familiar to 40 years of Democrat control of the House, in which in 1993 the President's budget projected deficits of $200 billion every year throughout and beyond, and also increased taxes every single year and raided the Social Security trust fund every single year. I would say that the 1993 package that they claim, they say, well, Republicans, not a single Republican voted for the Democrat tax package. Again, they say ``economic plan.'' Why did we not, Mr. Speaker? I think the American people need to know. First of all, the 1993 Democrat tax increase was the largest tax increase in history, across the board. The first tax they promised a targeted tax relief plan, and does this not sound familiar with what they are doing today on the liberal leadership of the Democrats? They said, we want a targeted tax relief plan for middle-class Americans. First of all, this body should never use the term ``middle class,'' because there are no low class, there are no middle class, and there are no upper-class citizens in this country. There are low-income citizens, there are middle-income citizens, and high-income citizens; but the other side continually uses the term ``class warfare'' to get their point across. I think that is wrong. But they promised a middle-income tax cut, and they could not help themselves. In 1993 they increased the taxes on the middle class. Why? Because it means power, Mr. Speaker. It means power to rain down more and more money to their districts so they can come back here and get reelected and maintain the majority like they did for 40 years. But finally the American people had enough, and in 1994-1995 they said we are going to let the Republicans try and let them for the first time in 40 years control the House. Now we control the Senate as well. The tax increase in 1993, why did we not support it? Because it took every cent out of the Social Security trust fund, just like they had for 40 years prior, to use up here for additional spending. In all the budgets, even after Republicans took the majority, the Clinton-Gore budget raided the Social Security trust fund, put it up here for new spending, increased taxes for new spending, and then put a little bit back into the Social Security trust fund or put in an IOU. What did that do, Mr. Speaker? It increased the national debt, at the same time making the Social Security-Medicare trust fund insolvent. Republicans said, No, Mr. President, Mr. Vice President. We are going to put the Social Security trust fund into a lockbox, to where it accrues interest. Instead of increasing the debt, it is going to pay down the national debt by the year 2013. Now, Al Gore in his budget tries to take claim for this. They did in the Democrat convention. It is not true. They fought it tooth, hook and nail, every single part of the way, because they wanted to use that extra money for spending. I think that is wrong. Why did we not vote for the 1993 tax increase from Clinton-Gore? Because it cut the veterans' COLAs. You want to talk about priorities? Our veterans that served this country, in many cases departed from their families, not knowing if they are coming back, their families are penalized. They have to move several times during their career, they cannot invest, their children are ripped out of schools. But yet to balance the budget, or to put their budget plan into effect, they even cut the COLAs, which is a tax increase on our veterans. If that was not enough, they cut the military COLAs for our active duty military, the people that need it the most, that are getting shifted around all over this country. Then they cut defense, $127 billion, after Colin Powell and Dick Cheney told the President that a $50 billion cut would put our military into a hollow force. Why did we not support the Clinton-Gore 1993 tax increase? Remember that it increased the gas tax? They even had a retroactive tax. Most people forget about that. Remember the First Lady changed their income tax form so she could benefit from the retroactive tax? Remember the gas tax went to a general fund? Why, instead of a transportation fund? So that they could take the Social Security trust fund, they could take the increase in taxes, including the 18 cents Federal tax into a general fund and use it for new spending. And we said, No, Mr. President, Mr. Vice President. We are going to take that gas tax, and we are going to put it into a transportation trust; and many Republicans and Democrats and States have benefited from that, because the money, instead of going to new social spending, failed social spending, has gone to improve our roads and highways in this country, including my own California, which is a donor State when it comes to taxes, and not the general fund. But remember in 1993 also the Clinton-Gore team tried to pass government controlled health care. It was rejected by all Americans. Remember the $16 billion pork-barrel package? I do. I was here. It had payback for people that had voted for the Clinton-Gore team. It put parking garages in Puerto Rico, swimming pools in Florida. I mean, it was ridiculous. In that, the deficits were projected at $200 billion and beyond forever. Did we vote for it? No. First of all, the Social Security tax increase, we rescinded that and did away with it. The tax for the middle class, we have given education IRAs, we have given education savings accounts, we have given R&D tax credits, we have given capital gains tax credits, which the Democrats said were all for the rich. They fought tooth, hook and nail. Yet at the convention I see the Vice President claiming credit for education IRAs, when they fought against them tooth, hook and nail. They said it was a tax only for the rich. The $500 deduction per child, remember that side, it is only a deduction for the rich, just like the death tax and the marriage penalty. It is only a tax break for the rich. Tax breaks they cannot stand. Why, Mr. Speaker? A tax break is a sense of power, money in the Federal Government. A surplus that is not given back to the American people is power to spend, power to spend for constituents, whether you are a Democrat or Republican, down to your district, so you can get reelected; and they will resist tax breaks in any single way. Even the promise of middle-class or middle-income tax workers and Americans, they rejected it. They increased the tax. They just cannot help themselves in that. The Social Security trust fund, we said no. Lockbox. Veterans' COLAs, we restored that, on a bipartisan basis, by the way, against Clinton's and Gore's wishes. The military COLAs, we reinstated that. We have replaced somewhat of the defense. The increase in taxes at the highest level in history, we have done away with much of that. The gas tax, as I mentioned, we put into a trust fund. We took the health care plan and we benefited many Americans, but we have still got a long ways to go. So, for the Democrats to say that they are responsible for the economy, first of all, when not a single one of their budgets or economic plans have ever cleared the House or the Senate, outside when they controlled this body, and the 1993 tax increase that most of it has been rescinded, it is a little bit ridiculous for them to claim credit for the economy. It is impossible. It is illogical. Economic principles. We say well, what has not and what has, in my opinion, and 99 percent of the economists contributed to a better economy for all Americans. First of all, when we took the majority, in our 1995 budget, even before that, with the Contract With America, we said we are going to balance the budget. Do not listen to me or to the Democrats, or to any of the leadership; listen to what Alan Greenspan said. He said, and I quote, just by speaking about balancing the budget and the potential for the Congress of the United States to balance the budget will reduce interest rates across the board. And what do interest rates mean to the American people? I have a family, a young man that just got married. He is looking into homes. Here is a chart I pulled out of the Washington Post, and it is on home-buying, Mr. Speaker. Take a $140,000 house, and most people would like to find a $140,000 house today. But at 5 percent interest, one's payments are about $1,000. If one has 8.5 percent, which is about what the prime is today, one is paying $1,400 a month for one's payment. If it is 10 percent, one is paying almost $1,600 a month. That is real savings to the American people, when one is buying a home. I just sent my daughter off to Yale. I cannot tell my colleagues how expensive that is. She scored a perfect 1600 on her SAT, and she wants to be a doctor. But if interest rates are important to the American people, and the balanced budget is the primary cause of interest rates going lower, according to Alan Greenspan, the head of the Fed, then that is an economic principle that we want to adopt. Who fought against it, Mr. Speaker? The Clinton-Gore administration was here in this House fighting day by day to fight against the balanced budget because it limited the amount that they could spend and to regain a majority, and that is just wrong. But in 1997, after 2 years of demagoguery, the President finally came to the table with Republicans, against the wishes of the liberal Democrat leadership on this side. They still fought it tooth, hook and nail, fought a balanced budget, because their leadership saw that, well, that will take away their ability to retake a majority, and that was more important to them than a balanced budget and the economy of this country. The President signed a budget agreement. I give him credit for that. A second principle is that the government should keep its books in order and cut wasteful spending. In the Washington Times today, it listed 4 government agencies responsible for $21 billion, actually $20.7, close enough, of fraud, and one-half of that fraud was in Medicare. I would say, whether it is the Education Department that only gets about 48 cents less than half of the dollars down to the classroom because of the bureaucracy, and that the IRS and GAO have been unable to audit; as a matter of fact, it is unauditable, that there is fraud, waste and abuse there. We look at food stamps or HUD, and yes, Mr. Speaker, Defense. I can go through and point out fraudulent and wasteful spending in Defense, which I am a hawk; well, maybe a dove that is fully armed. But there is wasteful spending, and that should be part of the principles of reducing and helping this country to economic prosperity. Tax relief for working people. Mr. Speaker, if someone has a $500 deduction per child or they can have an IRA in which they can set aside $2,000 a year, which the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Hulshof) set forth so that working families could set aside money. If one has a child, when he is born, by the year he is 10 years old, at $2,000 a year, well, we would say that would be $20,000, but with compound interest, it is almost $40,000 a year by the time that child is 10 years old. One can use it for special education, for special needs, one can use it for books, for tutoring, or one can leave it in the trust fund for higher education. But yet, that was rejected by the Clinton-Gore administration, and now the Vice President is trying to say it was his idea, when they rejected it, and that is wrong. But tax relief for working families, they get a little more money in their pockets, and maybe they can go out and buy a car, and car dealers like that. Maybe they go out and buy a double cheeseburger, double fries, to spread the money around a little bit. It is called micro and macroeconomics, that one has more money and they will spend it or at least set it aside and save it. Yet, Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side have never seen a tax increase they do not like, or will they ever support a tax decrease? No. At least some of my colleagues will, but the liberal Democrat leadership on that side fights it tooth, hook and nail every single day. Less government spending. If we have less bureaucracy; for example, about 4,000 workers in the Department of Education, and we only get less than half of that money down to the classroom because of the bureaucracy, Federal education spending. I used to be the chairman on the authorization committee. Only about 7 percent of funding from the Federal government gets down to the States for Federal education programs. But yet, in most States, it takes more than half of the States' administrative body to manage that 7 percent of Federal education dollars. And the other paperwork, by the time we go back and forth with all of the different requirements, then we have even less than that to spend on the classroom, whether it is for construction, whether it is for teacher pay, whether it is for technology, or whatever it is. So another principle should be not just to cut wasteful spending, but those items in which we have priorities for, Social Security, Medicare, prescription drugs, education, that the maximum amount of dollars should go to those groups that we are trying to help, not a bureaucracy in Washington. But the era of big government is not over. In Al Gore's budget plan we see government with 48 new government agencies in the Clinton-Gore budget last time. In the one prior to that, it was 115 new government agencies. They cannot bring themselves to cut the budget. When they say, look at the number of government officials that have been reduced, we know that 90 percent of those Federal employees are defense and defense-related industries, not the civilian workforce. Another principle should be to pay down the debt. Paying $1 billion a day, nearly $1 billion a day is robbing our children of their future and putting a debt burden on their backs that we as adults and Members of Congress should not do. We have paid down, in every single year, the debt when again, the Clinton-Gore budgets have increased the deficit by over $200 billion, including the present Gore plan. Just read all of the papers, look at all of the economists. He spends every bit of the Social Security trust; he spends every bit of the surplus and increases taxes at the same time, and guess what? The debt goes up again. Budgets for education. People say, look across the land. My wife was a teacher, a principal, and now she is a district administrator for the school district. My sister-in-law, Carolyn Nunes, is the district administrator for all of San Diego city schools for special education. Allen Buerson, who was a Clinton employee before, is now the superintendent of San Diego city schools. Guess what? He is in the real world and now he is fighting for Republican principles of getting the dollars down to him so that he can make the decisions, so that the teachers, the parents and the administrators can make a decision on what happens to their dollars. We passed a bill on the House Floor called Ed Flex. The liberals over here fought against it, because again, they want government control of health care, they want government control of education, they want government control of private property; they want the highest taxes possible so that they can keep that power and have bigger bureaucracies. But yet, Allen Buerson says, we need the money more down to the classroom, and I support Allen Buerson who is a Democrat and also the superintendent of schools for San Diego city schools, and I think he is doing a good job. But let me give my colleagues an idea, Mr. Speaker, of the sham that the Democrats run and why it is so difficult for the American people to see the differences. First of all, we have talked about the President's budget. Democrats did not vote for it. But yet, they will use the President's budget number of $1.1 billion for special education. When the Democrats had control of the House, the most money ever spent on the authorized amount was 6 percent for special education. If one includes the money for Medicaid, that has gone up to about 18 percent for special education. In this budget, the Republican budget, we increase special education by $550 million. But yet, the budget that none of the Democrats voted for because it increased taxes, stole Social Security trust, and the only way they got up to the $1.1 figure was to use that, those gimmicks, and say that Republicans are cutting special education, when we have actually increased it more than they ever did and increased it by $550 million over the amount. I think that is wrong, to use that kind of smoke and mirrors. In education, for many, many years they put trillions of dollars into education programs. When I was subcommittee chairman on the authorization committee, I had 16 groups come in before me and testify. Every one of the 16 had the absolute best program that could be envisioned for their district. It worked. It was helping children to learn or it was helping special needs children or even at-risk children. Even Bishop McKinney, who has a Catholic school for abused children and at-risk children, came in and testified. After the hearing, I asked each of them which one of the other 15 had any one of the other programs in their district. They looked at each other, and not a single one. We said, that is the whole idea. We are trying to get in a block grant the money to you so that you, if you live in Wisconsin, this program may work best for you, but yet, the teachers, the parents, the principals and the community can make the decision of how that money is spent. We believe that with all of our hearts, that those dollars are best served by not a bureaucrat here, not a union boss telling them how they have to spend those dollars, but that it gets to them in the classroom. The second thing was the education flex bill, the President wanted 100,000 teachers. We said 100,000 teachers, but the first half of that, there was not the quality, because many of those teachers were not even certified. As a matter of fact, in the State of California, many of them, after they were hired, have to be fired, because they could not teach in the subject that they were supposed to be trained in. We said no. To hire new teachers, first of all, with Federal dollars, there has to be quality associated with it. We think that is right too. That decision again should be made at a local level in how to do that. Mr. Speaker, the principles of a balanced budget, lower interest rates, lower inflation, making sure that the Federal government puts its house in order and its books in order, making sure that if a government is wasteful, that it is eliminated, or at least fixed, they are important. A good example is Head Start. Just like those 16 programs, many of my liberal friends would say, let us do all 16 programs, let us do them; not mean, not malicious. But in doing that, they would put all of those programs under the Department of Education. Each one would have a bureaucracy. Like Head Start and Easy Start and many of the programs, there was underfunding. They were doomed to fail. We think that the best decisions should be made at the local level. We think that is right, too. Under a balanced budget, if Alan Greenspan says that interest rates are largely the reason for economic advancements in this country, that low inflation is important, that capital gains reductions have stimulated the economy and created jobs, then I think that is good. But if we have liberal leadership on the other side that fights those issues in both their budgets and in the 1993 tax bill, then I think that we need to make the analysis of who is responsible for the economy. Again, I would say that the Blue Dogs, and my colleague here on the budget has worked. I want to go through this. I have fought for 2 weeks on this. But I would say, my colleague on the other side has some real good ideas, and ones that I personally accepted. The overall budget I thought was bad, but I would say that many of those issues that the gentleman brought forward were very valuable.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I would tell the gentleman, we have the Sportsman's Caucus dinner tonight that I am going to hustle over to, but I will stick around maybe the first 5 minutes. I would say again, many of my colleagues on the other side, especially the Blue Dog budgets most of us on this side could adopt, but we could not go along with the liberal leadership from the gentleman's party or the White House. As a matter of fact, most of the gentleman's people could not vote for them when they were brought forward on the House floor by Republicans. The President, as I mentioned, in 1997 signed the balanced budget agreement, but each one of those budgets following they increased taxes, they took money out of the social security trust fund, and they increased the debt by using false assumptions. I would be the first one to say that there were many of the assumptions in the Republican budgets that we disagreed with. That is the way it worked. But I think the overall factors of a balanced budget, tax relief for working families, social security, tax reduction so people could have their own money, not taking the money out of the social security trust, education IRAs, a $500 deduction per child, capital gains reductions, and even my own 21st century bill that allowed businesses to donate their computers to a nonprofit, that company then took that computer, which is still in effect, by the way, they take that computer to a military brig or a prison system, they work on it, they hand that computer over to the school as a full-up round. It is a win-win for the budget, it is a win-win for education, it is a win-win for our penal system, and it sure is for our businesses, because they get to write off the tax and invest in new computers and then cycle those computers back into the education process. I think the Republican budget strategy has been clearly successful: balancing the budget, tax relief, cutting wasteful spending. If Members will look at the economist, Lawrence Kudlow, he says, ``Declining inflation has been a pervasive tax cut for all Americans. The effect throughout the economy is in boosting real incomes.'' Alan Greenspan said that long-term interest rates have declined drastically since the balanced budget and have enabled us to stimulate the economy. ``It has been the first decline in long-term interest rates which, perhaps more than anything else in our economy, has been a factor which has been driving this reality quite extraordinarily, economic expansion.'' That is a direct quote by Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Alan Greenspan also credited this decline largely to Congress's determined effort to balance the Federal budget. He often advised Congress that financial markets would respond favorably to credible deficit reduction. Greenspan said, ``A substantial part of the very considerable decline in long-term interest rates has been a function of the decline of budget deficits, because it has removed pressures on the Federal government borrowing from the marketplace.'' That is where our debt goes up, as well; the reverse of what has happened with President Clinton's 1993 tax bill. A year after his tax increase was enacted, interest rates have moved up about 2\1/2\ percent, percentage points. The trend for real economic growth slowed. Interest rates peaked November 7, 1994. The next day, the national board set a new direction. They said that they wanted to stop the raid on the social security trust fund, they wanted to stop increased deficits and an increase in the debt. If we look at Vice President Gore's budget proposal, that is exactly what he goes back to. Look at the newspapers, look at the budget analysts. He spends every single penny of the surplus. We think that is wrong, Mr. Speaker. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan had predicted that credible spending restraint would be rewarded with falling interest rates. I have already showed in the real estate market what that means to a young family that wants to buy a new home. Real wages actually declined after the 1993 tax increase, and I think quite often we speak too much of numbers, but 0.5 percent. Is a balanced budget just numbers? We speak that a lot here on the House floor: deficits, budgets, numbers, increases. But what it is is for real families. If a family has more in their pockets to spend, then they are going to set that money aside for their children. Unfortunately, in this country there are many of those families that are not responsible. When we have someone that is irresponsible, and let me give the Members an idea, in welfare reform, I had a doctor come into my office. He said, Duke, I had a lady come into my doctor's office. She had a 12- year-old daughter. She wanted to know what was wrong with her 12-year- old daughter, that she could not have a child. The mother had a 13- year-old and a 14-year-old each with children. She wanted the extra welfare money. My father and my mother, I lost my dad about 5 years ago, the best dad in the whole world, but I never got a nickel allowance. I had to work for it. My father and my mother never missed an academic or an athletic event that either my brother or I attended, either at home or away. I had to go to church, like a lot of us, when I was young. I would have a lot rather been on some Sundays out with my buddies riding around, having a good time, but I had to go to church. I had to do my homework before I got to go out and play or be with my buddies when I got older. My mother and father that never had a chance to go to college said, you and your brother are going to college. You have no choice. Because my father said, his small definition of the American dream was that ``If we teach you the value of a dollar, that you have to earn it, we do not just give it to you, like government gives to many people in welfare; if we teach you a sense of the family, that we are there for your education, we are there for your events, that we care; if we force you to do your homework so that you can qualify for college and you get a college education,'' my father's small definition of the American dream is that, ``With those tools, you can make tomorrow better most days than it is today; not every day, but most days.'' I would ask the Members, what chance at the American dream does that 12-year-old, that 13-year-old, or that 14-year-old or their children, what chance would they have because the mother wanted more welfare money? The Clinton-Gore administration fought tooth, hook, and nail welfare reform. Governor Engler from Michigan, Tommy Thompson, from Wisconsin, had models. They brought them to us, on the Republican side. They said, this will work. Can Members imagine a parent coming home with a paycheck instead of a welfare check, what that means to a child in school? Guess what, those families, and the President takes credit now for welfare reform, and half of the people off of welfare rolls. But guess what, instead of welfare money being spent out of the government or unemployment, those people are working. Guess what, those tax rolls, they are paying money into the government by paying taxes instead of drawing from that. We think that is good. Has there been enough in that area? No. Is there enough training? No. There needs to be additional training. We agree on some of those issues on both sides. Yet, Clinton and Gore fought welfare reform tooth, hook, and nail. The liberal leadership on that side of the aisle fought welfare reform tooth, hook, and nail. Why? Trillions of dollars they put into welfare. The average for a welfare recipient was 16 years. In my opinion, many of our inner cities with the drug problems we have, the no hope in the inner cities, is from generations of people trapped in a welfare system with no hope on where to go. Yes, it is better to give a person a pole and teach them how to fish instead of giving them the fish. Yet, we are looking at an election where a contrast of a Governor that has balanced these budgets, working with Democrats on both sides of the aisle, to where in education he went into the school systems and said, ``What is wrong? Do you not have the technology? Are your teachers not trained? Why are my Hispanic and African-American children dropping out at high rates?'' I think it was fair for him to go into the schools and say, ``Why? Whatever it is, our administration in Texas is going to fix it.'' If we take a look at all the press accounts, the education, the educational system for minorities, is going up the highest of any State. I do not think it is fair, where the Democrats had control of Texas for 100 years, and looking across-the-board in the State of Texas. But I think it is fair to look at the differences between the time Governor Bush took over the education systems in Texas and what he has done for the State of Texas. I was on Heraldo with Al Sharpton, that was fun. I told Heraldo, I said, Mr. Heraldo, you spent your whole life reaching out, making sure that minorities have equality. Where you have someone like Governor Bush in Texas that has gone into the education system, and in my opinion education is the savior for a lot of things, for anticrime, for the economy, and for a child's benefit and a family's benefit. But I said, you have got someone that has proven in Texas what they have done, and they want to do the same thing for this great country. At least I would expect you to reach out and embrace that. Cut the cards, doublecheck what he says, but I have traveled with Governor Bush and I know he means it from his heart, and he has not only talked the talk but he has walked the walk. I would challenge all of the Members to reach out, especially in education, and get the bucks down to the classroom. Since we have had a balanced budget and Republicans took over, we had the second largest stock market boom in this century; we had 39 million new jobs, 11 million new business start-ups; the creation of $25.7 trillion in new household wealth. I reject the Democrat convention where they say that the last 8 years they are responsible for the economy. The Greenspan policy of disinflation has neutralized the Clinton tax increases. Low inflation has lowered capital gains, has led to an information technology explosion, fueling even more productivity, growth, and wealth creation. Nearly half of all Americans own at least $5,000 worth of stocks, bonds, or mutual funds. We should not tax those annuities. We should reward work. We should reward savings, Mr. Speaker, unlike the Gore budget. American families treasure their ability to improve their condition throughout their own efforts. I think in our history there is no country in the world that has out-produced our workers if we give them a chance. On a sense of equal opportunity, is there in this country? Absolutely not. Has it gotten better? Yes, it has. Do we need to work in that direction? Yes, we do. Economic growth is not just about numbers; it is about the values on which America and its people thrive. Let me go through some of the things that I think have hurt our chances for the economy: first of all, by spending the Social Security trust fund; secondly, 149 deployments for our military in which our military was at a pretty sad state. We put $3 billion into Haiti. Go to Haiti. I challenge any Republican or Democrat to go there. Look between the airport and the embassy. There is an average of three murders a day on that highway, and carjackings. One can drive a semitruck into the holes; but yet we put money into Haiti. Do my colleagues know where the money is? Take a look at Arastide's bank account. But yet we have not done a thing in Haiti. But, yes, we lost some people there. We got kicked out of there. In Somalia, the same thing. We cannot fight a Kosovo and fly 86 percent of all the missions just because the U.N. and NATO do not have the aircraft and the technology. Either they need to upgrade their aircraft and technology for standoff weapons or they need to pay the United States those billions of dollars that it costs us: $16 billion for Bosnia, the four times going into Iraq, bombing an asprin factory. At the same time, General Ryan told me we put a year's life on every one of our aircraft, a year's life, and which we have parts. What is happening today? We are only keeping in 22 percent of our enlisted into the military. I talked to the SEAL team commander yesterday. He has right the opposite. Those kids are motivated. They have increased their recruiting and retention; but yet they have problems in research and development and procurement. But when we only keep 22 percent of our enlisted, think about our experience level in maintenance. The average fighter in the Air Force is 18 years. Our bombers are 39 years average age. I have got Marines carrying World War II radios. Yet, Mr. Lieberman says that our military is the best in the world. If we tell these kids to go somewhere, they are going to do it; and they are going to try and achieve. But that is not the point. A, they need the training. Do my colleagues know that, in Kosovo, the two helicopters that crashed, and one helicopter crew was killed, all of them, that those helicopter crews had never had a flight in a combat-loaded helicopter because they did not have the money to train with a combat loaded? They had never trained with night goggles because they could not get the goggles into the squadron. Both those helicopters crashed. Do my colleagues know Captain O'Grady that was shot down was not air combat qualified when he was shot down over Bosnia because they did not have the money for the training? Do my colleagues know that in the Navy and the Air Force we have no more adversary aircraft? The reason that I am alive today is because, when I fought against the MiGs in Vietnam, I had better training and better equipment. But the training today is substandard. We do not have those adversary aircraft. I just spoke to the COs in the fighter weapons schools in both services. The FMC rate, the full mission capable rate of our aircraft and our equipment has gone down. If we had to meet the minimums of a quadrennial review or bottoms-up review, we could not do it today. I think that is wrong. I think for the Clinton-Gore White House to drag our military through 149 deployments, depreciate our men and our women and our equipment, cut their military and then the veterans' COLAs I think is wrong. I stand before my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, tonight. Are we perfect on the Republican side? Absolutely not. We have got a long way to go, I think, with our own budgets and everything else. But I do think the principles of Ronald Reagan of less taxes and smaller government, of making sure that government that is wasteful is eliminated, those principles are sound and go forward a long way. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm).

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I will not if the gentlewoman from Ohio will agree with this. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) has just spoken. I would like to make maybe a 1- or 2-minute comment. I have to run to a dinner.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I would be glad to arm wrestle with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) or even the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) in the future.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. First of all, I agree with the gentleman that it is Congress that spends money. Congress is responsible for the budgets that go forward. The President and the Vice President make recommendations. My point is that those recommendations have not been wise. The recommendations that we have made have been fought, whether it is welfare reform, balanced budget and so on. Secondly, the defense, we spent the money. I believe that, without the 1993 defense cuts, without the additional cuts, without the 149 deployments which has mostly come in, and the gentleman from Texas I think would agree, comes out of operation and maintenance for the military, those cuts have come deep. There is also, fraud, waste, and abuse within DOD. We need to eliminate that as well, and I will work with the gentleman on that. But when it says that we are responsible for the state of the military, I disagree in the fact that we have been unable, whether it was extension of Somalia or Haiti or Kosovo and Bosnia, all of those different things, that that has put an additional toll on our military that we would not have had if we had not been forced into those peacekeeping missions. That is all I wanted to make a statement for.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, on the 150th anniversary of California's entrance to the Union, it is with great pleasure that I introduce California's 51st district. California's 51st district covers most of North County, only minutes from downtown San Diego. North County, well known for it's beautiful beaches, ideal weather, and quiet lifestyle has proven attractive to the growing 650,000 who inhabit this region and the many who visit ``America's Finest City'' and the surrounding area from all over the world. The 51st district encompasses the coastal towns of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, and Del Mar. Carlsbad is best known for its majestic flower fields and is the predominate supplier of commercially grown flowers on the West Coast. The flower fields are easily seen from 1-5 as one makes their way down this coastal commute. Also, newly constructed Legoland' choose to call Carlsbad home. The amusement park opened in 1999. Del Mar is where the ``turf meets the surf'' and is home to the Del Mar Racetrack. One can watch the thoroughbreds and still have a view of the ocean from the grandstand. During the off-season, the Racetrack becomes the Del Mar Fairgrounds. This two-week fair has been a North County tradition since 1936. The fair features rides, livestock shows, exhibitions, agriculture, and local art. Over 1 million people visited the Del Mar Fair last year. Inland, the towns of San Marcos, Rancho Santa Fe, Escondido, and Poway lie among the rolling hills. Escondido is home to the world famous Wild Animal Park, established in 1969. This 1,800-acre wildlife preserve allows visitors to view herds of exotic animals as they might have been seen in their native Asia and Africa. A portion of the city of San Diego makes up the remainder of the 51st district. This area includes the former Miramar Naval Air Station. The base, made famous by the 1986 movie Top Gun, was home to the elite naval fighter pilot school of the same name. This naval base was converted to the Miramar Marine Corp Air Station in 1996. North County is also home to many veterans and active military who choose to make San Diego their permanent home during and after their military service. San Diego is also fast-becoming the center of the growing high-tech and bio-tech industries. Qualcomm, Cubic, Hewlett Packard, Sony, Nokia, Erickson, Titan, Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Pyxis, and the Immune Response Corporation all call San Diego home. These booming industries have brought San Diego to the forefront of these exciting new fields. With its sunny weather and stretch of coastline, it is not surprising that North County is one of the fastest growing areas in California. Mr. Speaker, I consider it a privilege to live in North County and an honored to serve and represent the people of the 51st district.