Jim DeMint

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Madam Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 139, 140, and 141. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of the votes.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 134, 135, 136, 137, and 138. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 134, 135, and 138. I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes 136 and 137.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during roll call votes 126, 127, 128, 129, and 130. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on roll call votes 126, 127, and 130. I would have voted ``nay'' on roll call votes 128 and 129.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, and 117. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 96, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 106, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 115, and 117. 1 would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes 97, 107, 113, 114, and 116.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 94 and 95. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those rollcall votes.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall vote 88. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on the vote.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 76, 77, 78, and 79. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those votes.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 58, 59, and 60. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those votes.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall Vote Nos. 42, 43, and 44. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those votes.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 32 and 33. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those votes.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 19, 20, and 21. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those votes.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during roll call vote 6; had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, today I take privilege in honoring Gary Schlansker's 11 years as the President of the Greenville YMCA. Gary has recently accepted the position as the President of the Greater St. Louis YMCA, the 8th largest YMCA system in the country. Gary started his relationship with the YMCA back in 1956 when he was first enrolled in a YMCA program in St. Louis. Gary has indicated that the St. Louis position is the only job that would take him out of Greenville, as Gary grew up in St. Louis and has family in the Show Me State. The Greenville YMCA has been a model of stability and success for the YMCA system. Since the founding of the Greenville YMCA in 1876, only six people have served as President of the Greenville YMCA. During Gary's 11 years at the Greenville YMCA, the annual operating budget increased from $4 million annually to in excess of $10 million annually. The Greenville YMCA grew from five branches serving 35,000 community members annually to seven branches with three additional outreach centers serving a total of 55,000 people annually. The annual scholarships campaign increased by over 200 percent and collaborations with the greater community now number in excess of 85 annually. Program highlights for the Greenville YMCA include Camp Greenville, Youth in Government, and outreach services through schools and churches. The Youth in Government program of South Carolina is sponsored exclusively through the Greenville YMCA, and is one of the most successful Youth in Government state programs in the country. Gary's stewardship of the Greenville YMCA is accurately reflected by the tremendous growth and success of the Greenville YMCA. Not only is the growth of the Greenville YMCA impressive, but very importantly the kind and caring manner that Gary has conducted himself on a daily basis will be greatly missed by those who he has served in the Greenville area. I sincerely wish Gary all the best for a nice start to his new job leading the St. Louis YMCA, as they are getting a wonderful workhorse of a leader to guide their YMCA. Thank you Gary for your 11 great years in Greenville, and we will miss you.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 569, 570, 571, 572, 573, and 591. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 569 and 570. I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes 571, 572, 573, and 591.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 524, 525, and 526. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes 524 and 525. I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 526.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, and 468. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall vote 463. I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 464. I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 465. I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes 466, 467, and 468.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall vote 460, 461, and 462. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on each of those rollcall votes.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcalls 297, 298, 299, and 300. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those rollcalls.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcalls 249, 250, and 251. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those rollcalls.

Mr DeMINT

Mr DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcalls 227, 228, and 229. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of those rollcalls.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, today we are here to honor and remember our troops--the young, brave Americans who recently fought to save a nation from enslavement. Answering the call of our great nation, young men and women are putting on a uniform, serving our military, and making enormous sacrifices. As American fighting men and women, they are helping write the history of the 21st century with bold strokes of courage. Like their parents and grandparents, our troops are having their characters tested. This time it is by sweltering heat, blinding sandstorms, and enemies that hid behind women and children. But they quickly won a victory, not just for a nation, but for a vision--a vision of freedom and individual dignity. As a result, their heroic efforts will help preserve peace around the world and extend freedom and human dignity to even more people. And when their service in Iraq is over, they will return home to a proud and grateful Nation. Their humility will pass off praise with the words ``just doing my job,'' while they think about their brothers and sisters who didn't come home. This is why America is so great. And through all their efforts our world continues to be shaped by American courage, power, and wisdom; and reverberates with American ideals. Still, our troop's victories in Iraq do not come without a price. The United States has lost some of its best citizens. Tonight we recognize one of those fallen Marines, Private Nolen Ryan Hutchings. A graduate of Boiling Springs High School, Ryan taught those around him what it meant to be an American, and his willingness to serve inspired others to become Marines. There is one story where he felt the need to honor a former classmate's deceased father who had retired from the military. Ryan traveled to several Marine bases to find a frame to hold a U.S. flag and then got in full dress uniform and presented the flag to the family. Without a doubt, Ryan's sacrifice will enrich the history of the Marine Corps, and places such as An Nasiriyah will be added to the list of hallowed ground like Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima, and the Chosin Resovior. At the same time, his dedication to his community, to his fellow Marines, and to his country provide us with a shining example. His strength, honor, sacrifice, devotion, and courage show us the path we must follow. As Ronald Reagan once said, ``some people wonder all their lives if they made a difference''--the Hutchings family will never have to wonder about Ryan.

Mr. DeMINT

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra).

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Putnam).