Lincoln Davis

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the people of South Pittsburg, Tennessee on their 13th annual National Cornbread Festival. In 1996, a group of residents in this small city of 3,500 decided to take action to promote economic activity, which had waned as surrounding areas developed and a newly constructed highway directed traffic away from South Pittsburg's local businesses. The goals of the Cornbread Festival were to promote the unique sights, sounds, tastes, and history of South Pittsburg and, Madam Speaker, they have done a fine job. Each year, during the last weekend in April, people have traveled from across the country and around the world to take part in the vibrant heritage of southeast Tennessee. This festival, which has been featured several times in national publications and on the Food Network, celebrates the southern delicacy of cornbread and the culture that surrounds it. Local artists and musicians keep the region's great traditions alive. Visitors can also see the great history of the local cast-iron industry around which South Pittsburg grew, and which still produces the skillets used to make the world's best cornbread. Most importantly, Madam Speaker, this festival has made a great contribution to the community that created it and continues to run it. Proceeds from the National Cornbread Festival have been used to landscape streets, help build athletic fields, and support Boy Scouts, schools, daycares, and libraries. It serves as an economic driver which has helped to revitalize downtown South Pittsburg and its local businesses. It is a true testament to the power of community involvement and self-determination. Madam Speaker, I congratulate South Pittsburg on a thirteenth year of what I hope will be a longstanding tradition. I encourage my colleagues and the American people to take note of the National Cornbread Festival and to consider a trip to see what's cooking in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and service of Mancel Prince, a rural letter carrier from Decherd, Tennessee. For over thirty years, Mr. Prince has carried out a service that began just 5 days before Christmas in 1899, when the Post Office Department decided to experiment with extending rural free delivery across an entire county for the first time. The service proved viable, and today constituents like mine and all across rural America receive their mail from dedicated carriers like Mr. Prince. Today Mr. Prince is 89 years old, and has more than 70 years of government service in his past. He first joined the U.S. Army in 1938 and served on active duty in World War II, where he fought for the Allies under the command of General Patton, as well as in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Mr. Prince retired from active duty in 1972 as a Command Sergeant Major in Field Artillery, and then joined the U.S. Postal Service. He has served on his route for nearly thirty five years, and currently serves more than 460 boxes over a span of 93.5 miles per day through parts of three counties. He is respected by co-workers and superiors alike and is praised for his work ethic. I understand, too, that he is currently the oldest active employee in the Tennessee District and to my knowledge, he has no plans to retire. I would ask that my colleagues join me today in rising to honor a great servant of rural America, and a man who has dedicated so much of his life in service to the good of our nation.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of a trailblazer in the National Basketball Association. Earl Lloyd retired to Cumberland County, Tennessee, in my Congressional District after a distinguished career as a basketball player and coach and with a historic superlative: the first African American to play in the NBA. After a promising start at West Virginia, Mr. Lloyd was drafted to play with the Washington Capitols in the NBA. Soon thereafter, he signed with the Syracuse Nationals. In 1955, after three years with the Nationals, Mr. Lloyd set another milestone by helping to lead his team to an NBA Championship, making him one of the first two African Americans to win a Championship. Players and sportscasters nicknamed Mr. Lloyd ``The Big Cat'' for his height and speed, and he finished his playing career with an average of 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. With an enviable career in the NBA behind him, Mr. Lloyd continued on in the NBA as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons. Years later, after marrying and raising two children, Mr. Lloyd marked another first for African Americans when he was promoted as a non-playing coach with the Detroit Pistons. Chicago sportscaster Johnny Kerr once remarked in Sports Illustrated that if people know who Jackie Robinson is, why don't they know about Earl Lloyd? Mr. Lloyd might say that his achievement went unnoticed because basketball, as a sport, had yet to really capture the attention of a wide American audience. People who know Mr. Lloyd well, however, will speak to his humility in the face of all he has accomplished. I ask that my colleagues rise with me today to recognize the life's work of a trailblazer who did so much for his sport and for African Americans across the country.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 143 and 144, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 224) supporting the designation of Pi Day, and for other purposes.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on House Resolution 224, the resolution now under consideration.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 224, supporting the designation of Pi Day. This Saturday is March 14. The Greek letter pi-- the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter--is rounded to 3.14. I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage our Nation's students of all ages, schools, and teachers, to observe Pi Day with fun math and science activities and events. This is a lighthearted event with serious goals. Math and science underpin our Nation's economic competitiveness and national security. By engaging in fun math and science activities from a young age, we are setting our students on a path towards science and math literacy, and opening the door to rewards and promising careers. Research has shown that most students who are not comfortable with math and science by junior high remain intimidated or uninterested throughout their education careers. On Pi Day, we want students to have fun with math and science. Second-graders could calculate the area of a pizza pie at a Pi Day pizza party. Sixth graders could learn about Newton's Laws of Motion from a game of boccie ball. Tenth-graders could learn about the hyperbolic functions by shooting Nerf rockets in the park. I leave the specifics to the schools, but my advice is to go and have some fun. Let the students see firsthand how math and science is fun and relevant. Let them see that it does apply to them. Let them discover that they really do like math and they really do like science. This is a lighthearted event, but the underlying problems we have in America are serious. The President of the United States stood in this room a few weeks ago and told us that ``the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow.'' According to the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science, a survey done by the National Center for Education Statistics, American children in the fourth and eighth grades were outperformed by students in other countries, including Taiwan, Singapore, Russia, England, South Korea, Latvia, and Japan. Other students have been making improvements since the 1995 TIMSS, but they still are not achieving their potential. It doesn't matter to them as individuals but, boy, does it matter to our Nation as a whole. The 2005 National Academics Report, ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm,'' looked at our economic competitiveness and showed us a blank and bleak future--a stagnating U.S. economy, an ill-equipped educational system, and the U.S. losing its place as a scientific world leader. The recommendations contained in the ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm'' report were meant to pull us off the path we were on. They were signed into law in 2007 as part of the America COMPETES Act, and fell basically into three categories: Investments in basic research; innovation as the path toward reducing our dependence on foreign oil; and improving science, technology, engineering, and math education. Our students' education, especially in science and math, will be a key component of our national economic competitiveness. We need to ensure not only that the Nation produces the top scientists, mathematicians, and engineers, but that every student is prepared for the high-paying technical jobs of the 21st century. We need the engineers that will invent the next new things; we need the manufacturers to design it, and an educated workforce to produce it. We cannot, and would not want to, compete globally on wages alone. We need to operate at a much higher level in this country. Given the current economic crisis, our economic competitiveness is more important than ever before. We have been trying to create jobs immediately, which we need to do, absolutely; but we also need to look down the road. If we do not take action to strengthen our Nation's economic competitiveness now, including improving science and math education, we could create jobs now, only to lose them in the future to foreign competition. We need to make sure that our children are prepared, and a strong foundation in math and science education is an essential part of that preparation. One of the best ways we can prepare our students is by encouraging their interest in math and science. So I am asking our Nation's students and teachers, for all of our sake, to go out and have fun around Pi Day. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Obviously, the gentleman from Georgia is a good friend and a neighbor. Each of us recognizes the need to train the young minds who will be the entrepreneurs, the inventors, those who will be bringing to the table new inventions that will help America's economy not only be competitive, but America's economy be the one that achieves and perhaps even brings this world out of what we see today as an economic recession. Years ago, in the 1970s, we established legislation on the national level that brought to rural areas in my congressional district and the gentleman from Georgia's congressional district special education, where we literally focused on young minds that were maybe not as capable of reaching the higher achievements, or they may not ever reach college. But some of the instructions that we gave them, some of the special attention we gave through special education has actually presented some of those individuals the opportunity where some have attended college. But it has also given them an opportunity to be competitive in our economy and to be a part of our society. We must do the same thing for the best and brightest as well. It is my hope that, as we engage in K-12, that we continue to focus on science, math, and technology, and to challenge the bright young minds that we have not been challenging in the past. We have been fortunate in this country through our higher educational system, which is, in my opinion and as scored by many throughout the world, the best higher educational system in the world. It is a merit- based system. In many of the countries throughout the world, their K-12 is also merit-based, and we have been getting some of those best and brightest from some of the K-12 educational systems to come to our colleges and retain them here in our economy, and they have been a part of America's economic growth. We are losing those students today. We cannot depend on other countries' best and brightest. We have got to be sure that we train our best and brightest. And by challenging our teachers, our school systems, and youngsters to become involved in this fun day could maybe encourage them to realize they can be competitive and become the entrepreneurs and inventors of the future for America. It is my privilege to manage the bill today, and certainly to manage it with my good friend from Georgia (Mr. Broun). I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I have observed over the last 8 years probably the largest increase in spending in the history of this country except perhaps the 8 years of Lyndon Johnson. And all that spending was directed toward some of the same exact spending that is occurring today under this new administration and under this new majority in Congress. Yet I hear described under the old administration good government, with the exact same expenditures, becoming socialism. I suggest that we all become bipartisan and start reading from the same dictionary. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 67) recognizing and commending the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Cornell University for the success of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, on the 5th anniversary of the Rovers' successful landing.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 67, the resolution now under consideration.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. A little over 5 years ago, the NASA rovers named Spirit and Opportunity landed on the surface of Mars. These rovers originally had a 90-day mission to survey the surface of the red planet and send back scientific information. By all measures, both rovers were incredibly successful during their original 90-day missions. Both rovers were able to maneuver around the surface of Mars, and they sent back scores of captivating images. The information they sent back has helped us to better understand the past and present geology of our planetary neighbor, and provided indication that water once flowed on the surface of Mars. The little rovers proved to be so robust that their original 90-day mission was extended, and extended, and extended again. Ultimately, the mission was extended six times. That is a tribute to our scientific knowledge in this country. Both rovers continue to function and are roving the surface of Mars as I speak. Without a doubt, these rovers have been wildly successful. Besides being impressive fetes of science and engineering, they have inspired countless children of our country with their amazing images of the red planet. This truly represents the best of what our national space program is about, and provides a reminder of why we should continue to support the work of NASA. I want to thank the sponsor of this resolution, Mr. Dreier, for introducing House Resolution 67, and I encourage my colleagues to support its passage. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. As heard earlier on this floor, we talked about other nations throughout the world who seem to be achieving higher academic standards than we are here in this country in the classroom. But as we start observing many of these countries, none of those are putting in play and putting into reality the science that we are doing in this country. The rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, that landed on Mars were an American project, not one of the other nations that we talked about. So as we discuss from time to time areas where we must recognize we may have failures, but our educational system is also providing, and has provided, bright young minds with the challenges that has brought forward the research, the development, the space exploration that is going on today in this country. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I could not think of a more fitting person to receive the Frank G. Clement 2009 Humanitarian Leadership Award. Miss Anna Belle, a well known political figure in Tennessee, has long been an advocate for Tennessee's children and working families living in the Upper Cumberland region. Anna Belle Clement O'Brien was reared and schooled in the values and lessons of life west of Nashville in Dickson, Tennessee, before embarking on a path that led her through the Office of Price Administration, the Governor's office, the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tennessee Senate. Known for her great storytelling abilities, wonderful sense of humor, quick wit, warm smile, it's hard not to be comfortable around Miss Anna Belle. Over the years I have learned much about what molded her into the role model and leader she has been. Armed with a great memory, you will quickly learn through Miss Anna Belle's stories that she was raised in an environment where service to your neighbor is not only spoken, but actually done. The majority of us lucky enough to serve the public believe in the power of a good and responsive government. Miss Anna Belle articulates those beliefs well by saying, ``Politics is a beautiful word to me. . . . I truly believe politics make handicap children walk and the mentally ill have a better life. Politics builds roads and makes education available for all.'' Those words couldn't ring more true. Miss Anna Belle, the first woman to ever serve as a committee chair, brought common sense and a tireless work ethic to the job and a love of the people she served. I read an interview she gave once in a local newspaper where she said, ``I love this area we moved to over 40 years ago. No thought was given by either of us to run for public office before we moved here. It wasn't planned this way, but it has been a most exciting life. I am grateful to the people in the community for allowing me to serve for all those years.'' Well, Miss Anna Belle, I along with the countless Tennesseans you have helped over the years, thank you for your tireless leadership in working to make sure future generations have a better quality of life. Congratulations for being recognized for your hard work. It is well earned and most deserved.

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate 99 extraordinary years in the life of Bromma Pemberton- Linville. Born to a large family in the coal-mining community of Oliver Springs, Tennessee, Bromma from an early age set an example for all who believe in the values of family, church and a strong community. Bromma cared for her six younger siblings through elementary and high school, and made certain to attend Sunday church services in addition to Sunday night youth fellowship, a Wednesday night prayer meeting, church play rehearsals and choir practice. After graduating from Oliver Springs High School, Bromma went on to Knoxville Business College and set out to build a career. Following a period of odd jobs to make ends meet, Bromma finally put her business skills to work as a secretary and bookkeeper at the First National Bank in Oneida, Tennessee. Throughout what would become a lifetime of service to the bank, Bromma worked nearly every possible position before becoming the first female officer and director, as well as the first senior vice president. But Bromma's success at the First National Bank in Oneida never interfered with her commitment to family. When her father became ill and unable to work, Bromma proudly accepted her role as a breadwinner and caretaker for the family. After she had seen to the success of her six younger siblings, who married and moved out of their home, Bromma continued to live with her parents whom she cared for until they passed away years later. Only then did she marry her twenty year suitor, Roy Johnson. Bromma's commitment to her community continued throughout her life and in to today. From her presidency over the Oneida Business and Professional Women's Club to representing Scott County at the Conference on Consumer Affairs, Bromma was actively involved in making the world around her better for future generations. With the help of her husband, Bromma even went on to establish the Grover Pemberton Agricultural Endowment Fund for the University of Tennessee Agricultural Institute. Our great country cannot do enough to thank the men and women who devote their lives to the betterment of their communities. In these difficult times of international and economic turmoil, it is the efforts of extraordinary women like Bromma Pemberton-Linville that will always help us to move this great country forward.

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to a civic club in Williamson County, Tennessee that has provided benevolent support to the people living in the City of Franklin for sixty years. With fourteen original members eager to be of service to the community, Franklin Noon Rotary sought official recognition and was charted on January 13, 1948. Mr. Jim Warren was elected the Rotary's first president. One of the club's first actions was the creation of the Franklin Rodeo. The rodeo, now entering its 60th year, has grown into an impressively large community event and charity fundraiser. Through charitable giving, which totals in the millions, thousands of people have been helped. This money has taken the form of college scholarships, books, medical education, health care, band uniforms, help for the mentally and physically handicapped, support of exchange students, construction of park facilities, donations to local charities, Polio Plus and many more worthwhile projects. Madam Speaker, no other Franklin Civic Club has raised and spent more money in the community than the Franklin Noon Rotary Club. It is only fitting that I rise today to thank the past and present officers and past and present members of the Franklin Noon Rotary for contributing their time and hard earned money so that others may have a better life. They have made a great contribution to Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee and the United States of America. I am honored to stand with them today to recognize their efforts and to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Franklin Noon Rotary and Franklin Rodeo. May God continue to watch over these fine Rotarians and those they seek to help.

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. I thank the gentlelady from California. All of us, I'm sure, have had an opportunity--at least most--to visit the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. And being there, we have observed the greatness of the volunteers who volunteer their service for this great country and to help preserve, defend, and to bring about liberty and freedom to others in different parts of the world today, mainly in those two war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the third one in the area of the Balkans. But as they serve, some give the ultimate sacrifice. And for all of those who serve and who have served, and for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, we can never really do enough as a Nation to thank them for their service and, ultimately, leaving their families with the loss of their lives. In 1775, a shot heard around the world brought American men and women into battle at the Siege of Boston that lasted through the spring of 1776, which eventually brought us into war for our independence. After several years and the loss of many lives, we obtained our independence. Since that time, our young men and women have been willing to volunteer to go into the battlefields to preserve the freedom that our first military men and women fought to give us, and we've been willing to preserve that and we should continue as a Nation. But I think when we look at those who give the ultimate sacrifice, sometimes we give the medals and we show sympathy and appreciation to the families, and then after a while, we forget that. I know in every courthouse and every city hall there are monuments that have the names of those who have given their lives for this country and paid the ultimate sacrifice. On Memorial Day we visit and Veterans Day we visit, perhaps some special days like 9/11 we again remember and we visit those who have their names engraved on the markings and on the monuments in our courthouses and city halls throughout this country. But I believe that just those two or three special occasions are not enough. And, Mr. Speaker, I didn't realize how little we were showing appreciation for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice until my very first visit in early 2004 to Iraq. We had just traveled from one part of Iraq, flying back into Baghdad in a C-130. And before we boarded the plane, there was an escort detail. And we noticed that there was a casket, a flag-draped casket. A very solemn occasion as you looked at the lines of the young men and women who were saying farewell to the one who had given his life. And they placed that in that cargo bay off the C-130. Those of us who were Members of Congress sat more to the front--those who have traveled obviously know that we ride the jump seats as we go in and out into Iraq or Afghanistan. And for some reason, when I looked in the faces of those young men who were the escorts, the solemn faces, the faces who weren't looking to anyone, I don't think, for sympathy, but just understanding, for me, on that occasion, I said, I don't think we do enough. And in 2004, I introduced this bill, the same one that's here today, to where we can at least once a month--12 times a year, plus the other occasions--say thank you to the mothers and fathers, to the brothers and sisters of the one who gave his life, and to the one who gave his life, that America still cherishes, respects, loves and remembers the sacrifice that you gave to this Nation. So for me, it is my hope that this bill passes unanimously, and that we honor those who have given their life for this great Nation of ours.

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, it is good to be here to discuss what I believe is the foundation of our society and America, our Constitution. In 1787, the articles were proposed that ultimately became the foundation for our Constitution. In 1789, 12 amendments were offered, of which only 10 were approved immediately, or pretty well immediately, by 1791. Included in those are 10 amendments we often called the Bill of Rights. The first one, a lot of us talk about, our ability to have religious freedom. In the South, where I am from, that is something that we treasure. Our freedom of speech is included in number one. And number two is the right to bear arms. Now, I know we don't live on the frontier anymore, but if you can imagine a farmer or someone moving his family into the wilderness in Tennessee, or as we moved westward, one of the things that you would find with them, pieces of equipment, more than just the farm equipment, was generally a muzzleloader, that would hang on many cases on the beam that supported the loft in the cabin in which the family would live. It was there for protection. When he would go into the fields to farm, he would also take his muzzleloader with him, oftentimes leaning it upon a stump or a tree, where it would be for protection from wildlife or wild animals or from those who might be intending to do harm to his family or himself. The second amendment gives us that right to protect our homes and our family, whether it is in Pall Mall, Tennessee, where I am from, are whether it is right here in Washington, D.C. We can't suspend the Constitution depending on where we live. We had a huge argument over what is called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, about whether or not our individual rights were about to be jeopardized. In fact, many of us argued on this floor that there are certain constitutional guarantees that guarantee our liberty and our freedom from oppression and from an oppressive and intrusive government. In fact, that is not just for Washington, D.C., and it was just not for Pall Mall, Tennessee. It is for all of us who live in this Nation. So, for me, we cannot cherry pick and pick and choose what that Constitution guarantees us. To me, I applaud the efforts of the gentleman from Mississippi to offer the substitute amendment that I believe will give individuals who live in Washington, D.C. the same opportunity to defend their sons and their daughters, their husband or their wife, and the home that they own from those who would do harm or be intrusive in their homes.

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. One last word. This issue demands and requires leadership probably more than any other issue that we've addressed in this Congress, leadership on doing what's right, not fabricating an issue that we can solve it by just drilling our way out of it. It's going to take leadership to give us an energy policy that will sustain America's future.

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Thank you, Mr. Ross. Certainly, it's always a pleasure to be here to speak when the Blue Dogs have a special session and an opportunity to come and speak before the Members of Congress, as well as the American people. There are some facts that I believe all of us need to know. I think the American people need to know this. When you look at the oil reserves, the proved oil reserves, that we have in the world, America has about 3 percent. When you look at the actual production of the consumption of oil in the world, we produce about 10 percent of the world's consumption. Unfortunately, we consume almost 25 percent of all the production in the world, and in doing that, it makes us almost be a hostage to oil-producing countries. Now, let's talk a little bit about how much oil that we use. We use over 7.5, almost 8 billion barrels of crude oil a year. We produce about 2.5 billion of that, and the rest we import, mainly from our hemisphere, some small amount from the Middle East, but mostly, from our hemisphere, whether it's Canada, Mexico, Venezuela. Different parts of our hemisphere comes to America. Now, what does that tell me? If we have got 3 percent of the oil reserves, then we're always going to be held hostage. But where are those reserves located? They tell us that we've got roughly 150 billion barrels of crude oil in the Outer Continental Shelf. That's the max. Good estimates say we probably have no more than 85 billion barrels of crude oil in the Outer Continental Shelf, add about 10 billion max up in ANWR or about 7.5 billion that we could actually take out of ANWR for a profitable margin for our oil companies. That being the case, we have a 1-year supply in ANWR. We're hearing from folks who are making this a political issue that we just drill and drill our way out of it. We import 5 billion barrels of crude oil a year, 5 billion barrels. If we, in fact, have 100 billion barrels of crude oil, which is the estimate that we would have probably in both ANWR, in the Outer Continental Shelf in Alaska, in the Outer Continental Shelf in the Pacific--about 24 billion in the Outer Continental Shelf in Alaska; 20 billion barrels in the Outer Continental Shelf in the Pacific; in the gulf about 44 billion; very little on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf, about 3 to 4 billion barrels; little over 100 billion barrels total. That's a 20-year supply of what we're importing today. And we will use all that up, and if we have another war, by the time we have to defend ourselves and have the abundance of oil, are we going to go to Saudi Arabia or Iraq or Iran and ask them for oil so we can fight them with it? I think we have got to look at alternatives more than we have ever looked. Ten years ago, in 1998, the average price of a barrel of oil was $14 a barrel. Let me rephrase that. Just 10 years ago, $14 a barrel. Volatile conditions in the world, over-consumption, and in many cases, an unplanned energy policy that will make us totally self- sustainable has not occurred. I did some research on windmills. From 1850 to 1900 over 6 million windmills were sold in this country. They ground our corn with it to make cornmeal. They ground our wheat to make flour. In some cases, they even used it for electricity. In 1880, this country had 50 million people in it: 9.5 million families, 8.5 million households. In that 50-year period of time, 6 million windmills. They were smarter than us because we've become dependent on the combustion engine. We've become dependent on foreign sources for our crude oil. It is time that we take a serious look at all the alternatives, including wind and solar, including nuclear. I'm not sure I'd like to say this. T. Boone Pickens is one of those guys, Mr. Speaker, that helped fund Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. When that guy comes to the Democrat Caucus and says you are on the right track, a staunch Republican, it tells me we are doing something right. I would love to spend about 20 minutes here.

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Would the gentleman yield?

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I say thanks to my good friend from Ohio (Mr. Space) and others on the other side of the aisle who have taken it upon themselves to be sure that the ARC, the Appalachian Regional Commission, continues to exist. Appalachia has long been plagued by lack of job opportunities and high unemployment, resulting in low per capita income, educational deficiencies, and a dilapidated infrastructure. The Conference of Appalachian Governors was formed in 1960 to develop a regional approach to resolving these problems. In 1961 they brought their cause to President John F. Kennedy, known to have been moved by the poverty he saw during his campaign trips to West Virginia. At the time, one of every three Appalachians lived in poverty. Per capita income was 23 percent lower than the U.S. average. High unemployment and harsh living conditions had, in the 1950s, forced more than 2 million Appalachians to leave their homes and seek work in other regions of the Nation. By 1963, Kennedy had formed the President's Appalachian Regional Commission and directed it to create a comprehensive program for economic development of the Appalachian region. The resulting report was endorsed by the Conference of Appalachian Governors and President John Kennedy's cabinet. Soon after, Lyndon B. Johnson used the report to create legislation which ultimately created the Appalachian Regional Commission in 1965. The ARC has long worked to address the long-term economic distress and isolation of the Appalachian region, and to press for greater Federal involvement in addressing the region's common problems. The ARC funds several hundreds projects annually affecting one of our Nation's most underserved populations. The ARC has played a leading role in granting consistently impoverished communities with improving water and sewer systems, sometimes providing running water for the first time, improving educational resources and teacher training in schools, access to health care, access to telecommunications and the Internet, and providing technical assistance for new business initiatives. They provide State and local agencies such as economic development agencies and human resource agencies in my 10,000-square mile congressional district, as well as nonprofit organizations. These projects have resulted in thousands of jobs. Mr. Speaker, this is just the tip of the iceberg of ARC's good works. It is necessary and appropriate to reauthorize this valuable asset for rural America. It is my hope this Congress does. And on a note from those that I represent, without that funding from ARC and many of the Federal agencies, people who are my neighbors would not be able to have a water line that has usable water, safe water, a sewer system, nor would they have in many cases first responder buildings, as well as equipment that is much needed.