Scott DesJarlais

Mr. DesJARLAIS

Mr. DesJARLAIS. Like all Americans, I was relieved to hear the news that the world's most notorious terrorist would no longer be able to pose a threat to those who seek peace and freedom. We owe a great deal of gratitude to our brave men and women serving in uniform, as well as our intelligence officers, for successfully bringing down Osama bin Laden and scoring a major victory in the fight against terrorism. These individuals truly deserve our Nation's deepest appreciation for the selfless work they do in order to keep us safe. Unfortunately, this occasion is bittersweet. As we reflect on those that laid down their lives in defending our freedom, these individuals made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that we enjoy the precious blessings of liberty. While there is nothing that can replace the lives that have been lost, I hope that their loved ones can take some solace in the fact that the man responsible for September 11 has been brought to justice. Yesterday should send a clear message to those that engage in terrorist activities that we will find you and you will pay for your crimes. We are America, a Nation built by and defended by heroes, and we will prevail in the war on terror.

Mr. DesJARLAIS

Mr. DesJARLAIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Lance Corporal Andrew Paul Carpenter who tragically lost his life while bravely serving our country. Andrew enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on September 7, 2007, where he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In August of 2010, Andrew was deployed to Afghanistan for the second time, where he bravely served on the front lines during combat operations. While patrolling the Helmand province in Afghanistan, Lance Corporal Carpenter sustained fatal combat-related injuries and died on February 19, 2011. Andrew graduated in 2002 from Columbia Central High School in Columbia, Tennessee. He was active in the school's marching band where he played trombone and helped the band win a State championship during his senior year. Andrew went on to further his education at Middle Tennessee State University. He enjoyed numerous activities such as playing golf, soccer and paintball, and made friends easily through his dependable and loyal nature. He is remembered by those who knew him as someone who was constantly looking for ways to help those in need. It is no wonder that serving the United States Marine Corps was a natural choice for him. Before joining the Marines, Andrew worked at the YMCA Fun Company, where he pursued one of the things that he enjoyed most in life-- working with children. Andrew would often dress up in Batman costumes to entertain kids at the YMCA after-school program. He was known for his tender heart and his ability to positively impact the children he encountered. On January 1, 2010, Andrew married the love of his life, Crissie. She was truly his best friend and soul mate, and he would often say that their wedding day was by far the best day of his life. Shortly before Andrew was deployed to Afghanistan, he and Crissie learned that they would be blessed with a baby boy. Landon Paul Carpenter was born March 18, 2011. Landon, no words can sufficiently express the gratitude or repay the debt that we owe your father for his selfless service in protecting our great Nation. He laid down his life so that we may all be blessed with our Nation's most fundamental tenets--life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Your father, simply put, is a true American hero. As you grow up in this great Nation, know that you are given that privilege because of men like your father who make great sacrifices to protect our freedoms. Crissie, during this difficult time, I hope that you can find some solace in the fact that your husband nobly gave his life so that you and your son can continue to live in the land of the free. And, finally, thank you to Andrew's family for raising such an extraordinary young man. Today we honor and remember Andrew Paul Carpenter. We will never forget the sacrifices he made in order to ensure that we continue to be blessed with the precious gift of freedom. God bless America.

Mr. DesJARLAIS

Mr. DesJARLAIS. Mr. Speaker, I find it shameful that Washington has run up trillion dollar deficits for the last 3 years and yet there are those that seek to portray Republicans' modest, commonsense spending cuts as extreme. It is time for government to tighten its belts and balance its budgets just like families do every day across Tennessee's Fourth Congressional District. I refuse to allow our Nation to continue borrowing money from China for reckless government spending and then send the bill to our children and grandchildren. Americans deserve the truth. The choices that we make now on spending are not easy, but they are necessary. We cannot continue to spend money that we do not have. My constituents did not send me to Washington to ignore problems nor offer excuses. They did send me here to solve the problems and not kick the can down the road further. Our Nation is not in debt because Americans are taxed too little. We are in debt because government spends too much. We must address our Nation's debt crisis and spending addiction, and we must do it now.

Mr. DesJARLAIS

Mr. DesJARLAIS. Mr. Speaker, today I come to the floor of the U.S. House, to honor and celebrate the great Tennessee tradition of Mule Day. For nearly 170 years, Mule Day has been an annual event in Columbia, Tennessee, which is widely known as the ``Mule Capital'' of the world. Mule Day was first celebrated in 1840, as a single day livestock show. Since then, it has evolved into a week-long festival that attracts over 200,000 attendees, making it one of the largest livestock markets in the world. In addition to mules, the festival highlights Tennessee's rich traditions of agriculture, food, music, dancing, and crafts. Mrs. Knoxie Goad will serve as Grand Marshal for the 2011 Mule Day Parade. I thank her and all the good citizens of Columbia, Tennessee and surrounding areas who continue to work long and hard to ensure that Mule Day remains an important part of Tennessee's heritage. I look forward to attending this year's ``Mule Day'' and celebrating the proud history of the American Mule.

Mr. DesJARLAIS

Mr. DesJARLAIS. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 158, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. DesJARLAIS

Mr. DesJARLAIS. Thank you, Dr. Gingrey. I hail from Marion County, which is South Pittsburg, would be the hometown. Before coming to Congress I had the opportunity to serve the people in Tennessee as a primary care physician. In 1994 Tennessee embarked on an experiment with the Medicaid program, which became known as TennCare. Unfortunately, it never accomplished its goal of improving on the flawed Medicaid system. To the contrary, it became a breeding ground for waste, fraud, abuse and inefficiency. I witnessed the frustration of my patients, my staff and myself as we struggled to combat this bureaucratic web that forced us to spend time navigating administrative hurdles rather than focusing on quality care. Another problem that rapidly evolved was over-utilization of the system. Often, only one family member was ill, but other family members were requesting to be seen simply because it was more convenient than making other arrangements for the non-ill member, such as children, to be cared for elsewhere. This also became, and continues to be, a problem in the emergency rooms. There is no cost difference to the patients, so there is no disincentive to utilize the ER for nonemergent care. In fact, this is a national problem, with up to 80 percent of ER visits being deemed nonemergent. This leads to much longer wait times in emergency rooms for those patients who are critically ill. It should also be noted that ER visits are obviously much more expensive than office visits, further driving up the cost unnecessarily. A simple solution to improving the problem of over-utilization would be implementing a nominal copay system in which office visits cost something like $5 per visit and ER visits might cost $20. This simple step would likely have far-reaching effects to reduce costs, over- utilization, and thus increase availability of care for those who need it. We should see TennCare as a warning of the many problems that a government-run health care model creates. There are certainly issues with our Nation's health care system that need to be addressed, and the GOP Doctors Caucus has no shortage of good ideas on how to make health care more affordable and expand coverage. But what we stand firm in saying is that ObamaCare is not the answer to the problem, but, rather, it creates an even bigger problem.

Mr. DesJARLAIS

Mr. DesJARLAIS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My colleagues have done an excellent job today in eloquently paying tribute to Ronald Reagan's life and the many accomplishments he achieved throughout his presidency. I would like to take a moment, though, to recognize one of the most instrumental figures in shaping the Reagan legacy, Nancy Reagan. In the immutable words of John Donne, ``No man is an island, entire of itself,'' and with all the accolades we bestow on President Reagan, we must remember that Nancy was a key part of the Reagan team. She was an uncommon confidant and was always there to provide the President with unconditional support, which no doubt served as a source of his strength. I believe President Reagan would find any tribute to him inadequate without also recognizing the person he described as the ``companion without whom I'm never quite complete or happy.'' So, thank you, Mrs. Reagan for the role that you played in guiding our country through difficult times and ensuring that America forever remains a shining city upon a hill.

Mr. DesJARLAIS

Mr. DesJARLAIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2. As a practicing physician for nearly two decades in Tennessee, I stand before you as an expert witness to failures of a government-run health care model. ObamaCare takes the problems I've seen in my home State and expands them to a national level. This bill raises taxes, increases spending, and will add $701 billion to the Federal deficit. Most importantly, ObamaCare will ultimately end up restricting patients' access to quality health care by placing Washington bureaucrats between patients and their doctors. Moving forward, we do offer solutions. We must work towards reducing waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare, instituting meaningful tort reform--thus reducing the practice of defensive medicine. We can accomplish these goals without the creation of a giant, new Federal bureaucracy. By voting to repeal this unnecessary health care bill we will effectively put a stop to the creation of a massive entitlement program that we did not want, we do not need, and we cannot afford.

Mr. DesJARLAIS

Mr. DesJARLAIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 32. I am pleased that Members of the House of Representatives came together today to speak with a unified voice in both condemning this heinous attack, and expressing our condolences to the friends and families of all the innocent victims that were killed or wounded due to this horrific act of violence. This resolution reaffirms the democratic principles that Congresswoman Giffords herself espoused when she read the First Amendment of the Constitution during the opening week of the 112th Congress--the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. It is critical that we send a message that threats of violence and intimidation will not prevent Americans from participating in the democratic process. It is my hope to once again work alongside my colleague, Congresswoman Giffords, as we seek to find solutions to problems that we face as a nation. May God bless the victims of this tragedy, their families and all Americans.

Mr. DesJARLAIS

Mr. DesJARLAIS. Madam Speaker, today I rise to support the rule and to support the repeal of the Obama health care law. As a physician who has practiced medicine in rural Tennessee under the onerous TennCare law, I know firsthand that this law does not work. It restricts access to health care, it increases the cost, and it does not deliver on the promises the minority made when they passed the law. The American people have had their say. They do not want this bill. They want it repealed, and they want to see health care reform that will increase access and lower costs.