Alan Grayson

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 is a triumph for American consumers of health insurance and health care. When fully implemented, it will extend health care insurance to 32 million uninsured Americans, covering 95 percent of American citizens and legal residents. It will extend premium affordability tax credits to 20 million Americans and help 4 million small businesses provide health insurance for their workers. By the end of this year it will end some of the worst insurance company abuses such as post-claims underwriting or lifetime limits on coverage. When fully implemented it will ban even more, including health status underwriting and exclusions of pre-existing conditions. This legislation will ``bend the curve'' in the unsustainable growth in health care costs while improving the quality of American health care. It encourages wellness and prevention and will help Americans become among the best informed health insurance consumers in the world. Such sweeping legislation cannot explicitly address every issue that will arise under its provisions. In the near term, the legislation must be implemented through regulations promulgated by the federal executive agencies--in particular Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury--and by the states. Ultimately, the courts may need to interpret some of the provisions of the statute. It is important, therefore, to set down the intention of Congress as to the principles of construction that should be applied in implementing and interpreting the law. The first and foremost of these is captured in the title of the bill. This legislation should always be construed to protect patients and to make health insurance and health care more affordable for consumers. Whenever the bill is silent or ambiguous on a particular issue it should be construed by a federal or state agency or court to accomplish this goal. Many of the provisions of this bill, including the premium tax credits and cost-sharing assistance, the individual and employer responsibility provisions, and the Medicare and Medicaid reforms and expansions, must be implemented by the federal agencies. In drafting regulations, the agencies must first and foremost attend to the interests of patients, consumers, and beneficiaries. Many other provisions will ultimately be implemented by the states. The general interpretive principle of the insurance reform legislation in relation to the states is found in section 1321(d), which states ``Nothing in this title shall be construed to preempt any State law that does not prevent the application of the provisions of this title.'' In other words, state laws more protective of consumers are preserved; state laws less protective of consumers are preempted. Several issues raised by the legislation illustrate the application of these principles. First, nowhere does section 2719, which prescribes internal and external review procedures that insurance plans must follow when consumers appeal coverage determinations, explicitly state that all state and federal judicial remedies remain available if an appeal is denied both internally and externally. Every state, however, provides for judicial review of insurance claims denials in the nongroup market and 29 U.S.C. sec. 1132 offers judicial review of group health claims. These remedies are not expressly displaced by the law, and it is the intention of Congress that they continue to be available to aggrieved consumers. Second, grandfathering of insurance plans that pre-date the legislation is not forever. A principle announced repeatedly by the President throughout the debate was that ``if you like the insurance coverage you have, you can keep it.'' Congress never intended, however, that if you had insurance coverage you did not like, you would be stuck with it forever. Section 1251 of the PPACA, therefore, should not be interpreted to mean that an insured who is enrolled in a group health plan will never be extended the consumer protections found in the legislation. If coverage under the plan changes significantly, for example through increased cost-sharing for members, the plan's grandfathered status should be lost and the full protections of the legislation apply. Third, the ban on pre-existing condition exclusions for children under sec. 10103(e) does not merely mean that plans cannot exclude pre- existing conditions from coverage, but also that they cannot exclude children with pre-existing conditions from coverage. The law must be interpreted broadly to achieve its purposes, not narrowly to encourage evasion. Fourth, the provisions of sec. 2714 of the Public Health Services Act added by sec. 1001 of the PPACA extending coverage to adult children up to age 26 should be interpreted to require the extension of family coverage to cover adult children, not to permit insurers to separately underwrite such children or to require them to pay the full cost of adult coverage. Fifth, the provisions of sec. 1332 of the PPACA allowing state waivers for innovation are intended to provide maximum flexibility for the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Health and Human Services so long as the state plan is at least as comprehensive and affordable, and so long as it covers at least as many people as the law would provide otherwise. Finally, the provisions of sec. 715 of ERISA added by 1562 of the PPACA should be understood to fully extend all of the protections of the PPACA that apply to group health plans to all employment-related health plans, including self-insured plans. The law should also be understood to intend that the full authority of the Departments of Labor and Treasury in regulating and enforcing the law against ERISA plans is available to enforce the terms of the PPACA. These are only a few examples of many issues that will no doubt arise in implementing and interpreting the law. The general principles that they illustrate, however, must be applied throughout by the federal agencies, by the states, and by the courts. This law is intended to protect patients and consumers, and whenever it is silent or unclear, it must be construed toward these ends.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. I rise in support of this bill.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. This month, I would like to recognize a few of the phenomenal women from Central Florida who are making a distinguished contribution to my district, the great State of Florida, and to our nation as a whole. This month I would like to recognize Barbara Weinreich. Ms. Weinreich has greatly given back to our Orlando community, which has been her home for the last 49 years. Ms. Weinreich earned both her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Masters of Education degree In Elementary Education from Cornell University. A teacher for 25 years at Eastbrook Elementary School, she is now retired from the Seminole County Public School System. Her service to the community supersedes teaching our children; she is also a leader and advocate for the Central Florida Jewish community and for inter-faith understanding and activism. Currently, Ms. Weinreich serves on the Board of Directors and Chairs the Community Relations Committee, CRC, of the Jewish Federation. She is a member of the Holocaust Center's Board of Directors, Friends of the Jewish Pavilion's Board of Directors, Beit Hamidrash, and a member of the Advisory Committee for the Judaic Studies Department at the University of Central Florida. Madam Speaker, during Women's History Month, it is my honor to recognize Barbara's dedication to public education, as well as her devotion to the Florida Jewish community. Barbara's activism with our Florida community is something I admire and respect.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. This month, I would like to recognize a few of the phenomenal women from central Florida who are making a distinguished contribution to my district, the great State of Florida, and to our nation as a whole. Today, I honor Dr. Rita Bornstein. Dr. Bornstein's commitment to education and her service as the first female president of Rollins College from 1990 to 2004 was trailblazing. Her distinguished leadership throughout her time at Rollins serves as a model to her unwavering dedication to her students, the university and her overall educational ideals. Under President Bornstein's leadership, Rollins focused on strengthening its commitment to excellence, innovation, and community. Standards were raised for faculty evaluation, student selectivity, and all aspects of administration. Average SAT scores for entering arts and sciences students rose more than 65 points, and Rollins' place in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of ``America's Best Colleges'' climbed from No. 6 regional university in the South to No. 2, and No. 1 in Florida. That trajectory has continued--Rollins is currently No. 1 in the South. Innovation was encouraged and rewarded, and programs were added in film studies, international business, and sustainable development, as well as the signature Rollins College Conference for first-year students. The college's commitment to building strong communities was enhanced through programs of intellectual discourse, civic engagement, international study, and service learning. In addition to raising the education standards and national acclaim of Rollins College, President Bornstein also oversaw Rollins' most ambitious fundraising effort. Widely considered to have transformed the college, The Campaign For Rollins secured $160.2 million, providing support for academic programs, scholarships, faculty chairs, and facilities, and significantly strengthening the college's financial health. Thanks to the generosity of donors, including the largest gift in Rollins' history--alumnus George Cornell's $93.3-million bequest-- and astute financial management, the college's endowment more than quintupled during Bornstein's presidency. In 2001, she was named to the George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Chair of Distinguished Presidential Leadership when Rollins received a $10- million gift for the first endowment of a college presidency in the nation. At the conclusion of her 14-year presidency, she was named president emerita and appointed to the George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Chair of Philanthropy and Leadership Development. As a recognized leader in higher education, Dr. Rita Bornstein regularly consults on issues of leadership, governance, and fundraising in the nonprofit sector. She is also the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters and two books, including Legitimacy in the Academic Presidency: From Entrance to Exit, published in 2003. Madam Speaker, during Women's History Month, it is my honor to recognize this remarkable woman whose enthusiasm for education and commitment to excellence can be shown through her great achievements during her time at Rollins College and after. I applaud her accomplishments to our central Florida community, our great State and our Nation.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I have good news. The good news is this: We won the war in Afghanistan. Now, it happened a while ago; so I may be the only person who actually remembers this, but after the 9/11 attack, within 3 months, we had expelled the Taliban government, and we did so with the use of only 1,000 U.S. Special Forces troops. Within 4 months, we had expelled al Qaeda from Afghanistan. If you don't believe me about that, you can listen to General Petraeus, who said a year ago that al Qaeda wasn't in Afghanistan anymore. I have more good news about Iraq. The news is: We won. We won the war in Iraq years and years ago. Facing the fourth largest army in the entire world, we swept through Iraq, and within 3 weeks, we had deposed the Saddam Hussein government. We won. Now we can go home. In fact, we could have gone home a long time ago. What is happening now in Afghanistan and what is happening now in Iraq you can't even call a war. It is a foreign occupation. You could read the Constitution from beginning to end, and you would find nothing in the Constitution that permits or that authorizes a foreign occupation, much less one that goes on for almost a decade. Both in the price of money and in the price of blood, we simply can't afford these wars anymore. I would like to call your attention to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, a report dated January 31, 2008. This report reads that 15 percent of all the troops who have served in Iraq return with permanent brain damage. That's right. Permanent brain damage. Here are some of the symptoms described: a loss of consciousness, general poor health, missed workdays, medical visits, and a high number of somatic and postconcussive symptoms. Later on in the report, on page 459, this report reads that, in this study, nearly 15 percent of soldiers reported an injury during deployment that involves a loss of consciousness or altered mental state. These soldiers, defined as having what is euphemistically referred to as mild traumatic brain injury, were significantly more likely to report high combat exposure in a blast mechanism of injury than were the 17 percent of soldiers who reported other injuries. So, Mr. President, when you say that you are sending 50,000 more troops to Afghanistan, what you are really saying is that you are condemning 7,500 young Americans to live for the rest of their lives with brain damage. That's what you are really saying. Beyond that, we have spent over $3 trillion on the war in Iraq. That's over $10,000 for every man, woman, and child in this country. It's over $70,000 for my family of seven. For what? What have we accomplished in 2010 that we could not have accomplished in 2009 or in 2008 or in 2007 or in 2006? In fact, what have you heard from the other side today that they couldn't have said back then and that they will want to say next year and the year after that? Now think about this: Our total national wealth is only $50 trillion. We have spent $3 trillion, 6 percent of that, on the war in Iraq. That kind of economic damage is something that could not have possibly been accomplished by al Qaeda itself. Osama bin Laden, on his best day, couldn't have done anything like that. He would have had to have vaporized all of New England to have come close. Listen, we are the most powerful nation on Earth. Nobody can force us out of Iraq. Nobody can force us out of Afghanistan. We have to make that decision ourselves. Remember, we need not only strength; we need wisdom. We need to know that the worst things that happen to us as a country are the things that we do to ourselves, including these two wars.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I have just introduced a simple 4-page bill that allows any American to buy into Medicare at cost. Let me explain why I have done that. I have five children. When one of my children was born, I found out from the insurance company that the insurance company would not pay for the birth of my child. I had what I thought was excellent health care coverage from this insurance company, but it turned out otherwise. As a result of that, I had to pay $10,000 for the birth of my child. You know, it could have been worse. Maybe I wouldn't have that $10,000. A lot of Americans face that situation when they have health care bills that their health insurance company won't cover. It could have been worse. I had twins who were born afterwards, who were born a month premature, spent weeks in the hospital. God only knows what those bills would have looked like. I probably would have been broke. But the fact is that I felt, like many Americans feel, that I had an adversarial relationship with my insurance company and that every penny they spent on my care was a penny less for their profits. And that is a fundamentally unfair situation that causes untold health care needs around this country that go unmet and, frankly, untold death. That's why we need another option. We need a public option. We're going to be seeing a Senate bill that doesn't have a public option. We're going to be seeing reconciliation that doesn't have a public option. But America needs a public option. That's why I've introduced this bill. There are other reasons as well. Another reason is that all across this country there are areas, including areas in Florida, where one or two private insurance companies dominate the market to the extent that they have 80 percent of all the insured in the area. There is no competition. It's a monopoly in the case of one. It's an oligopoly in the case of two. Either way, these insurance companies pretty much do whatever they want. They can offer you care or they deny you care. They can cut you off when you already have care. And they can charge you pretty much anything they want. Well, a public option would change that. In an area where one company had 80 percent of the market, suddenly there would be an alternative. Where two companies have 80 percent of the market, suddenly there would be an alternative. That alternative is an alternative that is already used by one-eighth of our population. That alternative is Medicare. This simple bill would allow anybody--any American, any permanent resident--to buy into Medicare at cost. And what it does is it takes this enormously valuable public resource called the Medicare Provider Network and makes it available to all Americans. We've spent billions putting together a Medicare Provider Network that stretches from Nome, Alaska, all the way to Key West, Florida. We've spent billions doing that, and yet only one-eighth of the population can use it. The most expensive part of preparing a health care plan for any American in any location is to set up the provider network, hundreds and hundreds of contracts with hospitals, with specialists, with nurses, with testing companies. All these things have to be done before you actually serve the first patient. Well, we have a system like that called Medicare, and yet it's open to only one-eighth of the population. It's as if we're saying that only one-eighth of the population, senior citizens, can drive on Federal highways. That's how important the Medicare provider network is, and that's why we have to open it to everybody. This is not a plan for subsidies. Everyone would have to pay their own cost. This is not a plan that's meant to help anybody, except for the people who cannot otherwise get insurance, or people like me, who simply don't trust the insurance companies anymore because of the raw treatment that we've received. Let's face it, it's never going to be any different. The insurance companies are always going to look for ways to chintz you. They're always going to look for ways to charge you more and give you less, and the difference is what they call profit. And that's a system that a lot of people just can't accept anymore. They just don't want it anymore. And for those people who have it in their mind that there will be some kind of government death panels, what about the real death panels that exist in this company--the insurance company death panels; the ones that look for rescission when you get sick, the ones that top you out at some small amount of benefits when you have some terminally ill condition. These are the real death panels in this country. And that's why we need a public option. So I'm asking the Speaker and the leadership, if we have to vote on this Senate bill that doesn't have a public option in it, if we have to vote on this reconciliation amendment that doesn't have a public option, isn't it time that we finally did something good for America? Isn't it time that we gave all Americans the right to buy into a public plan like this? Isn't it in fact past time that we did something like that? And what's the harm? I say to those people on the other side of the aisle, if you don't want to buy into the public option, that's fine. But don't prevent me and my family and the ones who I love from doing the same. Let us have our alternative. And remember what you said so many times before: you say the government can't do anything right. Well, let's see. Let's see right now. Let's let people buy into the public option through this bill, H.R. 4789, and we'll give it a shot.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 85 and 86, H. Res. 1086, H. Res. 1111, I missed these votes to attend a bill signing with the President at the White House. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the judicial and civic contributions of the Honorable Anne Conway. The Honorable Anne C. Conway is a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida. She was appointed by President George H. W. Bush in 1991, and is presently the Chief Judge of the Middle District of Florida. She presides over the Orlando Division. Judge Conway has an impressive record of serving the Florida Judicial system and its people. Judge Conway attended the University of Florida's College of Law, graduating with honors in 1975. She served as an executive editor of the law review. As a result of her work for the Center for Governmental Responsibility, she received the McIntosh Foundation Award. In addition, Judge Conway served as a Legal Aid Student Intern. Judge Conway began her legal career with a federal clerkship with the Honorable John A. Reed, Jr. in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. After completing her clerkship, Judge Conway joined the firm of Young, Turnbull & Linscott, P.A. as an associate. In June 1978, she began practicing with the firm of Wells, Gattis & Hallowes, P.A., where she became a partner and shareholder of the firm in March 1981. In July 1982 Judge Conway joined the firm of Carlton, Fields, Ward, Emmanuel, Smith & Cutler, P.A. She also became a shareholder of the firm in February 1985. While in private practice as a member of The Florida Bar, Judge Conway was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Courts for the Middle, Northern and Southern Districts of Florida. Judge Conway currently serves on the Judicial Conference Committee on Defender Services and served on the Case Management/Electronic Case Filing Working Advisory Group. Prior to becoming Chief Judge she chaired the Middle District of Florida Budget Committee and participated in several other court committees including Security, Space and Facilities, Case Management, and Automation. Judge Conway served on the Board of Directors of the Federal Judges Association from 2001-2004 and was Eleventh Circuit membership chair from 2003-2007. Judge Conway serves on multiple boards and has represented the United States speaking out on issues ranging from national security to the freedoms protected by the First Amendment. She presently serves on the University of Florida Law Center Association Board of Trustees and the Board of Advisors for the Center for Governmental Responsibility. She participated in the Centers Annual Conferences on Legal & Policy Issues in the Americas in Lima, Peru in May 2006 and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in May 2008 speaking on Judicial Education and Professionalism. She also served as a panelist for the Center for Governmental Responsibility's inaugural symposium. Madam Speaker, as Women's History Month begins, it is with great honor that I recognize the Honorable Anne C. Conway for her judicial leadership and commitment to social justice. Her impressive record and contributions to the Central Florida community must and should be praised. Judge Conway is an outstanding role model for young women who want to positively impact their communities through the legal system.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 75, 76, and 77; H. Res. 1072, H.R. 3820, H. Res. 1097, I missed these votes because car trouble caused me to miss my flight. On the next flight, because of heavy traffic, I missed these votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on all.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Orlando City Commissioner Daisy Lynum for her life-long civic and community involvement. Commissioner Lynum was born in Leesburg, Florida, a small town 45 miles northwest of Orlando, and was elected to the Orlando City Council on April 14, 1998. Commissioner Lynum's contributions to our Central Florida community have had a tremendous positive impact. After graduating from Carver Heights High School in 1964, Ms. Lynum earned an undergraduate degree in Sociology at Bethune-Cookman College, and a graduate degree in clinical Social Work (MSW) from Florida State University. As a Rockefeller Foundation Scholar, her post-baccalaureate studies were completed at Haverford and Bryn Mawr colleges in Pennsylvania, and her teaching certification was completed at the University of Central Florida. In 2000, Commissioner Lynum completed the John F. Kennedy School of Government Program for Executives at Harvard University. Florida Metropolitan University awarded Commissioner Lynum the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in May 2005. After more than 30 years of employment, first as a 5th grade teacher, followed by a career as a social worker and administrator for the Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services, and a Special Services Social Worker for Orange County Public Schools, Commissioner Lynum retired in 2002. Simultaneously, her years of community and civic involvement have included: Metro Orlando Urban League Board; UCF-MSW School of Social Work Advisory Board; National Black Social Workers Association; Orlando Science Center's Diversity Committee; USTA Diversity Committee; USTA Florida Section Schools Coordinator, Community Service Center Board; Coordinator, Mercy Drive/Pine Hills Children & Youth Task Force; City of Orlando's Municipal Planning and Human Relations Boards; Vice Chair BBIF Board; Florida League of Cities Urban Administration, resolution and policy committees and the Board of Directors; Board of Directors for the National League of Cities; and currently she is President of the National League of Cities National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials; first Vice President for Women Elected to Municipal Government; past president of the Florida Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials; Metro Plan Orlando Transportation Board; Orange County Voter's League; Life Member NAACP, Nemours Council member; and, 2005 Onxy Magazine Poll names Commissioner Lynum as one of 56 most influential African Americans in the State of Florida. Commissioner Lynum's commitment to her community, via her professional, personal, and political service is consistent with the principles and standards of her beloved sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.--which she has been a member of since 1966. She has also been a member of Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Inc., an organization of business and professional women, since December 2008. Commissioner Lynum's primary focus is quality of life through sustainable neighborhoods for residents in District 5 and the City of Orlando. With respect to her expertise in community development and sustainable neighborhoods, Commissioner Lynum has represented Orlando and the United States at conferences in Japan and Africa, and attended the U.S.-China Exchange Association's U.S. Business Matchmaking Conference in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Madam Speaker, as Black History Month comes to a close, it is with great honor that I acknowledge the commitment to Florida that Commissioner Lynum has shown through her many leadership roles in the community. She has been a leader in the African American community and I applaud her social activism.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the courageous civil rights hero Virgil Hawkins. Mr. Hawkins was the leader in the fight for the desegregation of Florida's universities. Mr. Hawkins is a true role model for his determination and personal sacrifice. Born in 1906 in Okahumpka, Florida, Mr. Hawkins decided from a young age that he wanted to be a lawyer after witnessing the unfair treatment of African Americans in the judicial system. Mr. Hawkins graduated high school in Jacksonville, Florida, and attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. By the time Mr. Hawkins was 42, he had saved up enough money to attend law school by selling insurance and working as a school teacher. In 1949, he applied to the University of Florida Law School in Gainesville. At the time Mr. Hawkins applied, it was against Florida law for African Americans and whites to attend school together. Mr. Hawkins was denied admission because of the color of his skin, not because he did not meet the qualifications. He decided to challenge this unjust practice by filing suit with the state Supreme Court. The state offered to pay Mr. Hawkins tuition for an out of state school, but he refused. To prevent similar lawsuits the state opened a law school for African Americans at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College (FAMC) for Blacks in Tallahassee. In 1952, the Florida Supreme Court dismissed his case, arguing he could attend FAMC. Mr. Hawkins turned to the United States Supreme Court and in 1956 the Court ordered the state of Florida to admit Mr. Hawkins to the University of Florida Law School. Initially, the state did not comply with the Supreme Court's order, citing the violence that would erupt if Mr. Hawkins was admitted. Finally, a district court judge ordered the University of Florida graduate school to open its doors to all qualified students, regardless of race. This was a major step forward in Mr. Hawkins's struggle; unfortunately, University of Florida claimed he was not qualified and did not admit him. After a nine-year struggle to desegregate Florida universities, Mr. Hawkins attended the unaccredited New England School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts. Due to the lack of accreditation of the law school, he was not allowed to take the bar when he returned to Florida. Mr. Hawkins was not allowed to practice law and worked as a salesman, teacher, a public relations director, and as the director of a community action agency. Holding on to his dream to practice law, at the age of 69, Mr. Hawkins asked the Florida Supreme Court to admit him to the Florida bar. In 1976, the court allowed Mr. Hawkins to become a lawyer without taking the bar examination. After spending 30 years fighting the discriminatory foundations in the educational system, Mr. Hawkins opened his own law firm in Leesburg, Florida. Today the law library at the University of Florida is named the Virgil Hawkins Library in honor of the sacrifices he made in his struggle for justice and equality in the admissions processes of the state's university system. A monument honoring Virgil Hawkins stands in his hometown of Okahumpka, Florida, and is located a few blocks from his childhood home. These are just minor tributes to a man who contributed so much to the civil rights struggle in Central Florida, and America as a whole. Madam Speaker, as Black History Month comes to a close, it is with great honor that I recognize the incredible activism of this civil rights leader. Mr. Hawkins's lifelong struggle for justice is inspirational to all future generations of Floridians, and Americans. As a fellow lawyer, I admire his dedication to seek justice and equal educational opportunities for all. Florida is indebted to Mr. Hawkins for the personal sacrifices and the pathways to equal access to education in the desegregation of our school systems.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Reverend Randolph Bracy, Jr. for his dedicated service to his church, our central Florida community, and our great State of Florida. Born on November 4, 1944, Reverend Bracy, Jr. is a native of Jacksonville, Florida and has since given a great deal back to our community. Reverend Bracy, Jr. graduated from Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Florida in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. In 1970, he pursued graduate studies in Guidance and Counseling, and graduated from Florida A&M University with a Master's of Education Degree. Later in 1974, he earned the Doctor of Education Degree from the University of Florida in Higher Education Administration. In 1982, he received the Master of Divinity Degree from Colgate-Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, New York. In 1999, he earned a certificate at the Center for the Study of Values in Public Life at the Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts with the Summer Leadership Institute. In 2004, he presented a paper at the Oxford Round Table on Religion, Education and the Role of Government at the University of Oxford in England. Reverend Bracy's educational accomplishments are only surpassed by his commitment and work in the community. In 1991, he joined the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Orlando, Florida. In August 1992, he and his wife, Dr. LaVon Wright Bracy, led the organization of the New Covenant Baptist Church of Orlando. The New Covenant Church has grown to a membership of more than 2,000. The New Covenant Church has created a charter school to educate and mentor hundreds of youth. They have created a community development corporation that has rehabbed neighborhoods, created safe havens for after-school and community activities, and provided financial and housing counseling. As President of the local NAACP, he has worked tirelessly for human and civil rights for all people. He has inspired and mentored a generation of new leaders and for that I am proud to call him my friend and ally for justice. Madam Speaker, as Black History Month comes to a close, it is with great honor that I recognize Reverend Bracy, Jr.'s incredible work and his leadership in the African American community and in our Florida community as a whole. He provides inspiration for the people in his community and is a great activist.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Zack Greinke on being named the American League Cy Young Award winner for the 2009 Major League Baseball season. Mr. Greinke has performed at the highest level in every division of baseball, from the Conway Little League All- Stars to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. His passion and dedication to the sport of baseball is evident from his many achievements and recognitions throughout his baseball career. The Baseball Writers' Association of America lauded Zack Greinke's Major League-leading 2.16 earned run average. He won his first six starts with a 0.40 earned run average, the third best start in Major League Baseball history. Mr. Greinke did not give up a home run through the first 83\1/3\ innings he pitched, struck out 15 batters and threw a one-hitter in back-to-back outings in August 2009. Mr. Greinke won six games and lost only one, with a 1.75 earned run average during his final 11 starts, and pitched a perfect inning in the American League's 4-3 Major League Baseball All-Star Game victory. Madam Speaker, I truly admire Mr. Greinke's accomplishments and recognize the hard work and dedication it took to achieve such a distinguished honor. I congratulate Mr. Greinke and his family on this exceptional award.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the community activism of Florida House Representative Geraldine Thompson. State Representative Thompson grew up in the South Dade town of Perrine, Florida. She attended Miami Dade Community College and received a John F. Kennedy/Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholarship to attend the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, where she enrolled shortly after that school ended racial segregation. In 1970, she received a bachelor's degree with honors in journalism and business education. She moved with her husband, Emerson, to Tallahassee where he attended law school and she worked in State government and higher education. Her first position in Tallahassee was as executive secretary to Representative Gwendolyn Sawyer Cherry, the first African-American woman to serve in the Florida House of Representatives. After working for several years, she sought a master of science degree in communication from Florida State University, which she received in 1973. She then joined her husband in Orlando and immediately became active in the central Florida community. She began work in Orlando as a teacher in the Orange County Public School System. After 6 years, she left the classroom to accept a position as director of the Equal Opportunity Office at Valencia Community College where she served for 24 years as assistant to the president. Among her many accomplishments at Valencia Community College, she initiated the establishment of the ``College Reach Out Program'' which enabled thousands of low income and disadvantaged students to fulfill their dream of going to college. She also served on the boards of the Orange County Community Action Advisory, the Metropolitan Orlando Urban League, WMFE Public Broadcasting Station, the YMCA, the Mayor's Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Commission, the Holocaust Memorial and Resource Center, and the West Orange Healthcare District. In 1987, she was appointed by Governor Bob Graham to the Florida Commission on Human Relations. She received confirmation from the Florida Senate and remained on the Commission during the terms of Governor Lawton Chiles, where she was elected by her fellow commissioners to serve as chair. Also considered a local historian, her passion for history led her to conducting research and compiling documents which resulted in authoring a book entitled, ``Black America Series: Orlando, Florida,'' in 2003. She is also credited with preserving one of Orlando's unique landmarks, The Wells' Built Hotel, which housed some of America's most prominent citizens, including Justice Thurgood Marshall, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackie Robinson and many more. She helped to secure funds to convert the hotel into a museum which is known today as The Wells' Built Museum of African American History. In November of 2006, she was elected by the constituents of District 39 in Orlando to serve as the first African-American female to represent Orange County in the Florida House of Representatives. During her tenure in the House she has filed legislation to outlaw the mutilation of young women, increase penalties for hate crime perpetrators, provide $1.8 million in trust fund monies for a student who was injured in a local public school, and increase access to healthcare for women diagnosed with breast cancer. On November 18, 2008, she was unanimously selected by her legislative colleagues to serve as the Democratic Leader Pro Tempore, the second highest ranking Democrat in the Florida House of Representatives. Madam Speaker, as Black History Month comes to a close, it is with great honor that I highlight my friend and fellow champion for human and civil rights Geraldine ``Geri'' Thompson. State Representative Thompson has been a crucial advocate for women's rights and the African-American community. She is a true role model and example of what a public servant should be. Her numerous contributions will leave a lasting legacy in our central Florida community, in the state of Florida, and for her family. I know her husband, the Honorable Emerson R. Thompson, Jr., and her three children, Laurise, Emerson III, and Elizabeth, and her four grandchildren are proud of what she has accomplished. We all benefit from her service and dedication.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, now that help to Haiti is on the way and that we are doing the best we can to save lives and to reconstruct lives in that torn country, I think this is a good time to look back and to give some thought to people's reaction to what happened in Haiti, to do sort of a post-mortem of the post-mortem. And particularly I want to revisit one comment that was made after that time, the comment by Pat Robertson. He claimed that the earthquake in Haiti was the result of a pact with the devil that the people of Haiti had made to achieve an end to slavery and independence at the beginning of the 1800s. I thought that was an interesting comment to make. It turns out that there were two devastating earthquakes in Haiti before their independence, before their so-called pact with the devil, before their end to slavery. And in the 200 years plus since their so-called pact with the devil, Haiti has actually been pretty much earthquake-free. Now you compare that to the neighboring country, the Dominican Republic. In 1946, the Dominican Republic had a devastating earthquake, actually, it's hard to believe, ten times more powerful than the earthquake that Haiti experienced 2 weeks ago. The Dominican Republic had no pact with the devil, and therefore, if I can use the word ``therefore'' in this context, was laid low. So under Pat Robertson's logic, one would have to conclude that, in fact, Haiti has benefited tremendously by what he would depict as a pact with the devil. And I wonder, in contrast, how well Pat Robertson's followers have made out with their own pact with the devil. And what I mean is this: Pat Robertson ran for President in 1988. He did something in that year that nobody has done before or since. He brought 3 million volunteers to his campaign. He got millions of people involved in the Republican Party all across the country. In the end, he came in third. But he activated the Christian right. And all those people joined the Republican Party with something in mind, a couple of things in mind. One thing they wanted was an end to gay marriage. And for years, when the Republican Party was in charge of this country, the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, the Presidency, the Republican Party did nothing to accomplish that for Pat Robertson's followers. Similarly, these people wanted an end to abortion in America. And I'm not going to say whether that was right or wrong, whether they are right or wrong, but I will point out to you that when the Republicans were in charge, the Senate, the House, the White House and the Supreme Court, once again, they did nothing to help Pat Robertson's followers accomplish what they wanted. So tonight I ask those people, the Christian right: What about your own pact with the devil? How has that worked out for you?

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I was surprised to hear a few days ago Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, say that there were no terrorist attacks during the Bush administration on U.S. soil. He later corrected that remark to say that there were no terrorist attacks on U.S. soil while President Bush was leading the country--except for just 9/11, only the terrorist attack on 9/11. And I realized that I was witnessing the birth of a new form of political discourse from the right wing in this country: The exception. The exceptional exception, the exception that proves the rule or disproves the rule, as the case may be. So I'm expecting that in the future, we'll hear from the right wing the claim that no cities drowned under the Bush administration--except for New Orleans. And that there were no wars that were started by mistake under the Bush administration--except for the war in Iraq. And that the Bush administration added nothing to the Federal debt--except for $4.5 trillion, which works out to $15,000 for every man, woman, and child in this country. And that they respected all of our constitutional rights as Americans--except when they didn't. I think that we'll hear the Republicans claim that the Bush administration managed the economy quite well--except when they brought it to the brink of national bankruptcy. In fact, they'll claim that the Bush-Cheney administration was a complete success--except for the fact that it was an abject failure. In fact, what we learned in watching them for 8 years is that the reason why the Republicans hate government so much is because they're so bad at it. There are those people among us who lived through that terrible time and will look back on it, and they'll say that they'll vote for anybody on the ballot, absolutely anybody on the ballot with one exception, except if that person happens to be Republican.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, in some respects the policy regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan comes down to the subject of leadership. And as I have said, leadership is sometimes simply a question of looking into the future, seeing what's inevitable, and doing what you need to do to make the future come faster. I think that's true in both the case of Iraq and the case of Afghanistan. In the case of the Israelites in Egypt, Moses did not say to the pharaoh, Would you please let my people go starting 2 or 3 years from now? Instead what he said is ``Let my people go'' now. We all know that sooner or later our troops will be withdrawn from Iraq. They will be withdrawn from Afghanistan. So the question is why not now? Now, if you ask that question to the other side, the people who want to perpetuate these wars, the answer is always the same in one form or another. That answer is, something bad is going to happen. But what that really means when you get down to it is that something bad might happen. Nobody knows for sure what might happen. They're speculating that something bad might happen. But you can be sure that if the war is perpetuated, something bad will happen. And that is the loss of American lives, the loss of foreign lives, the loss of our national treasure. In the case of Iraq, $3 trillion already and the amount grows every day. This in a country like ours with a total net worth accumulated over more than two centuries of $50 trillion. We have taken 6 percent of what our great grandparents and our grandparents and our parents produced and left to us and everything that we've toiled to produce over the course of our lives and everything that our children have produced. We have taken 6 percent of all of that and dumped it into the sands of Mesopotamia and lost 4,000 American lives and countless Iraqi lives to boot. Now, this is what happened because we entered into this war, because we continue this war, because the war continues to this day. We have an enemy in this war. The enemy is called al Qaeda; al Qaeda in Iraq, al Qaeda in Pakistan, wherever they might be, but that's the name they go by. But ask yourself, what could they have possibly done to inflict that on us? What could al Qaeda have done to make us lose $3 trillion, 4,000 American lives, countless lives of other people? What could they have possibly done? They would have literally had to vaporize New England in order to inflict the same amount of economic damage on us to destroy 6 percent of our economy. It simply wasn't possible. It isn't possible. It never was possible. And that's why the war was such a mistake to begin with. It was born in sin, it lives in sin, and in the end it will die in sin. It never should have started, and it never should be perpetuated because every day the war continues. Every single day is another day that we risk American lives, on many occasions we lose American lives, other people die, and again our national treasure is dissipated until in the end it will be gone. As Senator Kerry once asked, famously, ``How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam?'' That's a good question. How do we ask a man today to be the last man to die in Afghanistan? How do we ask an American soldier today to be the last American soldier to die in Iraq? There is no good answer to that question. There's no good answer to why we continue to perpetuate these wars knowing full well that they will end. And they'll end only one way. Paul Simon once had a song called ``50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.'' There actually are 50 Ways or more to start a war. That much is true. Once the Europeans fought a war because a pirate cut off a man's ear, the War of Jenkin's Ear, and that plunged two different nations into war for years. At another time a murder was committed. A man was shot, one man, only one man. He happened to be Archduke Ferdinand, and an entire continent was plunged into war. That was the origin of World War I. There are all sorts of ways to begin a war. There are all sorts of ways to perpetuate a war. The Hundred Years' War in Europe was fought for more than a hundred years, left two different countries, both England and France, absolutely penniless, as many wars often do, for the simple reason that it takes an awful lot of effort to build a school, almost no effort at all to blow it up. And the same thing is true of anything that you can create. So wars destroy, and very often they destroy the countries engaged in them. In the case of America, when America starts a war, when America is involved in a war, we are so strong, we are so powerful that the only way to end a war is for us to end it. There is only one way to end the war that America is involved in, and that is for us to decide as a country enough is enough, we're done. We spend more on our defense than all other countries combined, and the result of that is that these decisions are made by us, often by the people in this room, often by the President. And it's up to us to decide when enough is enough, when enough people have died, when enough money has been lost, when the price in both blood and money is simply too high. I submit that we've reached that point in Iraq a long time ago. We reached that point in Afghanistan a long time ago. In the case of Afghanistan, within 2 months after 9/11, we had expelled the Taliban Government from the capital. Within 3 months we had expelled al Qaeda from the country, and our enemies were no longer even in Afghanistan at that point. They were in Pakistan and they remain there today. It's not a secret. Everybody knows it. So the result of that is within 2 months or 3 months after 9/11, we had won our victory in Afghanistan, and at some later point even in Iraq I seem to remember our President standing on an aircraft carrier and behind him the giant sign ``Mission Accomplished.'' Yet both these wars go on and on and on for one reason, one reason only: It's because we Americans decide to perpetuate them. And we do so out of fear, out of the sense that something bad might happen, without realizing that something bad happens every single day that we are at war. So there may be 50 ways to start a war, but there's only one way to end it, and that's for us to end it and hopefully not too much longer from now. I think the President missed an opportunity. He took office with a great deal of goodwill on the part of not only my party, the Democratic Party, but also on the part of good people all around America who simply want better lives for themselves. Let's not squander that opportunity. We all deserve a direction that we regard as the right direction. There are too many people in this country even today who think we're going in the wrong direction. In Iraq the wrong direction is simply the same direction. The same thing is true in Afghanistan. The wrong direction is the same direction. We voted for change. We deserve change. That's just as true with these foreign wars as it is with anything else. We know that at some point in the future these wars will be over. And with regard to what the situation will be then, we will know that George Bush started these wars and I sincerely do hope, I sincerely do hope, that Barack Obama will end them, if not right now then as soon as possible. Then at that point the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley will tell us what the circumstances are at that point, and I yield to Percy Bysshe Shelley for a moment or two. He described those circumstances in the poem ``Ozymandias.'' This is what those circumstances will be like when these wars are over: ``I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed. And on the pedestal these words appear: `My name is George W. Bush, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far away.'' The lone and level sands will stretch far away when these wars are over, these monuments to the mistakes of our previous President. But in the end that's what it will be, simply a statue in the desert, pointless, endless, bare. With regard to the issue of health care, we are now waiting for the Senate to act, this House having acted quite a while ago now. And I have to wonder why. Why are we waiting so long? What facts are different today on this day in December than were any different in November, or any different in October, any different in September, August, July? What can we do today that we could not have done then? I think the sad fact is, nothing. Nothing has really changed. The fundamental facts are the same. Americans are still denied care every single day on the basis of preexisting conditions, on the basis of reaching lifetime caps. There are still millions upon millions of Americans who have no health care coverage. There's a million, who, every year, go bankrupt because of that. And there are thousands upon thousands who die every single month for the simple reason that they have no health care coverage. That's been true, not only for this month, not only for last month, but for year upon year. And we Democrats in the House of Representatives, we took it upon ourselves, with the political capital that you, the American people had given to us, we took it upon ourselves to make that our priority once we had done what we could to steady the shaken economy. We delivered. We did what we needed to do. And we have waited and waited and waited for the Senate to do what it needs to do. I pointed out here on this pedestal several weeks ago that the cost of delay is death. People die every single day, 121 of them, 122, every single day because they have no health care coverage in America. And I pointed out that there are people here in this Chamber who are dead set against health care reform, even at the cost of the lives of their own constituents. I gave their names. I gave their numbers for how many people would die in each of their districts on account of our not passing health care reform. Now I think it's time to do the same for the obstructionists in the Senate, those people who think that health care reform doesn't serve their own purposes, and they are, therefore, willing to deny it to their own constituents. This is not a case of one State opting out. This is a case of Senators, en masse, deciding, one by one, that there will be no health care reform, not just for their States, but for all America. And so what I've done is I've created another list. This is a list of States and a list of those who die in that State, one by one, on account of there being no health care coverage, not once, but year after year after year. And now I propose to provide that list to you all. You'll be able to see it at our Web site later on today. In the State of Alabama, the number is 541 deaths each year. In the State of Alaska, 124 deaths each year. In the State of Arizona, 1,185 deaths each year. In the State of Connecticut, 326 deaths each year. In my State of Florida, an astounding 3,542 deaths each year. In Georgia, 1,640 deaths each year. In Idaho, 217 deaths each year. In Indiana, 727 deaths each year. In Iowa, 272. In Kansas, 329. In Kentucky, 609. In Louisiana, 800. In the State of Maine, 123 deaths each year. In Mississippi, 518 deaths. In Missouri, 714 deaths. In Nebraska, 216 deaths. In Nevada, 450 deaths. In New Hampshire, 132 deaths. In North Carolina, 1,424 deaths. In Ohio, 1,279 deaths. In Oklahoma, 550 deaths. In South Carolina, 693 deaths. In South Dakota, 88 deaths. In Tennessee, 883 deaths. In the State of Texas, 5,857 deaths each year for lack of health coverage. In Utah, 342 deaths. In Wyoming, 69 deaths. And on it goes. And for those Senators who have shown some reluctance or some lack of interest in health care reform, I'm going to provide your names right now to go with your States. In Alabama, I'm talking about Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby; in Alaska, Lisa Murkowski; in Arizona, Jon Kyl and John McCain; in Connecticut, Joseph Lieberman; in Florida, George LeMieux; in Georgia, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson; in Idaho, Mike Crapo and James Risch; in Indiana, Dick Lugar; in Iowa, Chuck Grassley; in Kansas, Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts; in Kentucky, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell; in Louisiana, David Vitter; in Maine, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe; in Mississippi, Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker; in Missouri, Christopher Bond; in Nebraska, Mike Johanns and Ben Nelson; in Nevada, John Ensign; in New Hampshire, Judd Gregg; in North Carolina, Richard Burr; in Ohio, George Voinovich; in Oklahoma, Tom Coburn and James Inhofe; in South Carolina, Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham; in South Dakota, John Thune; in Tennessee, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker; in Texas, John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison; in Utah, Robert Bennett and Orrin Hatch; and in Wyoming, John Barrasso and Michael Enzi. Please remember these names. These are the people who have stalled health care in this country. These are the people who have watched when, day after day, month after month, people go broke, people remain sick and people even die because they have no health care in this country. And I want to assure each one of you who has done anything to obstruct health care reform in this country that people will remember. Maybe not the people who die, but the people who love them, the people whose names I read day after day at our Web site, NamesOfTheDead.com, and the people whose stories I told day after day. These are people who are gone, but the names, the list grows every single day until we solve this problem. And then, in the end, when we do solve this problem--and it's inevitable. Every other industrial country in the entire world has health insurance for everyone. When we do join the ranks of those countries, people are going to remember who made that happen and show kindness and love to them. People are going to remember who blocked it, and they'll show undying hatred. People are going to remember. And you'll remember, too. You'll remember that when the time came for you to do something for your fellow man, to stop the suffering, to stop the hurt, to stop the pain and to stop the dying, you did nothing, or you didn't do enough. You're going to remember that, and you're going to know that blood is on your hands. May God have mercy on your soul. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 969 and 970, I would have voted ``yes.'' I was absent because I joined a congressional delegation inspecting military facilities in Iraq, which did not return until the following morning. Hence, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I invite you and everyone within the sound of my voice tonight--all Americans--to reach into your pockets. Take out a dollar bill. Turn it around. On the back, you will see the Great Seal of the United States. Our Founding Fathers had very few ways to communicate with us. They lived before the time of television. They lived before the time of radio. They lived before the time of photography, so they communicate to us through the Constitution. They communicate to us through the Declaration of Independence, through the Federalist Papers, through letters that they wrote, and only one image--and that image is this image--the image on our dollar bill, the image of the Great Seal of the United States. I invite you to take a close look at it. I have one right here. The one in my pocket is in black and white--or green and white, if you will. The one here is in color. Take a look at it, and you will see the American eagle. You will see that the American eagle is holding arrows on the right, in its claw, and an olive branch on the left. This had deep symbolism to our Founding Fathers. This seal was adopted before the Constitution, itself, was ratified. The gentleman who had to explain and to support the adoption of this symbol as our country's Great Seal said that he had the eagle holding arrows and an olive branch to symbolize war and peace. Specifically, what he said was, with regard to that olive branch, he wanted to illustrate the power of peace. He said, ``the power of peace,'' which is not a phrase we hear very often. We hear a great deal of the power of war, but we don't hear much about the power of peace. You will note that the eagle is not looking toward the arrows. That eagle is looking toward the olive branch. The reason the American eagle was placed by our Founding Fathers with an eye on that olive branch was that they always wanted America to be looking for peace. I'm sad to say that we have forgotten that, this message from our Founding Fathers from over 200 years ago. We've forgotten that, but it's still here in our pockets today and on our dollar bill to remind us that the Founding Fathers wanted us to be looking not for war but for peace. What is that power that peace has? The power that peace has is the power to educate your children, the power to maintain your own health and the health of other citizens, and the power to build roads, hospitals, and bridges. The power of war is the power to destroy all of that. That is why our Founding Fathers warned us against foreign entanglements and why our Founding Fathers reminded us in the Great Seal to be looking all the time to peace and not to war. The things that we do now for the past 8 years are things that are unprecedented anywhere else in the world. The English stopped occupying other countries in the fifties, half a century ago. The French stopped doing it in the sixties. The Portuguese stopped doing it in the seventies. The Soviet Union stopped doing it in the nineties, too late to save the Soviet Union. And to a large degree the destruction of the Soviet Union came from a disrespect for the power of peace and a worship of the power of war. Let's hope that we recognize that mistake and let's hope that we don't repeat it in Iraq and in Afghanistan, wherever the next war might be. In Washington, D.C., you hear much discussion of leadership. Everyone wants to claim that mantle. I'm a leader, he's a leader, she's a leader. Everybody claims to be a leader. Well, there is a kind of leadership that we need right now very badly, and that is the leadership that looks just a little bit ahead into the future, recognizes what's inevitable and tries to make it come sooner. I have no doubt in my mind that one day the war in Afghanistan will be over. I have no doubt in my mind that one day the war in Iraq will be over. The question is, when? We are the strongest country on earth, the strongest country that the earth has ever seen. We end a war when we decide to end a war, and I submit to you that that time has come. There is no force on earth that will make us end the war. We have to do it now. We have to fight for the power of peace.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in favor of peace. I am joined in that by nearly 100,000 people who have signed a petition urging Congress to stop the escalation of the war in Afghanistan. This is the petition from the group Rethink Afghanistan. President Obama has decided to send more than 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan at a cost of more than $100 billion a year, but America cannot afford a war that does not make us safer; and Congress has the power to stop that escalation. Vote ``no'' on any spending bill that would send more troops to Afghanistan. I agree with that petition. It took only about 1,000 Special Forces troops to overthrow the Taliban in 2001. Why would we need 100 times that many to keep them out now? This occupation is an 18th-century strategy against a 14th-century enemy. We have done enough to help and secure the Pashtuns, the Tajiks and the Hazara. It's about time we start to think of ourselves. Instead of spending billions on the war, we need to spend it on America. End the war now.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, as we await the President's speech regarding Afghanistan, there's a point that I wanted to make; and as is so often the case, that point is better made by somebody else. So I yield to Chinese General Sun Tzu, who wrote the following words 2,500 years ago: ``In war victory should be swift. ``If victory is slow, men tire, morale sags. Sieges exhaust strength; protracted campaigns strain the public treasury. ``If men are tired, morale low, strength exhausted, treasure spent, then the feudal lords will exploit the disarray and attack. This even the wisest will be powerless to mend. ``I have heard that in war, haste can be folly. But never have I seen a delay that was wise. ``No nation has ever benefited from a protracted war.'' Mr. Speaker, that was true 2,500 years ago, and it's true today. We do not benefit from the protracted war in Afghanistan.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. We now return to our regularly scheduled program. The efforts to keep me from doing what I'm doing here have failed, and now I'm going to continue. So, for those of you who are joining, let me explain what is happening here. The American Journal of Public Health published a study a month ago, identifying the fact that 44,789 Americans die each year from not having health insurance. If you have two identical Americans, one of whom has health insurance, one of whom doesn't--we're talking about people who are the same age, the same gender, the same race, with the same smoking habits, the same weight--the one who does not have health insurance is 40 percent more likely to die. We also have statistics from the Urban Institute, identifying how many uninsured people there are in each district, and we all know that the Republicans have promised to vote against the Democrats' health care bill. So what we're doing here tonight is the remarkably simple exercise of A times B equals C--A times B equals C--and identifying for each Republican district what that actually means. When I was interrupted before, I had just said the following: Ohio District 12, Congressman Patrick Tiberi, 66 dead. Now I'm going to continue until the end. Ohio District 14, Congressman Steve LaTourette, 58 dead. Ohio District 1, Congressman John Sullivan, 125 dead. Oklahoma District 3, Congressman Frank Lucas, 128 dead. Oklahoma District 4, Congressman Tom Cole, 121 dead. Oklahoma District 5, Congressman Mary Fallin, 155 dead. Oregon District 2, Congressman Greg Walden, 150 dead. Pennsylvania District 5, Congressman Glenn Thompson, 64 dead. Pennsylvania District 6, Congressman Jim Gerlach, 49 dead. Pennsylvania District 9, Congressman Bill Shuster, 83 dead. Pennsylvania District 15, Congressman Charles Dent, 54 dead. Pennsylvania District 16, Congressman Joseph Pitts, 77 dead. Pennsylvania District 18, Congressman Tim Murphy, 40 dead. Pennsylvania District 19, Congressman Todd Platts, 51 dead. South Carolina District 1, Congressman Henry Brown, 157 dead. South Carolina District 2, Congressman Joe Wilson, 118 dead. South Carolina District 3, Congressman Gresham Barrett, 112 dead. South Carolina District 4, Congressman Bob Inglis, 133 dead. Tennessee District 1, Congressman David Roe, 110 dead. Tennessee District 2, Congressman John Duncan, 85 dead. Tennessee District 3, Congressman Zach Wamp, 94 dead. Tennessee District 7, Congressman Marsha Blackburn, 71 dead. Texas District 1, Congressman Louie Gohmert, 155 dead. Texas District 2, Congressman Ted Poe, 126 dead. Texas District 3, Congressman Sam Johnson, 144 dead. Texas District 4, Congressman Ralph Hall, 134 dead. Texas District 5, Congressman Jeb Hensarling, 151 dead. Texas District 6, Congressman Joe Barton, 136 dead. Texas District 7, Congressman John Culberson, 103 dead. Texas District 8, Congressman Kevin Brady, 132 dead. Texas District 10, Congressman Mike McCaul, 127 dead. Texas District 11, Congressman Michael Conaway, 164 dead. Texas District 12, Congressman Kay Granger, 156 dead. Texas District 13, Congressman Mac Thornberry, 144 dead. Texas District 14, Congressman Ron Paul, 146 dead. Texas District 19, Congressman Randy Neugebauer, 132 dead. Texas District 21, Congressman Lamar Smith, 119 dead. Texas District 22, Congressman Pete Olson, 150 dead. Texas District 24, Congressman Kenny Marchant, 138 dead. Texas District 26, Congressman Michael Burgess, 162 dead. Texas District 31, Congressman John Carter, 124 dead. Texas District 32, Congressman Pete Sessions, 209 dead. Utah District 1, Congressman Rob Bishop, 128 dead. Utah District 3, Congressman Jason Chaffetz, 154 dead. Virginia District 1, Congressman Robert Wittman, 68 dead. Virginia District 4, Congressman Randy Forbes, 93 dead. Virginia District 6, Congressman Bob Goodlatte, 99 dead. Virginia District 7, Congressman Eric Cantor, 76 dead. Virginia District 10, Congressman Frank Wolf, 81 dead. Washington District 4, Congressman Doc Hastings, 152 dead. Washington District 5, Congressman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, 88 dead. Washington District 8, Congressman David Reichert, 69 dead. West Virginia District 2, Congressman Shelley Moore Capito, 102 dead. Wisconsin District 1, Congressman Paul Ryan, 64 dead. Wisconsin District 5, Congressman James Sensenbrenner, 38 dead. Wisconsin District 6, Congressman Thomas Petri, 52 dead. And Wyoming, Congressman Cynthia Lummis, 73 dead. Our constituents sent us here to do good things for them. Our constituents sent us here--some with high expectations, some not so high--but is it really asking too much of us that we keep people alive? We know, according to this Harvard study, that if we do nothing these people will die. Is it really asking so much of us to cast our vote to save these people? For those of us who favor health care, we realize literally the life we save may be our own. Every one of us can lose his job. Every one of us can lose his health. Every one of us can have a preexisting condition. Every one of us can be denied care. Every one of us can die. Is it really asking so much that we solve this problem for America once and for all? Honestly, for those of us who care about these things, this is what we have in mind: if we fail, if we fail to save these lives in America, then may God have mercy on our souls. It is important to recognize that this is not a statistic. This is much more than that. These are friends. These are neighbors. These are mothers and fathers. These are sisters and brothers. These are daughters and sons. This is us. These are the people who are losing their lives today because we haven't acted yet. At our Web site, this Web site here, NamesoftheDead.com, we've invited these people to be more than statistics. We've invited these people to tell their stories to us, to America, to have America tell America what's going on. Just as I did last week, I'm going to do it again this week, take the remainder of my time tonight and yield my time to you, yield my time to America and understand the simple eloquence of people suffering. So for the rest of my time tonight, you will not be hearing from me. You will be hearing from you and listening to what you have to say about real people--people who are loved, who lost their lives because they had no health care. Let's begin. Erika Herd wrote to us about Susan Olivas in Denver, Colorado, who was 45 years old when she died: My sister worked for a small business that did not offer health care benefits and barely paid minimum wage. She started having some health issues, including what she thought were hemorrhoids. She simply couldn't afford to see a doctor for what she thought was an over-the- counter condition. She waited for a full year before they became really bad. Susan was diagnosed with anal cancer. I can't help but believe, had she had insurance, she never would have delayed treatment. She died on November 7, 2004. This is from the Web site NamesoftheDead.com--true stories about true people who lost their lives because they had no health care in our country in America. Now let's listen to Carroll Chaney about Mark Wayne Chaney of England, Arkansas, who was 46 years old when he died: My brother began to have stomach pain, but he had no insurance. He even confided to me that he was afraid he had cancer. We had a grandfather, and three of his brothers had all passed away from cancer. It all began as pancreatic cancer for each one of them, and of course, it ended up all over their body. By the time my brother was finally diagnosed, it was in his liver, and he was told by oncologists here in Little Rock and at the MD Anderson Cancer Clinic in Houston there was nothing they could do. They told him to make peace with God, and go home and die, which he did 6 months later at the age of 46--10 years ago, 2 days after Thanksgiving--leaving a young daughter and son and grieving family members, including a dad who still mows his grave site twice a week. I'm his brother, Carroll Chaney. Angelique Louis wrote to us at the Web site, NamesoftheDead.com, and wrote to us about Bernadine Oakley, aged 60, of Des Moines, Iowa: She died of an aneurysm. She once had breast cancer and ovarian cancer. She was so concerned with the cost of it that she was fearful for the return of the cancer. She couldn't afford medicine for her high blood pressure, and it finally caught up with her. My mother's funeral was a standing-room only event. She had for over 20 years instructed a preschool class and assisted many within our community. Her life left this Earth too soon. Now let's hear from Barbara Brown writing to us about Pat Dapolito of Medford, Massachusetts. My brother was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 57. He was self-employed and he didn't have health insurance. Surgery was recommended, and at one point he was asked directly by the surgeon, how do you plan on paying for this surgery? Of course, he couldn't pay for it himself. As a result, he died 6 months later. Now let's hear from Leslie Walsh writing about William Walsh, age 62, of San Diego, California. My ex-husband died of bladder cancer because he lived in fear of running up preventible medical expenses due to lack of insurance coverage. His cancer was far advanced by the time he was forced to seek help from the City of Hope. With simple well-person exams, his cancer could have been discovered much earlier on and could have been treated and he would be alive and living with me and my husband today. Now let's hear from Winifred Haun concerning Declan Haun, 56 years old, right here in Washington, D.C. My father died of throat cancer on March 7th, 1994. He had been suffering from a sore throat for nearly a year, but being a freelance photo journalist and a small business owner, he could not afford to go to the doctor. By the time he went to the doctor, the pain had become so bad that he couldn't eat. He couldn't eat. He had stage four terminal throat cancer. He was treated at the NIH in Washington, but there was very little they could do to even try to save him. If he had gone to the doctor sooner, there is a good chance he might still with be with us today. Let's hear from Tracy Sykes about Terri-Lynn Sykes of Wilmington, North Carolina, who wrote to us at this website, namesofthedead.com. She wrote as follows: My sister could only afford to keep her diabetic son insured, not herself. She had to choose between her son and herself. Her cancer was not diagnosed until it was stage four. She died after fighting it for 2\1/2\ years. Her son is alive today. He is 10 years old. He lost his mother. Let's hear now from Sam Downey about Megan Ratzow of Portland, Oregon. Megan didn't have health insurance so she didn't go to a doctor until it was too late. She finally went to the emergency room and she died in the hospital a week later. None of us really knew she was even sick. If she had had health care, she would have been able to get the treatment she needed before her cancer was so far along that it couldn't be treated. Megan was a very good person. The world could have used her spirit for a few more years. Now let's hear from Ellesia Blaque concerning Michelle Dennis of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Michelle Davis, nicknamed Mickey, was not my relative, but she was the sister of my best friend and the love of my life, Tony Dennis. She died because she did not have health care. By the time she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she was terminal. She was diagnosed in May 2001 and died that August. Not only did I lose Mickey, but I also lost Tony, who in his grief committed suicide the day after Mickey passed away. I lost two friends because there was no health care for Mickey to receive timely diagnosis and treatment. Now let's hear from Elaine Gill, who wrote to us at the website namesofthedead.com, this website, concerning Donald Ray Yost. My brother endured months of pain, putting off going to the doctor because of concerns with how much it would cost. When the pain became so severe that it was intolerable, he made a doctor's appointment. After X-rays were taken and tests were run, the doctor delivered a grim diagnosis: Cancer, spread through his whole body and bones. My brother refused treatment because he knew the costs would drain his family of any savings and they would lose their home. To prevent his wife and two daughters from having their financial security and their home taken away, my brother chose not to undergo the medical treatment he would need to give him a fighting chance to live. He said he would not bankrupt his family in order to undergo the expense of long-term treatment. He died less than 6 months later, on May 6th, 2007. Now let's hear from Jessica Falker of Vermont, who wrote to us about her Aunt Anita. My aunt had no health insurance and couldn't afford the test to find out what was wrong with her. By the time she finally could afford to get tested, she had stage 4 cancer. She died only 3 months later. I am sure Jessica misses her aunt. Let's hear now from Robert Burns about Jay Holman of Gouldsboro, Maine. Jay never saw a doctor because he had no health insurance. For 3 years he lived with health issues until he became seriously ill. It turned out to be cancer and it spread through his body. He had stage four cancer when he was hospitalized, and 6 weeks later he passed away. A sad ending, yes, a very sad ending, for a business owner, an Eagle Scout, a Merchant Marine and a fine human being. Now let's hear from Jennifer Lawrence, who wrote to us about Guy Lawrence in Dubuque, Iowa, at this website, namesofthedead.com. My father worked four jobs a day to keep my family fed and housed and clothed. None of them provided him with insurance. One day he caught a cold. Two days later it turned into pneumonia. He didn't go to the hospital because he didn't have the money to pay for a visit to the emergency room. He was sure it would go away. Instead, it killed my father. Let's hear now from Erin Norton concerning Neil Norton of Joseph City, Arizona. My father had his first heart attack on his 46th birthday and he survived. He was afraid to go to the hospital because of the cost and the humiliation of being uninsured. After the emergency had passed, he couldn't go to the doctor because he didn't have enough money to pay up front. Two days after his birthday, he had another heart attack, and this time he died in the back of an ambulance, still not sure whether he should even be trying to seek medical care because of what it would cost. My mother became uninsured recently after her job fired her because she needed surgery. She is 56 years old. She is $17,000 in debt from her surgery and hoping like hell not to get sick again. She is now an uninsured nurse, no less. I am scared of history repeating itself. I hope I don't have to come back to this web page. I hope Congress doesn't let me become a health insurance orphan. This is Lilieth Taylor writing to us at the website namesofthedead.com concerning Robert Taylor of East Orange, New Jersey, who died at the age of 63. My brother was one of the working poor. He could not afford health insurance. He had several chronic illnesses. He could not afford his medication or the necessary doctor's visit. His health care provider was the emergency room. He died on April 28th, 2009. I know my brother would be alive today if we had a public option. Now let's hear from Lenny Fairchild, who wrote to us at namesofthedead.com concerning Judi Martin of Boothbay Harbor in Maine. My sister's husband died of a staph infection 2 years prior to her death. In her grief, she sold her home and moved to Maine to be near us. She lost her health insurance and could not afford to purchase any. She lived on only her widow's Social Security benefit. She was not old enough for Medicare. Progressive pain finally took hold and she went to the emergency room in September of 2005. A CAT scan revealed that she had pancreatic cancer, massive pancreatic cancer. In less than 2 weeks, she was dead. I don't know how she withstood the pain. Now we hear about Scott Shantz of DeBary, Florida, who died at the age of 47. Scott was feeling terrible, but he wouldn't go to the hospital because he didn't have insurance. His wife even drove him to the emergency room, but he wouldn't go in because he couldn't afford it. And a week later he was dead. It turned out that he had a lung clot, something which is treatable. If he had only had insurance. Let's hear now from Randy Krzesinski concerning Mary Hill of Tarboro, North Carolina. Randy wrote to us at the website namesofthedead.com, this website here. Mary Hill was my beloved sister. At age 56 she died of a sudden cardiac arrest on October 1st, 2009. Because Mary worked part-time, she couldn't find full-time work, she did not receive health care benefits. Mary had previously been diagnosed with high blood pressure. When she died, her doctor called me to inform me that Mary didn't always take her blood pressure medication because she couldn't afford it. And Mary was too proud to tell any of us in her family about this sad secret, that she couldn't afford her medication, and it cost her her life. I shall grieve for her and I shall grieve about this for a long time. Thank you for letting me tell Mary's story. Now let's hear from Donna Startz concerning ``EZ'' Govella of Corpus Christi, Texas, who died at the age of 40. Forty. EZ knew there was a problem, but his new insurance wouldn't kick in for a couple of months, so he waited to go to the doctor. When he finally went, it was discovered that he had a virulent form of testicular cancer, one where days make a difference between life and death. He fought the cancer for 2 years, but he lost his battle just days after his 40th birthday, leaving behind a wife, a 7-year-old daughter, and a mountain of debt. A mountain of debt. Let's hear now from Stephen Marban concerning Tomas Bimmerle of New Orleans, Louisiana, who passed away at the age of 58. My brother-in-law, Tom, died over Christmas of 2008 of lung cysts because he did not have health insurance. He survived as long as he did because of the heroic efforts of Charity Hospital in New Orleans where he lived. Tom was a very talented carpenter who worked tirelessly for Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans for years, building many houses, at times single-handedly. But since Habitat for Humanity does not offer employment or health benefits, except for one or two administrators in each city, and Tom's income outside of Habitat was minimal, he lived uninsured for years and died early as a result at age 58. Steve Ekhome wrote to us concerning Gib Martin of Iowa City, Iowa, who passed away at the age of 37. He wrote to us at the website names of the death dot.com. Gib was a healthy 37-year-old who was 3 months into a new job, but unfortunately his health insurance didn't kick in until he had been employed there for 6 months. He never made it. He came down with a cold and then flu, and then he seemed very sick. His mother called us to plead with him to go to the emergency room. He refused because of what it cost. Because of what it cost. His mother found him dead of pneumonia the next morning. Let's hear from Caitlin Howarth regarding Bob Stimpson of Providence, Rhode Island, who died at the age of 56: Caitlin writes: Bob Stimpson was my uncle. Just over a month ago, he died of cancer. He'd been getting sicker, but he never went to a doctor because he didn't have health insurance. He was a small business owner. He ran his own restaurant in Providence. He had a teenage son and a wife. He did the best to take care of them and to take care of his own employees. But it wasn't enough to keep himself alive. And now let's hear from Rebecca Nourse concerning Buz Nourse of Stuart, Florida, who died at the age of 48: My father was on expensive medications for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He had no insurance and was not eligible for any programs that would have paid for his medication or reduced their cost. For a time, he borrowed money from relatives to buy his medicine that he needed to keep himself alive. But eventually he decided that if he could not afford the medications on his own, he would do without them. He died of his first heart attack at the age of 48. Cynthia Lovell wrote to us to tell us about her Uncle Abe of Altoona, Pennsylvania, who died at the age of 64. She wrote: My uncle Abe worked as a self-employed plumber. Some years he could afford insurance, some years he couldn't. He came down with congestive heart failure, and he couldn't afford the insurance. He kept waiting to see a doctor until he turned 65 so that he would have Medicare. He waited and he hoped. Finally, he got so sick that my other two uncles went and got him. They intended to take him to the emergency room and to pay his bill for him. Both are retired and they're on fixed incomes, but their baby brother was so sick and they were so scared that they figured they would come up with some way to pay his hospital bills. However, my Uncle Abe died in the emergency room, waiting, trying to get to 65. Yvonne Hebert wrote to us about Frances Dawson of Long Beach, California. This is what she wrote: Fran was an RN. She was overweight. She was unable to get health insurance. She was well aware of the need for insurance and had been insured until she and her husband were divorced. She had two teenage children she was trying to raise. Fran became short of breath and went to the emergency room in Long Beach. They explained they couldn't care for her without insurance there, and she went to the Martin Luther King Hospital where people without insurance were being sent for care. Martin Luther King was, and always is, overwhelmed with uninsured people. Fran died there in the emergency room after many hours waiting for care. I could go on and on and on. We have received hundreds upon hundreds of stories just like these. And I will tell you, you would have to have a hard, hard heart to ignore them. Now is our chance to do something about it. Now is our chance to see to it that everyone in America can see a doctor if he or she needs to; that everyone in America has affordable, comprehensive, and, most important of all, universal health care. I'm calling not only upon the Republicans but also the Democrats to ask them to think about why they are here. We are at the decision point. We'll be voting on this bill this week, and the choice is up to us. We can save these people or we can let them die. I vote for life.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, our President, often pardoned people who had been convicted of treason. You may wonder why he did that. The answer is he saw death all around him in the Civil War, and he wanted to make sure he did nothing to add to it, so he pardoned people who had been found guilty of the most grievous crime one could commit in this country simply because he loved life. In the same way, I would like to think whether I leave here after 2 years or 20 years, that there will be no blood on my hands. That is why I am against the war in Iraq, that is why I am against the war in Afghanistan, and that is why I am so much in favor of health care reform that saves lives in America. We had a different kind of President for 8 years recently, and we had a different kind of administration, an administration that was willing to bear any degree of suffering and pain as long as it was somebody else's. If you were homeless, it was your fault; if you were jobless, it was your fault; and if you died because you had no health insurance, that was your fault. Now that administration is out of power. We, the American people, removed them because they abused it. But they have left behind in the House and in the Senate people who feel much the way that they did. Recently, a Harvard study published in a peer review journal, the American Journal of Public Health, announced that 44,789 Americans die every single year because they have no health insurance. In America today, if you find two people who are physically identical, same race, same age, same gender, same smoking habits, same weight, if you find two people who are physically identical, and one of them has insurance and the other one does not, then the one without insurance, that American who has the misfortune simply not to have health coverage, that American is 40 percent more likely to die. This bill that we are considering now to reform health care in America would end that. It covers 96 percent of all Americans. It ends this grievous national tragedy where, day after day, week after week, month after month, 122 of us die every single day because they have no health insurance. Now, I am sure that if we learned that al Qaeda was going to launch an attack on the United States and kill 44,789 Americans at any time next year, I am sure that we would do anything in our power to prevent that. I submit to you we should do the same about this. We should do exactly the same here, because we face the same threat. It is a less visible threat, it has gone on for generations, but it is a threat nevertheless. If you don't let people see the doctor, then a certain number of them are going to die. To bring this point home in the face of united opposition by that side of the aisle, what we have done is something very simple. The Urban Institute has published the number of uninsured people in each district, each congressional district in this country. The American Journal of Public Health has told us what percentage of those uninsured people will die next year because they have no health insurance. So what we have done is very simple. We have taken one number and the other number, and through the magic of multiplication, we know how many of those people will die, and I think it is time we called attention to that. So what we have done is for each Republican Member, since they are united in opposition to this bill, and apparently proud of it, for each Republican Member we have identified in each district the number of dead. They are as follows: Alabama District 1, Congressman Jo Bonner, 114 dead. Alabama District 3, Congressman Mike Rogers, 88 dead. Alabama District 4, Congressman Robert Aderholt, 114 dead. Alabama District 6, Congressman Spencer Bachus, 69 dead. Alaska, Congressman Don Young, 128 dead. Arizona, District 2, Congressman Trent Franks, 150 dead. Arizona District 3, Congressman John Shadegg, 132 dead. Arizona District 6, Congressman Jeff Flake, 140 dead. Arkansas District 3, Congressman John Boozman, 151 dead. California District 2, Congressman Wally Herger, 139 dead. California District 3, Congressman Daniel Lungren, 68 dead. California District 4, Congressman Tom McClintock, 77 dead. California District 19, Congressman George Radanovich, 124 dead. California District 21, Congressman Devin Nunes, 159 dead. California District 22, Congressman Kevin McCarthy, 110 dead. California District 24, Congressman Elton Gallegly, 75 dead. California District 25, Congressman Howard McKeon, 124 dead. California District 26, Congressman David Dreier, 85 dead. California District 40, Congressman Edward Royce, 125 dead. California District 41, Congressman Jerry Lewis, 144 dead. California District 42, Congressman Gary Miller, 74 dead. California District 44, Congressman Ken Calvert, 150 dead. California District 45, Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack, 181 dead. California District 46, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, 78 dead. California District 48, Congressman John Campbell, 74 dead. California District 49, Congressman Darrell Issa, 151 dead. California District 50, Congressman Brian Bilbray, 103 dead. California District 52, Congressman Duncan Hunter, 84 dead. Colorado District 5, Congressman Doug Lamborn, 107 dead. Colorado District 6, Congressman Mike Coffman, 69 dead. Delaware, Congressman Mike Castle, 90 dead. Florida District 1, Congressman Jeff Miller, 130 dead. Florida District 4, Congressman Ander Crenshaw, 116 dead. Florida District 5, Congressman Ginny Brown-Waite, 200 dead. Florida District 6, Congressman Cliff Stearns, 152 dead. Florida District 7, Congressman John Mica, 143 dead. Florida District 9, Congressman Gus Bilirakis, 129 dead. Florida District 10, Congressman Bill Young, 138 dead. Florida District 12, Congressman Adam Putnam, 133 dead. Florida District 13, Congressman Vern Buchanan, 160 dead. Florida District 14, Congressman Connie Mack, 159 dead. Florida District 15, Congressman Bill Posey, 152 dead. Florida District 16, Congressman Thomas Rooney, 165 dead. Florida District 18, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, 199 dead. Florida District 21, Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart, 195 dead. Florida District 25, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, 195 dead. Georgia District 1, Congressman Jack Kingston, 123 dead. Georgia District 3, Congressman Lynn Westmoreland, 102 dead. Georgia District 6, Congressman Tom Price, 100 dead. Georgia District 7, Congressman John Linder, 156 dead. Georgia District 9, Congressman Nathan Deal, 159 dead. Georgia District 10, Congressman Paul Broun, 120 dead. Georgia District 11, Congressman Phil Gingrey, 113 dead. Idaho District 2, Congressman Michael Simpson, 126 dead. Illinois District 6, Congressman Peter Roskam, 73 dead. Illinois District 10, Congressman Mark Kirk, 55 dead. Illinois District 13, Congresswoman Judy Biggert, 45 dead. Illinois District 15, Congressman Timothy Johnson, 67 dead. Illinois District 16, Congressman Donald Manzullo, 69 dead. Illinois District 18, Congressman Aaron Schock, 62 dead. Illinois District 19, Congressman John Shimkus, 67 dead. Indiana District 3, Congressman Mark Souder, 119 dead. Indiana District 4, Congressman Steve Buyer, 85 dead. Indiana District 5, Congressman Dan Burton, 73 dead. Indiana District 6, Congressman Mike Pence, 104 dead. Iowa District 4, Congressman Tom Latham, 54 dead. Iowa District 5, Congressman Steve King, 59 dead. Kansas District 1, Congressman Jerry Moran, 86 dead. Kansas District 2, Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins, 80 dead. Kansas District 4, Congressman Todd Tiahrt, 87 dead. Kentucky District 1, Congressman Ed Whitfield, 113 dead. Kentucky District 2, Brett Guthrie, 102 dead. Kentucky District 4, Geoff Davis, Congressman, 83 dead. Kentucky District 5, Congressman Harold Rogers, 130 dead. Louisiana District 1, Congressman Steve Scalise, 111 dead. Louisiana District 2, Congressman Joseph Cao, 98 dead. Louisiana District 4, Congressman John Fleming, 115 dead. Louisiana District 5, Congressman Rodney Alexander, 132 dead. Louisiana District 6, Congressman Bill Cassidy, 105 dead. Louisiana District 7, Congressman Charles Boustany, 112 dead. Maryland District 6, Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, 68 dead. Michigan District 2, Congressman Peter Hoekstra, 71 dead. Michigan District 3, Congressman Vernon Ehlers, 76 dead. Michigan District 4, Congressman David Camp, 83 dead. Michigan District 6, Congressman Fred Upton, 87 dead. Michigan District 8, Mike Rogers, Congressman, 63 dead. Michigan District 10, Candice Miller, Congresswoman, 64 dead. Michigan District 11, Congressman Thaddeus McCotter, 64 dead. Minnesota District 2, Congressman John Kline, 44 dead. Minnesota District 3, Congressman Erik Paulsen, 43 dead. Minnesota District 6, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, 50 dead. Mississippi District 3, Congressman Gregg Harper, 117 dead. Missouri District 2, Congressman Todd Akin, 48 dead. Missouri District 6, Congressman Sam Graves, 74 dead. Missouri District 7, Congressman Roy Blunt, 120 dead. Missouri District 8, Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, 110 dead. Missouri District 9, Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer, 78 dead. Montana, Congressman Denny Rehberg, 179 dead. Nebraska District 1, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, 61 dead. Nebraska District 2, Congressman Lee Terry, 68 dead. Nebraska District 3, Congressman Adrian Smith, 69 dead. Nevada District 2, Congressman Dean Heller, 172 dead. New Jersey District 2, Congressman Frank LoBiondo, 71 dead. New Jersey District 4, Congressman Chris Smith, 65 dead. New Jersey District 5, Congressman Scott Garrett, 52 dead. New Jersey District 7, Congressman Leonard Lance, 45 dead. New Jersey District 11, Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, 44 dead. New York District 3, Congressman Peter King, 42 dead. New York District 26, Congressman Christopher Lee, 40 dead. North Carolina District 3, Congressman Walter Jones, 100 dead. North Carolina District 5, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, 97 dead. North Carolina District 6, Congressman Howard Coble, 103 dead. North Carolina District 9, Congresswoman Sue Myrick, 82 dead. North Carolina District 10, Congressman Patrick McHenry, 101 dead. Ohio District 2, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, 69 dead. Ohio District 3, Congressman Michael Turner, 78 dead. Ohio District 4, Congressman Jim Jordan, 74 dead. Ohio District 5, Congressman Robert Latta, 59 dead. Ohio District 7, Congressman Steve Austria, 73 dead. Ohio District 8, Congressman John Boehner, 70 dead. Ohio District 12, Congressman Patrick Tiberi, 66 dead. Ohio District 14, Congressman Steven LaTourette, 58 dead. Oklahoma District 1, Congressman John Sullivan, 125 dead. Oklahoma District 3, Congressman Frank Lucas, 128 dead. Oklahoma District 4, Congressman Tom Cole, 121 dead. Oklahoma District 5, Congresswoman Mary Fallin, 155 dead.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I reserved some time tonight for myself, but what I am going to do is yield it to America. I am going to yield it to you. I am going to yield it to the people who sent us here. As Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address, ``The world will little note nor long remember what we say here.'' Sometimes I feel the same way. So I think it is time to give somebody else a chance. What I am going to do tonight is give a chance to the part of America that isn't often heard from, the people that have lost their jobs, the people who have lost their homes, and tonight the people who have lost their lives; the people who lost their lives because they had no health coverage, they had no health insurance, and so they died. There are 44,789 Americans who die every year for lack of health insurance. There are 122 who die every day. In the course of my speech tonight, there will be five more. I wish we would act quickly to end this national tragedy. So I am going to yield my time tonight to the people who wrote to us and told us the stories of ones they loved and lost at this Web site, NamesOfTheDead.com. Hundreds and hundreds of people have written since last week when we established this site, and they have told us stories about the people who they loved and lost because they had no health insurance. So let's begin. Stephen Martin wrote to us as follows concerning Thomas Martin of Santa Cruz, California. Steve wrote: ``Tom had a hernia, but also thought something else might be wrong with him down there. He had no insurance, so he kept putting off the hernia operation. After he finally did get the hernia operation, out of total necessity, he realized that indeed something else was going on. He had little money, so he put off having it looked into, until his bowels were totally blocked. It was a tumor. Colon cancer. He still didn't get treatment for months until he could get medical help from a government program. He died a year later. ``The biggest problem is all the delays that happen if someone doesn't have health insurance; not having the money, not knowing how to get help, hoping the problem isn't serious, and trying to ignore it until it is too late.'' This is the first of several real live stories we will be hearing tonight from the people who Jesse Jackson used to call the dispossessed, the despised and the dammed; the people who never get any help. The people who never get any help. All we can do for them now is simply remember them and honor them with these stories. David Clark wrote regarding Christopher Gordon Clark of Key West, Florida: ``My brother Christopher died of colon cancer. He lived with symptoms for years because he was poor and didn't see a doctor. He was an actor and worked low-paying retail and service jobs that never offered health insurance. By the time he was in too much pain to work and he went to the emergency room, it was too late. Tumors had grown too big and it spread throughout his body. Colon cancer is, of course, nearly 100 percent avoidable through early detection and polyp removal.'' But that never happened for Christopher Gordon Clark, dead at the age of 33. Lynn Long wrote to us about Jim Bowles at the Web site namesofthedead.com. She wrote as follows: ``Jim was a longtime friend and the best electrician around. He could fix anything. Most of the time he worked for small companies and repaired small appliances. The small firms never offered him health insurance. Jim was my neighbor. This time of year we would get out the lawn decorations, the fog machine and really do it up big for Halloween. But Jim died 2 years ago. By the time he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, it was too late and the cancer had spread. Had he had yearly checkups and screenings through regular health care, he would be here today. I miss Jim terribly and so does his daughter.'' Let's hear now from Sally York writing about Ricky Ramsey: ``Ricky was on his mother's health insurance until he turned 19, and because he was unable to find a job that offered insurance or one that he could afford to buy insurance, he went without. It was December, 5 years ago. He had been complaining of not feeling well for a few days. His mother finally told him to go to the hospital emergency. They said it was the flu and sent him home. It was Christmas Eve and he called his mom and said that he was so sick; he could not get out of bed. She went over to his apartment and took him again to the hospital emergency, and he died. They said it was from the complications of the flu. But Mother was not satisfied with that answer. After an autopsy, they discovered that he had one of the killer bacteria that is antibiotic resistant. Nineteen years old and dead because he was being shuffled in the system because he had no insurance. Let's hear now from Jane Alexander about Tim Crowder of Saint Charles, Missouri: ``Tim was our neighbor's son-in-law. He was having chest pains for a couple of months. He would not go to the doctor because he had no health insurance and could not pay out-of-pocket medical expenses. Tim died 2 days before his 49th birthday. We will never know for sure, but it's likely that Tim would have benefited from cardiocare. His death was preventable. He left two children and many family members and friends who grieve for him and his untimely death.'' Let's listen now to T.C. Smythe about Dale Dickerson, 42 years old, of Houston, Texas. Smythe writes: ``Dale was a full-time musician and part-time photographer. He died of a heart attack that was caused by arterial sclerosis at the age of 42. As a musician, he did not have access to health insurance or health care. I personally know more than a thousand musicians in Houston who have no health insurance because the cost just can't be paid for out of a tip jar. Musicians pay 100 percent of the retail price at the doctor's office, the emergency room, and the pharmacy because we do not make enough money for health insurance. There is no minimum wage for musicians, and none of us has the $300 a month necessary to get into the most basic plans available. America, our truly gifted songwriters deserve better.'' And, for sure, Dale Dickerson deserved to live. Let's hear now from Linda Kozloff regarding Lacretia Ann Crowe, 58 years old, Lyons, Colorado: ``My dear friend Lacretia found out in 2005 that she had `something' wrong with her. She originally thought that she had some type of stomach problems. Lacretia was independently employed and she had no health insurance. As she got sicker, she could no longer work, and she could not make her house payments. Because she had no insurance, no institution would take her seriously. They just bounced her back and forth from one office to another. She was then too sick to get a job that offered health insurance, even though it might have saved her. The computer I have here today has letter after letter saved, first pleading and then begging for someone to hire her so that she could get some health care. By the time she was nearly disabled by ovarian cancer, her fate became inevitable. She tried desperately at the end to get on some type of Medicare or Medicaid, but because she owned her house and several old vehicles, she could not qualify. As she suffered beyond imagination, she tried to sell everything off, her house and all her possessions, and ended up in hospice, where I witnessed her gradual overdose by morphine until she died. Her house was foreclosed and all her possessions were gone. She died on March 7, 2007, at 2:51 a.m.'' Let's hear now about Vicky Johnson from David Trotter: ``Vicky had been bleeding for 2 years. When I made a trip to see her, she told me she was afraid to go to the doctor because of the potential costs. By the time she was diagnosed, she had lung, brain, and ovarian cancer. She only lived about 3 months after that. To see the terror in her eyes as she dealt with this is something no civilized person could watch and then deny her the help she needed.'' David adds, ``I am ashamed of my country.'' Let's hear about Cindy Rhea from David Twiggs: ``Cindy was a custodian who worked for Southeastern Custodial Services in Knoxville, Tennessee. They had Knox County Government custodial contracts. I worked for the Election Commission in Knox County, and Cindy was assigned to our building. The contractor, nonunion, of course, did not provide insurance for its workers at Cindy's level. I know this because one of the employees who works in the HR department of this company was my daughter's best friend in high school. Cindy had a heart condition and she had to take medication regularly to survive. She did a good job and she was always friendly. One day she didn't come into work. We found out later that day that her teenage son found her dead in bed. He was a senior in high school. Cindy couldn't afford her medication as it was prescribed, so she just alternated her medications to make them last longer. She was not educated enough to realize that this made the medication not work as intended. Not having health care killed Cindy and left an indelible impression upon her son. I cry every time I think of her.'' Let's hear now from Sandra Chung about Michelle Marie Pavlak, 23 years old, Norwich, Connecticut: ``Michelle was the working poor with a cardiac condition: mitral regurgitation. She couldn't get insurance for one reason: She was denied for a preexisting condition. She tried to find other insurers but couldn't afford the premiums that would be more than three-quarters of her income. She could barely afford the medication, and she often had to choose between food and her medication. She tried to get State aid, but she earned $15 above the poverty level, so was denied. She was 6 months pregnant. She caught bronchitis. She went to the ER because she couldn't get a doctor to take her on as a new patient because she didn't have insurance and she was a `high risk' patient with a preexisting condition. She made it clear she was in cardiac alert. She even had a medical alert bracelet. People with a cardiac problem, when they get an infection, no matter how minor, they are supposed to be given massive dosages of antibiotics and consult with a cardiologist and be monitored to make sure the infection didn't spread to her heart and other organs. The ER doctor listened to her lungs, pronounced she had bronchitis, gave her some Sudafed, a cough medicine, over-the-counter. No antibiotics, no consult with a cardiologist, no EEG monitoring. Without a prescription for her much-needed antibiotics, the infection spread to her heart, her kidneys, and her liver. She gave birth almost 3 months premature. My nephew, Andrew Michael, died at 10 days old, and she died from an aneurysm caused by the infection passing the blood/brain barrier. In the space of 1 week, I became an aunt and then an only child.'' Suzanne McKnight writes to us about Gregory Scott in Franklin, Tennessee, 42 years old: ``Two and a half years ago, my 42-year-old son died of coronary artery disease. He had been downsized 3 years before and he had lost his insurance. Since he had diabetes, he could not afford insurance and he couldn't get a job either because of a terrible job market. He stopped getting regular checkups because his money was running out and he was embarrassed to ask his family for help. He died 2 days after Christmas of 2006, and his doctor spent many nights going over anything that he had missed in the records. Greg might have been saved had his insurance followed him when he lost his job or he might have been saved if he could have afforded insurance. He was the middle of my three sons, and we have never gotten over his sudden loss and probably never will.'' John Godwin writes to us about Roger Godwin, 70 years old, of Andover, New Hampshire: ``My father, Roger Godwin, died this past summer due to problems with our health care system. He did have insurance, but he was a victim of a system that is focussed more on the bottom line than care. He experienced severe pain in his back, but he was denied access to an MRI and physical therapy was prescribed instead. Physical therapy is not effective when the problem is a tumor growing next to your spine and, worse, does nothing to detect this threatening condition before it begins to spread. And spread it did, eventually leading to tumors in my father's lungs, brain, liver, and, most painfully, in his bones. He fought hard, but he died after a painful struggle lasting almost a year. My father was a veteran of the Korean War, active in local government, and he gave to his community in a myriad of other ways. He was greatly beloved by his family and those in his community. He deserved better.'' And John Godwin says, ``We deserve better.'' Joel Witherspoon wrote to us about Louis Bruce Witherspoon, 61 years old, of Anaheim, California: ``For 17 years, my father worked for a major utility here in southern California. At the age of 51, he was laid off and he spent 6 years looking for work and surviving on help from me and a meager retirement. He finally found work at 57 working for Tenet Health Care as a computer technician. It was humiliating work but it was work. In order to cut costs, Tenet Health Care kept him on part time for 6 years without benefits. He was given favorable reviews, but when he applied for full- time positions with benefits, they were given to younger and less costly employees. In the middle of his 6th year, he began to develop respiratory issues that became progressively worse until he finally collapsed in the parking lot of the hospital where he worked. After a week of testing, it was discovered he had terminal prostate cancer. The cancer had metastasized to his lungs, liver, and his brain. The doctors gave him only a few months to live. No doctor at the hospital would treat him. When pressed for answers, his boss and higher ups clammed up. We couldn't get any information out of any of them. After 3 months, he passed away in a hospital in Inglewood.'' Let's hear now from Cortney Helmick of Port St. Lucie, Florida about Chris Ilijic. She wrote as follows: ``The love of my life and my dear best friend took his own life on May 9, 2009. He had a long-term drug abuse and mental health problem. He and his family tried to get him help over and over again with no luck because he had no health care insurance. He could not afford mental health care on his own, living on unemployment and unable to find new work due in part to the economy and in part to his mental health issues. On Tuesday, May 5, 2009, he and his mother went to a local mental health clinic asking for help because he was becoming worse. They were turned away due to an inability to pay and a lack of insurance. That Saturday, 5 days later, my friend took his own life. After many attempts for help and being rejected over and over, he felt there was no way out of his own mental health misery. Something needs to be done. My friend has just as much right to health care as anyone.'' And then Cortney writes, ``As we all do.'' And now from Jasmine about Rebecca Jane Delgado of Lampasas, Texas: ``I found out my mother had cancer on August 23, 2007, my first day of classes at St. Edwards University. We were told it was ovarian cancer in the final stage, but some treatments were still available so we started with the standard, which was chemotherapy. I missed several classes going to sit with her while she sat amongst the other cancer patients at the oncology center. The first chemotherapy didn't work, so we tried a different one that required a special port implant. Blue Cross/Blue Shield didn't approve the implant, so I used what was left of my financial aid for school to pay for her. That didn't work either, so we started going to special oncology hospitals looking for alternative treatments. We got a nutrition plan and some pills, but everything else was experimental. The treatment centers wanted upwards of $100,000 for some new treatments that were available, but we didn't have that kind of money. I don't know whether the experimental treatments would have worked or not, but I sure would have liked to try. My mother died last November. I lost my mother, and I am only 23 years old. I have no other family. I spent Christmas alone. I will do anything to ensure this never happens again to anyone else, ever.'' Let's hear now from Julie Nichols about Frankie Nichols, 41 years old in Copeville, Texas: ``My husband Frankie didn't have health insurance and rarely went to the doctor. He was a relatively young man without any health problems. He came down with what we thought was pneumonia in March of 2006. I got him to a doctor because I had coverage through my job, but we couldn't afford the additional $500 monthly premium to include him. He went to the doctor in April 2006. After treating him for 3 weeks because he didn't have coverage, we were out of pocket $2,000. A CAT scan was done which determined he had lung cancer. The doctor advised us to go to a public county hospital because they were not equipped to provide treatment. The county we live in does not have a public hospital, so we went to a different county hospital elsewhere in order to get him seen. He was admitted through the emergency room and he stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks while the doctors determined the origin of the cancer. He received one chemo treatment and he was sent home. His next chemo treatment was scheduled for May 25, 2006. He died on May 24, 2006. I think that if he had access to treatment when he first became ill, he would have survived a bit longer. Perhaps not, but any additional time he could have spent with me and our kids would have been precious to us. Now I am unemployed and uninsured myself. I worry how I will cope if I get ill and need extreme medical treatment. I have two kids who depend on me and have access to regular health care only through me. If they had access to regular health care and I knew they could count on it, it would lift a worry from my mind.'' Let's hear from Andrew Latzman regarding Allen Latzman, 65 years old, in New Rochelle, New York. Andrew wrote to us: ``My father, Allen Latzman had juvenile diabetes since he was 27. He was a successful marketing executive who lost his job in 1980. After that, he drove a cab in New York City for 13 years. He did not have health insurance because he had to support a family of two boys after our mother died and he simply couldn't afford it. His endocrinologist for years had to sneak him insulin. Over time, his complications of diabetes worsened, but he could not afford the proper treatment as he had many retail jobs, after he drove a cab, and he went without insurance. Despite the challenges, he was still in pretty good shape-- thin, healthy and active--until January 2003. He was walking back to his apartment at his job at Workbench and he slipped on the ice and shattered his ankle. At this point, he did have insurance through his employer and he went to surgery and repaired his ankle. But soon after that, Workbench filed for Chapter 11 and while they said that they would pay for their employees' health insurance up to 6 months after the termination of employment due to bankruptcy, the owner instead took all of the money he promised to allocate to insurance and he pocketed it. During this time, my father thought he was covered, and then he found out that his employer had not fulfilled his commitment. While this was occurring, my father's leg on which he had surgery in 2003 began to worsen. His circulation became poor and he had difficulty walking. The limited mobility had made him put on weight, and he had become increasingly unhealthy. But he no longer had any health insurance. The predicament he had been put into forced him to wait over a year for needed surgery to turn a vein into an artery and improve circulation, until he was 65 and was eligible for Medicare. During this time related to his poor condition, he had a heart attack. This heart attack was found in a stress test prior to his leg surgery, but the endocrinologist never disclosed he had a previous heart attack before the leg surgery. My father went into surgery not knowing the seriousness of his situation, and after his surgery he had a heart attack post-op and he never recovered. He was hospitalized for 3 months in extreme pain. He might have been able to fully recover had it not been for a series of secondary infections that he picked up from the hospitalization. He died in May of 2005 at the age of 65. I was able to tell my father while he was still slightly lucid that he was going to be a grandfather for the second time. Unfortunately, my son Nate, never met him. My father is the signature case of a man who needed to be better monitored because of a chronic condition, and the lack of insurance and proper care killed him. Dead men tell no tales, so I will tell his story for him. I love you, Daddy.'' Now let's listen to Clifford Theiss about Charles Theiss, 62 years old, Plant City, Florida: ``Carl, as we called him, was a kind and passionate brother whom we all loved greatly. He had spent 25-plus years employed by a trucking company in Tampa, Florida. One morning he arrived at work to find the gates had been padlocked, and a handwritten note alerting all employees that the company had folded. No other warnings were given. And in what seems like the fashion today, there was no compensation for anyone. He had enough 401(k) money, enough to survive on, but health insurance was at best a dream for him then. Being in his late fifties, he found it rather hard to secure employment, so he opted to retire on a minimal SSI. He had spoken to me occasionally about the high cost of medical care, but never mentioned that he was a living time bomb because he had a dangerous heart condition that required treatment. Carl was found dead in his apartment on February 3, 2008, by his daughter, a daughter for whom he had scrimped and saved to put through college. Ironically, she is now a doctor. He died in his sleep of massive heart failure. During the following days, his family found several unfulfilled prescriptions dating years back that if filled would have certainly saved his life or at least extended it. But due to the cost, he could not afford the medication. He had paid for doctors' visits out of his pocket, only to discover that he was doomed to die.'' Ladies and gentlemen, I could go on and on and on. We have received hundreds upon hundreds of stories like this at this Web site, NamesoftheDead.com. These are the stories of America. These are the stories of people who are suffering, and people who sent us to Washington, D.C. to solve their problems for them. Not to debate, not to delay, but to keep them alive. The reason why I read these stories is this: Again as Lincoln said, in talking about these people, it is their loved ones who speak best for them. As Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address, It is far beyond my poor power to add or detract. Rather, it is for the living to be dedicated here to the unfinished work for which these people have died. That, my friends, is the unfinished work of universal health care in America. That is our unfinished work. I look forward to a day I hope will come very soon, not soon enough for all of these people, all of these people who have died, but a day to come very soon when there will be no more stories like this, when there will be no more names to add to the Web site NamesoftheDead.com. And for God's sake, I look forward to the time when we will have finally done our jobs.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I pointed out 2 weeks ago that a Harvard study published in a peer-reviewed journal established that 44,789 Americans die every year because they have no health insurance. I was surprised to see the reaction in some quarters. On talk radio, people said, I don't believe it. It simply isn't true. Somehow, ``I don't believe it; it simply isn't true,'' passes for logical, intelligent thought these days. But it is true. Just a few days ago, a U.S. Senator said that he wasn't sure whether it's true that 44,789 Americans die every year because they have no health insurance. Well, if it were me and I wasn't sure, I would err on the side of caution. Be that as it may, since the health debate now turns upon whether we are willing to change things in order to make America a better place to provide useful, affordable and comprehensive health care and to stop this terrible national tragedy where 122 Americans die every single day because they have no health insurance, I make the following modest proposal. I think it dishonors all of those Americans who have lost their lives because they have no health coverage--by ignoring them, by not paying attention to them and by doing nothing to change the situations that led them to lose their lives. So I make this simple proposal: I propose that we identify them. I propose that we honor their memories by naming them. They, themselves, can no longer speak, but their families, the ones who love them, can speak. So I've established a Web site called namesofthedead.com. I invite to it all of those people who've suffered the terrible tragedy of losing a loved one, whether it be of a son or a spouse or an uncle or a mother or a father. For all of us who've lost somebody close to us because they had no health coverage, because they had no health insurance and because they died, I propose that we all go to this Web site, namesofthedead.com, and that we name them, that we honor them, that we cherish their memories, and that we show our respect for their memories by simply naming them. I also make the following modest proposal: that we all look forward to a day not too far in the distant future when we honor them further in this way, that we honor them further by making sure that no more names are added to this list, that we close it out for all time so that, in the future, it will be a historical artifact and so that no one will ever die in America because one can't see a doctor.