Alcee Hastings

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Stokes].

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was one of the few people who do not just pass through this world, but enhance it. He was a brilliant strategist, a great thinker, a fierce warrior, a reluctant politician, a good diplomat, a pragmatist, and a visionary who spent his entire life working for the betterment of his country. I am outraged that he was taken from us by a coward, by a pisher, by a hatred for his politics. I am heartbroken that he was murdered as he stood on the apex of his greatest success, gazing into the promised land of peace. I am saddened beyond words at his passing. I am convinced that the escalation of violent rhetoric, the disintegration of civil political discourse, contributed to his death. I was recently viciously attacked for being critical of those who spew this kind of venom. But the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin has only reinforced my belief in what I said weeks ago. Words do matter. Disagreements with political leaders must be expressed at home in the voting booths, not by violence, effigies, and guns. And certainly not by manipulating the good intentions of the diaspora and well-meaning politicians across the ocean. Yitzhak Rabin's sacrifices were not in vain. His goals, first to protect his land through war, and then maintain it through peace, are supported by the majority of Israelis and will be fulfilled. En route to the funeral I saw a sign held by a young girl. It said, ``We knew war. Let's learn peace.''

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California [Ms. Harman]. (Ms. HARMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have heard expressions of support and deep sympathy for the Prime Minister now departed. We have also heard sympathy and condolences appropriately directed to the family of Yitzhak Rabin and the people of Israel in this moment of tragedy. This resolution expresses its admiration for the historic contributions made by Prime Minister Rabin over his long and distinguished career of public service. Also, it expresses support for the government of Acting Prime Minister Shimon Peres. I was a member of the Presidential delegation that attended the funeral, after which we had the distinct privilege and pleasure of having Mr. Peres take from his busy time to come and thank all of the Americans who were a part of that delegation. I also thought that President Clinton also used his time well to thank the members of the Knesset who sponsored a brief reception for the American delegation. It was an extremely moving experience to be a part of such an historic moment and to see the numbers of faces that lined the streets of Jerusalem that were in mourning and in sympathy for their and our departed leader. As this resolution comes to the floor, I am hopeful that civil discourse will take on new meaning for all of us that at least should learn from these kinds of experiences, that we can be better in our disagreements. The song says, ``When will they ever learn? When will they learn?'' I hope from this sad tragedy that all of us will learn the lessons of peace. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from New York [Mr. Ackerman], my friend and colleague. (Mr. ACKERMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Rush], my friend and colleague.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida [Mr. Deutsch], my friend and colleague.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee]. (Ms. JACKSON-LEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from American Samoa [Mr. Faleomavaega]. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Maloney]. (Mrs. MALONEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut [Mr. Gejdenson].

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Poshard].

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to pay tribute to Irving Katz, a dedicated community leader in Tamarac, FL. Irving lead a life filled with community involvement which was exemplified by his service as [[Page E 2118]] vice mayor until he passed away earlier this month of leukemia. Yet, despite his illness, Irving stayed very active, working up to 2 days before his death. Indeed, Irving loved city government and spent years trying to develop his community. And develop it he did. A retired building contractor, Irving spent years advocating on behalf of economic development projects that would revitalize the community. When the Tamarac Commerce Park project came to fruition this year, Irv's hard work, expertise in construction, planning, and community development were recognized, and, more importantly, appreciated. Not only was Irv a builder of community centers, but he was also a builder of community. Each year, Irv could be found walking for the March-of-Dimes and participation in Tamarac Elementary School events. Irv gave back to his community and for this we are grateful. He was also a loyal friend to me for many, many years. Irv, you will be missed.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California [Mr. Dixon] for yielding this time to me. I, too, am not a member of the Subcommittee on the District of Columbia, but I am privileged to stand here and to support the measure that I feel is the correct one, and that is to oppose this retribution, and that is all it can be classified as. Let me go to perhaps the heart of the matter, and what I hear being discussed, and all of the disparagement directed toward the National Education Association. My understanding is that the building that is here is peopled by a significant number of individuals, some who come here from around the country, others who are here on a regular basis, and my belief is that they make a major contribution to the well-being of the District of Columbia, perhaps a more major contribution than the micromanagement that is going on now. Who else are exempt from taxes in the District of Columbia and why? I would not bother to be facetious enough to suggest that there are Government-owned properties in the District of Columbia that, had they been taxed over this same number of years, the District of Columbia may conceivably not have the kinds of problems that it is having today. None of us would stand for the type of micromanagement that is going on in this particular bill in our respective home cities. Mr. Chairman, this type of retribution is retrogressive, and in the final analysis, Mr. Chairman, downright insulting to any of our Members. I do not know what the Brookings Institution stands for. I do not know what the Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC, stands for. I do not know what the Daughters of the American Revolution stand for, but I can doggone cite I do not believe they stand for much that I believe in, but at the very same time I think they have a right to be here, I think they have a right to state their position, and the tax exemption that was given to them was evidently given with well meaning. We need to stop this micromanagement, we need to stop this retribution, especially toward such an outstanding organization as the National Education Association.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I object.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I continue to object.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I object.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I object.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. You said that street dealers lead to that kind of tool. You know doggone well that is not true.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Operation Polar Cap did not start with a crack cocaine operation whatsoever.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. What real world are you talking about?

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. When you stand there and give forth with pontification as if you were God, we live these circumstances every day of our lives. You have not lived there and don't you dare come forward in that manner.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I would ask the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Barr] to be responsive to a question that I would like to put to him, if he would. Mr. Chairman, I heard the gentleman from Georgia say that this gives law enforcement a tool for the purpose of being able to get inside the larger portions of the operation. I gather that to be the essence of what you said. You were a prosecutor and I was a judge. Name me one crack case that led to a Colombian drug dealer being put in jail. Name one.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, as the Republicans in Congress move toward their goal of reducing the Federal deficit at any cost, they are about to approve deep, unprecedented cuts in the financing and delivery of health care to our Nation's elderly and poor. These cuts will be far deeper, and have far greater consequences than the proposed cuts in almost any other part of the budget, totaling $270 billion over 7 years while financing a tax break for the wealthy. Since 1965, the Federal Government has provided a minimum standard of health care for all eligible citizens through the Medicare Program. Republicans in both the House and Senate want to end this national commitment by terminating the individual Federal entitlement to Medicare coverage. In my State of Florida, 2.6-million-plus older Americans will find that their health security is threatened by the GOP proposal. In fact, over the next 7 years, Florida stands to lose $28 billion from Medicare. Mr. Speaker, I represent seven counties which cover central and south Florida. I am concerned that these draconian cuts will overwhelm my district, and the Nation. In Dade County alone, $4.8 billion in Medicare funding would be lost over a 7-year period. What does this meaning for recipients? It means that each of Dade's 285,900 beneficiaries who want to stay with the current fee-for-service Medicare Program would face an average of $5,575 in additional out-of- pocket costs over 7 years. For a couple, that figure rises to $11,150 over the same 7-year period. Obviously seven is not a lucky number for Floridians. In fact, I don't think there are any lucky numbers in this debate except, of course, the $245 billion tax cut for the wealthy. You see, Mr. Speaker, regardless of their income or health, senior citizens who depend on Medicare will see their out-of-pocket-costs increase. This is pure egalitarianism. And in health care, there really is no such thing. No two people have exactly the same needs or need exactly the same care. The GOP proposal does not take into consideration particular merits, efficiencies, or needs of the recipients. Each senior will receive an equal share--each of which is underfunded. The majority in Congress wants to give our seniors a voucher and let them shop around. But how appealing is a market of lower reimbursement fees, higher premiums, and reduced benefits? Perhaps we, as a nation, should be looking at needs of people instead of numbers of dollars. The bottom line should not only apply to reductions, it should also reflect the effectiveness and efficacy of our seniors' needs. Mr. Speaker, Congress should eschew expensive and frequently ineffective efforts to rescue Medicare. But I'm not at all sure that turning Medicare over to the private insurance industry is the answer. Contrary to the majority's belief, in the private sector, all that glitters is not gold. And frankly, if this proposal is implemented, I'm afraid of how quickly our golden years will turn black. Republican cuts in Medicaid are equally disheartening. The formula used to develop the Republican plan is soaked in demographic denial--it ignores Florida's status as a growth State. Under the Republican proposal, the annual Medicaid growth rate would be capped at a percentage far below what the State would need to take care of its underserved and unserved population. The consequences of block granting Medicaid are bleak, with the combined effects being forced hospital closings and uninsured Floridians. Even worse, the determining formula is based on outdated figures which penalize growth States. Thus, in Florida, the total number of individuals on Medicaid will grow by 10 to 12 percent a year. However, the Republican proposal will only allow Medicaid to grow at a rate 6 percent--about half the current 10 percent growth rate. Governor Chiles understands that cuts of this magnitude would harm Florida and agrees that [[Page H 10299]] block granting Medicaid under this formula is a terrible idea. I strongly support efforts to improve efficiency, provide greater program flexibility and cost containment in Medicare and Medicaid proposals. However, a reasoned path toward these reforms is necessary and the Republican proposal to cut Medicare and Medicaid in order to cut taxes for affluent Americans is seriously flawed. So-called reform of this magnitude merits caution, careful debate, and deliberation. Let's not misdiagnose the financing and delivery of health care services to our Nation's elderly, disabled, and poor. The current proposal to block grant Medicaid and cap Medicare reimbursement will devastate millions of vulnerable Americans who look to the Federal Government to honor its long time commitment to public safety, security, and well-being.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.