Jim Jordan

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor the achievements of Louie Vito on his outstanding snowboarding performance at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Louie is a native of Bellefontaine, Ohio, and got his first snowboarding experience at Bellefontaine's Mad River Mountain. He credits his father, Lou, with helping to nurture his passion for the sport early on. At age 13, Louie was present at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City to watch American snowboarders capture the gold, silver, and bronze in the men's halfpipe competition. Inspired by their example, he dedicated himself to the sport, turning pro in 2005. He immediately made his mark in the world of snowboarding with a first-place finish in the superpipe at that year's Burton Australian Open--a feat he repeated in 2006. His strong showing in Australia set the stage for many future successes. Louie won the 2008 US Grand Prix and was Grand Prix co- champion in 2009. This year alone, he won a bronze at the Winter Euro X Games, took second in superpipe at the US Open, and finished fifth in the halfpipe competition at the Vancouver Olympic Games. The people of Bellefontaine and from across Ohio were proud to cheer on our native son at the Games, spellbound by his amazing runs. An all-around athlete, Louie became known to millions more throughout the nation during his appearances on ABC's Dancing with the Stars last season. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the people of Ohio's Fourth Congressional District, I am honored to celebrate Louie's accomplishments, his dedication to sports, his integrity and work ethic, and his outstanding contributions to the Olympic tradition. We wish him all the best in his career, and look forward to watching him compete again in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I was absent from the House Floor during four recent rollcall votes. Had I been present, I would have voted in favor of H. Res. 1215, H. Res. 1222, H. Res. 1041, and H. Res. 1042.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate Mr. Edward O. Elliott II for his dedication, commitment, and service to the restaurant industry as the 85th Chairman of the Ohio Restaurant Association. Ed was born in Mt. Victory, Ohio, the only son of five children. He is a graduate of Bowling Green State University where he earned a degree in industrial personnel management. Upon graduation, he served our country in the United States Army at Fort Lee in Virginia and also in Frankfurt, Germany. When he returned from the service, he worked on his family's 2,000 acre farm and helped manage the family's restaurant, the Plaza Inn Family Restaurant. Under his stewardship, the restaurant has received numerous awards, including induction into the Restaurant Hall of Fame, the Best Family-Owned Restaurant in Ohio, and the ``Best Cream Pies'' and ``Best Breakfast'' by the readers of Country Living. Prior to his 2-year term as chairman, Ed served the Ohio Restaurant Association as chair of its Education, Government Affairs and Political Action Committees, and as secretary, and vice-chairman. Ed follows in the footsteps of his father, Ed, who was chairman in 1972, and his sister, Joan, who was chairwoman in 1987. In addition to being a restaurateur, Ed is currently serving as president of the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and is a 2-term Hardin County Commissioner. I would like to thank Ed, his wife Rosalie, their three children and three grandchildren, for their service to their community.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this flawed health bill.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield the remainder of my time to our distinguished colleague from Tennessee, Dr. Roe.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I would yield 90 seconds to a good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Fleming).

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, if the majority party has additional speakers, in the interest of keeping time relatively equal, we would continue to reserve the balance of our time.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. We'd like to reserve, if we could, Madam Speaker, the balance of our time.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, can I inquire of the amount of time on each side?

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, the gentlelady said the Federal Government won't be influencing the type of care Americans get. There is not a person outside this town who believes that statement. This is a 2,700-page bill, more boards, commissions, panels, bureaucrats between you and your doctor than you can imagine. No one outside of Washington believes that statement. Of course the Federal Government is going to be influencing the type of care you get. That is why it takes 2,700 pages of legislative language in this bill. With that, Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I would just respond to the comments from the gentlelady from California that one group she left out was the American people. Every single poll done over the last year shows the American people don't want the health care legislation. She can name every group she wants--I am sure she has got a longer list-- but go talk to the American people. Time and time again, they have said they don't want this bill. So while you have every special interest group that she wants to lay out there, that is fine. Think about it. They were going to pass this bill in September; the American people said ``no.'' Oh, we are going to pass it in October; the American people said ``no.'' We are going to pass it by Thanksgiving; the American people said ``no.'' We are going to get it done by Christmas, we promise; the American people said ``no.'' We are going to get it done by the State of the Union; the American people said ``no.'' And now, they are going to try to get it done by Easter. What part of ``no'' don't they get? So sure, there are all kinds of special interests who want this special deal, but the American people know what it is about, and that is why they are opposed to it. And I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Broun).

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to Dr. Gingrey, our colleague from Georgia.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize the distinguished colleague from Alabama, Dr. Griffith, for 2 minutes.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I recognize my distinguished colleague, Dr. Broun from Georgia, for 2 minutes.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I would yield 2 minutes to my distinguished colleague from the State of Illinois, Congressman Shimkus. (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield myself just a few minutes here and then yield to our colleague from Georgia. Long-term care physicians deserve to be commended for their expertise and devotion to their line of work. As such, it is my great pleasure to support the designation of a day to honor their committed and faithful service to the population of truly needy individuals in our Nation. And so I support H. Con. Res. 244. I would like to yield to the gentleman from Georgia, Dr. Gingrey.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, responding to the last speaker, I will tell you who is unhappy, and that is the American people. They don't want this bill, and they have spoken loud and clearly about that. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) and request that he may control that time.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young). (Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Tennessee.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished colleague from the State of Tennessee, Dr. Roe.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I would like to join my colleagues in recognizing the life and accomplishments of novelist Donald Douglas Harington and stand in support of H. Res. 1040. Described by Entertainment Weekly as ``America's greatest unknown writer'' and by The Washington Post as ``one of the most powerful, subtle and inventive novelists in America,'' Mr. Harington's contributions to modern American literature deserve to be recognized and applauded by all Americans. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes at this time to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, America has no truer friend than Israel. We stand together on freedom, on democracy, and on security. More importantly, America and Israel share the unique ability to trace our roots back to the hopes and dreams of our ancestors. Even before the days of King David and King Solomon, Israel has been the center of the Jewish tradition. Israel is a sovereign nation surrounded by sworn enemies determined to wipe it off the map. Yet Israel remains committed to freedom and democracy. Mr. Speaker, I'm concerned about the recent counterproductive statements made by the administration that threaten to undermine America's 60-year relationship with Israel. Criticizing Israel for developing its land in Jerusalem is just plain wrong. Directing public demands and unilateral deadlines with Israel while Iran continues its pursuit of nuclear weapons is beyond wrong. It is dangerous. Mr. Speaker, if America is to be a superpower, we must remain steadfast when the political winds blow. If America is to lead the world, we must act as a true friend to our ally, the nation of Israel.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I appreciate the gentleman yielding and appreciate the comments from our colleague from Louisiana. I actually just want to go back and try to give some context for why I think the American people are so adamantly opposed to this legislation. I think it is important to remember what we have seen over the last year, things we never thought we would see in this great Nation. Who would have thought in the United States of America, the greatest Nation in history, we would see the President of the United States fire the CEO of General Motors? Who would have thought in the United States of America we would see the taxpayers of this country own General Motors? Who would have thought in this great country we would own AIG, the largest insurer? Who would have thought in the United States of America we would have a Federal Government pay czar telling private American citizens how much money they could make? Who would have imagined in this great country we would have the largest deficit in American history, $1.4 trillion? Who would have imagined in this country we would have a $12 trillion national debt? And now who would have imagined that this majority, this Democrat Congress, would continue to try to pass a piece of legislation that the American people have said time and time again they don't want? That is the context we find ourselves in. No wonder the people of this country have figured out this is a bad piece of legislation and they don't want it. I appreciate the gentleman for yielding. But I think it is sometimes important to step back and understand the framework we are operating in.