Marcy Kaptur

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, this should be the season of selfless giving, a season where Americans give without any expectation of reward. This should be a season of joy and happiness when millions enjoy the company of their families and loved ones. But as some of our Nation's elites celebrate this time of giving, they do so with the knowledge that every dollar they give in politics is actually an investment in influence peddling. Instead of corrupting this season of giving, I hope our public officials will give something back to the American people, something more powerful than money: hope in our government that should be responding to people's needs, not the needs of the powerful few. The latest example of this sickness afflicting American politics is reflected in our political system being bought out from under us through the system of Presidential libraries whose principals seek to find investors from other countries to help to promote their legacy in perpetuity. Don't believe the logic? Just then follow the money. With President Bush desperately trying to salvage his legacy, action is heating up on funding his Presidential library. While donors to George W. Bush's Presidential library represent a Who's Who in Republican politics, some of these donors have significant business with the White House. According to a recent Harpers magazine article, a wealthy Texas oil man, Ray Hunt, reportedly gave $35 million, $35 million to the Bush Presidential Library. This same businessman was a big campaign contributor to the Bush- Cheney campaign and, coincidentally, has a stake in a nearly billion- dollar proposal to pipe out Peruvian natural gas. All of our friends who participated in the recent debate on Peru free trade ought to think about this one. In addition, Mr. Hunt is closely involved with a ``legally questionable'' exploration deal with the Iraqi Kurds. Interesting set of friends in this White House. Estimates now indicate the George W. Bush Presidential Library will cost up to half a billion dollars. A half a billion dollars. Why should a sitting United States President be involved with raising nearly unlimited amounts of money from those seeking influence? The American people surely are not blind. They understand that money buys influence, and a system allowing millions of dollars in unregulated cash corrupts all tents of democracy. We must patch this gaping loophole and prevent the leader of the free world from raising unlimited and unregulated funds for a pet project. This creates as direct a link as one can imagine between money and influence. With House passage of H.R. 1254, the House of Representatives has clearly demonstrated its intent to provide more accountability for donations made to Presidential libraries. While this legislation is an important step in mandating the disclosure of all donations of more than $200, it does not require the disclosure of all donations from foreign governments, foreign individuals and foreign corporations. The Senate, the other body, should act on Congressman Wexler's legislation and move forward in giving this legislation teeth. I would like to place in the Record an important article that I referenced in Harper's Magazine, the title of which is, ``On the Hunt: Bush backer seeks $1 billion for Peru project,'' and also an excellent article that was in The Washington Post this past weekend, the headline of which reads, ``Clinton Library Got Funds From Abroad. Saudis said to have given $10 million.'' I ask to include these articles in the Record. This article then goes on to talk about President Bill Clinton's Presidential library, its cost over $165 million, in which foreign sources helped contribute to that, with the most generous overseas donation coming from Saudi Arabia. Now, the last time I looked, Saudi Arabia is the country that sent the vast majority of 9/11 hijackers here. So why should any United States President take money from those kinds of interests? It seems to me that these Presidential libraries have gone way overboard. Why can't the Archives just take the records. Why do we need all these palaces created around the country for some of these Presidents? What kind of legacy are they leaving us anyway; a Nation that has been hemorrhaging jobs from coast to coast, a Nation that is terribly in debt, in hock, with over half of our U.S. Government bonds now being sold to foreign interests. President Lincoln never did anything like that. His service was so great, the American people recognized it for what it was. The same was true with Franklin Roosevelt. Why do we have to have these modern-day palaces to egos of these current-day Presidents? It seems to me that Congress ought to curb this really disgusting behavior, because you never really know when you're meeting with a President of the United States and a foreign leader if they are going to be begging money for a library they wish to create for themselves. Madam Speaker, we need reform in this area as well. [From Harper's Magazine, Dec. 18, 2007] On the Hunt: Bush Backer Seeks $1 Billion for Peru Project (By Ken Silverstein) Beginning tomorrow and over the next few weeks, the World Bank and other lenders will be voting, apparently in favor, on a package worth more than $1 billion to support a controversial pipeline project in Peru. The primary company that would benefit from that money is Hunt Oil, which is headed by Ray Hunt, a Texas oilman who raised huge sums for the Bush/Cheney campaigns and who reportedly has given $35 million for the upcoming Bush Presidential Library. Hunt Oil has recently generated controversy of its own, by signing what the New York Times called a ``legally questionable'' exploration deal with Iraqi Kurds. The Hunt-led project would ``build a pipeline, a gas liquefaction plant, marine terminal and other facilities to export 4.4 million tons of liquid natural gas annually,'' according to a 2006 story in the Washington Post. The pipeline would ship liquid natural gas that originates in the Camisea Field of Peru's Amazonian rain forest and send it to Mexico and from there, possibly, to U.S. markets. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in which the U.S. holds a thirty percent stake, will vote tomorrow on up to $900 million in loans for the Hunt Oil project. The U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) decides Thursday whether to allocate several hundred million dollars worth of support, and the World Bank will vote on a similar amount in January. The IDB already backed an earlier phase of the Camisea project, which has been plagued by problems. Among the troubles, the Post said, were the spilling of ``thousands of barrels into pristine rivers and killing the fish upon which indigenous communities depend for their livelihood.'' A number of Peruvian and American groups--including Environmental Defense, Oxfam America, and World Wildlife Fund--are asking for further evaluation of the project before multilateral loans are approved. They point to three broad areas of concern. First are social and environmental issues, as the project runs through a spectacular stretch of the Amazon that is home to 12,000 indigenous people. ``The lenders have sold themselves cheap and are not setting high enough standards for their participation,'' said Aaron Goldzimer of Environmental Defense. Similar concerns were expressed in a December 12 letter to Ex-Im from Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont--chairman of the subcommittee which monitors Ex-Im and approves the U.S. contribution to the IDB and World Bank--and his House counterpart, Congresswoman Nita Lowey of New York. They wrote: It is . . . our understanding that there are unfulfilled commitments and serious failures, risks and concerns still pending from the first phase of the project. These include a lack of fully independent monitoring; ongoing corruption investigations . . . new planned infrastructure in the Nahua Kugapakori Reserve which may violate previous commitments; a government audit released last month that identified significant problems with pipeline construction . . . and significant impacts on local culture, human health, fisheries and biodiversity that have not been adequately assessed much less addressed. Second, the Peruvian government of President Alan Garcia has embarked on an aggressive campaign to dismantle the country's already weak social and environmental institutions. The government recently fired nearly all the directors of a federal environmental authority, and replaced them with political hacks. (Sound familiar?) Garcia recently axed the country's superintendent of protected areas when he voiced objections to a proposal that would opened up a large swath of the Bahuaja Sonene National Park for energy exploration. Garcia has been attacking critics of domestic energy projects as commies and pro-poverty advocates. Meanwhile, the entire Peruvian Amazon has been divided into concessions for oil and gas development. Two years ago, only 15 percent of the Amazon had been parceled out for energy development. Garcia will undoubtedly take multilateral bank support for the Hunt project as a stamp of approval for his approach and use it to further steamroll his domestic opponents. Lastly, the economic benefits of the project for Hunt Oil are quite clear but far more dubious in the case of Peru. In their letter to Ex-Imp, Leahy and Lowey said they were concerned that Peru did not have sufficient gas reserves to meet both long-term export requirements and domestic demand. What that means is that Peru might well pay more for energy imports down the road than it gets now for its exports. Glenn Jenkins, founder of the Program on Investment Appraisal and Management at the Harvard Institute for International Development, prepared an economic analysis of the project for Environmental Defense. He concluded that massive new reserves are discovered, Peru would be worse off from an economic perspective if the project proceeds. Back in 2003, the Ex-Im, surprisingly, rejected support for the first phase of the project on environmental grounds, and the Bush Administration abstained during the IDB vote. Ray Hunt and his company have been aggressively lobbying in Washington to make sure the administration supports the proposed multilateral funding this time around. Early indications are that the company has succeeded and that the IDB, Ex-Im and World Bank will end up approving support.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman. And on behalf of our entire Buckeye delegation, and with poignancy on this occasion, during this season of new light, please let me welcome Congressman Robert Latta of Wood County, Ohio, to the ranks of the 110th Congress of the United States. I can share with our colleagues that Bob is a man who has lived the commandment, ``Honor thy father and thy mother.'' Delbert and Rosemary must be so elated today. Bob also has honored his in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. Vern and Carol Sloan of Williams County, such very, very good citizens. Bob's father Delbert, as Ralph has said, served dutifully for three decades in this Chamber until 1989. What a Christmas gift this swearing-in must be for the Latta and Sloan families. Bob has been a loving husband to his gifted wife, Marcia, and a real father to his daughters, Elizabeth and Maria. I know how proud they all are today. His public service has been exemplary, with 15 years of service in the Ohio legislature. We welcome him warmly to the ranks of the Ohio delegation. Indeed, we need his help to pull our Buckeye State forward in more than football. Let me wish you and your family Godspeed on behalf of our entire delegation with healthy and productive years of service to our blessed Nation. Onward, and congratulations.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I wish to review a recent vote that was held here in this Congress regarding the so-called Peru Free Trade Agreement, and to encourage the American people to read the fine print and to pay attention to the connection between that Peru vote and the value of the U.S. dollar and some hidden forces that may have been responsible for bringing that vote on Peru to the forefront now. Because people in my district were saying, why vote on Peru now? Why vote on another NAFTA-like accord on trade when our balance of trade is so seriously out of whack? Let me mention for the Record, and I will place these articles in the Record this evening; Peru is the world's third largest producer of copper, zinc and tin. It is the biggest producer of silver, and is the fifth largest producer of gold. In fact, Peru has the largest gold mine in this hemisphere owned by an American company. Many workers in the mines in Peru went on strike. Over 6,300 workers took their lives in their hands the Monday before the vote trying to send a message to the people of the United States and this Congress that they are treated unfairly, the wages they earn, conditions under which they work, their ability to share in profits, the ability to have decent pensions; all of those were very important issues. Their voices were hardly heard. It does not mean that they were not speaking truth to power; it means that certain ears here in Washington may have been closed, but they still spoke to us. Mr. Speaker, the dollar continues its downward spiral. In fact, we know the value of our dollar has fallen by nearly a quarter against a trade-weighted basket of currencies. And while that dollar is falling, other commodities in the market are growing in value. And guess what those are. Metals. Metals are constituting a very large share of where people are moving assets because the dollar is losing its value. In fact, the U.S. Mint just directed that the American people aren't supposed to be melting down pennies for the copper content in them. The Economist pointed out that in 2002 the euro was worth 86 cents; today, it buys $1.48. We know our credit markets are troubled. Credit Suisse predicted that gold would top $1,000 an ounce by 2012. There are big interests at stake in deals like this deal that was just passed in this House for Peru, and gold and silver and copper have a lot to do with it. In an article entitled, ``Miner Player'' last month in the Economist, it reported, ``The net profits of mining companies rose from $4 billion in 2002 to $67 billion in 2006.'' They're doing very well, thank you, but they are not sharing in that extraordinary increase in wealth with their own citizens. In fact, the export of these precious metals accounts for over half of Peru's export earnings, over half from mines owned by companies in this country. Are you beginning to get the picture? The overall profitability of these concerns, which was negative in 1998, is now four times the 7 percent average of growth for the top 500 companies, and the dominant U.S. import from Peru is? Gold, constituting 24 percent of their exports in 2006. So, when the miners of Peru, who work under godforsaken, horrendous conditions, tried to get our attention, this Congress turned its back. You hardly heard anything in the debate, but they were standing tall in their villages all across Peru. In fact, what's happening to the peasants in Peru is they're being shoved off their land because there might be gold underneath it. And they're crying out to us. Will anyone, for heaven's sake, will anyone here in this country hear them? The article that was published on Monday before the vote indicated that Peru's Labor Ministry ordered the miners to go back to work or they would lose their jobs. And we were told that, oh, don't worry about the vote on Peru because labor conditions in Peru are just terrific. Well, the article that came out from Bloomberg News Service on November 6 indicated that, in fact, the government had declared the mining strike illegal. We weren't listening to them. It's really tragic that when an agreement comes before us like this, we do not listen to those who are the least among us and speak truth to power. I place all these articles in the Record this evening. Peru To Declare Mines Strike Illegal, Pinilla Says (By Alex Emery) Nov. 6 (Bloomberg).--Peru's government will declare a two- day national mining strike illegal today, forcing miners to return to work or lose their jobs, Labor Minister Susana Pinilla said. The strike, which seeks to pressure companies to improve pensions, profit-sharing and rights for subcontracted workers, is ``politically motivated,'' Pinilla told Lima- based CPN Radio. ``Union leaders have a different stance that has nothing to do with worker vindication,'' Pinilla said. ``They have led workers into an illegal strike where they could lose their jobs.'' Strikes this year, including a five-day national walkout by Peruvian miners in May, have cut copper output in Peru, Chile and Mexico, helping to spur a 17 percent rally in the price of the metal. Peru is the world's third-largest producer of copper, zinc and tin, the biggest of silver and fifth-largest of gold. The stoppage in Peru has affected mines owned by companies including Southern Copper Corp., Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., Newmont Mining Corp. and Doe Run Resources Corp. Workers also are on strike at mines run by Cia. De Minas Buenaventura SA, tin miner Minsur SA, Shougang Hierroperu's iron mine and zinc producers Cia. Minera Raura SA and Cia. Minera Santa Luisa, according to Mining Federation spokesman Cirilo Yarihuaman. Talks Planned Southern Copper's Peruvian mines, where 20 percent of workers went on strike, don't expect production losses, parent Grupo Mexico said in a filing to the Mexican Stock Exchange. National metals output hasn't been cut and only 6,300 workers, or 5.3 percent of Peru's miners, are on strike, Pinilla said. The Mining Federation put the number at 45,000. Union leaders planned to hold talks with Cabinet chief Jorge del Castillo and the president of Congress, Luis Gonzales Posada, to pass laws granting miners a 10 percent share of profits, up from the current 8 percent, and eight- hour shifts instead of the 12 hours imposed at many mines, Yarihuaman said. The federation, which represents 70 unions and 28,000 miners, also wants 85,000 subcontracted workers put on company payrolls. Copper futures for December delivery rose 3.95 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $3.3415 a pound on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Zinc rose $95, or 3.5 percent, to $2,820 a metric ton in London trading, and tin rose $345, or 2.1 percent, to $17,095 a ton. Silver for December delivery rose 59.5 cents, or 4 percent, to $15.38 an ounce. Gold for December delivery rose $12.60, or 1.6 percent, to $823.40 an ounce. ``The strike in Latin America is quite supportive to prices,'' Dan Smith, an analyst at Standard Chartered Plc in London, said today by phone.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise on the eve of consideration of major energy legislation here in this House. And while the President seems willing to admit that America is addicted to imported oil, which is step one, recognition, he can't seem to get much further than that. In fact, during his administration, America is now importing over a billion more barrels of imported oil every year. A billion more than when he began his administration. So admitting we have a problem is easy. You can do it at a distance. You can mention it in your State of the Union address. That doesn't solve the crisis. Every day that the President makes another empty veto threat against energy legislation is another day for growing our trade deficit by oil. In fact, if you look at what's happening today, nearly three quarters of what we use to drive this economy that is petroleum-based is imported. And that oil import constitutes about a third of our trillion dollar trade deficit. It's a disastrous policy. It takes away America's independence. And it keeps us addicted to a lot of places in the world that don't have democratic governments in place. Our addiction is obvious, and the solution seems just as clear. When our Nation launched its space program and we embarked upon a national effort, we developed our domestic resources and we began to move into outer space. We can do the same in energy if we were serious. From domestically produced biofuels to wind to fuel cells, hydrogen, solar power, and geothermal, as well as clean coal technologies, the potential of our market is unlimited. But it is limited by our technological and industrial imagination. With half as many sunny days as countries like Portugal, the world's leading solar energy producer is not the United States but Germany. Germany accounts for 15 percent of worldwide sales in solar panels and other photovoltaic equipment and has 15 of the 20 biggest solar plants. That's right. A country located in Northern Europe with no natural advantage is outperforming the rest of the world. And they are doing the same with wind power. On wind energy, the story is much the same. Take one look at our Nation's wind map, and our wind potential is very, very clear. This is a map of the United States, of course, with the darkest areas indicating where we are most wind rich. From rich reserves in offshore wind production along the Great Lakes to the upper plains regions whose fields howl day and night, America must act to capture that endless resource. Simply recognizing the potential is only our first step. While the United States lags behind, European companies are investing billions into our nascent wind market. As pointed out in a recent Herald Tribune article in July of 2007, a Portuguese company, Energias, paid nearly $3 billion to buy Horizon Wind Energy from Goldman Sachs. This purchase secures their parent company, Mexia, with the fourth largest wind farm capacity in the world, behind mostly European companies like Iberdrola of Spain and another Spanish company, Acciona Energia. When is our Nation going to be serious about stepping up to energy independence and capturing some of the resources that bless our land? The key for developing our domestic industry in both wind and solar is political leadership from here in Washington. And unless we take these needed steps, America will continue to take its lead from foreign nations, and our hopes for developing true domestic new industries along with the jobs they hold will never materialize. Mr. President, if you are serious about solving our energy crisis, I suggest you enroll in Congress's 12-step plan for recovering from our oil addiction. We will begin some of those discussions tomorrow as the energy bill is considered. Some of the steps are contained in that bill. It's time that we invite the President to join us in shaping a new energy future for our Nation that restores our inherent economic independence by becoming energy independent and, in so doing, secure political independence for future generations.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I thank Congressman Green and express gratitude to Chairman Frank, Ranking Member Bachus, Subcommittee Chair Watt and Congressman Miller for their extraordinary efforts to restore confidence in our Nation's housing markets and address the housing mortgage crisis facing our Nation, this crisis has been felt no more harshly than in the State of Ohio, one of the hardest hit States in our Union, where our foreclosure filing rates have gone up 300 percent since just last year, thousands upon thousands of Ohioans having for sale and foreclosure signs in front of their homes. In Ohio, $20 billion and growing is the gap, the financing gap. I rise in support of the gentleman's amendment, but want to clarify that under the bill, any legal case that has been filed can proceed forward, indeed until the regulations for implementation of the bill are completed after it is signed by the President. States are not limited in their ability to prosecute in cases of fraud, collusion, misrepresentation, deception, false advertising or civil rights. Importantly, any mortgage made in the future will have to assure the borrower's ability to repay and that the borrower be yielded a net tangible benefit. As this bill moves forward, I believe it can be perfected even more to restore confidence, discipline and provide accountability in our troubled, very troubled, housing markets, which are helping to drive our Nation into recession. I just want to say to Chairman Frank, you are the right man in the right place at the right time. I just hope that the other body and the President of the United States follow your leadership on this really critical issue, take it not just to Ohio, but to our country. Stockton, Detroit, Riverside-San Bernardino Post Top Metro Foreclosure Rates in Q3 (By RealtyTrac Staff) IRVINE, Calif.--Nov. 14, 2007--RealtyTrac' (realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, today released its Q3 2007 Metropolitan Foreclosure Market Report, which shows Stockton, Calif., Detroit and Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., documented the three highest foreclosure rates among the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas during the third quarter. RealtyTrac publishes the largest and most comprehensive national database of foreclosure and bank-owned properties, with over 1 million properties from nearly 2,500 counties across the country, and is the foreclosure data provider to MSN Real Estate, Yahoo! Real Estate and The Wall Street Journal's Real Estate Journal. ``Although cities in just three states--California, Ohio and Florida--accounted for more than two-thirds of the top 25 metro foreclosure rates, increasing foreclosure activity was not limited to just a few hot spots,'' said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. ``In fact, 77 out of the top 100 metro areas reported more foreclosure filings in the third quarter than they had in the previous quarter. Still, there continue to be pockets of the country-- most noticeably metro areas in the Carolinas, Virginia and Texas--that have thus far dodged the foreclosure bullet.'' california, ohio, florida cities dominate top metro foreclosure rates Stockton, Calif., documented one foreclosure filing for every 31 households during the quarter, the highest foreclosure rate along the nation's 100 largest metro areas. A total of 7,116 foreclosure filings on 4,409 properties were reported in the metro area during the quarter, up more than 30 percent from the previous quarter. Detroit's third-quarter foreclosure rate of one foreclosure filing for every 33 households ranked second highest among the nation's 100 largest metro areas. A total of 25,708 foreclosure filings on 16,079 properties were reported in the metro area during the quarter, more than twice the number of filings in the previous quarter. The Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., metropolitan area in Southern California documented the nation's third highest metro foreclosure rate, one foreclosure filing for every 43 households. A total of 31,661 foreclosure filings 20,664 properties were reported in the metro area during the quarter, up more than 30 percent from the previous month. Other cities in the top 10 metro foreclosure rates: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Las Vegas; Sacramento, Calif.; Cleveland; Miami; Bakersfield, Calif.; and Oakland, Calif. California cities accounted for seven of the top 25 metro foreclosure rates, while Florida and Ohio each accounted for five of the top 25 spots. riverside-san bernardino, los angeles, detroit report most foreclosure filings The Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area reported the most foreclosure filings during the quarter, followed by Los Angeles, with 29,501 filings on 18,043 properties. The Los Angeles foreclosure rate of one foreclosure filing for every 113 households ranked No. 26 among the nation's 100 largest metro areas. Detroit reported the third highest number of foreclosure filings during the quarter. Atlanta's foreclosure filing total of 21,695 on 18,940 properties was the fourth highest foreclosure filing total, and the metro area's foreclosure rate of one foreclosure filing for every 92 households ranked No. 18 among the top 100 metro areas. Other cities with foreclosure filing totals among the 10 highest were Phoenix, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Cleveland, Chicago, Miami and Sacramento, Calif. report methodology The RealtyTrac Metro Foreclosure Market Report provides the total number of foreclosure filings by metropolitan area, along with the number of households per foreclosure filing. The household numbers are based on the U.S. Census Bureau's 2005 estimates of total housing units. Beginning with the Midyear 2007 report, the report also includes counts of properties with at least one foreclosure filing reported against them. This new metric only counts a property once, even if there were multiple foreclosure actions filed against the property during the time period covered by the report.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the chairman very much for the time, Chairman Olver and Ranking Member Knollenberg, for just a fantastic effort on this conference report. Let me say I rise in full support. There are so many programs in it, such as our community development block grant program which helps over 1,180 communities across this country. We have been able to provide $3.79 billion in this bill, which is still, though responsible, $400 million less than we spent as a country in 2001, with many of our cities finding revenues on the decline or stuck because of the condition of the economy. So I know many of our mayors will welcome this. I rise especially to point to the programs dealing with housing counseling, $250 million in this bill through the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, dollars to be disbursed within the next 60 days to help parts of the country that are just suffering so greatly because of the home mortgage foreclosure crisis. There is no more important form of savings that any American family can have than their home. What has been happening across our country is we not only have a negative savings rate, but now we have a $1 trillion housing crisis in which hundreds of thousands of people have lost their homes or are about to lose their homes. This $250 million that is included in this bill that will go through the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation for counseling will help to try to allow some of these families to retain their homes as these mortgages are reset. Frankly, I have been so disappointed in HUD's just sitting on the dime. As FEMA sat on the dime as people drowned in Louisiana, we've got people drowning all across this country because they're losing their homes and there's been no action. So we hope that this housing effort will make a big difference in helping them to be able to maintain their largest form of savings. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I wanted to mention the program for housing for special populations in this bill. There is a total of 7,500 vouchers for homeless veterans that are living in missions across this country, that are in our jails, that are on the streets. Surely we can do better than this as the American people. There are also 4,000 vouchers in the bill for the nonelderly disabled and another 4,000 vouchers for families with children, where children are separated from their families because the families have no housing. Ask yourself the question, how well will that child perform in school when their home situation is so uncertain that they don't even know where they're going to stay at night? I think that this bill provides some important stimulus to the housing sector, and the funding that we have provided is certainly not enough in view of what we are facing as an economy as funds are drained away from our communities as a result of this subprime lending crisis, but at least we have done something in this bill to recognize that there ought to be dispatch in the subprime lending market, and if HUD can't do a very good job of it, then let's let the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation try to deal with these families that are dropping off the edge. I know that our mayors and those involved in housing for special populations will see this bill as a step forward. I compliment the chairman of the committee and the ranking member for moving this legislation.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to record painful events in Ukraine's past. Throughout Ukraine's more than millennium-long history, it has often been attacked and occupied due to its geo-political location, fertile lands and rich natural resources. Because the Ukrainian nation continuously fought to ward off the enemies and preserve its freedom, many occupying powers resorted to oppression in order to maintain their control of Ukraine. It is widely held that one of the most brutal policies designed to subjugate Ukraine was carried out by the Stalinist regime of the former Soviet Union. History records that in order to suppress the numerous rebellions of the Ukrainian peasantry to the collectivization and Russification policies aggressively implemented by the Communists, Stalin set out to destroy the entire nation. His government imposed draconian grain quotas and enforced their fulfillment with brutality seldom seen in history. Secret police and specially created brigades were instructed to confiscate everything down to the last grain. They also confiscated money and any valuables in order to deprive people of any means for survival. Severe and swift punishments--often death--were delivered for any attempt to steal even a miniscule amount of grain or other foodstuffs. The Royal Consulate of Italy reported in 1933: ``through barbaric requisitions . . . the Moscow government has effectively engineered not so much a scarcity . . . but rather a complete absence of every means of subsistence throughout the Ukrainian countryside.'' Stalin also sealed off the Ukrainian border to prevent migration. In 1932, a directive was issued to arrest anyone who tried to leave Ukraine without proper documentation. According to Russian scholar Ivnitsky, 219,460 individuals were arrested per this directive and 186,588 of them were sent back to their villages to die. Eyewitness accounts provide vivid and gruesome details. Here is what one witness described to the House Select Committee on Communist Aggression in 1954: ``The farmers with faces and legs swollen from the hunger of the famine were invading the town and were dying in masses in the streets. The administration of the town was unable to bury the dead farmers in time, and there was a repulsive odor in the air during all this time. The police, or rather militia patrols, driving along the streets, collected the corpses. They also took those completely exhausted by starvation who arrived in town to ask for `a little bit of bread', put them on the mound of corpses saying, `you'll get there, don't worry.' I saw this all myself, and quite often.'' It is hard and painful to comprehend that these actions were not known to the world, in part because of the denial of the famine- genocide by Soviet authorities and refusal of offers of international aid. The tragic events of 1932-1933 in Ukraine remained hidden for many decades. The world is still largely unaware of the cruelty with which the totalitarian Stalinist regime killed 7-10 million innocent people in an effort to break a people who strove for freedom and independence. The Ukrainian American community has done much to change this situation. On the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Ukrainian famine-genocide, we remind the world of the honors that the Ukrainian nation survived and honor the memory of the innocent victims of the inhumane policies of the Stalinist regime. Remembering the events of the past helps to ensure that this type of tragedy does not recur anywhere in the world.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker. I rise today to recognize the annual celebration at the North Ward Center in Newark, New Jersey honoring the birthday of its inspiration, Monsignor Geno Baroni, on November 15, 2007. Msgr. Baroni--Geno to those of us who knew and loved him--was a most remarkable man, and though he passed from this life more than two decades ago, his memory and his mission remain strong. Following riots at the end of the 1960s, Msgr. Baroni convinced Stephen Adubato, Sr. to leave the Newark public schools and organize the North Ward Educational and Cultural Center. In 1970, the center began providing information on services available to the residents of Newark's north ward, with a particular emphasis on higher education opportunities for students. Built on the principles of community, opportunity, responsibility, and equity, the North Ward Center remains true to its mission ``to provide educational, cultural, and meaningful social services to low and moderate income families who reside in the greater Newark community. The center plays a major role in helping families overcome barriers to self-sufficiency, works to improve the health and well- being of those families, and helps revitalize their community, thereby improving the quality of life for all residents.'' Over the decades, the North Ward Center expanded to include the Newark Business Training Institute, the North Ward Child Development Center, the Robert Treat Academy, and Casa Israel, a state-of-the-art wellness and medical center. The initiatives and services of these five institutions are widely recognized as among the finest, and the center has received many accolades over the years. Yet, true to the standards of its heart--Geno Baroni--the center has never wavered from its mission and founding principles, and it continues to celebrate the diversity of its people. The North Ward Center hosts ``the society of Italians who celebrate St. Patrick's Day'' with prominent Italian- Americans honoring Irish-Americans, an annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. remembrance, and a Puerto Rican scholarship dinner recognizing four outstanding north ward students. Geno Baroni was a many-faceted man, a gifted and passionate leader, a builder, a doer, and thoroughly committed to Christ's message of social justice. The North Ward Center reflects this charismatic man and his life's work. Msgr. Geno Baroni's impression on the lives of those of us privileged to know him and those whose lives he touched through his work is indeed profound. As the North Ward Center honors this extraordinary man by celebrating his birthday, the final words in the Shaker hymn Lord of the Dance seem most fitting: ``. . . they buried my body and they thought I'd gone, but I am the dance and the dance goes on.''

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Robert E. Bonnell of Toledo, Ohio. Toledo has been called a community of families. Bob Bonnell, an esteemed citizen of that community, seemed to have been born to create and embody ``Fireman Freddie, a friendly, caring, and wise man, who assumed a larger meaning as a loving father for all our community's children. Bob's vocation as a teacher and firefighter saved countless lives as children learned how to save themselves and the lives of their loved ones. They learned new lessons from a Santalike man who cared for them as he would his own children. Robert E. Bonnell remains a legend in the Toledo Community for his dedication to his community as a firefighter and to the education of the youth of Toledo about the value of safety. Mr. Bonnell became the department's first ``Fireman Freddy'' in 1973. It happened soon after the idea of a fire safety program--and the birth of Fireman Freddy-- originated in 1972 when Mr. Bonnell was a ladder truck driver at Station 6 at Starr and Euclid avenues, where he seemed to have a special rapport with school groups who came to tour the firehouse. He was asked to start the educational program and thought it would be a six-month assignment. But Mr. Bonnell hadn't stopped his two-schools-a- day, five-day-a-week visits since January 1973, he told The Blade in an interview in December 1980, just before he retired. ``To tell you the truth,'' Mr. Bonnell said in a 1974 Toledo Blade article, ``children understand more than you think they do. I never have to talk down to them. I just talk to them in the same way that I talk to adults. For some reason, it works.'' By the time he retired, Mr. Bonnell talked to more than 125,000 elementary students in Toledo public and Catholic schools and the Washington Local school district about fire prevention and fire safety. Robert E. Bonnell at age 80, passed away Monday, October 29, 2007 in St. Charles Mercy Hospital of congestive heart failure. He will be fondly remembered by the residents who recall being taught by the fireman about fire safety when they were in the fourth and sixth grades. Mr. Bonnell joined the Toledo Fire Department in 1956 and then served for 25 years, most of them as the department's ``Fireman Freddie'' until his retirement in 1981. During his early retirement he worked as a funeral attendant for the Eggleston Meinert Pavley Funeral Home in Oregon. ``He was a good old country boy, and he liked kids,'' retired Toledo Deputy Fire Chief Robert Schwanzl said. ``He was a storyteller and he had a special knack for telling stories and talking to children. And he was very dependable.'' Born in Weston, West Virginia, on February 22, 1927, to Onal and Genevieve (Beamer) Bonnell, Mr. Bonnell, graduated from Lewis County High School in 1945, when he enlisted in the Army. During the last months of World War II, he was a staff sergeant in Germany. After his honorable discharge in 1947, he returned to West Virginia and later that year married his high school sweetheart, JoAnne Teter. A short time later, the couple settled in Toledo. In his free time, Mr. Bonnell, who in retirement lived in Northwood and most recently in Walbridge, enjoyed collecting cuff links, of which he had 4,000, and marbles, of which he had more than 50,000. He also liked visiting garage sales, hunting, and fishing. He loved spending time with his family and being ``Pudding Papa'' to his great-grandson. ``Dad had a zest for life,'' his son, Gregory, said ``He loved people, loved his family, and he loved to have a good time. [And] he was a hard worker and a dedicated individual.'' Mr. Bonnell was a funeral attendant for the Eggleston Meinert Pavley Funeral Home in Oregon during his early retirement years. His memberships included the Arthur Daly American Legion Post, the National Rifle Association, Paragon Lotus Lodge F&AM, Zenobia Shrine (Stewards, Hillbillies and Wood County) VFW Post #2510 and 40-8 Society of the American Legion, and the Scottish Rite, all in Toledo. In 1988, he received the Meritorious Service Award from the Scottish Rite where he had life membership. Surviving are his loving wife, JoAnne, with whom he just celebrated 60 years of marriage (June 28, 1947); children, Gregory (Mary) Bonnell and Beverly (Kevin) Sawyer; grandchildren, Angie and Brianne Sawyer, Rob, Mike, Adam and Brian Bonnell and great-grandchildren, Kleiston and Ria. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, his two brothers and a sister. He will be missed by the Sisters of Notre Dame especially Sister Mary Theresa. He will be sorely missed and fondly remembered by all the lives he touched in our Toledo community. The world was made a better place by the life of Bob Bonnell. May his works inspire others who follow in his golden steps.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a community in my District, that of Oregon, Ohio. Formally incorporated following elections in November of 1957, Oregon celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2007. Oregon, located on the Western Bay of Lake Erie, was once part of Northwest Ohio's Great Black Swamp. Cultivated for its trees and rich earth, its first government--Oregon Township--was formed in 1838. It is bounded by the City of Toledo to the West, Lake Erie to the North, Wood County to the South, and Jerusalem Township to the East. Through the 1800s and 1900s, water and rail systems developed in the region. Northwest Ohio is a cornerstone of water, rail, and surface transportation, and Oregon is at its hub. As a result of its location, its two largest employers built and remain in Oregon: Sun Oil and BP refineries. Oregon continued to grow as an industrial center of the region, with several chemical plants and energy generating facilities. Industrialization brought residential and commercial growth, and Oregon thrives. Throughout its earlier years of growth, its Western neighbor Toledo tried to annex Oregon Township. Annexation attempts failed, but so, too, did early attempts to incorporate Oregon on its own. In 1957 after another annexation attempt, the residents of Oregon voted overwhelmingly to incorporate as the City of Oregon. Oregon's own residents coined the slogan ``City of Opportunity'' in 1958 shortly after adopting the City Charter. Indeed Oregon lives up to its slogan. The City is home to Maumee Bay State Park--a jewel on our Western Lake Erie shoreline--as well as Pearson Metropark, South Shore Park, and Coontz Recreational Complex. Oregon is home to one of Ohio's largest festivals, the German American Festival, as well as its own Oregon Fest. The community is an urban mix of business, industrial, residential, recreational, educational and municipal ventures. The City of Oregon is a vibrant community full of pride. Oregonians celebrate their past while moving toward the future. It is a City on the move. While recognizing the achievements of its first 50 years, Oregon is poised for the next 50. Onward!

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I only wish we could have had these moments before the Ways and Means Committee itself, the respect Members should be afforded when their State's lost over 200,000 jobs and our Nation millions of jobs to these trade agreements. At least we have earned the respect. I am sorry that we only get 5 minutes on the floor. So many people are depending on us. We know that every time this country signs a free trade agreement with a developing country we end up outsourcing more wealth and middle- class jobs. U.S. companies are shuttering faster than we can count. If these trade agreements were working, America's trade deficit would not be ringing in at over $800 billion this year, and for every billion, 20,000 more jobs lost in this country. What an unprecedented wipeout of productive wealth and of jobs and of lives. The sliding value of the dollar proves it, our staggering debt levels prove it, and the growing stock market instability proves it. If we put it in perspective, we were told that when NAFTA passed, and I voted against that in 1993, our Speaker voted for it, our majority leader voted for it, I remember that vote very clearly, we were told that though we had a surplus with Mexico, it would grow. What happened? We have fallen into deeper and deeper deficit with Mexico every year. And over 2 million Mexican peasants were upended from their farmland, creating an endless flow of illegal immigration to this country, because we were not allowed to offer amendments to provide adjustment provisions in those agreements for the people of the Third World. Shame on us. Then we were told, well, let's move to China. When the China PNTR was signed, we weren't in trade balance with China; we were actually in trade deficit. But after PNTR was signed, the deficit doubled and tripled. The Speaker talked about that tonight. It didn't get any better; it just got worse. And now we are getting all of the tainted food and the toys with lead and so forth. The Jordan Free Trade Agreement had environmental and labor provisions. They said, that is the dawn of a new decade. Just what they are saying tonight. Guess what? No enforcement. We know that. They don't intend to do that. They never did. Now tonight we look at Peru. Now, with Peru we are already in deficit; in fact, over $3 billion in deficit with Peru. I hope the Ways and Means Committee staffer is adding this up, because, you see, the numbers are in the wrong direction. That is why the value of the dollar is terrible. What is interesting about Peru, though, what is the largest export from Peru to the United States? Gold. Gold. How convenient. And Peru is the largest silver producing country in the world. Look at the commodities markets. In whose interest would it be to bring in more of that here? And we have heard that Caterpillar now wants to move its production to serve those mines down in Peru. They are not going to send tractors from Illinois to Peru. They are going to move the production to Peru and pay those workers nothing. We have seen the pattern before. Now, please, don't take us to be idiots. We think about Del Monte and Green Giant. They used to manufacture. They had all of their product processed in Watsonville, California. I have been there. My uncles used to work there. Guess what? It is gone down there. Do you think they pay these farmers anything? No. We are going to lose 3 million Peruvian farmers. They are going to be upended just like the Mexican campesinos were. Have we no heart? Some people have no heart. We have heart. We are down here tonight. We can't forget them. I remember Congressman Kucinich was talking about Citigroup. Citigroup. They just wrote off $11 billion Sunday night, in the wee hours of the night so maybe nobody would notice. Citigroup has got a little problem with subprime mortgages, so they want to manage now the pensions of the world. They can't manage Social Security yet, so guess where they are going? They are going to Peru. They want to manage those dollars, and lots of other pension funds in this country. They are in trouble. They made mistakes. They robbed the American people, and I sure hope they don't come to this Congress for help, because we shouldn't be paying to bail them out. They are going to go to Peru, and under this agreement, it makes it easier for them to do that. Tonight I genuflect, not before the Ways and Means Committee, but before the mine workers of Peru who are on strike. They went on strike Monday because these gold exporting firms are making billions. They doubled their dividends in companies like Newmont, which just happens to be an American company that owns the biggest gold mine in Peru, in South America. Actually, it is the second largest gold mine in the world. I genuflect before those mine workers because here is what they have been told. Though the company has doubled its dividends to its shareholders, they won't give the workers anything. That is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Do you think they care? They are cleaning up on Wall Street selling that gold. Go to New York. Watch how that happens. Will they help those workers? No. What the company has told them, what the government has told them, the government said, Go back to work or you lose your job in 3 days. You are fired. That is who we are doing business with, my friends? I am an old-line Democrat. I came here to represent the majority of people in this country who are being dispossessed by Wall Street, dispossessed by the global corporations that think they are worth nothing. And we had best have a majority of a majority here tomorrow stand for the workers of this continent who still believe that we are the beacon of freedom and that they matter. God bless this country, and God bless our workers.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. KAPTUR. I would just say to the gentleman, Peru's chief export to us is gold, gold from the second largest gold mine in the world, and those Whirlpool jobs and Maytag jobs are half of what they used to be in this country because they shut them down in Galesburg, Illinois and in Newton, Iowa. Don't talk to me about washing machine jobs. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Ms. KAPTUR. Will the gentleman yield?

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentlelady for yielding and rise in opposition to the rule, which should be open. Every time we sign a free trade agreement with a developing country, we end up outsourcing more wealth and middle-class jobs. If these agreements were working, America wouldn't have an $800 billion trade deficit, with 20,000 jobs lost for every billion dollars of that deficit. What an unprecedented wipe out of jobs and productive wealth in this country. The sliding value of the dollar proves it, our staggering debt levels prove it, and the growing stock market instability proves it. Let me give you some history. When they said we had to pass NAFTA back in the 1990s, we had a trade surplus with Mexico. Since NAFTA's unfortunate passage, every single year we have fallen into greater and greater debt with Mexico. A million of our jobs are outsourced. We didn't create a million jobs. And 2 million Mexicans were thrown off their farms and created an unending flow of illegal immigration to this country. Then they told us, well, sign China PNTR; that will make a big difference. We were already in debt with China when PNTR was signed, and guess what? It only got worse. We have an historic trade deficit with China now, and we're getting from them contaminated dog food and toys with lead and all of the rest. And now they tell us, well, Peru is next. We've already got a trade deficit with Peru. Del Monte and Green Giant have opened up production facilities in Peru to absorb some of the 2 million Peruvian farmers that are going to be upended by this agreement, just as what happened with Mexico's campesinos under NAFTA. Jordan, they said, was a breakthrough agreement, had environmental provisions, labor provisions; So, what's happened, even the Jordanians admit, it's not enforced. You know, in considering another free trade agreement today, this New Direction Congress offers up more of the same, again, out of step with the American people. The environmental and labor provisions are nonbinding; they're in the general preamble. This is like saying you support the preamble to our Constitution but not the Bill of Rights and all the case law that supports it. That's why no labor unions are supporting this in the United States or Peru. In fact, a major Peru miners' union is on strike right now, and they were told by the Government of Peru today that the strike was illegal and said if the workers don't return to work, they will be terminated in 3 days. So I ask, why are no U.S. or Peruvian trade unions supporting the agreement? Could it be because the agreement does not require the Parties to comply with core labor ``rights'', but rather with vague and unenforceable labor ``principles, which are then cleverly placed in the Preamble or Declaration of the agreement, not in the enforceable and binding core standards as do the International Labor Organization Convention? Oh, let us grow up. So, I have a better idea. Rather than pass another so called ``free trade'' agreement with another foreign country, that has weak rule of law and masses of poor people, let's negotiate a free trade agreement with ourselves! That would be a first. For Congress to pay some attention to the American people. A free trade agreement with the U.S. might result in jobs from other places being returned here to workers who have fallen out of the middle class. It might mean we would again be a nation that produced something rather than just traded in foreign goods. Can you imagine--America might again make televisions, electronics, shoes, clothing, washing machines and irons, windshield wipers, electric wiring harnesses, toys, crayons, dishes, forks and spoons, well, the list is endless. Imagine if we had a trade agreement that put our workers and communities first. Now there's a novel thought. Imagine, if the diminishing middle class believed this Congress actually represented them. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this Peru agreement and finally begin to develop a new trade model that results in job creation in America and balanced global trade accounts. When that happens, America's middle class will again begin to grow. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this Peru agreement, and submit the following article for the Record: [From Dow Jones Newswires, Nov. 7, 2007] Update: Peru Declares National Mining Sector Strike Illegal (by Robert Kozak) Lima.--Peru's Labor Ministry Wednesday declared a national mining sector strike to be illegal. Peru's National Federation of Mining, Metallurgy and Steel Workers Monday started the nationwide strike, aiming to pressure the government to pass laws to give mining sector workers more benefits. The ministry said workers had defied a government resolution ordering them back to work and in some cases had blocked highways. Workers now have three days to return to work or face being fired. An official with the mining federation said directors are meeting with government officials to see whether advances made in formulating laws giving them more benefits would allow them to lift the strike. The government said 6,300 workers were on strike as of Tuesday, some 5.26% of the total work force in the sector. The strike hasn't seriously cut production at any of the major mines in Peru, and mining sector activity has returned to a more normal state, a high-level mining sector official said Wednesday. ``Today the activities are practically normal at the companies. I think that the workers have come to understand that they don't need to paralyze activities to insist on the platform that the federation has,'' the president of the private-sector National Society of Mining, Petroleum and Energy, Ysaac Cruz, said in a broadcast interview. ``The strike has had very little impact, and at some mines only a small group took part,'' Cruz added. A spokesman for Minera Yanacochia, Latin America's largest gold mine, said that all workers there were back on the job. That mine is run by Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM), with a 51.35% stake. Compania de Minas Buenaventura SAA (BVN) holds a 43.65% share in Yanacocha. The mining federation had held a similar strike from April 30 to May 4. The government said then that only 10% of workers in the mining sector supported that walk out, although union members said the number was higher. The mining federation wants, among other things, to increase the number of workers on staff, to increase worker profit sharing to 10% of profits from 8%, and to eliminate a ceiling on that profit sharing, which limits the extra payments to a total of 18 monthly salaries. Peru is the world's largest producer of silver, and among the top five in zinc and copper. It is also a major producer of gold, and produces other minerals such as tin and molybdenum.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, every time the United States signs a free trade agreement with a developing country, this time the Bush Peru agreement, we end up outsourcing more wealth and more middle-class jobs. We're already in deficit with Peru under existing conditions. And just like Mexico, when we signed that agreement, we went from a surplus to a gigantic deficit. If labor provisions in the agreement are so good, why are no trade unions in our country or Peru supporting the agreement? Could it be because the agreement does not require the Peruvians to comply with core labor ``rights'', but rather, with vague and unenforceable labor ``principles'' which are then cleverly placed in the preamble or the declaration of the agreement and not in the enforceable and binding core standards, as do the International Labor Organization conventions? You know, this week the Peruvian miners are talking to us. They are on strike; 6,300 miners who mine gold and silver and zinc and copper and molybdenum in that country. They're on strike but the Peru Labor Ministry has ordered them back to work or they will lose their jobs in 3 days. Isn't it time for us to hear the voices of the people of Peru as well as the voices of the people of our own country who have lost so many jobs due to these unfair trade agreements? Peru doesn't intend to enforce international labor rights.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize St. Adalbert Parish. On October 28, 2007, Saint Adalbert Parish in Toledo, Ohio celebrated its naissance into the north Toledo Polish Community. This 100th anniversary commemorates the formative role St. Adalbert's had in helping shape a vibrant Toledo, while centering an ethnic community of largely citizens of Polish descent. The celebration, commenced with Mass, reminded those attendees of their proud Polish heritage that molded north Toledo, but also northwest Ohio. For this celebration marked a day that spoke to the importance of commemorating important ethnic communities in America because these immigrant-based groups have enriched America's heritage. Approximately 170 years ago, the banks of the Maumee River welcomed the first Polish immigrant with the family name Vistula, a name shared with the central river of Poland. Following this initial arrival, Toledo attracted more Polish pioneers from Krakow, the medieval capital of Poland and from Warsaw, Poland's current capital in the Mazowsze region. However, during the 19th century, the overwhelming majority of Polish settlers came from the western territories. These western territories of Poland were controlled by the Germans. Poles longed to escape the religious and linguistic persecution of the infamous ``Kulturkamt instituted by Otto von Bismarck, subsequently followed by the ``Ha-Ka-Ta'' program of colonization by buying up Polish lands. The specific origins of Poles fleeing German maltreatment are known. Most came from Poznan province, the seat of Poland's earliest Roman Catholic cathedral. Other Poles came from the Pa5uki region around the county of Znin. This region rests immediately to the northwest of the Kujawy region around Gniezno. Upon finding a sight of white eagles here, Prince Lech established this as the capital and further, the white eagle became the national coat-of-arms. Additionally, Poles migrated to America at the beginning of the 20th Century through the First World War. They arrived from the Austrian- held southern Poland, Zakopane with Gorale culture, Rzeszow, Lwow, Russian territories of Kujawy, and Wi5no, the modern capital of Lithuania. Regardless of their ancestral region, Polish immigrants contributed greatly to Toledo's growing labor forces. By 1920, people of Polish origin constituted the largest foreign-born group in Toledo and Lucas County. These settlers accounted for at least one quarter of the population of northwest Ohio, eventually spilling over into southeastern Michigan. Toledo was the largest city in northwest Ohio with a population of over 300,000 people. Residents of Polish ancestry now number over 60,000. Given Poland's special relationship with the Catholic Church, when Poles came to inhabit Toledo, naturally, the Catholic Church became the bastion of their communities. Indeed its establishment predated the formation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo itself. By 1879, the Lagrange street district (known as ``Lagrinka'' by Poles) hosted the first Polish parish under the patronage of Saint Hedwig, Queen of Poland. The Polish Lagrinka district rapidly expanded into the beginning of the 20th century. By 1907, Bishop Ignatius Horstmann of Cleveland established a second Polish parish in the Lagrange Street district as a division of St. Hedwig Parish. The bishop assigned Fr. Jozef Wachowski, a young priest who worked in Cleveland, to begin the new parish by October 18, 1907 with Park Street as the boundary line. The old church building of St. Hedwig housed the first parish meeting on February 23, 1908. By March 4, 1908, Bishop Horstmann approved the choice of St. Adalbert as the namesake and patron of the new parish. The official announcement of the parish patron saint was made on March 15, 1908. A nine-room cottage on the property was used as the pastor's house. By November of 1908, Fr. Wachowski signed a contract for a combination church/school building, and a pastoral residence. The first spade of ground for the new church was turned on December 1, 1908, at 12 o'clock noon. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Kudelka laid the cornerstone on May 2, 1909. Representatives of all the Polish parishes in the Toledo and Rossford areas, and parishes from Ironville in east Toledo attended this ceremony. The church school was finished in October 1909. Work started on the rectory in February of 1909. A demonstration of Catholic Polish people which has never been equaled in Toledo took place Sunday, September 18, 1910 when the Right Reverend Bishop from Chicago dedicated St. Adalbert Church and School on Lagrange and Oakland Streets. The parade to follow showcased all societies, military and religious, of all the Polish churches. Bishop Paul P. Rhode was the first and only Polish bishop in the United States, leading nearly 3,000,000 Catholic Poles and more than 800 churches. By October 1909, Fr. Wachowski moved into the new rectory, followed by a sister's convent in 1915. St. Adalbert Parish eventually became the largest parish in the diocese; thus, it was necessary to build a new, separate church to sustain the parish members. On April 19, 1927, parish supporters laid the cornerstone to the present magnificent church. This church, built between the church-school and the parish house in the Spanish Mission style, was 145 feet long and 75 feet wide with a 100-foot tower at one side. September 18, 1927 celebrated the first Mass of the new church. The new St. Adalbert Church was dedicated by Bishop Samuel A. Stritch on April 22, 1928, which also marked the 25th anniversary of Fr. Wachowski's ordination to the priesthood. After the new church was built, the Great Depression came. Father Czarnecki inherited the debt of the church building. However, Fr. Czarnecki introduced and distributed financial booklets to list all the contributions of each member during the year. Due to the priest's business acumen, the building debt was paid. Parishioners of Saint Adalbert have been involved in numerous organizations. These members of the parish organized a number of societies: St. Adalbert Society, St. Casmir's and St. Joseph's Societies, St. Michael Society (men), Altar-Rosary Society (women), and Young Ladies Society (girls), St. Theresa and Holy Rosary Sodalities, the Ladies' Guild, the Young People's Friendly Circle, the Catholic Order of Foresters, Court No. 1865, LCBA Branch No. 1434 and the Altar Boys' League. From these organizations and tight-knit community, Saint Adalbert was an anchor for the neighborhood. The church buttressed a parish school that became a site of advancement for young people for generations. The selfless contributions of the teachers, more notably, the Felician Sisters ensured the students received a top-notch education, but nurtured students who were dedicated and devoted to serve their fellow man, community and country. Rev. J.P. Wachowski requested the services of the Felician Sisters. The future welfare of the Polish pioneers lay in their education and training by a religious community of their own nationality. Retaining some ethnic identity was essential for those separated from their mother country by a force of circumstances. The Felician Sisters have taught in Toledo since 1883, nine years after five Sisters arrived in Polania, Wisconsin from Poland to establish the first U.S. Foundation. The religious community was founded in Warsaw, Poland in 1855 by Mother M. Angela, eventually being housed in Livonia, Michigan in 1936. The sisters became an integral part of the community, the elementary schools, high schools, religious education centers, parish religious programs, a college hospital, home for dependent children and a home for the aged. The Congregation of Sisters of Saint Felix has been teaching at the St. Adalbert Parish for 98 years. The original St. Adalbert Parish attracted about 150 families. Upon completion of the new parish, more than 1,000 families claimed Saint Adalbert as their parish. Presently, approximately 550 household families are registered at St. Adalbert Parish. In lieu of current trends of former vibrant Polish communities, two parishes were superfluous to meet the needs of the community. Thus, to keep alive the Polish churches of North Toledo, in July of 2005, St. Adalbert Parish and St. Hedwig Parish were twinned, staying separate parishes but one community. What once partitioned the north Toledo Polish neighborhood has now become united. In fact, the parish schools of Saint Hedwig and Saint Adalbert joined, creating Pope John Paul II School, tangibly representing this union. Indeed the story of 100 years of activity can never be told in its entirety; but the contributions of the Felicians, priests and laity, who served as lectors, ushers, Eucharistic ministers, choir members, musicians, youth athletic coaches, and skit, dance and musical choreographers nurtured the joy of community commemorated during its 100th anniversary. October 2007 marks the 100th anniversary of St. Adalbert Parish. A year-long celebration begins with the blessing of the statue of our late Pope John Paul II. May God bless St. Adalbert Parish--all its founders and inheritors--and our beloved community, and city.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Thank you distinguished Chairman Lynch, and my dear friend from our delegation Congressman Jim Jordan. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in support of House Resolution 728, which speaks to the issue of the flooding throughout Ohio in August of this year. Congressman Jordan and I stood shoulder to shoulder with the late Congressman Paul Gillmor in Findlay to survey the devastating 100-year flood level. This flooding ripped through the heart of many small towns in northwest Ohio, burying our communities in feet of mud and water while washing away the dreams of so many today. We know there are probably over $100 million worth of damages. We owe so much to all the emergency workers--to the fire, to the police, to the local officials like Mayor Iriti, who I thought, did an outstanding job--for trying to address this situation, which wasn't any of their fault or our fault. You had 15 inches of rain within 24 hours; and this flood truly was different. Instead of simply devastating our community, the flood also sent a shock wave through all of us on the challenge of fresh water management that our region, our very flat region, faces. It is ironic that in Ohio we were talking about too much water at a time when, now, Georgia and the southeastern States are experiencing record droughts. We know in our region the status quo is not acceptable. We were very pleased that Secretary Chertoff joined us and offered the continuing help of FEMA to address the damage from these floods in August. We knew that our region had potential water management problems. But we never thought they would come now so quickly. We had launched a watershed management partnership in the Western Lake Erie Basin to handle the growing levels of storm water runoff. The Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have driven forward a remarkable partnership that is unique in its scope anywhere in the country for what it is trying to accomplish. At the center of this assessment is the understanding that we must better manage our fresh water asset for the future. It is our competitive advantage, without question, in the Great Lakes States. We have been buffeted in our region by globalization, but we will not give up our greatest asset. We know we must manage it with a comprehensive basinwide solution. I think this flooding was a real clarion call to people in our region. We saw the levels of damage and now having to remediate after the fact. But had we had in place structures and systems to handle this level of water, we would not have had the level of damage that we experienced. We know that the level of rainfall was extraordinarily large, but the point is, we were not properly prepared for it, and we have now had this clarion call. We were very fortunate that the loss of life was minimized, but, nonetheless, people are still digging out. I think this resolution is a very important step forward as we try to handle this precious global asset of fresh water in our region in a much, much wiser way so that we can avoid the flooding of the future. Even Marathon Oil had eight feet of water in its corporate headquarters in Findlay, Ohio. Business leaders, the chamber, a broad band of public officials and private sector leadership across the region recognize we can't go through this again. We have to think about dry dams. We have to think of reservoirs. We have to think of ways to avoid hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage and put those dollars to work avoiding that kind of disaster in the future. In recognizing all of those who helped to handle this enormous tragedy that befell our area, we also look to the future and the fact that we have the Western Lake Erie Basin partnership as a building block toward the future in order to make the future better than the past and to learn the lessons that history has now taught us. I am very pleased to join my colleagues here today, Congressman Lynch, who has taken such great leadership on this measure. We, in Ohio, appreciate the response of all the emergency personnel who did so very much, and to the people who suffered, and also to Congressman Jim Jordan for bringing this to the floor today. We are joined hand in hand as we move forward together in northern Ohio to better manage our fresh water asset for future generations.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, this week the new Congress, the Democratic Congress, will consider its first bilateral trade agreement during this session: the Bush-negotiated free trade agreement with Peru. This week, this Democratic Congress has an opportunity, an opportunity to prove that we are different from previous Congresses. We have an opportunity to demonstrate we have heard from America's voters who are fed up with job losses, trade deficits, and race-to-the-bottom wages for our middle class. The American people expect us to reflect their concerns. Yet this bill is merely another godchild of NAFTA. What is the public telling us? In a March 2007 poll by the Wall Street Journal/NBC before the recent scandals involving tainted food and toy imports, 54 percent of Democratic voters said free trade agreements have hurt the United States compared with 21 percent who said they have helped. Then the Wall Street Journal in an October 4 front-page article stated that by a poll they had done, by a nearly 2 to 1 margin, Republican voters believe free trade is bad for the U.S. economy, a shift in opinion that mirrors Democratic views and suggests trade deals could face high hurdles under a new President. And then a Democratic pollster found that 67 percent, two-thirds, of Americans believe unfair trade agreements are making it harder for Americans to keep good jobs. Thus, defeating the Peru free trade agreement isn't just about politics. It is about what Democrats stand for in terms of policy. Why should we defeat this bill? We should defeat the free trade agreement that the Bush administration negotiated on behalf of Peru first to protect America's farmers and America's workers. With a $3 billion trade deficit with Peru already, we have lost knit-wear jobs, we have lost agricultural jobs in onions and asparagus, and the list grows longer. We will only lose more jobs as we did with NAFTA unless you fix the innards of the agreements to stem the outsourcing in the first place. We should defeat the Peru trade agreement to stand up for the 3 million soon-to-be displaced Peruvian small farmers who will fall victim to the flood of cheap South American imports that will come from adjoining countries because there are no readjustment provisions in the measure, just as there were no readjustment provisions under NAFTA and 2 million Mexican farmers got displaced, many of them fleeing to our country. Where are those 3 million Peruvian farmers supposed to go with no transition provisions in the agreement? We should defeat the Peru agreement because it does not contain support ``Buy America'' policies in it. We should defeat the Peru trade agreement because we know the Bush administration cannot be trusted to enforce it. They haven't balanced any trade agreement. There are no accounts that are positive in these trade agreements that have been signed. In fact, this country this year will rack up close to a $1 trillion trade deficit with the world. The American people are saying stop, fix what is wrong before you do anything more. Why would we adopt an agreement that will ruin the rain forest and put indigenous peoples at risk? Why would we do that to the Third World when we see demonstrations against the United States already all over Latin America. Wouldn't you think we would stand up for safe foods and safe imports? We know salmonella and other tainted foods are coming our way from Peru because so much of the seafood comes in here. Why don't we fix the inspection procedures before we adopt another free trade agreement that is not free in the end? Why won't we adopt trade agreements that would ensure that Peruvians will still have access to medicines they need, despite the demands of a large pharmaceutical company? Why don't we stand up for the average person in these agreements? Why would we support an agreement that is going to cause such hollowing out of Peruvian agriculture that they're going to have to displace that production with increasing coca production and illegal drugs? Why would we support an agreement like that? We have to stop the perpetuation of the NAFTA model that leaves poverty and imbalance in its wake while failing to fulfill any promises of benefits to the middle class in either country. Mr. Speaker, the New Direction Congress must take a new direction on trade, and I urge my colleagues to reject the Bush NAFTA expansion to Peru and support a new trade model that puts the peoples of the Americas first.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, since 1953, Samuel Szor has been an integral part of Toledo's music scene, earning him the title of Toledo's ``Mr. Music.'' Mr. Szor ends his 55th season as the conductor/ music director of the immensely popular Music under the Stars summer concert series held at the Toledo Zoo Amphitheater. Each summer our community happily anticipates the inception of another summer of the concert series of Music under the Stars. Because of Mr. Szor, music- lovers can rest in the Toledo Zoo's amphitheater taking in the beautiful sounds and sights of Toledo. Besides his dedication to bringing a collection of classical, patriotic and spirited pieces to Toledo residents, he holds an extensive list of additional credits. In his early years after graduating with degrees from University of Michigan, he played bassoon with the Toledo Symphony, Toledo Opera Orchestra and the University of Toledo Woodwind Quintet and Trio as well as playing jazz saxophone in area bands and clubs. His conducting credits include the Casual concert series and other concerts with Toledo Symphony, twenty years with the Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra, guest conductor with the famous Goldman Memorial Band in New York City, and conductor/music director for opera, musical comedy and ballet theatre in the Toledo area. In the choral realm, he has been conductor/ music director of The Toledo Choral Society for 49 years and was a director of church music for over 40 years. In addition to his conducting credits, he was a music educator serving for 32 years in the secondary and college levels in Toledo. Mr. Szor has received numerous awards for his distinguished work, most recently including a national award from the American Hungarian foundation and the Ovation Award from the Vocal Arts Resource Network of Ohio. Toledo garners much pride in his commitment to evoke a mosaic of melodies to our community for decades. Sam Szor is an inspiration to conductors and musicians everywhere by his grace, ease and spirit toward music.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life of Jay M. Shepherd. Mr. Shepherd passed from this life on September 23, 2007, and his family will hold a memorial celebration of his life on November 3, 2007. Mr. Shepherd was born May 27, 1946 in Ashtabula, OH. He graduated from Wellington High School in 1964 and received a Bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University in 1968. He and his wife Judith Lee Greening were married on August 3, 1968, and together they raised a son, Patrick. A Vietnam veteran (1969-1971), Mr. Shepherd was awarded the Bronze Star for his service. Upon his return, he managed the family business, Shepherd Chevrolet-Oldsmobile in Wellington. He operated the business until 1984, whereupon he was employed at Forest City Technologies until 2007, working as the Customer Service Manager and most recently as System Software Integration Manager. Jay Shepherd was an avid photographer for most of his life. He served in a volunteer capacity as official photographer for Team MGD Racing. He enjoyed computers, motorcycles, and cars. He was a fan of the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns, and NASCAR auto racing. He loved animals and nature. Mr. Shepherd was a proud veteran, loving family man, community-minded businessman, an avid sports fan, and enjoyed his hobbies. He enjoyed life and the friends and family around him. We join his family, friends, colleagues, community, and neighbors in honoring this life well-lived as they celebrate his memory and the joy he brought to all who knew him.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman, and thank the esteemed chairman, for bringing this bill forward. Mr. Speaker, the real answer to growing job loss in the United States, the declining value of our dollar and to rising trade deficits is to balance America's trade accounts by renegotiating failed deals like NAFTA and China PNTR, by not passing any more of them, by opening closed markets like Japan's and China's, and Korea's and by stopping unfair trade practices globally. Meanwhile, our workers continue to take the big hits by losing their jobs and benefits. What this bill does is it gives them increased notice when their plants are going to close, and it also provides a landing pad in the form of training and trade adjustment assistance. I just wish that the jobs they are being trained for would be produced. We know that often is not the case. This is the absolute least we can do for the people of our country. They have paid the price of our failure here in Washington to produce economic policies that make America's economy robust. I fear, without our doing that, we are going to lose the industrial and defense prowess that made the United States the leader post-World War II. I just thank the committee for providing this bill which will help the casualties reposition a bit. The real answer to growing U.S. job loss, the declining value of the dollar, and rising budget and trade deficits is to balance America's trade accounts by renegotiating failed deals like NAFTA and China PNTR and not pass more of them, by opening closed markets like Japan's, China's, and Korea's, and stopping unfair trade practices globally. Meanwhile, our workers continue to take the big hits--they lose their jobs, they lose their benefits. This bill gives them some help--by giving them increased notice before their plants are closed, and it revamps trade assistance and training to help them reposition if the jobs exist in the future. We owe it to our workers and communities to give them a better chance to adjust. They are the casualties of economic policy here in Washington that is not working. This legislation will require employers to provide 90 days of notice in the event of a proposed plant closing or layoff. Trigger the notification requirements if at least 25 workers lose their jobs during any 30-day period, not 50 workers as in current legislation; Mandate notice if 100 or more workers are laid off at multiple plants or worksites during any 30-day period; Cover both full-time and part-time hourly and salaried workers; Require the Department of Labor to provide model educational information to employers on employer responsibilities and employee rights under WARN, as well as benefits and services available to dislocated workers; Authorize the Department of Labor to investigate complaints and bring enforcement suits and also to notify Members of Congress who represent the affected areas; Permit employees to recover back pay and benefits up to 90 days and also liquidated damages (doubling the compensation otherwise available) if an employer fails to give the required notice under the act; and, Important to note is the legislation's extension of the period for COBRA (comprehensive benefits, including health care) coverage for recipients of trade adjustment assistance. Under current COBRA rules, workers who lose their jobs generally may continue their health benefits for up to 18 months at their own expense. The new legislation would give workers who are 55 years or older and have worked for an employer for 10 or more years the option to elect COBRA coverage until they become Medicare eligible at 65 or until they obtain health coverage through a subsequent employer. While I support this bill, we must keep in mind that TAA and WARN aren't substitutes for jobs in manufacturing America. An America that does not produce not only loses the most vibrant wealth-producing sector of her economy but her defense and industrial base as well. TAA and WARN should be used sparingly and for the short term--they are band-aids, not solutions. We need to pass legislation requiring the executive branch to balance our trade accounts, to renegotiate NAFTA/ PNTR, and to open closed markets of the world. It is no secret that we are voting on TAA today, to increase votes for the Peru Free Trade Agreement next week. Our willingness to sell out our Nation's workforce for the consolation prize of trade adjustment assistance promises to damage our country for decades to come. I have two bills--H. Res. 336 and H.R. 169, the Balancing Trade Act, which will get our country back on the right track. By supporting H. Res. 336, we support fair, people-centered principles that promote free trade only among free peoples. The Balancing Trade Act, which already enjoys bipartisan support, demands that the President acknowledge a problem in our trade policy when our deficit with any one country exceeds $10 billion for more than 3 years. I also have a bill (H.R. 1958) to revoke PNTR from China, and I will be introducing a bill to require the President to renegotiate NAFTA. These bills are steps towards correcting our U.S. trade policy to prevent the kinds of layoffs and job loss that these bills merely ice over. [From the Toledo Blade, July 16, 2007] Tiffin Workers Discover Limits of WARN Act (By Steve Eder and James Drew) Tiffin.--Four days after Christmas in 2001, Gene Goshe braved the brisk cold as he walked to his newspaper box and unrolled his copy of the Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune. ``National shutting down,'' blared the headline in tall letters across the front page. In seconds, Mr. Goshe's life changed forever. After devoting 33 years of his life to the National Machinery Co., Mr. Goshe read in the newspaper that morning that the plant had abruptly closed. He didn't get a phone call to let him know he no longer had a job. ``It was like a snowball hit you in the hind end on the first of January,'' recalled Mr. Goshe, then 58. ``This is the way we are going to start the year.'' The sudden demise of National Machinery stunned Tiffin, a town of 17,000 about 55 miles southeast of Toledo already reeling from plant closings and layoffs. The plant, a few blocks from the small downtown, made the machines that made nuts and bolts since the 1880s. But while the products of its machines embodied the ordinary, the storied history of National Machinery was far from typical. ``The National''--as locals affectionately called it-- provided a choice working environment for generations in and around Seneca County, a flat, fertile part of northwest Ohio dotted with fields and woodlots. The company's reputation as an exceptional employer was rooted in its traditions--a club for employees who had worked there at least 25 years, summer picnics at Cedar Point, and Christmas parties at the fancy Ritz Theatre. National Machinery was like family, workers recalled. Not surprisingly, it was begun by Tiffin's first families--the Frosts and Kalnows, whose ownership dates to the 1880s, when patriarch Meshech Frost convinced the company's original owner to move its operations to Tiffin. The Frosts, and later the Kalnows, are recognized as Tiffin's leading community boosters, using some of their vast fortune to support local causes and institutions, including the city's Heidelberg College, where the families set up scholarship programs to benefit the children of National Machinery employees. a fractured bond The bond between the privately held company and its workers changed forever on Dec. 28, 2001--the date National shut down. For most of the 549 National Machinery Co. employees, there was no notice the place where many of them had dedicated their working lives was closing. Paul Aley, National Machinery's president, explained to workers in a letter dated the day the plant closed that banks cut off the company's money because of its financial troubles. Most employees didn't receive Mr. Aley's letter until they had already read about National's demise in the newspaper or heard about it from friends or co-workers. In 1988, Congress passed a law requiring business owners to give 60-days notice before a plant closing or mass layoff. If National Machinery Co. had followed the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, known as the WARN Act, its employees could have begun looking for new work and putting their finances in order instead of dealing with the shock of suddenly losing their jobs. There were concerns about the well-being of National Machinery Co. leading up to its closure. Citing financial problems, the company announced some layoffs earlier in 2001 and gave most of its workers the holidays off without pay. But the veteran workers expected business would pick back up as it had many times over the years. This time wasn't like the others. hoping for better times In the weeks and months after National Machinery's shutdown, employees looked to their faith for strength. Twice a week, employees such as Mr. Goshe, a Vietnam veteran and father of four, would gather outside the plant at noon and form a prayer circle with 50 to 75 people. In the cold January and February air, they would pray for each other and for the future of National Machinery Co. ``Everybody would go around and if anybody had something to say, they'd say it, or they would say a prayer,'' Mr. Goshe said. ``If anybody had anything they wanted to get off their chest, they could get it off their chest.'' The workers took pride in their roles in National Machinery's history and held out hope for a return to better times. ``National Machinery had the knowledge in town that they were the best employer in Seneca County,'' said Mark Griffin, a 38-year employee. ``We had some other big employers in Seneca County, but that was the best place to work. ``They took care of their people, they had a fair wage, you worked your overtime, had a great retirement, and they took care of you,'' Mr. Griffin said. From its Quarter Century Club, which honored employees of 25 years, to its picnics, baseball leagues, and community service, National Machinery was steeped in tradition. Its owners, the Frosts and Kalnows, who for decades referred to their employees as ``Our people,'' instilled an unapologetic sense of family in and outside the plant. They provided quality employment, fair wages, and steady jobs, and in return they expected their workers to live up to National Machinery standards to protect the image of the company. Employees in the 1970s and '80s were expected to be clean-cut and trouble-free. They were forbidden from cashing their checks at local watering holes. Mr. Griffin said National Machinery employees had enough pride in their work to cash their checks at a bank, not at a bar. In return, Mr. Griffin said, ``If you got into trouble or were a little short, they would always bring the money up ahead of you. They would pick you up and you could pay 'em back later. It was like a family thing.'' a tiffin institution National Machinery began four generations of ownership by the Frost and then Kalnow families soon after Meshech Frost convinced Bill Anderson to move the company to Tiffin in 1882. In Tiffin, there is much folklore about National Machinery and its family ownership. One tale is that Mr. Frost went to New York City to get a loan from financier ``Diamond'' Jim Brady to help purchase the company. After his death in 1922, Mr. Frost left the company to his son, Earl Frost, who ran it into the 1950s. Earl Frost's daughter, Jane Frost, who was the heiress to the family fortune, married Carl Kalnow, a banker, and together they owned National Machinery Co. National Machinery employees still fondly recall the story behind the Frost-Kalnow engagement. ``From what I know, Mr. Kalnow came to town and he got off the train and asked who the richest man in town was and if he had a daughter,'' Mr. Griffin said. ``It was Miss Frost and he ended up marrying her.'' The Kalnows had four children--Carl, Andrew, Gertrude, and Loretta--who inherited National Machinery after their mother's death in 1986. In 1998, the Kalnow siblings--who were raised in Tiffin but had moved away--sold the company for $98 million to Citicorp Venture Capital, a New York-based firm that buys and sells companies as investments. Within three years, National Machinery rapidly declined from a thriving company to an abruptly shuttered one. A different company After National Machinery closed, the Kalnow siblings--who had kept a seat on the company's board of directors and a 15 percent stake in the business as part of the sale--became the workers' best hope for rescuing the company. In the weeks after the company closed its doors, the Kalnows, led by Andrew Kalnow, founder of Chicago-based Alpha Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm, began negotiating to buy National Machinery's debt from a consortium of banks holding tens of millions of dollars in notes--the debt taken on to buy the company from him and his family. In February, 2002, the Kalnows repurchased National Machinery for $16 million, just a fraction of what they had sold it for just three years earlier. In Tiffin, many employees believed their prayers were answered. But they soon learned that National Machinery, under its new ownership, would be a far different company than the one they had devoted 20, 30, or even 40 years of their lives. In a complex business transaction, the Kalnows established National Machinery LLC, or limited liability company, which they used to essentially purchase the property and assets of the former National Machinery Co. The sale was completed in such a way that the new company would inherit the old company's headquarters in Tiffin, its factory, its machinery, and its customers. But it would have no responsibility to pay the debts of the old company. Those debts included millions of dollars owed to suppliers and $1.5 million more owed to area doctors and health-care facilities for medical services provided to former employees before the plant closed. Officials of the new company eventually agreed to pay an undisclosed amount toward the $1.5 million in medical bills owed by former plant workers. But the new company said it had no legal obligation to the employees of the ``old company,'' who were left behind when the plant closed in December, 2001. A spokesman for National Machinery LLC last week said WARN Act issues were handled by the former plant owner and their lawyers. ``Like many other companies today facing the challenge of being successful in a highly competitive world market, National Machinery LLC is leaner and less vertically integrated,'' said John Bolte, senior vice president of operations and human resources. ``Many processes and therefore jobs from the past simply do not exist in our company in order to make us more competitive.'' Attempts by The Blade to interview Andrew Kalnow and his siblings were unsuccessful. In an e-mail from Mr. Kalnow last month, he told The Blade: ``It seems like you have a politics agenda in mind that has nothing to do with our business and contribution to the community.'' A sense of betrayal The Kalnows' ``new company''--National Machinery LLC--in the spring of 2002 hired nearly 240 full-time employees after it reopened the plant, many of whom worked for the ``old company.'' But many of National Machinery Co.'s 549 employees, including some of its longest-tenured workers, such as Joe Poignon, never received the call to come back. ``They started it back up, but they excluded us,'' said Mr. Poignon, a 40-year employee who worked in the company's after-market section. ``There was people who weren't retired out there who had more than 25 years of service and they were not called back.'' Some grew bitter, angry, and depressed as they waited and waited for the call from National Machinery that never came. ``It's the way they treated us,'' said Mr. Poignon, who tries to avoid Greenfield Street in Tiffin, where National Machinery is located. ``Not calling us in to inform us of anything, and not being up front and square with us, and being ostracized after they reopened the plant. None of us deserve that. After we have given our lives to it, our good working years are gone. We can't go out and restart. We gave them all our good working years.'' He added, ``You feel like you've been betrayed.'' Depression and anger Several former National Machinery employees fell into depression as they tried to live without the work they had been doing for most of their lives. Others were angry. Paul Martorana, a 27-year employee of National Machinery, returned to the company's offices to settle his pension after the new company had taken over. But before he left, he had a request of Anne Martin, the company's secretary. ``Would you do me one favor?'' Mr. Martorana recalled asking. ``Take my picture off the wall. I don't want anyone to know I was ever associated with this company.'' Mr. Martorana wanted his picture taken off the walls of National Machinery Co.'s Quarter Century Club. The club, which had more than 735 members since it was established in 1936, honored the company's most loyal employees. Many members of that devoted club were among those who were unexpectedly thrown from their jobs, instantly losing health- care coverage, paychecks, accrued vacation time, and the stability of employment. ``A lot of people got hurt, financially and mentally,'' Mr. Martorana said. ``We didn't know what to do,'' Mr. Poignon said. ``There were people who were scheduled for surgery. They didn't know what to do. They didn't have insurance. Some of them had cancer.'' Picking up the pieces It was difficult, if not impossible, for some former employees to find reliable work after decades with National Machinery. The employees had no time to plan, find new jobs, or train for new careers. Out of necessity, some took whatever they could find, accepting steep pay cuts and losing benefits. ``It's basically turned our lives upside down,'' said Sharon Goshe, who has been married to Gene Goshe for 34 years. Mr. Goshe said he held out hope for about three months after the plant closed, hoping that he would get a call to return to work. The call never came. ``Once they opened back up and [I'd] seen the ones they were hiring back, I was too old,'' Mr. Goshe said. He began applying for nearly ``any job that was in the paper,'' but he didn't have any success and began to suffer from depression. ``The unemployment was running out, and we got the same old stories,'' he said. ``You go out and you look for a job and you get your hopes up, and you hear nothing.'' Ten months after National closed, Mr. Goshe took a job for $10 an hour with no benefits at a local lumber yard, a $4 an hour wage cut. Many employees of National Machinery skipped their paid vacations over the years, believing they had accrued months of paid time off that could be used in the future. When the old company shuttered, employees were not reimbursed for the time. The workers said they were also owed thousands of dollars in lost wages and unpaid medical bills. But when they went to the plant office and tried to collect from National Machinery LLC, they heard a familiar refrain: ``Sue the old company.'' But the ``old company'' no longer existed. Taking legal action On Sept. 11, 2002, three former workers of National Machinery Co.--Chad and Donald Baker and Paul Martorana-- filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court in Toledo on behalf of all the workers who lost their jobs. They sued National Machinery Co., Citicorp Venture Capital, and two related entities claiming the WARN Act was violated when the plant closed without a 60-day notice. They asked for lost wages, vacation pay, and medical expenses they said they were owed, totaling at least $4,000 per worker. They received a quick education into the limitations and loopholes of the federal law. But the biggest obstacle they faced was the wall of legal agreements, contracts, and documents set up by a squad of lawyers to make sure that National Machinery LLC was not responsible for the debts and actions of National Machinery Co. Attorneys for Citicorp Venture Capital argued that their client wasn't the liable employer under the law because even though Citicorp was the majority owner of the ``old company,'' it didn't make business decisions on behalf of National Machinery. Because the ``old company'' was now a mere shell, its former employees fell into one of the most prominent pitfalls of the WARN Act--finding someone who could pay the workers what they were owed. Nearly three years after the company closed, attorneys for the employees and Citicorp Venture Capital agreed to a settlement that would pay $375 per worker before taxes--just pennies on the dollar of what most employees felt they were owed. National Machinery LLC, as a completely new entity, had no obligation to the workers and was not involved in the settlement. An ``insult'' Calling the settlement an ``insult'' and frustrated with the law, 74 former National Machinery employees wrote the judge to object to the settlement. ``There were a lot of very good employees that were completely devastated when all this happened and some satisfaction needs to be given to all of us,'' Virginia Coffman wrote. Mrs. Coffman, along with her husband, John Coffman, worked for National Machinery Co. for more than 28 years. ``This type of treatment cannot be allowed to go unnoticed and just slide by, it has hurt many responsible people who are still trying to recover.'' In a handwritten note, Steven Webster, a former National Machinery employee from Upper Sandusky, Ohio, explained that the company's sudden closing triggered a financial tailspin that caused him to fall behind on child-support payments. Mr. Webster explained that he needed to withdraw from his 401K plan twice to keep banks from foreclosing on his home. ``For the six months I was without a job. I had my water, electric, and gas shut off and had to live with my mother for a while until I got a job because I couldn't afford food or anything,'' Mr. Webster wrote. Many of the workers sent copies of their letters to their representatives in Congress and the Statehouse, including U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor (R., Tiffin), U.S. Sens. George Voinovich and Mike DeWine, then-Gov. Bob Taft, and state Rep. Jeff Wagner (R., Sycamore). None of them was willing to fight for their constituents, at least on the WARN Act. On Nov. 15, 2004. a group of former National Machinery Co. employees went to federal court in Toledo to object in person to the proposed settlement. On their day in court, U.S. District Judge James Carr empathized with the plight of the workers, inviting them to sit in the jury box and address the court. But the judge all but told the workers that his judicial powers were limited by a law with no teeth. In the end, Judge Carr reluctantly approved the settlement, declaring it a ``pittance'' and telling angry workers it was the best settlement they could hope for under the weak federal law. ``Most simply put, and most unhappily, you're out of luck,'' Judge Carr told the workers. ``That statute has proven to be no protection to you.'' Lingering bitterness In Tiffin, more than five years after the ``old company'' suddenly was closed on a cold December day, time has healed some of the wounds. But there still remains an undercurrent of regret and bitterness. Today there's a sign outside the headquarters of National Machinery LLC that proudly proclaims it as a 130-year-old company. The former employees never called back by the ``new company'' say the sign epitomizes the hypocrisy of what transpired at National Machinery. ``What I've heard is they think they've done great-- `they've saved the company,' '' Mr. Poignon said. ``You don't want to think that the place you've worked your entire life has done something terrible. They didn't fulfill their promises to a lot of people who gave their whole lives to the company.'' The laid-off workers have struggled to come to terms with the fact that National Machinery LLC--which conducts its business from the old headquarters of National Machinery Co. in Tiffin, builds the same machines, and serves the same set of clients--wasn't legally required to pay their lost wages and benefits. Some recognize that Andrew Kalnow may have saved National Machinery, but they question why the rescue couldn't have been performed more humanely, taking into account the loyalty of many of the company's longtime employees. They believe Meshech Frost and Jane Frost Kalnow would be disappointed. ``It's all about putting money in your pocket,'' Mr. Poignon said. ``Maybe morality has changed. Maybe young people think this is OK. But in our day, this wasn't a moral thing to do. If you look at the business side of it, it looks pretty good. ``But if you look at the human side of it, there's been a lot of damage.'' [From the Toledo Blade, Oct. 11, 2007] House Chairman Offers a Tougher WARN Act (By Steve Eder) The powerful chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee yesterday submitted his proposal to better assure workers are given notice before they lose their jobs in mass layoffs or business shutdowns. U.S. Rep. George Miller (D., Calif.) became the second member of the U.S. House to introduce legislation to reform the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, known as the WARN Act, a 19-year-old federal law that requires many employers to provide 60 days' notice before layoffs. Mr. Miller's bill was co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo). ``These are really extraordinary improvements over existing legislation,'' Miss Kaptur said during an interview yesterday. ``There are more teeth in this [bill] to treat the workers with more respect.'' After a Blade investigation in July highlighted the WARN Act and its shortcomings, a host of key politicians in Washington have addressed the need to reform the law. Among those who have responded are Democratic U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Hillary Clinton of New York, Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, John Kerry of Massachusetts, Barack Obama of Illinois, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, and U.S. Rep. John McHugh, a Republican from New York. The Blade's four-part investigation showed that the WARN Act is so full of loopholes and flaws that employers repeatedly skirt it with little or no penalty. The series showed that in crafting the WARN Act, Congress didn't charge the Department of Labor with enforcing the law. Instead, displaced workers must take their former employers to court to uphold their rights under the law. An analysis of 226 WARN Act lawsuits filed by employees showed that judges threw out more than half, citing loopholes in the law. ``Everyone on the [House Education and Labor] committee is familiar with the Blade's excellent work on this.'' Miss Kaptur said yesterday. ``The Blade has really done the country a favor in helping to highlight the importance of this legislation and to draw national attention to it.'' Mr. Miller's bill--called The Early Warning and Health Care for Workers Affected by Globalization Act--would overhaul the existing WARN Act by increasing the notice period from 60 to 90 days, making the law apply to more employers, increasing financial penalties for violators, and empowering the Department of Labor to bring lawsuits on behalf of employees. In addition, it covers part-time employees and groups of 100 or more workers laid off by one employer at multiple job sites. The legislation also extends COBRA health coverage for recipients of trade adjustment assistance, allowing workers who are 55 or older or employees with more than 10 years of service to an employer to use COBRA coverage until they are eligible for Medicare. Miss Kaptur said Mr. Miller's new proposal has support from the ``highest levels'' of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.). ``There is a significant amount of momentum that has built for this measure,'' Miss Kaptur said. Ms. Pelosi, in a statement yesterday, said: ``For too long, the Bush Administration has ignored the needs of workers who are left unemployed through no fault of their own. Chairman Miller and Congresswoman Kaptur have been relentless champions for the cause of working men and women, and the new legislation incorporates those concerns.'' Alex Conant, a White House spokesman, had no immediate comment last night on Mr. Miller's WARN Act proposal, but defended the President's record on helping workers. ``The President has aggressively fought for and delivered tax relief for all taxpayers resulting in economic growth and job creation,'' he said. ``The best thing Congress can do to help workers and those seeking work is to keep taxes low to grow our economy and create new jobs.'' Mr. Miller's bill shares some characteristics with a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate by Mr. Brown and a bill in the U.S. House by Mr. McHugh. Mr. Brown's bill is co-sponsored by Ms. Clinton and Mr. Obama, who are vying for the Democratic nomination for president. The proposals introduced by Mr. Brown and Mr. Hugh, both called the FOREWARN Act, would lengthen the notification period required before a plant closing or mass layoff, increase penalties for violators, require more companies to provide notice before layoffs, and allow the Department of Labor and state attorneys general to represent workers in lawsuits. Julie Hurwitz, the former executive director of the Sugar Law Center, a Detroit-based nonprofit legal center which advocates for workers in WARN Act cases, said she is ``heartened'' by the congressional efforts to reform the law. ``These are all sorely needed revisions that have to be made, particularly given the history of those loopholes that have existed in the original statute giving employers all kinds of wiggle room to essentially set their own agendas and still not be held accountable under the original version of the WARN Act,'' Ms. Hurwitz said. Still, Ms. Hurwitz wants lawmakers to go a step further and address increasingly common tactics used by employers to evade their WARN Act duties. ``I would love to see somebody grapple with the use of releases or waivers that are now quite frequently used by employers to get out from any WARN Act liability or responsibility,'' Ms. Hurwitz said.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, for 60 years, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has operated the doomsday clock which measures the threat to civilization and counts the minutes under midnight. When it was first introduced in 1947, the doomsday clock measured only the nuclear threat. But now it takes climate change into account as well. But perhaps we need a different doomsday clock, a clock that will warn us about a different type of arms race that also threatens the future of our Republic. This arms race is not nuclear weaponry but instead uncontrolled escalation in campaign spending. Unbridled campaign spending represents the clearest, most present danger to our democratic ideals as a Republic. Here is the latest evidence. Just this week, the Center For Responsive Politics released the latest information about campaign spending in the 2008 presidential race. After 9 months of fundraising, says the Center, ``This Presidential money chase seems to be on track to collect an unprecedented $1 billion total. By some predictions, the eventual nominees will need to raise $500 million apiece to compete.'' $500 million apiece to compete. This is a tremendous amount of throw-weight, to borrow a Cold War term. ``After nine months of fundraising, the candidates for President in 2008 have already raised about $420 million. This Presidential money chase seems to be on track to collect an unprecedented,'' and I repeat, ``$1 billion total''. That is probably four to five times as much as was collected just 4 years ago. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton has raised nearly $100 million. On the Republican side, Mitt Romney is about half that amount, but Rudy Giuliani is just on his tracks. Barack Obama has raised about an equal amount to Senator Clinton. The projected Presidential spending will exceed the annual gross domestic product of 25 nations on this planet. Where is all this money coming from? If the Presidential campaign surpasses the $1 billion mark for the first time in our history, who will own the next President? Isn't that what the American people are asking? Will it be middle-class voters, who are holding on for dear life, ordinary working folks trying to pay for gasoline, put food on the table, pay insurance bills, pay utility bills, pay tuition costs, pay taxes? Will they have more influence over the next President of the United States? Or will the big-money special interests have more influence? We all know the answer to that question. The people are telling us they are deeply troubled. All the polls show the American people feel that Washington is totally out of step with them. It's hard to imagine a Presidential candidate who is not beholden to special interests. It's hard to imagine that a candidate who relies on hedge funds, multinationals and special interests will be able to stand up for the middle class in America. The middle class is asking where is the President, where is the Congress. What type of legacy is this leaving for our children? Will they not conclude our Republic is owned lock, stock and barrel by the rich and powerful? It sure looks that way. What will they think our Nation, once founded with the high ideals of patriotism, sacrifice and rebellion against entrenched interests? What has happened to that Republic? The dollar amounts being tossed around in the 2000 Presidential race make it only a matter time before another giant scandal rocks our government and further undermines the confidence in our body politic and our very system of government. We must curb this arms race now before it's too late. H. Con. Res. 6, which I have introduced, reaffirms that presence of unlimited amounts of money is corrupting our political process in a fundamental manner. I encourage my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this legislation and for Americans to pay attention and call this important issue to the attention of their representatives and of those Presidential candidates when they whiz through town. America needs a new declaration of independence to take our politics back from the money handlers, the bundlers, the lobbyists, the spin doctors and the telemarketers, which is what Presidential campaigns have become, telemarketing, with $1 billion being put on television. Let's return our Republic, if we can, to the American people and, more importantly, a free Republic to our children.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, there was an article recently in Information Clearing House urging our country's leaders to exhibit leadership in these times of economic crisis. And it was such a compelling article, I wanted to read part of it into the Record tonight. It talks about some of the recent bloodbaths that we have seen on Wall Street that prove the trouble in our credit markets have not been relieved by the Fed's rate cuts. The Dow Jones slipped 367 points on the 20th anniversary of Black Monday, the stock market's biggest 1-day loss in history. And in the past week or so, Asian markets have plunged. Stocks are down sharply in Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and South Korea. And there are ongoing problems being caused by what is happening in our subprime housing lending market. ``The sudden downturn in our stock market has provided a fitting backdrop for Treasury Secretary Paulson's appearance at the G-7 meetings here in Washington. Paulson has largely shrugged off the decline in housing and the growing volatility in the equities markets. ``What everyone at the meetings really wanted to know was why the United States destabilized the global economic system by selling hundreds of billions of dollars of worthless mortgage-backed securities to banks and pension funds around the world. ``Aren't there any regulations in the United States,'' they asked? ``And how is Paulson going to make amends to the institutions and investors who lost their shirts in this massive mortgage scheme?'' Unfortunately, the Treasury Secretary didn't address any of these questions. He offered no recommendations for fixing the problem. Indeed, I can tell you the Treasury Department isn't even offering public television ads and commercial ads in communities like my own that are suffering under the weight of these rising foreclosures. Last month's net foreign influx of capital shows how quickly capital can evaporate when other countries lose confidence in us. In fact, foreign investors pulled $163 billion out of U.S. securities and treasuries in August alone. Net capital inflows into our country have turned negative. And that's money that won't be returning to the United States until we get our act together. This multitrillion-dollar subprime swindle was the greatest financial fraud in history. But Paulson and his colleagues at the Fed continue to blame everyone else. No one in China or Iran could have cooked up this structured finance rip-off which sent millions of homeowners into foreclosure, shattered 160 mortgage lenders, and undermined the global banking system. That was the work of Wall Street and their accomplices at the Fed. Another article appeared in the New York Times by economics reporter Gretchen Morgenson. She calls her article, ``Get Ready for the Big Squeeze.'' And she says, ``Anyone who thinks we've hit bottom in the increasingly scary lending world is paying little mind to the remarkably low levels of reserves that the big banks have set aside for themselves for loan losses. And who let that happen? Part of the problem for banks is the result of an almost two-decade drop in loan loss reserves.'' That's the fault of this Congress, it's the fault of the Treasury, and the fault of the Federal Reserve. The present gang of Wall Street warlords have transformed the world's most transparent and resilient market, our own, into an opaque galaxy of complex dead instruments and shady, off-balance sheet operations. It's no better than a carnival shell game. As the banks continue to get rocked from explosions in the housing industry, the unwinding derivatives and carry trades will precipitate a mass exodus from the equities markets. And we know that with surging oil and food prices, it's bearing down heavily on the American people as their discretionary income vanishes from increasing inflation and shrinking home equity. Wages have remained stagnant while personal savings have fallen to negative levels. The aftershock from Alan Greenspan's cheap credit policies will be felt for decades. Record trade imbalances give further evidence of our situation. And no country has ever devalued its way to prosperity. As our dollar falls globally, destroying the dollar will ultimately destroy our country. And it will destroy the value of savings, for those people in this country that do have savings. It will destroy the value of equity they've built up in their homes. It will destroy the value of equities of this country. Global credit markets are now facing unprecedented disruptions due to the mortgage-derivatives fraud which originated here in this country before spreading across the world; $400 billion in asset-backed commercial paper has failed to roll over, and the story is not over yet. Mr. Speaker, leadership is critical in times of economic crisis. Yet this Congress seems to be tiptoeing around the magnitude of what is facing the people of this country. This isn't time for prevarication, obfuscation, or public relations gimmicks by the Secretary of Treasury or the Fed. We need leaders who will tell the truth and forestall the growing probability of social disorder. I commend this article to my colleagues and to the American people.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Peru trade deal will also be bad for U.S. agriculture and all farmers in our country and, amazingly, in Peru. So both here at home and abroad it will result in more harm. Let's look at the facts. This current trade deficit chart with Peru tells us we are already in the red with Peru, as we are in the red with China and in the red with Mexico and in the red with almost every other trading country, Japan, et cetera. The U.S. vegetable trade deficit with Peru is already a part of this. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, just the vegetable deficit component is already over $200 million in 2006. So America's vegetable farmers will lose more market share. They have already lost market share, especially those who farm asparagus, onions and peas. Their situation will be similar to the plight of America's tomato, bell pepper and cucumber farmers who learned well what happened after NAFTA was signed. They all lost production as it relocated. Several global corporations have already indicated what they are going to do. They are already putting their processing plants in Peru. Green Giant has done it. Del Monte has done it. The pattern is the same, the same as under NAFTA. As was the case with Mexico where millions of peasant farmers were upended under NAFTA with no adjustment provisions for them, Peru's farmers will also be hurt when these same global corporations take over their farming operations and flood their markets with rice, corn and chicken. We expect that an additional 3 million Peruvian agricultural workers will be directly affected and millions of Peruvian farmers, as Mexico's farmers well know, will be upended. This will force increased migration of those individuals to cities that are already swelling with large numbers of poor, and it is projected expanded illegal drug production as people try to stay in their home countries with no crops to sell, they turn to those illegal choices. Similar to the lack of protection for Mexico's corn and bean farmers under NAFTA, which that corn and bean tariff is going to phase out at the end of this year, and another 2 million of Mexico's farmers will be hurt, we know that what happens is that they either emigrate to adjoining cities or to the United States, many of them illegally, or they turn to the illegal sector where they literally risk their lives in order to survive. What kind of a plan is this that would treat the people of developing countries with such derision? What kind of a plan is it that would hurt our farmers to that extent? Why does it always have to be a negative? Why can't trade be a plus plus? Importantly, Peru was the world's top coca producer in 1996, and coca production remains a viable alternative for farmers forced to give up their legal crops. Is anybody listening? Is anybody thinking? It is pretty clear what is going to happen because there is nothing in the agreement to help Peru adjust. We saw what happened when that didn't occur under NAFTA. There were no adjustment provisions for Mexico's farmers. CAFTA, the same thing, and now we add Peru on top of the pile. There is nothing in the Peruvian agreement for adjustments inside of Peru. The displaced farmers have few options. If they do not turn to coca production or other illegal industries, they will be forced to move. And we can ask where. To the overcrowded cities of Peru, further straining those resources? To another country? With the debate raging about illegal immigration and with us unable to reach a civil accommodation across this continent, wouldn't it be truly cruelly irresponsible to support another trade agreement that could result in more devastation to small holders? Shouldn't we be helping these farmers adjust inside their own homelands? That is long overdue inside of Mexico, in order to help people earn money in their own countries, rather than wipe out hundreds of thousands of people as if their lives and their cultures didn't matter. And then we get the added problem of illegal labor trafficking into this country, which we can't control. The Peru agreement doesn't do anything to address these serious human concerns. It does have some of the glossy language like NAFTA and CAFTA did that ends up toothless in terms of enforcement. Madam Speaker, why would the American people be given more of the same out of this Congress? We ought to be changing these trade agreements to development agreements and treating people with the respect they deserve.