Marcy Kaptur

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, this evening I wish to talk about the elections of 2004 and how we prepare for them across our country, and I wish to attach an article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer today entitled, ``Computer Voting Is Not Fool-proof'' and also a front-page story from the New York Times entitled ``Replacement Near, Old Vote Machines Are New York Issue.'' [From the Cleveland (OH) Plain Dealer, Oct. 2003] Computer Voting Isn't Fool-Proof (By Lawrence M. Krauss) Anyone who was not in a coma in November 2000 remembers the agony caused by the now infamous butterfly ballots and hanging chads. Concerns about the possible repeat of events almost caused the California recall election to be delayed. Following the election debacle in Florida, Congress became determined that in the next elections the winners actually would be determined by all the votes casts. Last October, they passed the Help America Vote Act in order to help states prepare for the next election. Unfortunately, the solutions being proposed, involving an assortment of computer-voting systems, may be worse than the problems they were designated to fix. We are used to depending on computers for almost every aspect of our lives, from governing our bank accounts to controlling our cars. So it doesn't seem highly radical to suggest computer-aided voting. That is, until you think of the possible problems. How can you be assured after you vote that the machine actually recorded your vote? With a paper ballot, even a flawed ballot, at least there is a semi-permanent record that we can return to--and argue over, if necessary. Would you buy an airplane ticket by computer if there was no way to obtain a printed receipt of your transaction? There already have been problems. For example, in the 2002 election, the new computer voting systems in Florida lost more then 100,000 votes due to a software error. Voting is not like a physics experiment. We learned in Florida that even if the first attempt is flawed, no large- scale election is likely to be repeated merely to verify the result--as one would do in any good scientific measurement. Thus, you have to get it right the first time and allow some method of secure verification. It is not surprising, therefore, that one of two Ph.D. scientists in Congress, physicist Rush Holt of New Jersey, has proposed new legislation that would require a paper record of every vote and require that all software for use in elections be verified in advance. In spite of this, various states have indicated a willingness to go ahead with systems that experts in the field find suspect. As reported in the New York Times last month, software flaws in a popular voting machine, the Diebold Accuvote-TS machine, make it vulnerable to manipulation. More than 33,000 of these machines are used in 38 states. In the Science Applications International Corporation report, commissioned by Maryland (which nevertheless plans to use the Diebold machines in its next election), ``several high risk vulnerabilities'' were identified--even based on the assumption that the machines are isolated and not connected to the Internet. But in a March primary in California, the Diebold machines were connected to the Internet with election tallies posted on the Internet before polls closed. It is interesting in this regard that Walden O'Dell, the CEO of Diebold, an Ohio company, was quoted in The Plain Dealer as telling Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is ``committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year.'' As we rush to install computer voting systems, we should remember the admonition of a former chief scientist at Sun Microsystems Inc., who said in a television interview following the 2000 election: ``If your life depended on the measurement of a single ballot, would you prefer it be read by a machine, or examined carefully by three different human beings?'' If we are to avoid a host of articles on this page explaining how the election of 2004 might have been stolen, state governments must step back from the current headlong rush to install computer-voting system until the necessary verification systems and security guarantees, certified by outside experts, are in place. Certainly no one wants to relieve the frustration that followed the 2000 election-- without any possibility of rechecking the results.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the proposal for $87 billion and in support of the Obey substitute. $87 billion translates into 1,720,000 jobs in this country. That is how big $87 billion is. This administration was unwilling to spend a few billion in our country this year to create jobs in America as unemployment--ticks up. Yet they are willing to spend $87 billion and add that to our deficit. This year this administration will have the largest deficit in modern history. This proposal is fiscally irresponsible. $87 billion is as much as we spend on all our foreign aid, plus $68 billion. It is more than we spend on all the countries of the world rolled together. It is as much as we spend in one year on our entire budget for housing, for veterans, for NASA, for transportation, for environment, all rolled into one. This is a lot of money. In fact, it is as much money as our States were in deficit earlier this year before they had to raise taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes to cut services. This morning the Detroit News reports, Michigan has to cut $900 million from its State budget. They do not have the money. My own newspaper this morning, Lucas County, my home county, $10 million in deficit for this year. They are cutting services for first responders. And where are we from this administration to help us at the local level? And the Cleveland paper over the weekend, what does $87 billion mean? It means that the Mayor of Cleveland needs over $2 billion just to take care of the homeless in Cleveland, and she does not have the money to do it. Mr. Chairman, this is a lot of money, and it averages $3,000 for each Iraqi citizen. Maybe we would be wiser just to give them the money. Three thousand dollars per citizen. I have in my hand here a picture of our soldiers handing out $20 bills in Iraq. I have never seen anything like this. Are we creating a modern version of the welfare state over in the Middle East? Pallets of $100 bills being sent over to Iraq, what is that all about? Secretary Rumsfeld said, ``I don't know that there is much reconstruction to do.'' Why, then, is this the second time the administration has asked Congress for money to support this war? The administration cannot even agree on who is supposed to take the lead in Iraq. We were told it was Secretary Rumsfeld; then it switched to Mr. Bremer; and then General Abizaid and now Condoleezza Rice. It seems to me they are making it up as it goes along and attacks are increasing every day inside Iraq. We need global allies to stabilize the situation. The administration continues to go it alone. Relations with our NATO allies have never been worse. The road map for peace in Israel and the Palestinian Authority has utterly broken down and the madrassas in Pakistan continue to churn out hate-filled youth every day. I intend to vote ``no'' on this bill. It is not paid for. The administration has to develop a plan that stands a chance of succeeding by engaging both the Arab world and our allies. We need a plan before us that is fiscally responsible and diplomatically hopeful.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, There is no room for bias-motivated or hate crimes against fellow Americans. As America fights to defend the values of tolerance and freedom abroad, we must also work vigorously to ensure these values are protected at home. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 256, condemning bigotry and violence against Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, South Asian Americans and Sikh Americans. I want to thank Congressman Issa, along with Congressman LaHood, Congressman Conyers, Congressman Dingell, Congressman Rahall and Congressman Honda for their help on this legislation, along with approximately 50 other colleagues--from both sides of the aisle and all parts of the country--who co-sponsored this measure. The resolution is straightforward. It acknowledges the contributions to our Nation that have been made by Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, South Asian Americans, and Sikh Americans. This measure notes that members of these groups have served honorably in our military and in law enforcement, working every day to protect the American people. The measure also affirms that we as a Congress are concerned by the incidents of bias-motivated crimes against Muslim Americans, Sikh Americans, Arab Americans and South Asian Americans. And we condemn any acts of bigotry or violence directed against Americans of these groups. We call upon law enforcement officials throughout America to investigate thoroughly and prosecute vigorously any crimes committed against Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, Sikh Americans or South Asian Americans. There is a place in America for people of all races, creeds and colors. There is no place in America for bigotry, prejudice and violence.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, earlier this week U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to a business forum in Detroit. His topic, the Middle East. His message, the nations of the Middle East need to transform themselves. The Bush administration, having failed to find weapons of mass destruction, failed to find Saddam Hussein, failed to capture Osama bin Laden, failed to eradicate the Taliban, failed to implement the road map to peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, and of course failed to secure the peace in Iraq, is trying to salvage something out of its disastrous policy so they are talking about this policy of transformation. The Bush administration is trying to get the American people to believe that throwing $87 billion more at Iraq will begin the process of transformation by building the garden spot of the Middle East and that other nations will magically follow the lead. It will not work. Their policy is doomed to fail, throwing more money is not the answer in Iraq. As the Detroit Free Press reported, although Secretary Powell had plenty of advice for Middle Eastern nations about how to conduct their affairs, he offered no plan for the road to peace. That is not surprising because the Bush administration has no plan for peace in the Middle East, no plan for postwar Iraq, no plan for getting the United States out of Iraq, and fundamentally, no long-term plan for energy independence for America which would give us the leverage we need to play the role of honest broker instead of dependent addict. Secretary Powell said in Detroit that the Arab nations are plagued by poverty, alienation and despair. He said the Arab world needs to embrace free trade and democratize in order to break out of the cycle. But free trade cannot bring democracy. If that were true, the Arab world would be a democratic paradise and have already broken the cycle of poverty, alienation and despair. Instead, the oil oligarchies of the Middle East have already been trading for decades and decades. We trade extensively with the Bush administration's close friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In fact, we have an oil trade deficit with them of over $8 billion a year. We trade extensively with the Bush family's close friends in Kuwait. We have an oil trade deficit with them of over $1 billion a year. And what about Iraq, home to the second largest set of oil reserves in the world? We had over a $3.5 billion trade deficit with them, even when sanctions were being imposed. The problem with the oil oligarchies is hardly a lack of trade. The Detroit Free Press also ran a story ``Oil, Gas Tighten U.S. Connection to Mideast,'' and ``Alternative Fuels Dismissed at Forum.'' As reporter John Gallagher wrote, ``The U.S.-Arab Economic Forum gave a glimpse Monday at the future of American energy policy. It sure looked a lot like the past.'' And therein lies the problem. The past is filled with war and conflicts, much of it tied to the politics that come from the oil field across the Middle East. That is what the future will look like unless the United States achieves energy independence here at home. Indeed, oppression and oil seem to go hand in hand, and it is a world that previous U.S. administrations, doing the bidding of Exxon, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and other big oil companies have had a big hand in creating for over half a century. The United States at the dawn of this century is utterly dependent on Middle East oil. Our biggest trading partner, the Saudis, are increasingly brazen about the nature of our relationship, and their oil minister said in Detroit on Monday, ``Detroit makes a lot of cars, we produce a lot of oil; you can see the connection.'' You send us the oil, and we send them our dollars. It is easy to see that the Saudis have George W. Bush exactly where they want him. They have Dick Cheney exactly where they want him. They have Colin Powell exactly where they want him. And they have the American people exactly where they want us. They have us addicted to their oil and begging for our next fix. To me, that is unacceptable. Here is what David O'Reilly, CEO of Chevron Texaco said in Detroit, ``We are in for a long period of dependence on fossil fuels.'' Well, that is no problem as long as we do not mind American dollars going to the Middle East for oil only to end up in the hands of terrorists who then kill us. The Bush administration might be comfortable with our relationship with those oil states, but I am not. That is why I have introduced the Biofuels Energy Independence Act of 2003, H.R. 130, and ask my colleagues to cosponsor it. Oil, Gas Tighten U.S. Connection to Mideast (By John Gallagher) The U.S.-Arab Economic Forum being held in Detroit gave a glimpse Monday at the future of American energy policy. It sure looked a lot like the past. Speakers on a panel devoted to energy needs agreed that a reliance on Middle East oil and natural gas is the cornerstone of any future American policy. Far from fostering a U.S. policy of independence from Middle Eastern producers, the panel suggested that ever- closer ties with the region and its vast oil and natural gas reserves will be needed to meet U.S. consumption. Ali bin Ibrahim Al Naimi, minister of petroleum and mineral resources in Saudi Arabia, captured the almost cozy nature of the discussion when he quipped to the audience: ``Detroit makes a lot of cars. We produce a lot of oil. You can see the connection.'' Indeed, any stresses and strains in the energy relationship between the United States and Middle Eastern nations were simply not mentioned Monday. Panelists used the words ``partner'' and ``partnership'' multiple times. Alternative fuels such as solar and hydrogen were brought up just long enough to be dismissed. ``It's hard for people to visualize how massive the oil and gas industry is,'' panelist Lee Raymond, chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil Corp., said at one point. Even if alternative fuels were to grow at a rate of 20 percent a year, they would still supply just 1 percent of U.S. needs while the vast, vast majority of capital in the energy industry is going into oil and gas,'' he said. Clarence Cazalot, president and CEO of Marathon Oil Corp., underscored the point by declaring that Marathon has no projects in the works dealing with alternative sources of energy. The panel was convened to talk about Middle Eastern oil policy, so it was not surprising that it did not take up broader energy problems. And the business-as-usual approach probably was assured by the make-up of the panel. Two Middle Eastern oil ministers, four U.S. oil company chief executives, and former Michigan Sen. Spencer Abraham, now U.S. Secretary of Energy in President George W. Bush's cabinet. Even so, it was surprising how little mention was made of broader energy problems. There was no discussion of this summer's surge in gas prices, except when Al Naimi declared that the war in Iraq had produced no significant increase in prices this year. Nor was there any discussion of the recent blackout that left metro Detroit, much of the Northeast and parts of Canada in the dark. Instead, oil producers and oil company executives agreed that there was no getting around the realities of the United States being the world's biggest energy consumer and the Middle East holding the world's biggest reserves of oil and natural gas. ``We're in for a long period of dependence on fossil fuels,'' said David O'Reilly, chairman and CEO, of Chevron Texaco Corp., told the audience at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center. U.S. energy consumption is expected to grow 50 percent by 2025; Al Naimi estimated, a figure that no one disputed. Yet around the edges of the discussion Monday, a few glimpses of potential problems crept into the discussion. If the United States is worried about a stable supply of oil and natural gas, it turns out that producing nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar are worried at least as much about a stable demand. Russia, Mexico and other non-Arab oil-producing nations are clamoring for more access to the U.S. markets. The panelists noted that Middle Eastern nations can't afford to make massive new investments in their facilities without assurances that the U.S. market will still be open to them. And there was just the barest mention of civil unrest in some Middle Eastern nations, where forces of modern secular capitalism vie with religious fundamentalism. O'Reilly noted that a solid relationship with the United States is needed to help young Arab men and women meet their potential. As if to mirror the mostly up-beat discussion Monday, gasoline prices in Michigan continued their recent slide. The statewide average price for a gallon of self-serve, regular gasoline is down more than 10-cents from a week ago, AAA said. It marked the second straight 10-cent drop in as many weeks.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, Dorothy Biddle is a very special lady in the hearts of the residents of Fulton County, Ohio and her hometown of Wauseon. Proud to call her friend myself, I am pleased to note an action recently taken by this gracious centenarian, a wonderful and lasting gift she gave to her community. For many years, Wauseon has been working to establish a ballpark. The ``Field of Dreams'' has been a goal of the community and special project of the Wauseon Rotary. Mrs. Biddle's husband, Clark, was a Rotarian until his passing, and she has remained in touch with the group's activities. In her 105th year, Dorothy Biddle decided to offer a bequest to the Wauseon Rotary in order to fulfill this 14 yearlong dream. Long a supporter of youth activities and opportunities, Mrs. Biddle is donating the astounding sum of $1,254,000.00 for the completion of the park. This gift numbers among the largest ever received by any Rotary organization. Now the park, which will feature baseball diamonds, soccer fields, and walking trails on 73 acres of land will bear the name of Wauseon's most treasured citizen, who though she has traveled around the world still considers her hometown to be ``the best place in the world to live.'' Children of the future will see by her example what one person can do for her community when the Dorothy B. Biddle Park remains as a living testament to a truly remarkable lady. Thank you, Dorothy, for your beneficence and civic-minded patriotism.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, one hundred years ago in Toledo, Ohio a revolution took place. In September 1903, a machine allowing the mass production of glass bottles changed the industry, and it changed the world as ``the most significant advance in glass production in over 2,000 years'' as noted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The company that grew out of this invention, Owens-Illinois, is celebrating its centennial anniversary. At the dawn of the last century, Michael J. Owens was a young glass blower working in Toledo's Libbey Glass factory. Another inventive visionary and civic leader, Edward Drummond Libbey became Mr. Owens' primary backer as Mr. Owens developed his idea for the complete mechanization of glass bottle making. Though machines were patented in the latter half of the nineteenth century, all relied heavily on human toil. In 1903, Michael J. Owens patented a fully automated ``bicycle pump'' which operated in a similar fashion to this machine. The Owens Bottle Machine Company was incorporated on September 3, 1903. In two years, the company was able to begin commercial sales with a machine that could make ten bottles per minute. It was the first of many patented machines which developed products including glass building blocks, tumblers, plywood, paper cups, metal cans, television tubes, flat electronic display panels, corrugated boxes, lab glassware, plastic soft drink bottles, medicine vials, glass cookware, plastic and glass containers for food and beverages, and materials for range tops and telescope mirror blanks. The company's sharp minds developed many innovations we know today and use in our everyday lives including the method for fusing graphics onto bottles, squeezable dispensers for foodstuffs, disposable and recyclable bottles, child-proof medicine bottles, tamper-resistant containers, plastic toothpaste pumps, microwavable food containers, barrier shields to prevent the release of carbonation for plastic soft drink bottles, the design of 2 liter bottles and many other types of bottles, and even the ``clamshell'' packages for McDonald's hamburgers.- Within twenty years of the founding of Owens Bottle Machine Company, machines manufactured 94 percent of the bottles. This innovation pleased the National Child Labor Committee, which in 1913 praised the Toledo technological advance in reducing child labor. The labor saving machines were also beneficial to the glassblowers, whose profession when practiced manually was devastating to their health. By 1920, the Owens Bottle Company was the nation's largest bottle manufacturer, and Toledo earned its nickname as the ``glass capitol of the world,'' a moniker still proudly borne today. In 1930, several years after the deaths of its founders, an acquisition of the Illinois Glass Company brought William Levis on board. Mr. Levis' contributions to the success of the newly christened Owens-Illinois Company are widely held to be as significant as its founders'. During the depths of the Great Depression in 1930, Owens- Illinois made $2.7 million. He foresaw the end to Prohibition, and was ready to capture the market on glass bottles when alcohol production resumed in 1933. William Levis invested heavily in glass fiberization technology, leading to the development of another well-known Toledo company, Owens-Corning. He also brought Toledo's Libbey Glass Company into the fold. By 1950, Owens-Illinois was the largest glass bottle manufacturer in the world. With factories all over the world, employment worldwide reached 80,000 people including scientists, researchers, skilled labor, and management. Today its signature building, a glass skyscraper in downtown Toledo, stands as a monument to its zenith years. Even though the company declined somewhat during the 1980s years of hostile corporate takeovers, Owens-Illinois remains a viable leader on the world market stage and one of Toledo's principal companies. One of every two bottles produced worldwide is made by Owens-Illinois or one of its subsidiaries. It is Toledo's second largest company as it begins its second century of operation. I am proud to salute its workforce past and present. America looks forward to the creative technology of its future.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, on September 11, 2003 communities all across America held observances to remember those who fell in the events two years before. In my own hometown of Toledo, part of our observance included a reading of the names of those who died on that fateful day, and inspirational readings and poems. I would like to quote one of these poems for the record. It is a special tribute to firefighters, written by Toledoan Ernest Fodor and entitled ``Just Because You Call.'' There is a well-known fact in heaven All the firefighters tell When they put out their last fire on earth They did their job so well Some how they had the strength To do what they could do Sometimes they even gave their life For the likes of me and you But now that they're in heaven If they hear a fire call They would try so hard to come back And bravely save us all There are so many people With lives that are much brighter Just because a call was answered By a firefighter Thank you Ernest Fodor for remembering, and for your inspired words.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, on March 17, 1953, the Maumee, Ohio Kiwanis Club was chartered. This year, the organization proudly celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. Its members through the years have fostered its growth, and ``have demonstrated that service, hard work, and good fellowship bring individual satisfaction'' according to its guide. An integral part of Maumee's fabric, the Kiwanians have contributed much to the community in the club's half-century. Many students have received scholarships that have enabled them to further their higher education. Other young people have been able to participate in sports because of the Kiwanis Club's gifts and team sponsorships. Still more youth have had the opportunity to attend summer camp and recreational activities thanks to the Maumee Kiwanis. Senior citizens, too, have been helped by Kiwanis' donations to the Maumee Senior Center. The community at large has also benefited from Kiwanis civic offerings such as park maintenance and purchases to restore buildings of the Maumee Historical Society. The Maumee Kiwanis Club is an able embodiment of the international organization's motto, ``We Build.'' Through its efforts, all of the residents of Maumee but especially its children, have been built up and strengthened. Truly, Maumee Kiwanians have proudly upheld its theme: ``Serving the children of the world.'' I am very pleased to recognize the achievements of the Maumee Kiwanis Club and congratulate its members past and present on 50 years of service as we look forward to 50 more. Onward.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, on March 19, 2003, the United States invaded Iraq against the broadest international opposition I had ever seen. President Bush remarked the coalition invaded; yet of the troops in combat theater, 94 percent were Americans. Then on May 1 of this year, George W. Bush, as Commander in Chief, flew onto the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, after circling 30 minutes outside the San Diego shipyards as the ship approached shore, dressed in a flight suit, to announce that major hostilities were over. The battle of Iraq, he said, is one victory on a war on terror that began on September 11, 2001, and still goes on. That is what the President said. But now 5 months later, more U.S. citizens have died in theater than before the President declared victory. Our National Guard and Reserve forces are experiencing their longest deployments in U.S. history, with the Department of Defense extending their orders every day, and indeed today announcing more call-ups. As of September 9, 2003, according to Department of Defense officials, approximately 148,000 U.S. forces are in Iraq in support of combat operations. There are also 21,700 non-U.S. coalition forces from 29 countries in Iraq. There are 172,362 Guard and Reserve soldiers on active duty during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the majority of those serving in the Army, 108,000. America's Guard and Reserve forces are being sent to Iraq for record- breaking deployments. It is obvious that the war in Iraq is not proceeding as we were originally led to believe and longer troop deployments in theater have been necessary. But that is still no reason to turn our National Guard and Military Reserve into something they were never intended to be, active duty forces. Unfortunately, this is what is happening. At the beginning of September, the Department of Defense extended the tours of duty for Guard and Reservists to 1 year. Because of the dynamic situation in theater, one Army official said, asking he not be identified by name, ``We had to take a look at our overseas forces to make sure we were maximizing their deployment opportunity.'' What possible dynamic situation could he be referring to? Could it be the fact that since President Bush announced that hostilities in Iraq were over that in fact 164 U.S. soldiers have been killed compared to the 138 who lost their lives before May 1? Over 1,240 have been injured. In our foolhardy rush to war, this administration clearly missed the mark. By relying on faulty intelligence, an utterly ill-conceived notion of Iraqi resistance and the total lack of an exit strategy, our brave servicemen and women are being placed in harm's way to face a new guerilla-style warfare. Active duty forces have been focused in Iraq, which the President says is the front in the battle on terrorism; yet most people know that 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers did not come from Iraq; they came from Saudi Arabia. The Taliban is now regrouping in Pakistan and in Afghanistan, and Afghanistan is a teetering tinderbox. More U.S. troops are being called to Afghanistan. Madrassas across the Islamic world turn out hate- mongering acolytes daily. And the Israeli-Palestinian killing fields have never been so bloody. So what state of mind would compel a President to say it is over, and why would he define the front as Iraq? My primary concern this evening are those who are dying, in our Armed Forces and the innocent bystanders in the Middle East and central Asia. On ``Meet the Press,'' before the war, Vice President Cheney told Tim Russert, ``I really do believe the war, that we will be greeted as liberators. There is no question that they want to get rid of Saddam Hussein and they will welcome as liberators the United States when we come to do that.'' It is inconceivable that the administration could commit our brave men and women to battle with such a flawed perception of Iraqi sentiment. The fact is our troops are being shot at instead of welcomed with open arms. And when they are not being shot at, they are being price-gouged by profiteers because the administration has not adequately provided for our troops, ranging from telephone service to goods and supplies to even Internet access. Mr. Speaker, one of my constituents tells me that troops are having to ask family members to send them cash in one-dollar-bill increments, so they can pay to call their families back home by going to Iraqi establishments to make phone calls stateside. It costs them $1 a minute, our troops, the people who are putting their lives on the line. To me, that is totally unacceptable. And if they cannot afford $1 a minute, they are being told you can pay $3 an hour to use e-mail. The problem is the lines are so long, they cannot wait to do it. The administration has asked Congress for $87 billion more to fund nation-building in Iraq. Let me ask where has the $79 billion that was voted on last year gone? We cannot get reports back to the Congress line item by line item on where that money has been expended. Why can our troops not make free phone calls without having to pay $1 a minute to an Iraqi citizen. Dozens of tales like this tell me that military morale will become lower in Iraq. Yes, our men and women are gutting it out, and we are proud of them, but it did not have to be this way. Here are quotes from soldiers deployed and their families. A letter I received on June 24 from a soldier stationed in Iraq, ``If morale was any lower, this soldier, my mother's son, would have taken his own life a week ago. There ain't nothing you can do but read the sorrow through my pen. I hope between us something can be done to alleviate some stupid mistakes the Army has unraveled on us.'' Another letter from a soldier reads, ``Mom, things here have just hit a new low. Go ahead, have a seat. Here is a small list of things going on here. Our deployment papers were cancelled before we left, but they still sent us. Nobody knew our unit was overseas until our tent burned down in Kuwait. We have enough bulletproof plates for half of our battery, front and back during the day. They give us one day's supply of water, and expect it to last 3 days. We receive mail once a week, Wednesdays, plus they lost two bags of mail. If morale was any lower, your son would not be writing you any more. What is happening?'' Another letter from a mother of a servicewoman writes, ``We bravely watched as our soldiers left, not knowing what the future held. And surprisingly enough, we could not believe one of the first requirements from us would be to send such a basic item as toilet paper. Whenever I pack my care packages, I would use rolls of toilet paper to fill out the box. For anyone who says there is toilet paper in a soldier's MRE, don't be fooled. There are six squares, four inches by four inches. If you save all day, you will have 18 squares to handle your problem. Oh, and by the way, pray you do not get diarrhea. We sent our son mosquito netting, calcium and snacks. Today, we continue with our packages and ignore the cost of shipping. An average package costs around $15 to send. Two a week, 4 weeks a month averages about $120 a month. Oh, by the way, that does not include the cost of what goes into the package. ``Many families took considerable pay cuts when their soldier left, and today almost 7 months to the day, there are still families that are not getting the full benefits their soldier is entitled to. As families struggle to juggle all of their responsibilities at home, our soldiers are forced to struggle without many of the basics needed to survive. They are in heat averaging around 120 degrees with full gear on. Every day they face the risk of being shot. What is an issue and seems to be the most puzzling thing to me is their treatment by regular Army. In most cases, they are considered second-class citizens because they are Guard. As families, we go through the Guard ranks to inquire about help with this problem. We are told that the National Guard cannot help us because our soldiers are regular Army now. Well, if they are regular Army, why are they treated as if they are National Guard? And there is the ever-changing return date. Our soldiers have been deployed twice in 2 years, so we wait and we pray for a return date. ``Every time our leadership appears on the news and without blinking an eye, they say our soldiers' orders are for 1 year, and that is what they should expect, but how can we keep up the morale of our soldiers without a real date of return to look forward to?'' Mr. Speaker, this week the Bush administration has asked Congress for another $87 billion in American taxpayer money for the President's nation-building experiment in Iraq. What I want to know as one Member is why the troops from our region do not have the supplies and do they not have the services we should be affording them with the billions we have already sent? Yes, our Nation is being asked to do nation-building in Iraq. In fact, it is the mother of all nation-building experiments. Eighty-seven billion dollars in request is more than we send around the world for all of our foreign assistance in any year. In addition to that, it is more than we spend on all veterans' costs in a year, plus all of our housing programs around the country, plus all of the costs of NASA, plus all of the costs of transportation, plus all of the costs of environmental cleanup, all rolled together. It is an enormous amount of money. How ironic that the President, who was a candidate in 2000, bitterly denounced the practice of nation- building, but he is now engaged in the largest nation-building experiment in history. Make no mistake, this is an extremely expensive experiment in nation-building, especially when we stop to consider that the United States Government is already digging a hole of debt deeper and deeper every day. Those $87 billion being requested will come out of the Social Security trust fund. Why? Because the fact is there is no more money to go around. We have huge deficits, and so we are going to have to borrow the $87 billion from somewhere and there is only one place to get it. This is the most fiscally irresponsible administration that I have ever seen. Now, how much is $87 billion? I do not think the American people really realize how huge this request is. Eighty-seven billion dollars equals $3,480 for every man, woman and child in Iraq. How would you like to get a check for $3,480? Eighty-seven billion dollars is more than all of the State budget deficits across this country combined. Our States are raising taxes and cutting programs like education with college tuition going up, cutting jobless benefits, Medicaid, library services, social services. Our States are choking from a lack of tax revenue because of unemployment in this Bush economy. We have $87 billion for Iraq, but not even half of that for our States in this union? Eighty-seven billion dollars more is double what we are investing here in homeland security right here in the U.S.A. I can travel to any community in my district and hear from first responders, fire departments, police departments, emergency personnel, and port security who are desperate for funds to protect their communities. I hear from our personnel from the Port of Toledo who need funds to upgrade the security of our port, and that is true of every port in America. Eighty-seven billion dollars is eight times what we invest in Pell Grants for our college students. Ask any middle-class family about economic anxiety, and they will tell you they worry about job security, economic security and pension security. And they worry about how to pay for their kids' college. Our young people leave college with tens of thousands of dollars of debt. Some of them will be in debt for the rest of their lives just to pay for college. The United States Government just does not have $87 billion laying around. We have budget deficits as far as the eye can see. Our next Federal budget deficit is probably in the neighborhood of half a trillion dollars, the largest in the history of the Republic. Where does it stop? The administration has no idea. We had a subcommittee hearing today and heard testimony from Ambassador Paul Bremer and also from General Abizaid, both men who live the words honor, duty and country. They do not know, they do not have a clue what it is going to cost our Nation to stabilize Iraq. This additional $87 billion is only a down payment until next year when the money runs out. The ranking member, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) asked them for a ballpark figure, how much ultimately? They could not provide an answer. It is an open-ended commitment. They even said during the hearing, well, the waste water systems of Iraq are so bad that only 6 percent of the people are accommodated. I thought, oh, all right, so the $400 million that might be needed for waste water treatment in Toledo, Ohio will have to be put on hold because we have to transfer those dollars there, even though the waste water treatment system in my home community is spewing pollution into Lake Erie every day. There are some important trade-offs we have to think about. We have no exit strategy militarily, and that is a violation of the Powell Doctrine, in case anybody remembers, and we have no exit strategy fiscally. Iraq is a fiscal black hole becoming bigger every day. We can pour as much money as we want down that hole, and we have no idea, no idea where it ends. I have never seen pallets of U.S. cash being flown to a country and handed out on the streets, but that is exactly what we are doing in Iraq. One of my questions is as money, as U.S. dollars are being distributed to Iraqis to pay their pensions, to pay them for doing police work, and I am not sure what all this money is going for, why is it being distributed in dollars? Why are dinars, their home currency, not being used? What is this business of pallets of U.S. dollars being flown over? We have flown over plane loads of $20 bills to hand out to people. In my life, I have never seen this happen. We have seen rice and flour and beans being handed out to hungry people. We have never seen pallets of money being distributed. It looks like what some people might call street money, walking around money. Maybe if we hand out enough $20 bills, the Iraqi people will suddenly fall in love with America and with our confused policy of nation-building. How strange that a neoconservative administration and Republican Congress, who are hostile to social programs such as Medicare and Social Security and students loans, would adopt a policy of handouts to the Iraqi people. Are we creating a Middle East version of a welfare state where people get money for doing nothing? While we cut benefits for Americans, we hand out $20 bills to Iraqis? Is this the legacy of the Bush policy? Free money for Iraqis, is this really what the administration wants? Meanwhile, the Bush administration is charging our troops in the Middle East in Iraq $1 a minute to call home to their families, yet they are handling out $20 bills in Iraq. Is this really U.S. policy in Iraq? It is happening. Families in my district are sending one dollar bills to their loved ones. One mother sent $75 in one dollar bills, put on the postage and sent it over there so her son could call home. At the same time, our government is handing out $20 bills to Iraqis. Is it too much to ask that our government provide a seamless communication system for our troops in theater, including Guard and Reserve forces, without whom we could not conduct this campaign, who are experiencing the longest deployments in U.S. history, and their families are missing them? So it goes in the war on terrorism. Yesterday, President Bush said that Iraq is the major front in the war on terrorism. But on Friday, he said that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11. The administration cannot seem to get its story straight. Did Saddam Hussein have anything to do with 9/11? President Bush says no. Vice President Cheney says yes. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld says no. Paul Wolfowitz did not appear. Secretary of State Powell seems to be laying kind of low lately. The administration policy is confused about where the front is. The President says the front is Iraq, but let us look at the facts. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were not from Iraq, they were from Saudi Arabia. Now we see the Taliban forces are regrouping and fighting again in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is far from over, far from lockdown. Madrassas in Pakistan continue to churn out thousands of hate-filled young men each year. And the Israeli-Palestinian killing fields are bloodier than ever. Think about this. Think about where the front is. When President Bush nominated Texan Phillip Carrol, the former chief executive officer of Shell Oil, to oversee oil operations in post-war Iraq, was it merely coincidental that over one dozen Shell gas stations in Pakistan were bombed by terrorists? Think about it. Where is the front? Yet President Bush insists that Iraq is the frontlines in the war against terrorism. More troops from Ohio have just been deployed to Afghanistan because of uprisings in the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Where is the front in this war? The President insists he needs another $87 billion to clean up the mess in Iraq and build a stable nation, but the American people are deeply skeptical about where the front is and the administration policy in Iraq. And for good reason. Not only is there no coherent plan for the reconstruction of Iraq, there are serious doubts about where the front in terrorism really lies, and there is no clear road map, no exit strategy. Now more of our Reserve and Guard forces are being called up, without the ones currently in theater being given a certain rotation date out. It appears to me that the administration is making up their plan as they go along. In terms of the cost of all this in the President's $87 billion new request on top of the billions and billions already appropriated last year, Secretary Rumsfeld told us back in January of this year that we would not have to do this. In fact, his words were, ``Well, the Office of Management and Budget has come up with a number that's something under $50 billion for the cost. How much of that would be the U.S. burden and how much would be with other countries is an open question.'' But he said, ``I don't know that there is much reconstruction to do.'' He said that in April of 2003. The story must have changed because now we are being asked for $87 billion more. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said, ``There's a lot of money to pay for this that doesn't have to be U.S. taxpayer money, and it starts with the assets of the Iraqi people . . . and on a rough recollection,'' he said, ``the oil revenues of that country could bring in between 50 and $100 billion over the course of the next 2 or 3 years . . . We're dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.'' I think the question I would ask there is, then, why are we appropriating hard U.S. dollars? Why are we not making loans that can then be repaid back once the oil fields begin to operate again? Secretary Rumsfeld told us back in the fall of last year, ``If you worry about just the cost, the money, Iraq is a very different situation from Afghanistan because Iraq has oil.'' And again the Secretary said in March of this year, ``I don't believe that the United States has the responsibility for reconstruction because in a sense reconstruction funds can come from those various sources such as frozen assets, oil revenues, and a variety of other things including the Oil for Food program, which has a very substantial number of billions of dollars in it.'' Clearly, this administration really does not know what it is doing. Secretary Powell, in answer to my question this year in an appropriations hearing prior to the invasion of Iraq, assured me that the United States would be welcomed in Iraq as a liberator, because I had been questioning him, ``Mr. Secretary, how do we know when we are a liberator versus when we are an occupier?'' Secretary Powell, with all due respect, was wrong. Vice President Cheney said the same thing on TV on ``Meet the Press'' in March when asked by Tim Russert, and I will repeat Mr. Russert's question: ``If your analysis is not correct, Mr. Vice President, and we're not treated as liberators but as conquerors and the Iraqis begin to resist, particularly in Baghdad, do you think the American people are prepared for a long, costly, and bloody battle with significant American casualties?'' And the Vice President responded, ``Well, I don't think it's likely to unfold that way, Tim, because I really do believe that we will be greeted as liberators . . . there is no question that they want to get rid of Saddam Hussein and they will welcome as liberators the United States when we come to that.'' I think Vice President Cheney was wrong. At best, Iraq is a cauldron of competing interests, much as it has been since it was created by the British Empire. At worst, the Bush administration has succeeded only in creating another failed state that can serve as a staging ground for more international terror war. Before another $87 billion in cash is directed at Iraq, we had better get clear answers on how the current situation can yield a governing structure that is representative. Of the 25 members the United States has appointed to Iraq's governing council, 11 are exiles, 11 of 25. These are people who had been living outside of Iraq for some 3 and 4 decades. That means 44 percent of the people on the governing council were not even there, some for decades. What do we really know about these people on the governing council? How representative are they of the Iraqi people? Indeed, whose interests do these 25 represent? We should ask how can exiles be more representative of Iraqis than those living in the country now, those who endured the suffering of the Hussein regime. Indeed, many new sources have reported the current president of that council, appointed by the United States Department of Defense, Ahmad Chalabi, was a convicted felon who embezzled over $350 million and counting in Jordan, who was then exiled, escaped in the trunk of a car, and subsequently took up residence in London for years. He had been associated with the former monarchy of Iraq. So whom does he represent? In the Record tonight I am going to place two compelling news stories about who is this man, how democratically was he chosen? I am submitting for the Record also the names of all persons on the governing council of Iraq. The world community should assess them and their ability to represent the people of Iraq. From my study of the list, it appears Iraq's indigenous Shia majority is seriously underrepresented as is its Sunni minority. Tragically, one of the council's Shia members is the brother of the famed Ayatollah Hakim, who was just assassinated. And another Shia representative, Aquila al Hashimi, a woman, was shot a few days ago but survived. With two thirds of Iraq's population composed of Shia Muslims, but only about a third of the council comprised of Iraqi Shias who actually have been living in the country, one can question how representative the governing council is. Further, the Sunni minority's underrepresentation is worrisome as well. Somehow the world community and our Arab friends must weigh in on creating a governing structure that is more representative and moves Iraq toward free elections as expeditiously as possible. After all, the Iraqi people are a literate people. An unrepresented governing council cannot possibly succeed in transferring democratic principles to Iraq. Mr. Speaker, in concluding this evening, the path forward to me is clear. Congress should not give a blank check to the Bush administration on its $87 billion request for more funds for Iraq. We must demand clear reporting of all expenditures to date in Iraq and demand clear explanations of why more appropriated dollars are necessary as opposed to loans that can be repaid as Iraq's economy recovers. We must clarify the front in this war on terrorism and not lose focus on other places where terrorism is spawning. A major diversion of funds to Iraq can indeed draw attention and resources from equally tender places where terrorists are spawning. For example, the deterioration of the Israeli-Palestinian situation feeds growing terrorism across the region. Indeed, it is its clarion call. The continuation of the madrassas schools that foment violence by young men continue to graduate thousands. There is no money in this budget to deal with that festering problem. And Afghanistan is far from buttoned down. Importantly, we must do more for our troops and provide them with what is necessary to complete their mission and return them home soon. We must assure the administration provides them with clear rotation out schedules. And we must enlist the broader world community in assuming a larger role in the massive task of rebuilding. We must urge the composition of the governing council be more representative, indeed more democratic, in order that a transition to a more orderly society through free elections can occur soon. Doing any less will not yield an enduring victory for freedom in Iraq.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to announce to our colleagues that Mieasha Hicks, 18, a member of Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo, Ohio, was named National Youth of the Year by Boys & Girls Clubs of America at its annual Congressional Breakfast held today in Washington, D.C. As noted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America national office, sponsored by the Reader's Digest Foundation, the Youth of the Year program recognizes outstanding contributions to a member's family, school, community and Club, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome. She competed against four other regional finalists, Kewanna Daniels (Gulfport, Miss.), Ambrosia Hafen-Hayes (Las Vegas), Yamarie Negron (Mt. Kisco, N.Y.) and Luis Vasquez (Greeley, Colo.). In their announcement of this award, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America describe Mieasha Hicks, as a survivor. Her parents were 13 and 15 years old when she was born. Periodically, she was shuffled between households as the family grew. Being the oldest of seven children, Mieasha had no choice but to mature quickly. Today, she helps her brothers and sisters with their homework and prepares them for tests. She often takes them to the library, the movies, shopping and out to dinner. Thanks to Mieasha, all of her younger siblings have become honor students. Her father died when she was 12 and her mother left the state when she was 11. Despite these traumatic occurrences, Mieasha's visits to the East Toledo Boys & Girls Clubs gave her a reason to stay positive. For the last 10 years, the Club has given her a place to belong. There she served as vice president of the Keystone Club, a group which gave her the opportunity to lead community service projects. She has also learned marketing and sales skills while organizing bake sales and candy sales as fundraisers. Among other activities, Hicks assists with Power Hour, her Boys & Girls Club's after-school homework help program. Mieasha Hicks was an academic standout at Central Catholic High School, where she has been a member of the National Honor Society and the school choir, a cheerleader, and student council representative. She is also actively involved with the African-American Culture Club. She began attending Bowling Green University this fall where she will study medicine and science. Mr. Speaker, it is truly a pleasure to commemorate this accomplishment by one of the first leaders of tomorrow's generation. For the next year she will have the opportunity to represent the Boys and Girls Clubs of America throughout the nation, and be an inspiration to thousands of young people who will see proof that success is possible when young people are willing to commit themselves to life's important goals. Congratulations, Miesha!

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the President appeared in Michigan yesterday but failed to address the hemorrhage of jobs that continues to plague Michigan and Ohio and indeed our entire country, good jobs in the manufacturing sector, which is where our economy has made the most productivity gains; Ohio losing over 180,000 jobs and Michigan 182,000 jobs, manufacturing jobs since he took office. Our part of the country is really hurting, and all the President can propose is an assistant secretary in the Department of Commerce. What we need, Mr. Speaker, is a trade policy that puts people first, not the profits of multinational corporations first. We need to turn the U.S. Trade Representative's office upside down and clean it out and start striking trade agreements that create jobs and income in America again and do not create enemies for America abroad. NAFTA is not working. China PNTR is not working. And now the Bush administration wants to expand NAFTA to Central America and the rest of the hemisphere calling it CAFTA and FTAA. Mr. Speaker, we need to export products, not jobs, and we need a trade policy that works for working Americans. I wish President Bush had talked about that in Monroe, Michigan yesterday.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through October 15, 2003. In our district across Northern Ohio, the community has organized events to honor our fellow citizens with Hispanic heritage. In our communities, Hispanic citizens have long made lasting contributions to all aspects of civic life, including business, education, religion, labor, and politics. Ohio's ninth district Hispanic community is comprised of a large and vibrant Mexican American community, a spirited Puerto Rican community and many other countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean whose ancestry is represented. We celebrate many important holidays such as Dia de los Muertos and Puerto Rico's Independence, musical and artistic celebrations such as LatinoFest and support the existence of organizations such as Latins United, Club Taino and many others. Congress first resolved the celebration of Hispanic heritage through Public Law 90-498 in 1968. At that time the President was asked to issue annually a proclamation designating the week including September 15-16 as National Hispanic Heritage Week and calling upon the people of the United States, especially the educational community, to observe the week with appropriate ceremonies. It was not until 1988, however, that the Congress drafted and approved a joint resolution to approve a month-long commemoration. Hispanic Heritage Month affords us a special opportunity to celebrate the contributions of Hispanic Americans, now 38 million strong and the nation's largest minority group. It gives us the opportunity to thank them for enriching the quality of life in America. It gives us the opportunity to learn more about Hispanic Americans and their lives in America. It gives us an opportunity to pause and take note that no fewer than 40 Hispanic Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest honor for valor in action. It gives us an opportunity to reflect on the commitment to social justice exemplified by such leaders as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. It gives us an opportunity to resolve to fulfill the dream of ``si se puede'' of eradicating poverty and injustice and ensuring that all Hispanic Americans enjoy a full stakehold in American society of the 21st Century. So, during this Hispanic Heritage Week, while we celebrate so many extraordinary achievements, we are also mindful of the challenges ahead and the bright future for Hispanic Americans in our changing American culture.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, earlier today the Women's Caucus received an outstanding briefing from Joan Holmes, the President of the Hunger Project. The focus of her briefing was to help us understand the essential and often overlooked role that women play in ending hunger around the world. As we look towards the real needs that people face, it is vital that programs we fund through the instrumentalities of the Departments of Agriculture and State, as well as the Agency for International Development, I encourage all of our colleagues to take the time to read this most helpful presentation. The Hunger Project works to empower women in many countries around the world, and in my view is deserving of our support and understanding. I ask unanimous consent to insert in the Record at this point the statement by Joan Holmes, entitled ``Women and Ending Hunger: The Inextricable Link''. Women and Ending Hunger: The Inextricable Link (By Joan Holmes) Introduction Madame Chairperson and Distinguished Members of Congress, it is an honor to testify before the Women's Caucus today. I commend the Caucus for focusing on the inextricable link between women and ending hunger. My name is Joan Holmes, and it's been my privilege to be the president of The Hunger Project since its inception in 1977. In my testimony I will address: First, Chronic Hunger and who is most affected; Then, the three distinct ways women are essential to ending hunger and achieving sustainable development; Next, what happens to a society when women are empowered; and Finally, where the world is now--in recognizing the vital role of women. An Understanding of Chronic Hunger Chronic hunger continues to be the greatest failure of our age. It takes the lives of 20,000 of us each day. Eight hundred and forty million of us are chronically undernourished. The largest number of hungry people are in South Asia, but the most severe hunger is in sub-Saharan Africa. When most of us think of hunger, we think of famine--sudden shortages of food due to war, drought or natural disasters. Less than 8% of hunger deaths are due to famine--the rest are due to chronic hunger. The persistence of hunger is not an issue of the quantity of food. The world produces more than enough food for everyone. Hunger persists when people--particularly women-- are systematically denied the opportunity to produce enough food--to be educated--to learn the skills to meet their basic needs. Hunger persists when the poor--mostly women--have no voice in the decisions that affect their lives. women most affected by hunger When we speak of hungry people--we are literally speaking of women and children. The vast majority of the world's poor are women. The gap between women and men caught in the cycle of poverty has continued to widen in the past decade. An estimated 80 percent of the world's refugees are women and girls. Two-thirds of the world's illiterates are female. Of the millions of children kept out of school--2/3 are girls. women are at the center of the development process The fundamental thesis of my testimony is--women are at the center of the development process, and until and unless we make the empowerment of women a central strategy in ending hunger--hunger will persist. Until and unless we empower women, none of the UN Millennium Development Goals will be met. My testimony today does not come from the perspective of empowering women to achieve gender equality as a matter of social justice--even though that has my unequivocal support. The analysis I am presenting today comes from looking strategically at what needs to happen to end hunger and achieve sustainable development. In this analysis, I am going to use the phrase ``women's empowerment''. It is important that we know what that phrase means. Although there is no country where there is gender equality, in the countries that have the persistence of hunger--the subjugation, marginalization and disempowerment of women is particularly severe. So, when we say empowering women--what this means is to lift some of the shackles that constrict and suppress their lives. three distinct ways women are fundamental to ending hunger Let's examine three ways in which women are fundamental to the end of hunger: First, the inextricable link between women's well-being and the overall health of a society. Second, the enormous, yet largely unrecognized and unsupported role of women as producers. Finally, women's leadership--a necessary component of ending hunger. women's well-being and the health of a society Girls and women are deprived With regard to women's well-being and the link to the health of a society, let's look to South Asia. India and Bangladesh account for more than 1/3 of the remaining hunger, and their malnutrition rates are among the highest in the world. One-third of all babies in Bangladesh and 1/4 of the babies in India are born underweight and malnourished. This compares to 12 percent in Africa. The question is--Why are these rates so high in Bangladesh and India, countries which are food self-sufficient? In fact, India has more than 40 million tons of surplus food in storage. Why are the rates of malnutrition higher in South Asia than in Africa, which we know is considerably less developed? In 1996, UNICEF commissioned a landmark study to answer that question. In a report called, ``The Asian Enigma'', they concluded, ``The exceptionally high rates of malnutrition in South Asia are rooted deep in the soil of inequality between men and women.'' Women eat last and least. They eat only the food that is left over after the males have eaten. Often men and boys consume twice as many calories--even though women and girls do much of the heavy work. Girls in India are four times more likely to suffer from acute malnutrition than boys. When women and girls are deprived, society suffers Next, let's examine the effects this deprivation has on society. We've always been clear that the health of the mother is the single most important factor in determining the health of her child. New scientific data makes it clear that it is not just her health when she is pregnant, or even throughout her entire life, but going back to when she herself was in the womb. And so, let me describe for you the insidious ``cycle of malnutrition'' that persists in South Asia. A baby girl in India and Bangladesh is born underweight and malnourished. She is nursed less and fed less nutritious food than her brother. She is often denied health care and education. She is forced to work even as a child. Her work burden increases significantly as she gets older--even when she is pregnant. She is married and pregnant when she is young, often just a teenager. She is underweight and malnourished when she gives birth to her children who are born underweight and malnourished. And the cycle continues. Even in the Punjab, the region of India where the green revolution was most successful, this cycle and these high rates of malnutrition still persist. New Research It has been clear for some time that maternal deprivation and subsequent fetal deprivation cause children to be highly susceptible to infectious diseases like tuberculosis and malaria. New research shows that maternal deprivation also makes the body susceptible to diseases we associate with affluence-- hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, among others. In the next 20 years, India will have the largest number of diabetic patients, and coronary heart disease will become the leading cause of mortality. This new research underscores that what begins as the neglect and discrimination of women ends in causing adversity for the health and survival of all. Women as Producers Now as to the role of women as producers: just as we must learn to think ``women'' when we think ``hungry people''--we must think ``women'' when we think food producers in the developing world. And, I regret to say, we do not. Women have been largely bypassed by development assistance and programs focused on agriculture. Rural women are responsible for half of the world's food production and produce 60 to 80 percent of the food in most developing countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, women food farmers produce 80 percent of Africa's food, do the vast majority of the work to process, transport, store and market Africa's food, and they also provide 90 percent of the water, wood and fuel. Food processing alone creates a heavy work load for women. In parts of Africa, women spend four hours a day grinding grain. They do all this, despite the fact that they own 1 percent of the land, receive less than 7 percent of farm extension services, and receive less than 10 percent of the credit given to small-scale farmers. Effects of HIV/AIDS in Africa If this reality weren't challenging enough, we must also recognize that the impact of HIV/AIDS on agricultural production and food security has been devastating. Families affected by HIV/AIDS see their food production cut by 40%. This epidemic in Africa is spiraling out of control because men have multiple partners and unsafe sex, and women because of their low status are kept uninformed about prevention and powerless to protect themselves. Twice as many young women as men are infected. Bottom line--there is a direct correlation between women's low status, the violation of their human rights, and HIV transmission. In epidemiological terms, persuading 10 men with several partners to engage in safe sex has far greater impact than enabling one thousand women to protect themselves from their only partner. The 10 men are at the beginning of the chain of infection; the 1,000 women are its last link. Violence against women impedes development The other health hazard is violence against women. Violence against women continues to devastate millions of women worldwide, destroying families and impeding development. In this new century--in the year 2003--it is sobering to acknowledge that many societies still find it acceptable and justifiable to beat--rape--stone--burn--disfigure and murder women. When one group of people in society is treated as inferior to another--the only way to keep that lie in place is by violence and the threat of violence. Women's invisible work in the informal sector The majority of women in the developing world work in agriculture. But a significant portion also work in the informal sector. Their work remains largely invisible in official statistics, because it takes place outside the formal economic structure. Women work as--vendors, weavers, potters, handicraft workers, laundry workers, and manual laborers. Women may be poor, illiterate and undernourished, but they are economically active. They contribute significantly to the economy and society with their labor. Let me give you a specific example of the importance of women's work--regardless of how invisible it is: In India, young girls and women include in their daily work collecting and drying of cow dung which is used primarily as fuel in most of rural India where 75 percent of the population lives. Their work saves India at least $10.5 billion a year that would otherwise need to be spent on petroleum. It is estimated that, if the Indian women went on strike and no longer collected cow dung, India would be in an economic crisis in three weeks. Women's Leadership The third critical link--between women and ending hunger is women's leadership. In countries with the persistence of hunger, women bear full responsibility for the key issues in ending hunger: family health, nutrition, sanitation, education and increasingly--family income. Yet women are systematically denied the information, education and freedom of action they need to fulfill these responsibilities. When women have more voice in decision making in the home, their families are healthier, better nourished and better educated. In Brazil, as well as other countries, research shows that income in the hands of mothers has four times the impact on child nutrition as the same income in the hands of fathers. When women gain voice in decision making in their villages, they have the opportunity to alter the development agenda to address issues critical to meeting basic needs. They take action against dowry, domestic violence, child marriage and child labor. Women in positions of leadership begin to transform gender relations and to call into question the deeply entrenched patriarchal system. They help other women to know their rights. In India and Bangladesh, there is now an extraordinary opportunity. New laws guarantee that \1/3\ of all seats in elected local government are reserved for women. As a result, in the region of the world where women have been the most subjugated--more than 5 million women have engaged in the political process by standing for elections and 1 million women have become elected local leaders--more elected women than in all the other countries of the world combined. I consider this transfer of power to these one million elected women--who themselves are often illiterate and malnourished--to be a potent and direct intervention in the persistence of hunger. When women are empowered--society benefits Now let's examine what happens to a society when women are empowered. The evidence is overwhelming--women's empowerment has the most far-reaching effects on the lives of all--men, women and children. Let's examine some of this evidence: A recent analysis of development by the World Bank indicates that countries with smaller gaps between women and men in areas such as education, employment and property rights have lower child malnutrition and mortality, they also have less corruption in governance and faster economic growth. Cross-country studies report that if the Middle East, South Asia and Africa had been as successful as East Asia in narrowing the gender gap only in education, the Gross National Product (GNP) per capita in these regions would have grown by an additional 16 to 30 percent from 1960 to 1990. In sub-Saharan Africa, if women farmers were given the same support as that given to men their yields could increase by more than 20 percent. And, it is now clear that women's empowerment is more influential than economic growth in moderating fertility rates, thereby slowing population growth. Bottom line: women are at the center of the development process. When they are empowered these are the results: faster economic growth, less corruption in governance, lower childhood malnutrition, lower child mortality, increased agricultural production, more children in school, including girls, health hazards are reduced, and the overall health and wellbeing of a society is greatly improved. The gap between recognition of women's vital role and policies, programs and action Even though the evidence is overwhelming and there is increasing recognition that women are the key to sustainable development--the gap between this recognition, and policies, programs, and action is enormous. Now let's look at 3 examples: First, the International Conference on Financing for Development--known as the Monterrey Summit. The Monterrey Summit did address issues like good governance, people- centered development, and global responsibility--but the vital role of women in achieving sustainable development was not recognized. The words ``gender sensitive'' made it into the final Monterrey Consensus document, but the four people who control the world's purse-strings--President Bush, the heads of the World Bank, IMF and the European Commission never once mentioned the vital role of women. In fact, the word ``woman'' was used only once among these four keynote speakers and that was in reference to micro credit. Regarding the 2001 New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)--we need to know that this charter does not come close to recognizing that women are key to development. In fact, women are not adequately included in any section of its analytical framework or its plan of action. Now let's look at the constitutional amendment which guarantees women \1/3\ of the seats in local village councils in India. It was passed by one vote. The amendment continues to be under attack, and is in danger of being repealed. Recommendations Given that women are at the center of the development process: 1. I recommend that women be placed in high level decision- making positions in all international organizations. 2. All legislation--budget allocations--and programs related to development must specifically empower women as the key change agents to achieve sustainable development.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, our home community of Toledo and the state of Ohio lost a champion citizen and patriot with the passing of James Brennan, who passed from this life on August 11, 2003 at the age of 77. Born in Chicago, Jim attended Drake University on a football scholarship. He left to join the Army, but upon his return from service, he attended the University of Chicago. While in Chicago, he began his lifelong career in politics in 1955. Two years later, Jim moved to Toledo and established himself as a businessman. He grew Freeman Material Handling, now Brennan Industrial Truck Inc, into a viable business, which he was able to pass down to his children. While a prominent successful business leader, Jim extended himself to the broader community, and served on Ottawa Hills Village Council from 1975 to 1979. He followed this service with three tenures as the chair of the Lucas County Republican Party. His chairmanship was marked by strong leadership, civility, honesty and cooperation across party lines, with his vision always directed toward the betterment of our region. In addition to his county chairmanship, Jim also served at the grassroots level as a precinct committeeman, state central committeeman, and convention delegate. Jim did not limit his civic-mindedness to business and politics. He was a member of the Ohio Board of Regents and trustee of Defiance College. He served on the boards of the Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, and St. Vincent Hospital and was president of the Toledo Opera Association. All the while Jim Brennan was first and foremost a devoted family man and caring father and grandfather. A good and kind man beneath a brusque exterior, Jim lent his talents to many endeavors, and our community will miss his wit, energy, bluster, intelligence, and devotion. He helped build the character and ethic of our community. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to Jim's children James Jr, Christine, Kate, and Amy, his brother Robert, and his grandchildren. May they find some comfort in the gift of his life and their cherished memories. Jim Brennan will be missed.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, one hundred years ago the Ironworkers Local #55 joined together in union in Toledo, Ohio. lam pleased to recognize this milestone anniversary and pay tribute to the union's courageous founders and all of the men and women who followed them over the course of a century. In 1903 the idea of unionization was viewed as radical, and often dangerous for those who pursued it. Yet, men working to build our cities, the bridges, skyscrapers, schools and factories which were changing the American landscape worked under dangerous conditions themselves. They found themselves not only at the mercy of difficult working conditions, but subject to forces who did not respect them and the jobs they did. They worked long hours for low pay, no compensation for injury or sickness, and little if any thought was given to their general welfare. The Ironworkers Union itself was only seven years old when Toledo's Local #55 was chartered on February 16, 1903, 104 members strong. Toledo's ironworkers have been an integral part of the growth and development of the Ironworkers Union since the beginning. The first recorded ironworker union jobs came that same year, with the Illinois Steel Company's construction of a cantilever bridge and two turntables for the Toledo Furnace Company. Just two years after its founding, Ironworkers Local #55 struck one of Toledo's largest and prominent contractors, A. Bentley and Sons. Though the strike was ultimately unsuccessful, the action showed clearly that the infant union was willing to battle even the largest, most anti-union companies. At the close of the century's first decade, Ironworkers Local #55 was firmly established and under the capable and visionary leadership of William R. ``Big Bill'' Walters, the union's first business agent, who went on to serve the union in various offices until 1935. Since him, many noble leaders have guided the union through both hard times and prosperity. The union gave its members good jobs with good wages, health care and pension benefits, injury compensation, and sickness and death benefits. Just as importantly, it offered its members and their families the spirit of workers united in the common goal of bettering the lives of everyone. Out of this spirit came a sense of camaraderie, of loyalty, of protection and pride in what they were all trying to build together. I have been privileged to be welcomed into this spirit, and it is uniquely union. A look around our region reveals the accomplishments of Ironworkers Local #55 union members. Their skill and hard work gave us signature bridges, downtown skyline, the schools which educate our children, monuments paying tribute to our efforts as community and Nation. We owe Toledo's City Hall, Ohio Building, Spitzer Building, Swayne Field, Toledo Museum of Art additions, Bell Building, Toledo Public Library, Acme Power Plant, Standard Oil, Pure Oil, Sun Oil and Gulf Oil refineries, Federal Building, Owens-Illinois Fiberglass Tower, Medical College of Ohio, Davis-Besse Power Plant, Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, Summit Center and the Valentine Theatre to Local 55 members, just to name a few of our region's significant buildings whose frameworks were formed by ironworkers. Now, as its second century dawns, Ironworkers Local #55 members are undertaking the construction of our region's largest single project to date: the new 8,800 foot long, 120 foot high Maumee River Crossing. I join with members and friends of Ironworkers local #55 past and present in celebrating one hundred years of history. It is these ``cowboys of the sky'', along with fellow members of the building trades, who built America. We stand along side them and look to the future as together we continue to build our Nation.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, September 2003 brings with it the 25th anniversary of the Eleanor M. Kahle Senior Center in our district. Starting life as the West Toledo Senior Center, it was renamed in 1995 upon the passing of its founder and guiding light, Mrs. Eleanor Kahle of Toledo, who passed from this life at the age of 78 years young on August 13, 1995. In fact, a recognition of the senior center's milestone cannot be made without a tribute to its original inspiration: Eleanor Kahle, Polish-American by heritage, began her life on September 10, 1916, in what was then the small community of Sylvania outside of the city of Toledo. At the time of her death, she had become a citizen of the world. In all of the careers of her life--widowed wife and mother of six children, pastoral associate in the Roman Catholic Church, executive director of the West Toledo Senior Center, and elected official in the city of Toledo--Eleanor Kahle forged new ground. She delighted in the achievements of her sons and family. A devoted woman of the church, she became the first woman to serve as a pastoral associate, and essentially rose to the highest-ranking woman in the U.S. Roman Catholic Church at that time. In 1987, at the age of 70 when most people would not dream of making such a major change in their life, Eleanor Kahle began her stellar political career as an elected official, winning a seat on Toledo's city council, and eventually was elected the city's vice mayor. This work led to her involvement in Sister Cities International. Eleanor Kahle was a woman who drank deeply from life's cup. She was always planning, always working toward unmet horizons. In 1977, at the suggestion of Eleanor Kahle, a group of people in West Toledo got together to determine the needs of the area's 17,000 seniors. Representatives from fourteen different service and church groups ``passed the hat'' and collected $12.47. On September 12, 1978, thirty founders ratified a Constitution, and West Toledo Senior People Inc. was born. They began to plan a center dedicated to meeting the needs of seniors in the neighborhoods of West Toledo. Under the Older Americans Act, such ``multi-purpose centers'' offered nutritional meals, learning opportunities, invigorating activities, and supportive services to elders in communities all across our Nation. Despite tremendous opposition, West Toledo Senior People doggedly pursued the creation of a senior citizens center. That dream became a reality in 1979 with the birth of the thriving West Toledo Senior Center in the renovated Willys Park Shelter House. Over the following year, 620 volunteers put in nearly 5,000 hours to make the shelter house the home of the West Toledo Senior Center. Eleanor Kahle was the center's first director, leading its growth until her retirement in 1993. Today that center stands, hundreds of seniors strong, housed in a large, expanded, pleasant building, as a true legacy to its founding members. Immediately, the West Toledo Senior Center made its reputation as an active, involved, savvy group of people dedicated to making life better not only for themselves but seniors as a whole and our community at large. For many years the West Toledo Senior Center was the largest in Toledo. Its members include people from every walk of life, multiple generations, and all corners of West Toledo. It is truly a neighborhood center, and all who enter are immediately swept up into activity, delight, and camaraderie. The center has weathered difficult times as well, as founding members and original activists aged, passed on, and a new crop of leaders emerged to direct the center in the 21st century. Even as its founders pass into memory, the Eleanor M. Kahle Senior Center retains their light, and it continues to be a beacon in our community. I join with the center's long time members and friends as we look back on a fruitful first 25 years, remembering old friends, special times, and inspiring moments. Yet, none will rest on the center's history nor the accomplishment of those who brought it to life, nurtured it, saw it through growing pains, and guide it into maturity. Rather, we cherish the first quarter century and look forward toward the bright horizon of tomorrow.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, we in Toledo are proud to recognize the sesquicentennial of one of our oldest congregations, First Baptist Church. Now in suburban Greater Toledo, First Baptist Church was an anchor in central Toledo for more than a century. It is still known as ``the friendly church with the caring spirit'' and this motto characterizes its congregation. Its membership sees the church as a home and each other as a family of believers. They care for each other, our community, and our world. During the early days of Toledo, Ohio, a hardy band of believers with a missionary zeal joined together in fellowship and formed the First Baptist Church. Right from the start, though their mission was to carry the Gospel forth into the world, the church's members have lived God's Word by example and have strived to serve our community. As Toledo grew and changed, so too did First Baptist Church. Today, its congregation can look back on a journey weathering hard times and good, tests and successes, drama and triumph. The journey continues, and First Baptist's members look forward to the future even as they celebrate their history. In John 8:12, we are reminded of Christ's promise that ``I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.'' For 150 years, the faithful of First Baptist Church in Toledo have tried to followed our Lord's Word and live a Christ-centered life. The fruits of their labor may be seen in the continuity of their church, and its viability in our community over generations. I join with the congregation of First Baptist Church and our entire community in congratulating the church on reaching its milestone 150th anniversary. May these first 150 years be the inspiration for the next. Onward!

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, on September 20, 2003, Port Clinton, Ohio will mark its 175th anniversary. The town along the shores of Lake Erie will celebrate this milestone with a daylong party featuring historic re-enactors, old-fashioned food and contests, a parade and fireworks. The city will pay tribute to its fishing and boating heritage focusing on a display of vintage Lake Erie boats, fried fish dinners, and a giant walleye shaped birthday cake. In our nation's infancy, New York statesman and the father of the Erie Canal DeWitt Clinton suggested a canal from the Portage River in Northwest Ohio down to the Ohio River in Cincinnati. Although the canal was not built, four years later in June of 1828, Ezekiel Haines founded Port Clinton at the proposed canal's beginning. He named the town he founded in honor of DeWitt Clinton in tribute to Mr. Clinton's vision. The town lay on the Eastern edge of Northwest Ohio's Great Black Swamp and was home to many tribes of Native Americans who hunted and fished its marshes and waterways. Fishing was the mainstay of the town's first settlers, and remains so today. The city has many marinas, and boats were built in Port Clinton until 1974. Although they are no longer built in the community, Port Clinton's marinas are home for many commercial and recreational boats and the docks of the Port Clinton Fish Company are still in service. Even though it has developed through the decades into a commercial center and home to business, industry, and tourism, Port Clinton has never lost its flavor as a small lake town. Superbly situated between Lake Erie and beautiful natural refuges, Port Clinton remains an idyllic waterfront community. I join with its residents in proudly sharing its 175th birthday.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, for 36 years, agriculture in Lucas County, Ohio, has had a friend in Norm Moll. As 2003's harvest approaches, it seems a fitting time to look back on Norm's service with the county office of the Cooperative Extension Service, from which he has now retired. Norm Moll's life has been spent in agriculture, from his boyhood on a livestock farm in Fulton County. He holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in horticulture, and has studied biometrics and the marketing of produce. He served as the chief of the Lucas County Extension office since 1980. Under his extremely capable tenure, the office developed the Agricultural Business Enhancement Center, Master Gardener initiative, gypsy moth suppression to save the region's oak savannah, urban horticulture opportunities, and development projects with 4-H, community garden clubs, greenhouses, and the agricultural community. His expertise was sought by people far afield, and methodical planning was his hallmark. His contributions to agricultural research and development leading to valued-added agriculture include: rebirth of the Toledo Farmers Market; innovations for new crops, tomatoes, vegetables and livestock; and initiation of the ``glasshouse.com'' website as a new marketing site of our region's greenhouse industry. Now in retirement, Norm Moll will have the time to devote to his own horticultural pursuits. His Toledo, Ohio yard will bear the fruits of his labor as our community learns to move forward without his effective quiet countenance. We wish for him a retirement full of all those things he most enjoys and with those for whom he cares. We extend a deep and sincere thank you to Norm for his life of service to our country and community.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, after a decade of trying, Calvin United Church of Christ was officially organized. Thus, 2003 marks the 100th anniversary of the congregation, and I am pleased to recognize this milestone in Toledo's Hungarian community's history. As Toledo's Hungarian neighborhood grew toward the end of the nineteenth century, Reverend Eiek Csutoros of the Cleveland Reformed Church held the first church service for Toledo's Hungarian Protestants in 1893. In 1898, 45 Hungarian Protestants came together to discuss the formation of an Hungarian Reformed Church. Reverend Csutoros, serving as an advisor, recommended they join Reformed Church in the USA. In 1901, the Toledo Hungarian Reformed Church was officially recognized as a member of the Tiffin East Ohio Classis. The church's first leaders were John Nagy, John Jakesy, Julius Simon, Gabriel Bertok, Stephen Molnar, and John Takacs. The church, still at its original site, was purchased for $1,225.00. After a rocky two years and with the installation of pastor Stephen Harsanyi, the present church was constructed and a congregation of 284 founding members was established. Many of the first names are still recognizable in the congregation today, generations later. The following decades brought growth to the church, with the organization of a Sunday School, Ladies' Aid, Boys Athletic Club, Cherub Choir, and Youth Organization, building expansions including a parsonage, educational building, and hall, and increasing service to the neighborhood. Services were preached in both English and Hungarian, as the congregants' ties to Hungary remained strong even while they established themselves in the United States. The recorded history of the church notes its difficult beginnings, describing the ten year journey to bring the dream of a dedicated band of believers to fruition, explaining, ``The beginnings were not easy, there were many obstacles in the way. The history of our church reads like a novel; filled with pathos, drama, laughter, on the brink of defeat, then triumphant.'' Those early pioneers never wavered from their goal of worshiping in communion with each other, and they were guided by the words of Luke 1:37 that ``With God, all things are possible.'' Calvin United Church of Christ stands as a monument to the perseverance and faith of its founders and all who have come after them. It tells of the struggle and success of people who achieved though starting with humble means. As our community celebrates the centennial year of Calvin United Church of Christ, we watch the century's story pass in review, but turn to the future with hope and a renewed sense of dedication. Onward!

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Alex Machaskee, President, Publisher, and Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, as the 2003 International Business Executive of the Year. On Thursday, September 18th, 2003, Mr. Machaskee will be recognized for his ongoing contribution to the internationalization of Northeast Ohio. He has energized the business community by catalyzing civic leaders to attract international companies to Northeast Ohio. I want to take this opportunity before this body to honor him and to say a few words about why he is deserving of this incredible distinction. Born in Warren, Ohio, Mr. Machaskee worked as a sports reporter and general assignment reporter for the Warren Tribune before joining the Plain Dealer. As President, Publisher and C.E.O., he is responsible for the overall policy, operation, and direction of the newspaper. He is a graduate of Cleveland State University with a bachelor's degree in marketing. Mr. Machaskee was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by both Cleveland State University in 1995 and the University of Akron in 1998. He was recognized for his tireless passion and talent in 2001 with his induction into the Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame. Mr. Machaskee has demonstrated unflagging leadership in the improvement of Northeast Ohio. He currently is Vice President of the Musical Arts Association, serves on both the Board Governance and the Finance and Administration Committees of The Cleveland Foundation, is a member of The Greater Cleveland Roundtable and The Museum Council of The Cleveland Museum of Art, a Corporate Member of The Holden Arboretum and a Board Member of The Ohio Arts Council, Leadership Cleveland, University Circle Inc., Cleveland Tomorrow, The Great Lakes Science Center, The Greater Cleveland Growth Association, Urban League of Greater Cleveland, Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County, Inc., St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, in Crestwood, New York, and the national board of the International Orthodox Christian Charities. Additionally, Mr. Machaskee is committed to improving racial amity and promoting diversity. He is the Chairman of the Board of United Way Services for 2002-2003, and previously served as Chairman of the 2000- 2001 United Way Campaign. Mr. Machaskee is past Chairman of the Greater Cleveland Roundtable, a racially and culturally diverse civic forum committed to resolving the human relations problems confronting the city. Mr. Machaskee has been a critical community partner for many years through his energetic leadership helping to improve and promote the economy of Northeast Ohio. Many throughout the years have appreciated his service and dedication and I congratulate him on being honored as International Business Executive of the Year. He should be commended for his commitment and service to Northeast Ohio.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Alex Machaskee, President, Publisher, and Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, as the 2003 International Business Executive of the Year. On Thursday, September 18th, 2003, Mr. Machaskee will be recognized for his ongoing contribution to broadening Northeast Ohio's role in the international community. He has energized the business community by catalyzing civic leaders to attract international companies to Northeast Ohio as well as link Ohio to the people of other nations. I want to take this opportunity before this body to honor him and to say a few words about why he is deserving of this incredible distinction as a global citizen. Born in Warren, Ohio, Mr. Machaskee worked as a sports reporter and general assignment reporter for the Warren Tribune before joining the Plain Dealer. As President, Publisher and C.E.O., he is responsible for the overall policy, operation, and direction of the newspaper. He is a graduate of Cleveland State University with a bachelor's degree in marketing. Mr. Machaskee was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by both Cleveland State University in 1995 and the University of Akron in 1998. He was recognized for his tireless passion and talent in 2001 with his induction into the Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame. Mr. Machaskee has demonstrated unflagging leadership in the improvement of Northeast Ohio. He currently is Vice President of the Musicial Arts Association, serves on both the Board Governance and the Finance and Administration Committees of The Cleveland Foundation, is a member of The Greater Cleveland Roundtable and The Museum Council of The Cleveland Museum of Art, a Corporate Member of The Holden Arboretum and a Board Member of The Ohio Arts Council, Leadership Cleveland, University Circle Inc., Cleveland Tomorrow, The Great Lakes Science Center, The Greater Cleveland Growth Association, Urban League of Greater Cleveland, Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County, Inc., St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, in Crestwood, New York, and the national board of the International Orthodox Christian Charities. Additionally, Mr. Machaskee is committed to improving racial amity and promoting diversity. He is the Chairman of the Board of United Way Services for 2002-2003, and previously served as Chairman of the 2000- 2001 United Way Campaign. Mr. Machaskee is past Chairman of the Greater Cleveland Roundtable, a racially and culturally diverse civic forum committed to resolving the human relations challenges confronting the city. Mr. Machaskee has been a critical community partner for many years through his energetic leadership helping to improve and promote the economy of Northeast Ohio. Many throughout the years have appreciated his service and dedication. Let us congratulate him on being honored as International Business Executive of the Year. This award duly recognizes his commitment and service to Northeast Ohio.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman for his leadership in this in trying to provide an election system across this country that has integrity, dependability and sufficient funds to assure those qualities. What we are being given are half measures, empty promises and what is becoming more and more confusing at the local county level. No State standards, no Federal standards, and not enough money. America really deserves better. If we can afford to spend $4 billion a month in Iraq to secure democracy, can we not afford to spend $3 billion over 3 years in our own country to help secure our democratic voting systems here in this Republic? I think it is really an important question for the Congress. In hopes of resolving this issue amicably, I will withdraw my amendment at this point in hopes that we might be able to deal with it in the upcoming supplemental. Mr. Chairman, I include the following material for the Record: [From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Aug. 28, 2003] Voting Machine Controversy (By Julie Carr Smyth) Columbus.--The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is ``committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year.'' The Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc.--who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush--prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election. O'Dell attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors--known as Rangers and Pioneers--at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month. The next week, he penned invitations to a $1,000-a-plate fund- raiser to benefit the Ohio Republican Party's federal campaign fund--partially benefiting Bush--at his mansion in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington. The letter went out the day before Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, also a Republic, was set to qualify Diebold as one of three firms eligible to sell upgraded electronic voting machines to Ohio counties in time for the 2004 election. Blackwell's announcement is still in limbo because of a court challenge over the fairness of the selection process by a disqualified bidder, Sequoia Voting Systems. In his invitation letter, O'Dell asked guests to consider donating or raising up to $10,000 each for the federal account that the state GOP will use to help Bush and other federal candidates--money that legislative Democratic leaders charged could come back to benefit Blackwell. They urged Blackwell to remove Diebold from the field of voting-machine companies eligible to sell to Ohio counties. This is the second such request in as many months. State Sen. Jeff Jacobson, a Dayton-area Republic an, asked Blackwell in July to disqualify Diebold after security concerns arose over its equipment. ``Ordinary Ohioans may infer that Blackwell's office is looking past Diebold's security issues because it CEO is seeking $10,000 donations for Blackwell's party--donations that could be made with statewide elected officials right here in the same room,'' said Senate Democratic Leader Greg DiDonato. Diebold spokeswoman Michelle Griggy said O'Dell--who was unavailable to comment personally--has held fund-raisers in his home for many causes, including the Columbus Zoo, Opera Columbus, Catholic Social Services and Ohio State University. Ohio GOP spokesman Jason Mauk said the party approached O'Dell about hosting the event at his home, the historic Cotswold Manor, and not the other way around. Mauk said that under federal campaign finance rules, the party cannot use any money from its federal account for state-level candidates. ``To think that Diebold is somehow tainted because they have a couple folks on their board who support the president is just unfair,'' Mauk said. Griggly said in an e-mail statement that Diebold could not comment on the political contributions of individual company employees. Blackwell said Diebold is not the only company with political connections--nothing that lobbyists for voting- machine makers read like a who's who of Columbus' powerful and politically connected. ``Let me put it to you this way: If there was one person uniquely involved in the political process, that might be troubling,'' he said. ``But there's no one that hasn't used every legitimate avenue and bit of leverage that they could legally use to get their product looked at. Believe me, if there is a political lever to be pulled, all of them have pulled it.'' Blackwell said he stands by the process used for selecting voting machine vendors as fair, thorough and impartial. As of yesterday, however, that determination lay with Ohio Court of Claims Judge Fred Shoemaker. He heard closing arguments yesterday over whether Sequoia was unfairly eliminated by Blackwell midway through the final phase of negotiations. Shoemaker extended a temporary restraining order in the case for 14 days, but said he hopes to issue his opinion sooner than that.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I begin by saying nothing is more sacred than our citizens' right to vote. The amendment that I seek to offer this evening would preserve the $3.65 billion in Federal funds that this Congress authorized over the next 3 years under the Help America Vote Act for upgrading election systems across our country. We originally passed this over 2 years ago, and I make this effort to preserve these funds because the Bush administration has not provided the necessary funds as authorized, and it is also 320 days late in appointing the election commission that was supposed to establish the Federal standards and guidelines to prevent fraud and abuse in these new electronic election technologies. The national election debacle that we witnessed as a country in the year of 2000 simply cannot ever happen again. That is why we passed the Help America Vote Act. Already, $650 million has gone out to the States, but only for the hardware. $3 billion that should be out there in the hands of the States is not there in order to buy the proper equipment, provide the training, register the voters, and really provide a revolution in new technology at the polls. Importantly, the election commission authorized by the Help America Vote Act has not been appointed. Indeed, the President is 320 days late in sending the nominees to the Senate, to the other body, for approval. That means there are no Federal standards and guidelines to prevent fraud and abuse. And so the States are floundering around out there being besieged by various companies trying to offer machines that they say are the greatest in the world when in fact they really are not. What this amendment seeks to do is to preserve the funds that we said were necessary and to preserve them over the 3-year period. Unless this amendment is adopted, the funding will expire, which means the States will even be in a worse position than they are today. The President should have had his nominees to the Federal Election Commission appointed February 26 of this year. That has not been done. That means there are no Federal standards or guidelines for election technologies. In my own State of Ohio, for example, we assembled a computer security team and sent them down to our State House to review the various election technologies. There was not one set of technologies that came back as either excellent or very good in the two most important categories of judgment, first, security of the system, the ability to prevent fraud and abuse in the software; and, secondly, ease of use by the voter. No system qualified. We have to get the money down there to these States and localities. There have to be Federal standards. Right now, less than half of the money that we should have appropriated has been provided in the 2004 bill; and in this year of 2003, the money has not arrived. Less than half the money is there. What are we doing? We are setting ourselves up for another failure. So at least my amendment attempts to preserve the funds that were originally authorized. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) who understands this issue so well.