Jack Kingston

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. I think you have wrapped it up real well. I am going to add one last line. A lady named Charlie from Denton, TX wrote me and said on the subject of the public debt, which is of course what has been our central theme today, saving money, cutting back on the size of Government and so forth, she says: I'm very upset that some people think it's okay to tax my grandchildren, 17 years to 3 months old, for things other people have already used up. We have got to balance that budget, we have got to give a promise so that Charlie's grandchildren and your grandchildren and my grandchildren will have a bright, great America as we know it can and should be. [[Page H 9660]]

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I also wanted to mention another way that we can save money on the budget, which is to crack down on illegal aliens entering this country simply because of the generous and almost irresponsible, I think in fact very irresponsible, public benefit and assistance program. I am going to read something that maybe the gentleman from Arizona is very familiar with from a group called FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform. I am not familiar with this group, but I have heard this story many times and I know the gentleman from Arizona has heard it also. That in the town of San Luis, Arizona, there are 8,100 postal boxes, but there are only 4,000 people who live there. Every month the post mistress of the town, Ms. Rodriquez, has to sift through thousands of letters containing welfare checks, unemployment checks, and food stamps, and in the last month there were 13,500 income tax refunds that were all fraudulent. What is happening is that 10 to 15 people are using a mailbox and they are getting Federal Government, American support and they are not American citizens, but they are defrauding the American Government. This problem for the Western States and all the border States is tremendous, and it is costing Americans billions of dollars each year. I think the cost to the California school system alone is $2 billion to $3 billion. Twenty-two percent of the prisoners in our Federal penal system are illegal aliens, and my colleagues and me and our constituents are picking up the costs. [[Page H 9659]]

Mr. KINGSTON. I am going to throw some things out at you. I have a constituent who wrote, Kenneth Richardson, actually from Atlanta, and he came up with this figure. He said that every minute in the U.S. Government, under their calculations, we waste $2,152,207, and they show what our interest is and what our fraud and waste is in various government programs year in and year out. That is a scary thought. He said, ``What are you going to do about it, because every minute you are costing the taxpayers $2.1 million.'' There are so many things that we have done in the appropriations process that, even though the Senate did not pass the balanced budget amendment, it is clear the American people want a balanced budget. So I think the number one thing that we are doing is every bill that we pass, 13 different appropriations bills, we are moving to a balanced budget. Mr. Speaker, there are a couple of things that I want to point out. There are 163 different Federal job training programs. Sitting in on the hearings, many of them do the exact same thing. You cannot get the agencies to agree to consolidate, but if you sit there and you are not involved in the program, they sound like they are doing just exactly the same. I would submit to my colleagues that out of 163 different Federal jobs programs, certainly we can combine many, many of them. I am not going to give a number, but I would say substantially most of them. Let me yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox].

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I think what we want with welfare reform is a program that has a work requirement, if you are able to work, a program that lets States have flexibility, because in Georgia we are going to do it differently than you do in Arizona, different than in New York City and San Francisco, and that is the way it should be. Let us decide how we are going to deal with our poverty. Give us some guidelines, but give us the flexibility that we need, and then there is that illegal immigration component. We do not want money being used to attract people to come to America just so that they can enjoy the public benefit. Then finally, as the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Smith] said, you want to have a component in there that does not reward irresponsibility, particularly when it is not age appropriate for 16 and 15-year olds to be parents. Mr. Speaker, we are coming to a close. I do want to say on the subject of welfare reform and all of the things that are going on in my hometown, Savannah, GA, where there is a group called the Chatham Citizen Advocacy led by a good friend of mine, Tom Kohler. I believe Tom Kohler leans Democrat, but I was kidding him because he works for an agency who I think the philosophy is Republican, because No. 1, it does not take any Federal dollars or local dollars. What Tom does is he matches up somebody who is established, prominent, better off, upper middle class with somebody who is unfortunate, who has had some hard knocks, who is down on the ground. He matches the two together. Not so that the wealthy one can write a check and feel good about himself; he turns them into friends. The wealthy person says to the poor person, let me help you. What are your problems? How can I help you get a job? How can I get you to the hospital today? How can I help you kick the habit, or whatever it is. Tom says that the benefit to society of course is economic. The benefit to the two individuals when they come together with human compassion is immeasurable. I am not saying that is going to solve our problems, but, doggone it, the thing about it is it is a local problem and it is not taxpayer- funded money but it complements what we are trying to do. We all have to have a role in it, the Federal Government, the State government, the local government. But certainly the volunteer sector can come in, also. If we get out of the way, there will be a lot more room for them.

Mr. KINGSTON. As you have explained it to me, it is a line of credit, that is what it is.

Mr. KINGSTON. So what the people in Michigan are saying is keep going and do not chicken out. What are they saying in Pennsylvania?

Mr. KINGSTON. Let me ask, the folks in Michigan and Pennsylvania, are they saying we are going too far too fast, or all we are doing is passing bills out of the House, they are not doing it in the Senate, we are dead in the water, it is just rhetoric, there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats?

Mr. KINGSTON. Let me give you a statistic. The reason why I wanted to mention this is because I want to contrast the 103d Congress to the 104th Congress that the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox] is a Member of. In the 103d Congress, before the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich] and the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey] started running this House, 95.7 percent of all witnesses at the congressional hearings advocated more spending. Only 0.7 percent were for less spending, and that is a statistic from the National Center for Public Policy Research. So now, I say to the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox], you were not in that environment 2 years ago. Do you think we are moving toward balancing the budget?

Mr. KINGSTON. You bet it gets the point, and now the gentleman from Arizona [Mr. Hayworth]----

Mr. KINGSTON. Will not get a chance.

Mr. KINGSTON. To being a sportcaster, to being a politician, and I hesitate to yield the floor to him. I am going to put on a stopwatch on him, whatever you guys say; so tell us what are the people saying in Arizona. Do they want a budget cut or not?

Mr. KINGSTON. Well, now let me ask you this because I hear so much on Medicare: Is it not true that seniors will still be able to keep traditional Medicare if they want to, and I know the gentleman from Michigan has done some work on this?

Mr. KINGSTON. Well, let me now ask Mr. Fox. I used to sell commercial insurance, not health insurance, but commercial insurance, not health insurance, but commercial insurance; very confusing, intangible product. Will my parents, and will I when I turn 65, be confused by all of this?

Mr. KINGSTON. Is it going to be simplified?

Mr. KINGSTON. Well, let me ask the gentleman from Arizona. This medisave account, I am going to get to keep the leftover money in the account. Is that what I am hearing?

Mr. KINGSTON. Well, now I have heard this. Are we going to decrease deductibles, increasing copay? We are not; is that correct?

Mr. KINGSTON. Well, now the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Smith] is on the Committee on the Budget. Why are we doing this at all? I hear some folks in the Congress and Government in Washington saying this is unnecessary to even do anything.

Mr. KINGSTON. Well, I do think it is also important to point out that there are--there is bipartisan support on it. Now there is some partisan criticism, but we do have a lot of bipartisan support saying, Don't let this thing go broke in 6 years. Let's roll up our sleeves and work together for what is fair, and what is simple, and what is best to protect and preserve the system.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, if we had ideas coming from 435 different Members of Congress from States all over the country, the best product would evolve, and that is what we want to happen because what we want the end product to be is not a Republican plan, not a Democrat plan, but an American senior citizens plan so that your mom, and dad, and grandparents, and you, and I, and our children one day can enjoy a system that is safe and secure. That is what our goal is. One of the big tragedies, when we talk about cuts, is that what we are trying to do is slow down the inflation rate. Medicare inflation last year was 11 percent. Regular health care inflation, as the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Smith], pointed out, was actually about 1 percent. What we are trying to do is get Medicare down in the 4 to 6 percent range, and if we can just slow down the growth to that degree, we will be increasing the benefits of the people $4,800 to $6,700, as the gentleman pointed out, and we will have more options for our seniors.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Fox, I could tell what is your interest on----

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Well, I think that the gentleman is walking on the very delicate balance, as you said, between farm programs that work and moving toward an economy that is more free-market oriented, and I know that is a tough road for you. I have some provincial concerns; cotton, peanut, and so forth, but I do think what is important is that our farmers are involved in this process and stay involved in this process as things start changing, because I know the peanut farmers have come a long way in their work and the cotton folks are trying to work for something that is a suitable solution. There are some concerns I have on the sugar program. As you know, America is a net importer of sugar, and even though the taxpayers are not paying the difference, the world cost of sugar is about 11 cents a ton, but the domestic price is 24 cents a ton. We have an 18-cent-per- ton price support.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, here we are two speeches into the day, and we are already hearing the Democrat Mediscare standard, boiler plate speech. We do not necessarily expect to have their help. It would be nice. Some of the Democrats are in the debate, and it is very good. Let us just move away from the partisanship, move to an outside party. What does the Washington Post say? The Republican Party is anathema to the Washington Post. It would be the equivalent of a Georgia graduate saying something complimentary about Georgia Tech. So what does the Washington Post say about the Republican plan? Here is an editorial page, September 15; it talks about how great the plan is. I can get anybody who wants a copy of that. How do they describe Democrat Mediscare? Crummy stuff, demagoguery, big time scare tactics, expostulation, some kind of fancy Washington word, irresponsible. What do they call the Republican plan? Remember, this comes from the Washington Post: Congressional Republicans have confounded the skeptics; it is incredible; it is gutsy; it addresses a genuine problem that only is going to get worse. Ladies and gentlemen, that is coming from the Washington Post. Maybe the Democrats will get with the program. Who knows.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I have just returned from 4 days in Georgia visiting with constituents, meeting with a few civic clubs, and riding in a parade or two. In talking around the district that I represent, the coastal area of Georgia, Georgia's first district, the three predominant things that seem to be on people's minds are balancing the budget, reforming welfare, and the changes in the Medicare Program. On balancing the budget, even though the other body across the Hall failed to pass the balanced budget amendment, it is absolutely undeniable that the American people want us to balance the budget. As a member of the Committee on Appropriations I can say that we are moving in that direction. We have 1 appropriations bill left out of 13. Hopefully, we will pass that this week or next week. When we do, we will have all of our appropriations bills passed, which take us to having a balanced budget by the year 2002. The importance of this, Mr. Speaker, is that as we have these billion dollar deficits each year, it takes money away from other programs and we are unable to pay down the debt. Now all we are doing is servicing the interest. Currently, the interest on the national debt is the third largest item in our budget every year. In 2 years that interest is expected to exceed all of the military spending. Once we get rid of the deficit, we can start paying off the principal beyond the interest of the debt. Of course, it will take many, many years. We have a $4.8 trillion debt. The definition, Mr. Speaker, of a trillion, to illustrate it, and, first of all, it is almost beyond comprehension, but if we spent $100,000 a minute, 24 hours a day, it would take 19 years to get to $1 trillion. We currently have a debt of $4.8 trillion. We simply cannot pass that on to the children of the United States of America. I think it is very important that this House is moving toward a balanced budget as fast as we can. I certainly hope the folks in the other body feel the same way. We have passed welfare reform in the House. Our welfare reform has four significant planks to it. No. 1, a work requirement. If an individual is able-bodied, in order to get welfare, they should have to work. No. 2, a mechanism to discourage illegitimate births, since that is one of the biggest problems in America today. No. 3, State flexibility. We may do it differently in Georgia than the folks in New York, but let us make those decisions. And No. 4, no welfare benefits to illegal aliens. We want to help them if they are hurt in this country, but we also want them to get back home if they are not American citizens, so that they are not coming over to America to enjoy the benefits of our generous public benefits system. The third thing people are interested in, of course, is the Medicare Program. The current trustees in April said that Medicare is going broke. We have to move to save it. We are trying to slow the growth of it, trying to make the growth of Medicare inflation about 6 percent, which is closer to what it is in regular medical inflation. Actually, regular medical inflation was down last year. It was not even inflation. But the costs were down. The thing we need to do on Medicare is protect and preserve it by simplifying it. We want to give senior citizens a whole list of options: choice of doctors, choice of traditional fee-for-service plans, choice of traditional Medicare, and, along with that, some other options like Medisave accounts and so forth. We believe all this can be done, Mr. Speaker, and the result will be a better product to American seniors. Again, we want to protect and preserve it. The big frustration that the American people seem to be having is while we have done a lot of things in the House, across the Hall, in the other body, they are taking the route of inaction. It is true today they passed welfare reform, but we passed ours back in March. It is time to bring these issues to a question. Will the other body and will the executive branch join the House, the lower Chamber, in making the reforms necessary to preserve our country? I hope that they will, because we are clearly on the road to personal responsibility, personal discipline, balancing the budget, lowering taxes, decreasing Government regulation and micromanagement out of Washington, and, best of all and most importantly, increasing personal freedom. We cannot do it alone. We have to have the cooperation of the full legislative branch of Government, which means the other body, and we have to have the executive branch to sign this into law. Mr. Speaker, if we can get the cooperation of the folks across the hall, I believe we will have a balanced budget, we will have Medicare reform, and we will have welfare reform. This, Mr. Speaker, I believe, is what the American people are asking for.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of talk about the October 1 train wreck. This is the Washington term for the day that the Government runs out of money, and in order to get more money, the Congress has to increase the debt ceiling or close down the Government. Yet the idea of laying off a few bureaucrats is scary to some. In fact, a day without Government to the Democrats is as bad as a day without baseball to Cal Ripken. But it is time to call the question: Do we as a nation want to continue status quo deficit spending, or do we want to balance the budget and get our House in order? This is what is at stake. October 1 is not a coming train wreck, but a day of atonement. The American people have spoken. They want a balanced budget. Let us give it to them.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. If the gentleman will yield, we actually raised the taxes on Medicare in 1993. All that did is postpone the bankruptcy I think three to six months. So raising taxes is not the solution. [[Page H 8669]] On the subject of taxes, I wanted to say this. We are going to have some important tax debates coming up on flat tax and consumption tax. The average American family in the 1950's paid 2 percent Federal income tax. The average American family today pays 24 percent Federal income tax. During that period of time, the State and local and other Federal taxes have increased to the extent that middle class families now are paying about 40 to 50 percent taxes, while the real wages have fallen. One of the biggest crises in America today is that the middle class are working their tails off just to stay in place. In many cases they are not even breaking even. So tax increases year after year are anything but the answer. We have got to increase the real wages and increase opportunities and jobs for people.