Jack Kingston

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I want to say respectfully to my very good friend from Georgia, as well as my very good friend from Oklahoma, that civil rights is not a franchise of any one race. True, some in a race may have felt it stronger than others, but having been a white child to integrate a black high school in Athens, Georgia, and my friend from Georgia may well remember Bernie Harris, I was in the civil rights issues, knew them very personally, very many issues, which we have discussed in the past. I would say that the gentleman from Oklahoma is right. How do we turn around to people and say they have free speech but not in the last 60 days? Sunday night I had the opportunity to go to the Chinese Benevolent Society in Savannah, Georgia, and welcome in the Year of the Horse, which was yesterday. I have a hard time saying to these Chinese American constituents that they can participate in the system, but here is how your free speech is protected. If you are in a certain group, you can give up to $60 million in soft money. But I do not think they are going to be able to raise that at the Chinese Benevolent Society because they are a small group. If I go down to Toombs Central High School, in Toombs County, Georgia, and I say to a very strong, growing Hispanic group of people, listen, we are going to clean it up, but there is going to be about $40 million in the bill that can go to the Democrats to build a new building. That is cleaning up America. I would say very carefully, very guardedly that what the Watts amendment does is make it unequivocal to all minority groups that civil rights will be protected, because the distinguished gentleman from Georgia and so many others from so many other States and so many other races have paid such a high price for full participation in our society today. As we celebrate February and Black History Month, one of the clear messages that comes to me from my African American constituents is that the struggle continues. It is not over. And I believe that what this amendment says is that we need to protect that and make it abundantly clear, and I think that is what this is about. I can understand people wanting to vote ``no.'' I can understand for partisan reasons voting one way or the other on any bill. But let us not say this bill protects the interests of minorities or anybody else. It just refunnels the money. It reregulates it. Soft money is not banned under this bill, it just says that certain interest groups get the last whack at it. Certain interest groups are protected just a little bit more than others. So I would urge my colleagues to vote for the Watts amendment.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, this is a real easy amendment. This is a fun amendment at this time of night. Not much brain power is required on this one. Just a fair amendment. If you think about it for a minute, if you listen to the rhetorical montage we have had today, you get real confused on who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, a lot of finger pointing. But one thing you conclude is soft money is bad; whether it is effective this election or after it or before, today or tomorrow, soft money is bad. Therefore, my good friends, I would not want to see anybody build a building with this bad soft money. It would mean the building would be bad. It would mean the building would be corrupted. It would mean from the very beginning all the phone calls that were made from that building would be tainted. Let me just say this: I want to say there are a lot of folks over there on that side of the aisle that think we do not like Democrats; and I want you to know, I like Democrats. I admire Democrats. I love the audacity of some of the Democrat Party. There was a story of a young man who graduated from the University of Georgia, went to work for Sun Trust Bank, one of the great Georgia institutions. At the end of the first day of 8 hours, he went to the boss and said, Boss, there is an opening over at the Coca-Cola Company. I would like you to write me a letter of recommendation. The boss looked at him and said, You are out of your mind. You just started here. This is your first day. You have barely completed 8 hours. You want me to write you a letter of recommendation? He said, Yes. Coca-Cola doesn't have opportunities that often, and I want to go work for them. Can't you think of something good to say about me? And the boss got a piece of paper and said, To whom it may concern: I like his nerve. I want to say this, I like your nerve. Let me tell my friends what is in this bill. This says you have got to get rid of all your soft money 30 days after the ban is completed or the new regulations are completed, so you have until December, except any time after the effective date the committee may spend such funds for activities which are solely to defray the cost of construction or purchase any office building. Well, I am sure most of you do not know that is in there. As much nerve as you have, I am sure that would embarrass some of you, so we are going to take that out with this amendment. And that is all it does, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for introducing a bill that is relatively clean of the hypocrisy that we seem to have in some of the other bills. It is interesting that we hear over and over again that the Shays-Meehan bill bans soft money; and yet if we look at it, and I advise Members to look at the doggone bill because if Members say it bans soft money, they have not read the bill or they are misrepresenting the bill. It is one or the other. But what it basically does is it reregulates soft money and tilts the scale more favorably to certain special interest groups. It is analogous to pushing food around on the plate to make momma think the vegetables have been eaten. I hated green peas. I know the game. I did it all of the time. That is what is going on here. Members are patting ourselves on the back and head and acting holier than thou and saying we banned soft money today. Mr. Chairman, it does not do that. It creates a $60 million soft money loophole for State and local parties. It allows the Democratic National Committee to build a $40 million headquarters building with soft money. It lets candidates solicit unlimited soft money for 501(c) groups; and it allows soft money to buy billboards, direct mail, telephones, and door-to-door political activities. What a ban. It also is curious to me that the supporters of this bill decry how badly needed it is and how we should have done it yesterday, but postpone it until after this year's election. Mr. Chairman, I want a show of hands, how many Members think that is a good idea? Members want it, but think it is a good idea to wait until after the election. I applaud those Members for their honesty. I will make the observation that the majority of the Members did not raise their hands. Mr. Chairman, let me say this is not a ban on soft money. This is a make-believe bill. It just reregulates things and skews things. I know the New York Times wants it, and a lot of Members worry about The Washington Post and the New York Times. And if I was in the DCCC, I would look at this bill very favorably, but it does not do anything to clean out what is perceived to be the problem with politics. Mr. Chairman, I believe that the Linder-Armey bill does a much better job in that regard, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Chairman, parliamentary inquiry?

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Chairman, parliamentary inquiry?

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Chairman, if a Member says or casts aspersions as to why other Members are voting, is that not a personal attack and, therefore, the words that we would have taken down ordinarily, by questioning their motivation?

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to watch the liberal psyche in this town. When they do not like something, they do not come out and say, I like bigger taxes. I like bigger government. Instead they nitpick things. It is like getting a great novel like ``War and Peace'' and saying I just did not like the novel because there is a grammatical error on page 352. I just could not accept it. It is like not liking the Superbowl because New England called the wrong play in the third quarter. I just could not possibly support them. It is that kind of mad-at-the-world, sour puss, liberal approach to issues; and it is always the nitpicking. Just come out and say, I am a liberal. As a liberal I like to spend money. I like the government to grow. And I want control of people from cradle to grave because that creates government dependency. And when the government controls you and you are dependent on the government, you have to keep coming back to Washington year after year and you have to beg for a new program or new relief or new regulations or a change that creates constituency groups, and that keeps me, a liberal, in power. Now, conservatives on the other hand say, I want less government. I do not want people who have to come groveling to Washington year after year for relief, for regulatory relief for more freedom. Less government creates more freedom. When you have money in your pocket you have more choices. The working man can go out there and buy more hamburgers, take his family out to eat on a Friday night. He can buy more clothes, a set of tires for the car. He can go on a few more vacations. He can send his kids to college. Creating freedom for the working family. What happens when the American people have more money in their pockets and they are buying more hamburgers and more clothes and more CDs? Businesses have to expand. Small businesses react by saying I have to increase my inventory. When they do that, jobs are created. Small businesses say, I have to hire new employees to help me handle this new demand, and there are more opportunities and there is more upward mobility in society. It is an economic truth. More people are working, more revenues come in and then we have more revenues to address this deficit. That is why conservatives want to have permanent tax relief for the American people. It is interesting. Al Gore wanted higher taxes. The American people said no. Dukakis wanted higher taxes. The American people said no. Bill Clinton said, I will give you a middle-class tax cut. He wins. Maybe there is a lesson there. The ruling elite hates it when the working people get it right. They cannot stand it. Well, the working folks want this tax relief. They want it permanently. And I proudly support the effort of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller). I hope that my colleagues will show some independence and do the same thing for the working people of America.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, prior to serving in the United States Congress, I served in the Georgia legislature. We were a bicameral body. We had a House and Senate; and when the Georgia House passed a bill, the Georgia Senate would take it up for debate. They would vote it up or down. When I became a Member of the United States House of Representatives, a similar bicameral body, I thought that is the way it works. But not so. Here we in this House with Republican control have passed a trade promotion bill, we have passed a farm bill, we have passed an energy bill. We have even passed a terrorism insurance bill and, most recently, a jobs creation bill. And what has happened on the way to the President for signature? I do not know. I do not know. I know that there are some huge tax folks over here; and on Ronald Reagan's 91st birthday, they are going to celebrate by burying the job-creating bill which we need back in the heartland of America so desperately so that people can get to work again. They are going to celebrate Ronald Reagan's birthday by burying the stimulus package. Well, it must be a great day in the liberal Democratic establishments, Mr. Speaker; but it is a sad day for the workers of the United States of America.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time, and I thank the gentleman from the other side, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), for supporting this resolution, in that this is not a bipartisan Republican birthday. It is an American birthday, which we all have reverence for the office of the Presidency. As we celebrate Ronald Reagan's 91st birthday, we ask ourselves, what is the essence of Reagan? Why is this man, so many years out of office, still so special and still so exciting to so many of us? Was it the fact that he lived the American dream, starting out from a very humble beginning, even a broken home? He started out as a radio announcer, an athlete, an actor, and then went on to be a businessman, ultimately a Governor, and President of the United States. Is that the essence of Ronald Reagan? Or was it the fact that when he became President, it was the policies that we conservatives have wanted for so many years: lower taxes, beating inflation, less government regulations, creating more jobs? Was that it? Or was it the fact that he made our men and women in uniform proud once more to have that American label as part of their vocation and existence, the pride? Or was it the fact that he defeated the Soviet Union, the Evil Empire? I have had the opportunity to travel to Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and to even go to Red Square. It is amazing to go to these places today and think about all their years of oppression under a communist regime and how they are growing young republics and democracies today. Is that the essence of Ronald Reagan? Or was it the fact he was a happy conservative, never scowling, but always talking and making illustrations with stories, like the one about the Russian who was going to get a part for his car, and it was in January, and the part was going to come June 12th. And they said, ``That is as soon as we can get the part for your car,'' June 12, 6 months away. He said, ``I cannot see you June 12.'' They said, ``Why not?'' He said, ``Because that is the day my plumber is going to be there.'' That kind of illustration of a story. Or was it that twinkle in his eye? Was it the fact that he appealed to people on a bipartisan basis? Was it the fact that in my area blue collar Democrats switched over to vote Republican, not to vote Republican necessarily to become Republicans, but because they believed in Ronald Reagan, that he put America above party? Or was it the grandeur that he returned to the White House, that he and Nancy brought back a kind of stately style and fashion when they came back that showed they were ready to lead the new world, or was it that natural style of relaxed attitude and optimism? I think, Mr. Speaker, on this 91st birthday of Ronald Reagan, it was all of the above. I know he was very inspirational to me as a college student. When I first ran for the State legislature in 1984, my wife, Libby, and I had the opportunity to meet him in person; and he was truly somebody who urged all of Americans to get off your duff and start running for office and participate in public policy. Libby and I still love him and have great affection for him. In fact, I told my wife, Libby, I have said this before on the floor, ``Libby, you like Ronald Reagan so much, you talk about him, you praise him, you say he is the kind of politician that I should be; in fact I am a little jealous, my dear wife. I think you like Ronald Reagan better than you like me.'' And she said, ``Yes, but I like you better than I like George Bush.'' I guess that is the best I can do on this 91st birthday of Ronald Reagan. So, happy birthday, Mr. President; and God bless America.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. I thank the Speaker. I will not say anything more about the Democrat leader, who we all know now to be a prominent Democrat in the other body, who wants to increase taxes. And one can only assume that he has allies in the House over here, judging from the 1-minutes we are hearing, it seems just sort of calling for more tax increases. Mr. Speaker, I strongly believe the way to turn the economy around is to still let people spend their own money, rather than having government bureaucracies in Washington in their command-and-control fashion spend tax dollars. Let us create jobs by giving people back their hard-earned money.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, listening to the previous speaker, my friend from California, I wonder, did he not take economics in school? History has shown us over and over again, lowering taxes stimulates the economy; stimulating the economy gives more people jobs; more people working means more people paying taxes; more people paying taxes means more revenues coming into Washington. And that is the basic difference between the Republican Party and the Democrat Party and their allies in Big Government. That is why Ted Kennedy, the leader of the Democrat Party, has called for a massive new tax increase. Hello. Announcement by the Speaker pro tempore

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, now comes the usual liberal cadre of bleeding hearts in America lead by the former Attorney General, Ramsey Clark, saying we are mistreating the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. I just returned from Quetta, Pakistan. Quetta is an interesting city, population around 200,000; and yet, it has been swelled by refugees from Afghanistan by 500,000 people, kids who are illiterate; kids who do not have any opportunity to have education; people who do not have work; 7 percent who have running water. And yet these victims of wars because of the Taliban and these wicked criminals who are in Guantanamo Bay must suffer. What about the victims in America, those who lost loved ones and the families, who had their first bitter Christmas alone this year? What about them? What does Attorney General Clark think in the morning? His passion goes out to the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, yet never a thought about all the refugees, over 3 million refugees in Iran and Pakistan, out of Afghanistan, never a thought about the victims in the United States of America. What is more important? Getting the headline one more time and showing the world what you are all about. Well, I am glad most of America has common sense and are wisely ignoring such allegations as the unfair treatment of prisoners. We have better things to do. We have a war to fight. We have to move on.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11th, the people of Vidalia, GA took it upon themselves to undertake a project to show their support for America. The town of 10,000 did not have an American flag that stood in the middle of town, and they were driven to raise over $3,000 to erect a flag pole which will permanently display the American flag in the center of town. Special Order for Vidalia Flag Pole Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with you the dedication and hard work of some remarkable Americans; the citizens of Vidalia, GA. September 11th, 2001 affected every single one of us, and the 3 month anniversary of this tragedy served to remind us of that infamous day. All over the country people from different states, neighborhoods, and backgrounds have come together under a common bond as Americans. It has been no different in my home state of Georgia, and I would like to share with you today, Mr. Speaker, the dedication and patriotism of the good people of Vidalia. Vidalia is not a very large city having a population of 10,000. Yet many people may have heard of a particular crop that comes from Vidalia, the famous, sweet Vidalia Onion. However, Mr. Speaker, it is time that these fine folks be known for more than just their onion. In the aftermath of September 11th, the people of Vidalia took it upon themselves, to erect and commemorate a flag pole and American flag to fly over their town. Under the direction of Mrs. Lynette Reid and the local Daughters of the American Revolution, the people of Toombs' county seat went out and raised money from local citizens and companies to make this dream a reality. As a result of the hard work of its citizens, the city of Vidalia, GA now has an American flag that flies 24 hours a day, and is illuminated at night. It serves as a constant reminder of what we believe in and who we are. It is my honor to acknowledge them here today, and commend them for their quick work. Mr. Speaker, it is actions like these that make me proud of our nation. Stories like these have occurred all across the country, and I want to thank each and every one who have been a part of America's response. I would especially like to thank the people of Vidalia, GA. The patriotism, devotion, and determination that they have demonstrated embodies some of the best American qualities. I am also pleased, Mr. Speaker, in closing to submit some articles from the Vidalia Advance-Progress about this patriotic project. [From the Advance-Progress, Nov. 14, 2001] Flag Staff Dedicated in Downtown Park (By Kathy D. Bradford, Staff Reporter) It may be considered by some as nothing short of a miracle. A special ceremony was held Sunday afternoon in the Meadows Street Park to dedicate a 35-ft. illuminated flag staff and an American flag. An impressive gathering of citizens witnessed the patriotic event. The desire to erect the flag staff originated in the October 3 meeting of the Vidalia Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. Less than two months after actually soliciting community support, the idea came to fruition. ``This program is designed to dedicate this flag staff and flag to the heroes of September 11,'' said Mrs. R. Hugh Reid, coordinator of the event. ``Remember, this is the 11th day, of the 11th month,'' she said. ``This Veterans Day also coincides with the second month anniversary of the tragedy currently facing our nation.'' Mrs. William F. Ledford, Past Regent of Vidalia DAR Chapter, and John Kea of the Downtown Vidalia Association, opened the ceremony with 11 tolls of the bell in the gazebo in the park, followed by the Color Guard of American Legion Post 97 presenting the flag of the United States of America. All stood at attention as the flag was unfurled, raised to the top of the staff, lowered to half-staff and then raised again. As if on cue, the wind began to pick up and the flag, with all its glory, began to color the sky with red, white and blue. Involving the youth of the area, Girl Scout Troop #355, Mrs. John Tyson, Troop Leader, led the Pledge of Allegiance, and the local Boy Scout Troop, Mr. Allen Rice, Scout Master, responded with the American's Creed. A unison of voices filled the air as Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Toole led ``The National Anthem'' accompanied by the Vidalia Comprehensive High School band under the direction of Mr. Tim Quigley. And then it came time for special recognition of the men and women who helped create the minor miracle. Noting the contributions of local citizens who have worked diligently to see the event culminate on such a special day, Mrs. Reid named organizations and others who have played a role. ``We really appreciate our young people for their assistance,'' she said. ``Dr. Tim Smith was very receptive to the idea.'' In his absence, students represented the local school system and included Victoria Waring and John Carroll, J.D. Dickerson Primary School; Tiffany Fowler, Sally D. Meadows Elementary School; Regan Morgan and Evander Baker, J.R. Trippe Middle School; and Matt Stanley, Student Government Association, and Blake Tillery, Senior Class President, Vidalia Comprehensive High School. Gifts from organizations included American Legion Post #97, Mr. Hershel C. Connell, Commander, American Legion Post #97 Auxiliary, Ms. Denise Pitman, President; Downtown Vidalia Association, Mrs. Linda Clarke, President; Vidalia Lions Club, Mr. Joel Garrett, President; and Vidalia Women's Club, Mrs. Joe Brice, President. Mrs. Reid further admonished the in-kind services of Harry Moses, Harry Moses Construction Company, Ron Lambert of Georgia Power Company and Jerry Fields of Vidalia-Lyons Concrete Company, all of whom worked together to erect the staff. One other company, who elected to remain anonymous, as a local electrician and Vietnam veteran who donated the equipment and installing the lighting necessary to keep the flag lit at night. A bronze plaque will be embedded at the base of the flag staff. The plaque will be inscribed in dedication to the ``victims and heroes of September 11, 2001,'' and designated that it was dedicated on November 11, 2001. Congressman Jack Kingston was unable to attend the ceremony. In absentia, he forwarded the following to Mrs. Reid: ``Dear Friends: It is with great pleasure that I send my warmest greetings to you. Let me be the first to congratulate you on your initiative and patriotism during these days following September 11th. I am very proud of all that you have accomplished and I commend your hard work. The money that you all have helped raise is a standing tribute to our country, and I can think of no better way to show this pride than the flag pole which you are dedicating today. I wish to thank each and every one of you for making this communitywide event possible and again want to express my gratitude to everyone in the 1st District. We have all been affected by September 11th, but we also have become a stronger nation. May God bless you, and may God bless America.'' The ceremony concluded with everyone attending signing ``God Bless America.'' The eight-by-twelve foot flag will be flown day and night to display the patriotism and love of the United States as made evident by the rapid response of local citizens in making the project a reality.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reynolds) for yielding me the time, and I think tonight we are faced with a fundamental difference between Democrats and the Republican. The question is simply this: Would someone rather have an unemployment check or would someone rather have a job. It is very simple. The Republican party stands on the side of jobs. The Democrats have the old kind of socialistic government knows best how to spend your money approach to economic problems, just like the country of Japan, just like the country of France, just like the country of Switzerland. When they got in their recession, they wanted to spend their way out of it, and as a result of such approach, Japan is now in its 12th year of recession. They have gone from a 4 percent growth rate to a 1 percent growth rate. Take the country of Ireland, on the other hand. It said, cut government spending, return the money to the wage earners, who made the money, and let them spend it. So they did, and now Ireland has one of the strongest economies in Europe. Economic security is not about tax cuts or spending more money. It is about jobs, and the Republican Party is working to create jobs, jobs for real people with real problems. These are people that I know. There is Bob, who worked in an airplane factory, up until around September, and then he was laid off. Now he is the father of three kids and does not have a job. Or Ed, who has a small electrical contracting business in Savannah, Georgia. He does not have any work right now, so he is looking at his eight employees and deciding which one of those guys he has to lay off and how he should tell them that at Christmas time. Then there is my friend Mark, who works for the International Paper Company, as did his dad. My friend Mark, who is in his mid-40s, had put in 18 years on the clock and was a good union man. Now he does not have a job. Thank goodness his wife, on the side, makes birthday cakes for people. They decided, well, maybe we could start a bakery. It is not going to be as good a job, it will not be as high paying, but we cannot just sit around. Mr. Speaker, that is what this package is about. My colleagues know this is about jobs. It is about real people. It is not about this wage here and this little Tax Code change there. It is about people in Savannah, Georgia, people in New York City, people in Arizona. This House has come together after the 9-11 tragedy, but time and time again the Democrats in the Senate and some of the Democrats over here have held up the progress. They have dilly-dallied on airport security, they dilly-dallied on bioterrorism, they have dilly-dallied on the energy package. It is almost Christmas Eve. Why not give the people of America a Christmas present they would really like, and that would be an opportunity to get back to work. Give the American people a paycheck, not an unemployment check. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time. I wanted to say that the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), my good friend, has introduced a very timely resolution for a great American patriot. As somebody who will be representing Valdosta, Georgia, or part of Valdosta, Georgia, I look forward to participating in this. I do not know the McIntosh family personally, as does the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), but if one looks at the history of the United States of America in the last 10 or 15 years, it is clear that Mr. McIntosh has been a part of that history and has served his country well. During that very trying period in 1979 when Americans faced the ignominious situation in Iran, for somebody to step forward and volunteer on a rescue mission I think speaks volumes of his patriotism, love, and devotion for our country. I look forward to supporting my colleague on this and working with him and the folks in the Senate to get this thing passed. I also look forward to getting to know the McIntosh family. I thank the gentleman from Georgia for introducing this piece of legislation.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding time to me, and also the ranking member for all the hard work that has been put into this bill. I want to make three points about it. There are some things in the bill that I do not particularly like, but there is always that case when we are trying to have influence around the globe. We do not all agree what must be done. There are a lot of very good things in here. There are three things I want to highlight. Number one is the war on drugs, the Andean counterdrug initiative. As the father of four children, I am amazed as I go into schools throughout the First District of Georgia and I visit lots and lots of schools, that one thing they all have in common, whether they are from a poor county, a rich county, a small county, a rural county, or an urban county, is that in the average high school in America, in just about all of them one can get drugs. It is amazing, when we think about a product that is not made in America. It is not advertised. If one works for the drug distributor, there are no business cards. We do not see billboards about it, and there is no health care plan; yet somehow this remarkable, insidious product can get on every schoolyard in America. This takes the battle abroad and says we want to stop it at its source. I appreciate the hard work of the gentleman from Illinois (Speaker Hastert) on this, and I am glad that the subcommittee has continued to keep the battle against drugs coming into America going. Number two, I want to mention our role in the Middle East and the situation that Israel is in right now. We are all very, very focused on the 9-11 attacks on America; but our partner in the Middle East, Israel, has also been under attack. While we have waged total war in Afghanistan in wiping out al Qaeda and the Taliban, we seem to often say to our ally, Israel: Restraint, hold back, do not go on a counterattack. Yet, that is kind of a double standard. I am glad that this bill does fund military financing for Israel, so this keeps a very strong American commitment to Israel. Finally, let me say this: for the American role around the globe, I think we have found out that we can get our allies, we can pull forces together, and we can stop a terrorist organization. We can have the same positive roles in agriculture and in finance and in population control, and this bill takes a step in that direction. America is not the policeman for the world; but if there is one, would it not be nice to know that it is a peace officer like the United States of America?

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Before the gentleman from California yields to the gentlewoman, I just want to point out, I am disappointed that she did not wear her Christmas wardrobe. But do not worry, if the other body, led by the Democrats, has its way, there will be plenty of other opportunities for her to wear her Christmas wardrobe, because there will be a lot more opportunities to be up here and try to get them to actually do something.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I point out that I am wearing my Christmas coat. Actually, it is not completely Christmas, it is a Georgia Young Farmers coat. I know the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) has been very sensitive on many agrarian trade issues. This is being worn tonight because it is Christmas time; and traditionally Congress adjourns in October. In fact, it is always a goal of mine to try to get home by October 31 so I can go trick or treating with my children. But I am wearing this red jacket because it is Christmas and we are in Washington, D.C. Members have to ask why are we here? Is it because of the war? Truly, the situation in Afghanistan following the September 11 tragedy has been a major part of our fall agenda. The other thing is while the President and Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense and the armed services have all been leading the way in Afghanistan fighting the war, it appears that the people in the opposition party, the loyal opposition to President Bush, have been busy undermining his domestic agenda: the energy package; the Patients' Bill of Rights; and of course the economic jobs creation stimulus package. That has not been able to move, and here we are practically Christmas Eve still pushing for President Bush's agenda. I believe with a war going on that the President of the United States is entitled to move his agenda. This stimulus package, which will create jobs, allows American people to hold on to more of their money. It is an absurd thing that in Washington, D.C., college-educated people actually think that they can spend the taxpayers' hard-earned dollars better than the taxpayer who earned the dollar can. I think about some of the laid-off workers. If they did have their job, they would be going out buying Christmas presents. They would be buying bicycles and clothes and bedspreads and pillows. I went to K- mart with my children this past weekend, and I want to say if Members want to expand your shopping list, go shopping at K-mart with a 13- and an 11-year-old. It takes 3 hours to walk down one row of the toy section. That is what consumers do with their money. They decide what they are going to spend their money on. On the other hand, if you take that money away from the consumer, what happens is 435 Members of Congress, 100 Members of the Senate, decide where they should spend your money. It ends up with a bigger government. Switzerland, France, and Japan have had recessionary problems. Japan, for example, has had recessionary problems for 12 years. Japan's approach to the economic stimulus package was expand government, spend more money. Ireland, on the other hand, took the opposite approach. They went back to macroeconomics 101 and said wait a minute. We probably do not know how to spend the money of all of the millions of people who live in this great country. Let us give it back to them and let them decide where the money can be best spent and the jobs created. As a result, Ireland was in recession the least amount of time of any European country. And today, it has gone from one of the weakest economic countries to one of the strongest. Meanwhile, Japan 12 years of recession; France, Switzerland, mediocre recoveries, nonexistent recoveries. And yet the Democratic Party wants to follow the model of Japan, putting us in recession for more months and more unemployment.

Mr. KINGSTON. If the gentlewoman will yield, I want to talk about that because I think that really shows the difference between the Republican approach that puts people first or the Democrat approach that puts government first. Because what the government program as being pushed by the Senate would do is they would go into that, say, concrete business and say, ``We're going to buy you new trucks.'' Well, the owner of that might say, ``We don't need new trucks. We need some new computers. We might need a new office building. We may need some new employees. We may need some of the tools that are related to it. It's my money. I tell you what, why don't y'all stay in Washington and let me decide where to put it. Don't take my money away from me and then tell me you know how to spend my money.'' It is exactly as the gentlewoman said. As a small businessperson, one year you needed computers, but that does not mean you needed them every single year. The next year you probably had another need. But you could only make that decision in New Mexico, not in Washington, D.C. It is just such a fundamental difference between the Republican/Bush package and the liberal pro-government package being advocated by the other body.

Mr. KINGSTON. I wanted to just get back to the Japanese experiment, because there seems to be some folks that believe in that government- knows-best socialism that we see all over the globe; and unfortunately, it creeps into many of the philosophies and offices in Washington DC. In the period from 1982 to 1991, when the Japanese Government had limited its size by limiting its spending, it had some of the greatest growth in the world. At that time, the average growth of the world economy was 3.3 percent. The growth of the United States economy during 1982 to 1991 was 2.9 percent. Japanese led at 4.1 percent. That was in the day everybody was bullish on Japan. But a funny thing happened on the road to success. Throwing all that which made them successful away, the Japanese Government decided that they would increase the size of government spending; and in the period from 1992 to the year 2000, the Japanese growth rate fell from 4.1 percent to 1 percent. During that period of time, the world's economy, the economic growth, was about level, 3.4 percent. The United States, which had reduced its government spending, was at 3.8 percent. But Japan, because they had a government that went on a spending binge and a taxing binge, their growth fell. Yet we have those in Washington, DC. who cannot learn that lesson. They want to go out and create a bigger government as the solution to the recession, and that is not going to help us one bit.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, absolutely. History shows this over and over. Government helps the most when the government does not take the money away, but leaves the money with the bread winner and says you spend that money. My 16-year-old son works at the Piggly-Wiggly making a paycheck. He will buy gasoline for his truck and CDs. And tonight he is taking his girlfriend out to supper. It is their 1-year anniversary. He is going to take her out to a nice restaurant. When he does that, what is going to happen is the chef is going to have a job. The waitress is going to have a job. The owner is going to have a job. The cashier is going to have a job because John Kingston is going to be joined by hundreds of other Savannah, Georgians going to that restaurant. And because he has money in his pocket, he is able to do that. If we say, instead of taking out 20 to 30 percent of your taxes, we want 40 percent because Senator Daschle and the Democratic Party knows how to spend your money better than you, he is not going to go out. The Democrats are going to spend it their way, not the way of the American consumer. Mr. Speaker, did these Members take economics? Most are college educated, but did they miss economics? We see it over and over again.

Mr. KINGSTON. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I listened to the very eloquent, passionate peroration of my friend from Arizona. I want to put this in perspective. What he is saying, and I know he did not serve in the Arizona legislature, but had he served in the legislature of Arizona and he were a House member and then the Senate of the legislature of Arizona, he is saying what would happen is the House would set up a conference committee and the Senate would bargain in bad faith, and every time you would go together, there was always this kind of gentlemen's agreement that you would not need a supermajority, say, 60 votes in the Senate, you would only need 51 if there were 100 members of the Arizona Senate. So what he is saying is if the Arizona House works real hard and passes a plethora of legislation, such as an energy bill or a health care bill or an economic stimulus bill and then the Senate of Arizona does not pass that, then they get stuck in this session forever.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I just want to reiterate, the theme here is: would you rather have a paycheck or an unemployment check? Would you rather be independent or dependent? These tax credits, these investment credits create jobs. Yesterday I was with a friend of mine named Kevin Jackson. He owns a company called Envirovac. He has about 400 people on his payroll. They go into factories and do maintenance. He says every factory that they visit right now is flat because they are laying off people in this recession. This jobs creation-economic stimulus package will turn it around. Again, we are talking about real people and real faces, because we know these folks. They would rather be independent than dependent on an unemployment check. They want a job.

Mr. KINGSTON. I think it is interesting that one of the emerging national leaders is a Democrat Senator named Zell Miller. I am very proud that we have that kind of leadership from Georgia, because in Georgia you always try to, when I was a member of the legislature, House member, you always tried to put Georgia first, and you believed that the person on the other side of the table, Democrat or Republican, felt the same way; that, yes, you want to get in your partisan licks and make your party look a little better than the other party, but at the end of the day, it was Georgia that mattered. When I came up here, I was shocked to see that there were people who would actually put party above policy above country. Now, maybe they did not put it that way, but the result is often that way, that party gets in the way of what is best for the United States of America. As the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson) said, because the four of us go back home to New Mexico, Georgia, Arizona and California, we have friends who have been affected by this recession, real people and real faces, who do not have a job anymore. To come up here week after week and have a group not want to pass an economic recovery jobs creation stimulus package is distressing, because you have to wonder, is it not in the best interests of America? And maybe you do not like George Bush's approach, but come up with your own. Vote on another one. We understand. That is why we have two parties. That is why we have 435 Members over here and 100 over there, because we are supposed to have different ideas. But do what is best for the United States of America. Give that to the American people as a Christmas present.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Well, again, I understand a difference in philosophy. I have a lot of friends in the other party who did not like the economic security bill. Maybe they did not like particular parts of it, maybe they ultimately voted against it. But to their credit they engaged in the debate. They came down on the floor and they voted. Whereas in the other body it appears that the best action is total inaction, and that is tragic. There are too many people who have worked hard on a package to try to jump-start this economy, but we need to have it. I am not sure, Mr. Speaker, if I can talk about appropriation bills or not. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore