Dennis Kucinich

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time, unless the gentleman is going to close right now.

Mr. KUCINICH. Right here. I will be closing. Mr. Chairman, I have the right to close on this?

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Let us go to middle America, where men and women who work hard all their lives to establish some kind of a financial nest egg put their faith not only in the market, but in this country, and invest in various corporate enterprises. Mr. and Mrs. Middle America are the backbone of this economy. They work, they help produce taxes for this country, and they help produce wealth that can continue to grow and make America the strong country which it is. What happens when they cannot have confidence that the earnings statements of the companies in which they are investing are real? What if there is no credibility for a market that one day goes up and the other day goes down because people are lying about their books? There is something that is at stake here that is much larger than this bill that is before the House for debate. And what is at stake here is the confidence that people need to have in our free market system. And the only way you can rescue that in a climate where the accounting industry has basically stolen a march on regulators is to retrieve the role of the government in assuring that people's investments are going to be protected. That is what this amendment is about. The free market economy again requires accurate information to operate efficiently. And so I ask all of my colleagues, where is your commitment to free markets today? Where will you stand when your constituents ask what happened to my investment; why did they lie to me; and why did you not do something about it?

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, this Saturday, thousands of American citizens will gather in Washington, DC to challenge the open-ended war the United States is now waging. They are right to do so, and the broader American public would do well to listen. Congress authorized a police action to apprehend the conspirators behind the September 11 attack. Congress did not declare war because the President did not ask Congress to declare war. Yet, the Administration is conducting itself as if it were engaged in a declared war, sending military special operations forces to many new countries and ramping up defense spending. The Administration's budget contains real, inflation-adjusted spending increases only for military spending. Non-military spending is projected to remain flat, and funding for many important programs is decreased, in spite of growing unmet needs. The list of national priorities from which the Administration has taken away federal funds includes education, housing for the elderly, health care, and transportation. This war footing will ultimately make the world a more dangerous place. Already, the Administration has derailed efforts to negotiate the termination of North Korea's missile program and undermined efforts by President Khatami and other pro-reform Iranians to moderate the policies of Islamic fundamentalists in Iran. The Administration's unilateral intention to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, its abandonment of efforts to pass a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and its refusal to negotiate enforcement mechanisms for the Biological Weapons Convention will only compound this instability. The protestors are also concerned about having civil liberties and basic rights undermined at home. The USA PATRIOT Act, which 65 of my colleagues and I opposed, allows widespread wiretapping and internet surveillance without judicial supervision. It also allows secret searches without a warrant and gives the Attorney General the power to determine what is and isn't a domestic terrorist group. The law allows the U.S. government to imprison suspected terrorists for an indefinite period of time without due process or access to family members or lawyers. Last November, the President announced his intention to establish military tribunals as well. The Administration remains confused about extending internationally recognized treatment under the Geneva Convention. The protestors' central observation is that these actions will likely have the opposite effect of what is intended--U.S. efforts intended to quell international terrorism will provoke more of it. History is replete with the unintended and counterproductive consequences of U.S. action: the U.S.-led embargo of Iraq, which has led to the deaths of thousands of Iraqi civilians, has solidified Saddam Hussein's hold on power. Our government secretly sponsored anti-Soviet fundamentalists in Afghanistan and this led to the rise of the Taliban and their harboring of Osama bin Laden. The path to ending terrorism, whether by individuals, organizations or nation states, is a foreign or domestic policy based on social and economic justice--not corporate concerns. This is the hopeful premise of H.R. 2459, a bill to create a Department of Peace. This Cabinet- level Department would serve to promote nonviolence as an organizing principle in our society. We should treat others as we would want them to treat us. We should follow international law, if we want others to do so. We should practice non-violence and encourage non-violent conflict resolution whenever possible. We should stop supporting repressive regimes, if we want democracy to flourish. But that is not the path the Administration has chosen. Those gathering in Washington, DC believe we cannot stop terrorism with an open-ended, permanent war. They believe the time has come for new thinking in meeting the challenges of terrorism. I believe they are right.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, we rise today to honor Robert G. McGruder. Through grace, intelligence and character he fought for fair reporting and justice in the news industry. He was the quiet authority amid the frantic newspaper offices in which he worked for almost 40 years. Robert G. McGruder's fighting spirit surfaced early on when he overcame childhood battles with polio and poverty. He became interested in journalism while attending Kent State University when friends encouraged him to write for the school's paper. His reporting aspirations were not deterred by the setbacks of growing up in a segregated society. He learned to gain strength from overcoming obstacles. He demonstrated that racial barriers can be broken. Through this strong willed optimism, Robert G. McGruder became the first African American to hold various positions at the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Detroit Free Press. He worked as a reporter for the Plain Dealer before becoming city editor in 1978 and managing editor in 1981. In 1986, Neal Shine, the longtime Free Press managing editor and publisher, finally succeeded after a decade of trying to hire McGruder. McGruder spent 16 years as the chief editor of the Free Press where he guided award-winning news coverage. Beyond Detroit, he served as president of the Associated Press Managing Editors, judged Pulitzer Prize entries five times, and served on the board of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. His pursuit of excellence and monumental work in the cause of diversity made him one of the newspaper industry's giants. He cared for colleagues, always making time to talk and listen. He urged the industry to hire more black, latino, Asian, gay and lesbian employees. He was a mentor to those he worked with, many of whom went on to hold important positions at newspapers across the country. In 2001, he received the John S. Knight Gold Medal, the highest award within Knight Ridder, which owns the Free Press. Upon receiving the award, he reminded company officials and friends that he represented change and that he stands for diversity. We ask our colleagues to rise to honor the accomplishments of this truly remarkable individual. Robert G. McGruder stood for what was best about the news industry. I hope his integrity, honesty and deep commitment to fair and accurate reporting will remain an example to all.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jane L. Campbell, Mayor of the City of Cleveland, who is being honored at the Cuyahoga County Democratic Annual Dinner on April 14th, 2002. Mayor Campbell began her service to community on the grassroots, neighborhood level, first as the founding Executive Director of WomenSpace, and later as the Executive Director of the Friends of Shaker Square. During her six term, twelve-year tenure as State Representative, Mayor Campbell was elected Majority Whip and Minority Assistant Leader by her colleagues, and was elected President of the National Conference of State Legislators. This Conference represented all legislators from across the nation. Mayor Campbell focused her efforts on protecting the rights and well-being of children, families and seniors. She also provided critical support and guidance for the passage of the Adult Care Licensing Bill, legislation that ensures that our most vulnerable citizenry--our elderly, blind, and disabled citizens, are protected, and will receive quality services. Additionally, Mayor Campbell was instrumental in the passage of legislation focused on the protection of children, including the requirement of genetic testing to establish paternity, and the expansion of health care coverage for children. Also, Mayor Campbell worked to publicize serious flaws within the child support process, which led to stricter enforcement of child support laws. As one of three Cuyahoga County Commissioners, Mayor Campbell represented 1.5 million constituents in the Greater Cleveland area. Also during this time, she served as the Chair of Welfare Reform with the National Association of Counties, and represented the County as a member of the Executive Committee of the Large Urban County Caucus. Additionally, Mayor Campbell was elected to the Vice Chair of the National Democratic County Officials, and she was also elected as the Vice President of Communications for the National Conference of Democratic Mayors. Moreover, Mayor Campbell, as Commissioner, underscored her continued commitment to issues facing women, children and families, by chairing the Violence Against Women Act Committee, and the Children Who Witness Violence Committee. Mayor Campbell's extensive public service accomplishments, leadership, and social advocacy on all levels, from grassroots neighborhood organizations that exist to serve women, children, families and seniors in need, to the esteemed position of Mayor of the City of Cleveland, lend promise to the vision of a hopeful tomorrow for all citizens of the City of Cleveland, and for the Greater Cleveland community as well. My fellow colleagues, please join with me in paying tribute to Mayor Jane L. Campbell, for her diligent effort, outstanding leadership, and significant achievements within the public service arena, and also for her record of dedication to individuals and to community.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 3479.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, what is at stake here today is the faith of the American people in their economic system and in this Congress. The American dream is work hard, get ahead, give your life to a company, get a secure, decent retirement pension. Well, that dream is being destroyed by corporate executives who are cheating people out of their hard-earned retirement benefits. As the Nation watched enormous corporate bankruptcies unfold at Enron and Global Crossing, and as the people of my district watched Chapter 11 proceedings at LTV Steel, we see the plot thicken around one major theme. There are two sets of rules. Executives get one set of rules and the employees have to play under a different set of rules. Corporate executives get special treatment, including more investment choices, no lockdown restrictions, generous deferred compensation plans that are not required to be disclosed, guaranteed rates of return on pension investments, and a golden parachute of retention bonuses and other benefits when a company goes under. Employees, on the other hand, have barriers to information, fewer options, more restrictions on investment, and no guaranteed returns. The most egregious disparity is that during a bankruptcy, executive pension plans are totally protected from creditors, and executives can count on cashing in their entire package. On the other hand, employee protections are not protected from creditors. Employees stand at the end of the line and must wait behind other creditors to claim what rightfully belongs to them for compensation that is already earned. Finally, if employees do get to make a claim, that claim is capped at a mere $4,650. At the end of the Enron debacle, Ken Lay still receives $475,000 each year for the rest of his life and a prepaid $12 million insurance policy; but the employees' 401(k)s are drained, and they will be lucky if they get their $4,650 maximum severance pay. This bill does nothing to protect employee pensions in a bankruptcy. It fails to give equal protection to the employee pension as the law currently provides to executive pensions. I urge a ``no'' vote on this bill.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I went to a grade school in suburban Cleveland about a month ago to talk about current affairs, and I asked for a show of hands of about 300 grade schoolers, How many have heard of Enron? Every hand went up. These are first through sixth graders. And then I asked, What do you know about Enron? Some of the sixth graders actually knew there were workers who were cheated out of their pensions. These were sixth graders. I think it is fair to say just about everybody in America knows about Enron, and most adults certainly know about the fact that people were cheated out of their pensions. Everyone in America knows this except some Members in the House of Representatives. It is as if Enron never happened. Mr. Speaker, the bill that we consider today continues special treatment for company executive pension plans at the expense of the employees. It is like Enron never happened. It is just like Enron was some passing fancy, instead of it being symptomatic of something that is wrong at the core of this system, and that is that workers do not get fair treatment. The Miller substitute is the only bill that addresses the inequity between executives and employees. A vote for the Miller substitute is a vote for fair treatment for workers. The Miller substitute would prohibit plans for executives from receiving greater protections under the law than the 401(k)-type plans that employees have. As Enron began to implode in a wave of accounting scandals, company executives not only cashed out millions in company stock, but also protected themselves through a number of executive-type plans. Enron employees stand as general creditors to recover 401(k) losses from the misconduct of the corporation. Enron executives prefunded deferred compensation plans that were immune from claims of general creditors once the company went into bankruptcy. Meanwhile, executive savings plans operate under different rules from the employees' 401(k) plans. Executive savings plans afford executives more choice, more protection of assets, and guarantee more money. Most companies offer these plans. As shown in the 2000 study of Fortune 1000 companies, 86 percent of companies surveyed already had those plans, with the remainder considering adding one. Enron set up an executive savings plan that lets participating executives contribute 25 percent of their salaries and 100 percent of cash bonuses each year. Executives were guaranteed a 9 percent rate of return on the first 2 years of the plan, and allowed to put money in a variety of investments. Executives were not limited to just Enron stock. In addition, Ken Lay holds a pension that will pay $475,000 each year for the rest of his life and a prepaid, $12 million life insurance policy. Think about the workers at Enron. Think about how they have to worry about making ends meet, how they may not be able to make mortgage payments, and about how they may not be able to send their kids to college or have bread on the table. Meanwhile, the executives walk away wealthier than ever. Enron executives had similar pension or insurance agreements, but employees' 401(k)s are drained. They will be lucky if they get their $4,650 maximum severance pay. The lack of a consistent set of rules between employees and executives is unjust and unfair, and it should be illegal. Only the Miller substitute makes it so because executive plans have legal protections that put a barrier between the money and the general creditors. Enron executives were protected from losing their retirement. Employees were totally exposed. It is time we stood up for the American workers here.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 20th Anniversary of the Hispanic Business Association: Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for Ohio. The association has displayed tireless commitment and dedication to the Hispanic business community. The association grew out of a task force of Hispanic business owners in 1981 and was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1983. The motivation to create the association came from a core of Hispanic business owners who were alarmed over the low participation in the private and public sector. Functioning through its 15-member voluntary board and network of supporters, the association has successfully worked to advocate the economic development and expansion of Hispanic businesses. By advocating consistently for the needs of the Hispanic business community and assisting other organizations with much needed services, the Hispanic Business Association: Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for Ohio, has served as an invaluable resource. It has sponsored and co- sponsored various events, featuring many distinguished speakers, such as the Mayor of the City of Cleveland, the National Director of Minority Business Development Agency, and the State Director of Equal Opportunity. In addition the association annually sponsors the ``Entrepreneur of the Year'' Awards Banquet, recognizing Hispanic entrepreneurs who, despite the odds, have succeeded in business and participated in community development. My fellow colleagues, the Hispanic Business Association: Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for Ohio deserves the highest praise for its dedication to advancing the needs of the Hispanic Business Community. I commend this long standing organization.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Garfield Heights Junior Women's League. The league deserves the highest praise for its years of service to the citizens of Garfield Heights. In 1952, thirteen women met to discuss the formation of an organization that would be dedicated to community involvement. The result was the Garfield Heights Junior Women's League which grew dramatically over the years. In the past five decades, long lasting friendships were created and civic engagement has been greatly enhanced as hundreds of women became involved in GHJWL projects. Founder Evelyn Hubert and several of the original charter members are still active participants. The Garfield Heights Junior Women's League remains an invaluable resource today, assisting with countless civic activities. The League raised thousands of dollars to assist such projects as the G.H. Fire Department and the Boys and Girls Baseball League. It also awarded over $30,000 in scholarships to local high school graduates and provides monthly checks to needy families in Garfield Heights. In 2001, the league was recognized for its admirable work when it was selected as ``Organization of the Year'' by the Garfield Heights Chamber of Commerce. My fellow Colleagues, I respectfully submit this tribute to the Garfield Heights Junior Women's League. For the past fifty years the League has lived up to its motto, ``The only happiness you keep is the happiness you give away.''

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I offer this prayer for America. (to be sung as an overture for America) My country 'tis of thee. Sweet land of liberty of thee I sing. . . . From every mountain side, let freedom ring. . . . Long may our land be bright. With freedom's holy light. . . . Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave. O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? America, America, God shed grace on thee. And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. . . . I offer these brief remarks today as a prayer for our country, with love of democracy, as a celebration of our country. With love for our country. With hope for our country. With a belief that the light of freedom cannot be extinguished as long as it is inside of us. With a belief that freedom rings resoundingly in a democracy each time we speak freely. With the understanding that freedom stirs the human heart and fear stills it. With the belief that a free people cannot walk in fear and faith at the same time. With the understanding that there is a deeper truth expressed in the unity of the United States. That implicit in the union of our country is the union of all people. That all people are essentially one. That the world is interconnected not only on the material level of economics, trade, communication, and transportation, but innerconnected through human consciousness, through the human heart, through the heart of the world, through the simply expressed impulse and yearning to be and to breathe free. I offer this prayer for America. Let us pray that our nation will remember that the unfolding of the promise of democracy in our nation paralleled the striving for civil rights. That is why we must challenge the rationale of the PATRIOT Act. We must ask why should America put aside guarantees of constitutional justice? How can we justify in effect canceling the First Amendment and the right of free speech, the right to peaceably assemble? How can we justify in effect canceling the Fourth Amendment, probable cause, the prohibitions against unreasonable search and seizure? How can we justify in effect canceling the Fifth Amendment, nullifying due process, and allowing for indefinite incarceration without a trial? How can we justify in effect canceling the Sixth Amendment, the right to prompt and public trial? How can we justify in effect canceling the Eighth Amendment which protects against cruel and unusual punishment? We cannot justify widespread wiretaps and internet surveillance without judicial supervision, let alone with it. We cannot justify secret searches without a warrant. We cannot justify giving the Attorney General the ability to designate domestic terror groups. We cannot justify giving the FBI total access to any type of data which may exist in any system anywhere such as medical records and financial records. We cannot justify giving the CIA the ability to target people in this country for intelligence surveillance. We cannot justify a government which takes from the people our right to privacy and then assumes for its on operations a right to total secrecy. The Attorney General recently covered up a statue of Lady Justice showing her bosom as if to underscore there is no danger of justice exposing herself at this time, before this administration. Let us pray that our nation's leaders will not be overcome with fear. Because today there is great fear in our great Capitol. And this must be understood before we can ask about the shortcomings of Congress in the current environment. The great fear began when we had to evacuate the Capitol on September 11. It continued when we had to leave the Capitol again when a bomb scare occurred as members were pressing the CIA during a secret briefing. It continued when we abandoned Washington when anthrax, possibly from a government lab, arrived in the mail. It continued when the Attorney General declared a nationwide terror alert and then the Administration brought the destructive PATRIOT Bill to the floor of the House. It continued in the release of the bin Laden tapes at the same time the President was announcing the withdrawal from the ABM treaty. It remains present in the cordoning off of the Capitol. It is present in the camouflaged armed national guardsmen who greet members of Congress each day we enter the Capitol campus. It is present in the labyrinth of concrete barriers through which we must pass each time we go to vote. The trappings of a state of siege trap us in a state of fear, ill- equipped to deal with the Patriot Games, the Mind Games, the War Games of an unelected President and his undetected Vice President. Let us pray that our country will stop this war. ``To provide for the common defense'' is one of the formational principles of America. Our Congress gave the President the ability to respond to the tragedy of September 11. We licensed a response to those who helped bring the terror of September 11th. But we the people and our elected representatives must reserve the right to measure the response, to proportion the response, to challenge the response, and to correct the response. Because we did not authorize the invasion of Iraq. We did not authorize the invasion of Iran. We did not authorize the invasion of North Korea. We did not authorize the bombing of civilians in Afghanistan. We did not authorize permanent detainees in Guantanamo Bay. We did not authorize the withdrawal from the Geneva Convention. We did not authorize military tribunals suspending due process and habeas corpus. We did not authorize assassination squads. We did not authorize the resurrection of COINTELPRO. We did not authorize the repeal of the Bill of Rights. We did not authorize the revocation of the Constitution. We did not authorize national identity cards. We did not authorize the eye of Big Brother to peer from cameras throughout our cities. We did not authorize an eye for an eye. Nor did we ask that the blood of innocent people, who perished on September 11, be avenged with the blood of innocent villagers in Afghanistan. We did not authorize the administration to wage war anytime, anywhere, anyhow it pleases. We did not authorize war without end. We did not authorize a permanent war economy. Yet we are upon the threshold of a permanent war economy. The President has requested a $45.6 billion increase in military spending. All defense-related programs will cost $400 billion. Consider that the Department of Defense has never passed an independent audit. Consider that the Inspector General has notified Congress that the Pentagon cannot properly account for $1.2 trillion in transactions. Consider that in recent years the Department of Defense could not match $22 billion worth of expenditures to the items it purchased, wrote off, as lost, billions of dollars worth of intransit inventory and stored nearly $30 billion worth of spare parts it did not need. Yet the defense budget grows with more money for weapons systems to fight a cold war which ended, weapon systems in search of new enemies to create new wars. This has nothing to do with fighting terror. This has everything to do with fueling a military industrial machine with the treasure of our nation, risking the future of our nation, risking democracy itself with the militarization of thought which follows the militarization of the budget. Let us pray for our children. Our children deserve a world without end. Not a war without end. Our children deserve a world free of the terror of hunger, free of the terror of poor health care, free of the terror of homelessness, free of the terror of ignorance, free of the terror of hopelessness, free of the terror of policies which are committed to a world view which is not appropriate for the survival of a free people, not appropriate for the survival of democratic values, not appropriate for the survival of our nation, and not appropriate for the survival of the world. Let us pray that we have the courage and the will as a people and as a nation to shore ourselves up, to reclaim from the ruins of September 11th our democratic traditions. Let us declare our love for democracy. Let us declare our intent for peace. Let us work to make nonviolence an organizing principle in our own society. Let us recommit ourselves to the slow and painstaking work of statecraft, which sees peace, not war as being inevitable. Let us work for a world where someday war becomes archaic. That is the vision which the proposal to create a Department of Peace envisions. Forty-three members of Congress are now cosponsoring the legislation. Let us work for a world where nuclear disarmament is an imperative. That is why we must begin by insisting on the commitments of the ABM treaty. That is why we must be steadfast for nonproliferation. Let us work for a world where America can lead the day in banning weapons of mass destruction not only from our land and sea and sky but from outer space itself. That is the vision of H.R. 3616: A universe free of fear. Where we can look up at God's creation in the stars and imagine infinite wisdom, infinite peace, infinite possibilities, not infinite war, because we are taught that the kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. Let us pray that we have the courage to replace the images of death which haunt us, the layers of images of September 11th, faded into images of patriotism, spliced into images of military mobilization, jump-cut into images of our secular celebrations of the World Series, New Year's Eve, the Superbowl, the Olympics, the strobic flashes which touch our deepest fears, let us replace those images with the work of human relations, reaching out to people, helping our own citizens here at home, lifting the plight of the poor everywhere. That is the America which has the ability to rally the support of the world. That is the America which stands not in pursuit of an axis of evil, but which is itself at the axis of hope and faith and peace and freedom. America, America. God shed grace on thee. Crown thy good, America. Not with weapons of mass destruction. Not with invocations of an axis of evil. Not through breaking international treaties. Not through establishing America as king of a unipolar world. Crown thy good, America. America, America. Let us pray for our country. Let us love our country. Let us defend our country not only from the threats without but from the threats within. Crown thy good, America. Crown thy good with brotherhood, and sisterhood. And crown thy good with compassion and restraint and forbearance and a commitment to peace, to democracy, to economic justice here at home and throughout the world. Crown thy good, America. Crown thy good America. Crown thy good.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, in this time of national crisis, it is important for all those who love our country to speak out. I offer these thoughts in a spirit of reconciliation. ``. . . Come my friends, 'tis not too late to seek a newer world,'' . . .--Alfred Lord Tennyson. If you believe that humanity has a higher destiny, if you believe we are all ultimately perfectable, if you believe we can evolve, and become better than we are; if you believe we can overcome the nihilistic scourge of war and someday fulfill the dream of peace and harmony on earth, let us begin the conversation today. Let us exchange our ideas. Let us plan together, act together and create peace together. This is a call for common sense, for peaceful, nonviolent citizen action to protect our precious world from widening war and from stumbling into a nuclear catastrophe. The climate for conflict has intensified, with the struggle between Pakistan and India, the China- Taiwan tug of war, and the increased bloodshed between Israel and the Palestinians. United States' troop deployments in the Philippines, Yemen, Georgia, Columbia and Indonesia create new possibilities for expanded war. An invasion of Iraq is planned. The recent disclosure that Russia, China, Iraq, Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Libya are considered by the United States as possible targets for nuclear attack catalyzes potential conflicts everywhere. These crucial political decisions promoting increased military actions, plus a new nuclear first-use policy, are occurring without the consent of the American people, without public debate, without public hearings, without public votes. The President is taking Congress's approval of responding to the Sept. 11 terrorists as a license to flirt with nuclear war. ``Politics ought to stay out of fighting a war,'' the President has been quoted as saying on March 13th 2002. Yet Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution explicitly requires that Congress take responsibility when it comes to declaring war. This President is very popular, according to the polls. But polls are not a substitute for democratic process. Attributing a negative connotation here to politics or dismissing constitutionally mandated congressional oversight belies reality: Spending $400 billion a year for defense is a political decision. Committing troops abroad is a political decision. War is a political decision. When men and women die on the battlefield that is the result of a political decision. The use of nuclear weapons, which can end the lives of millions, is a profound political decision. In a monarchy there need be no political decisions. In a democracy, all decisions are political, in that they derive from the consent of the governed. In a democracy, budgetary military and national objectives must be subordinate to the political process. Before we celebrate an imperial presidency, let it be said that the lack of free and open political process, the lack of free and open political debate, and the lack of free and open political dissent can be fatal in a democracy. We have reached a moment in our country's history where it is urgent that people everywhere speak out as president of his or her own life, to protect the peace of the nation and world within and without. We should speak out and caution leaders who generate fear through talk of the endless war or the final conflict. We should appeal to our leaders to consider their own bellicose thoughts, words and deeds are reshaping consciousness and can have an adverse effect on our nation. Because when one person thinks: fight! he or she finds a fight. One faction thinks: war! and starts a war. One nation, thinks: nuclear! and approaches the abyss. Neither individuals nor nations exist in a vacuum, which is why we have a serious responsibility for each other in this world. It is also urgent that we find those places of war in our own lives, and begin healing the world through healing ourselves. Each of us is a citizen of a common planet, bound to a common destiny. So connected are we, that each of us has the power to be the eyes of the world, the voice of the world, the conscience of the world, or the end of the world. And as each one of us chooses, so becomes the world. Each of us is architect of this world. Our thoughts, the concepts. Our words, the designs. Our deeds, the bricks and mortar of our daily lives. Which is why we should always take care to regard the power of our thoughts and words, and the commands they send into action through time and space. Some of our leaders have been thinking and talking about nuclear war. In the past week there has been much news about a planning document which describes how and when America might wage nuclear war. The Nuclear Posture Review recently released to the media by the government: 1. Assumes that the United States has the right to launch a pre- emptive nuclear strike. 2. Equates nuclear weapons with conventional weapons. 3. Attempts to minimize the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons. 4. Promotes nuclear response to a chemical or biological attack. Some dismiss this review as routine government planning. But it becomes ominous when taken in the context of a war on terrorism which keeps expanding its boundaries, rhetorically and literally. The President equates the ``war on terrorism'' with World War II. He expresses a desire to have the nuclear option ``on the table.'' He unilaterally withdraws from the ABM treaty. He seeks $8.9 billion to fund deployment of a missile shield. He institutes, without congressional knowledge, a shadow government in a bunker outside our nation's Capitol. He tries to pass off as arms reduction, the storage of, instead of the elimination of, nuclear weapons. Two generations ago we lived with nuclear nightmares. We feared and hated the Russians who feared and hated us. We feared and hated the ``godless, atheistic'' communists. In our schools, we dutifully put our head between our legs and practiced duck-and-cover drills. In our nightmares, we saw the long, slow arc of a Soviet missile flash into our very neighborhood. We got down on our knees and prayed for peace. We surveyed, wide eyed, pictures of the destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. We supported the elimination of all nuclear weapons. We knew that if you ``nuked'' others you ``nuked'' yourself. The splitting of the atom for destructive purposes admits a split consciousness, the compartmentalized thinking of Us vs. Them, the dichotomized thinking, which spawns polarity and leads to war. The proposed use of nuclear weapons, pollutes the psyche with the arrogance of infinite power. It creates delusions of domination of matter and space. It is dehumanizing through its calculations of mass casualties. We must overcome doomthinkers and sayers who invite a world descending, disintegrating into a nuclear disaster. With a world at risk, we must find the bombs in our own lives and disarm them. We must listen to that quiet inner voice which counsels that the survival of all is achieved through the unity of all. The same powerful humanity expressed by any one of us expresses itself through each of us. We must overcome our fear of each other, by seeking out the humanity within each of us. The human heart contains every possibility of race, creed, language, religion, and politics. We are one in our commonalities. Must we always fear our differences? We can overcome our fears by not feeding our fears with more war and nuclear confrontations. We must ask our leaders to unify us in courage. We need to create a new, clear vision of a world as one. A new, clear vision of people working out their differences peacefully. A new, clear vision with the teaching of nonviolence, nonviolent intervention, and mediation. A new, clear vision where people can live in harmony within their families, their communities and within themselves. A new clear vision of peaceful coexistence in a world of tolerance. At this moment of peril we must move from paralysis of fear. This is a call to action: to replace expanded war with expanded peace. This is a call for action to place the very survival of this planet on the agenda of all people, everywhere. As citizens of a common planet, we have an obligation to ourselves and our posterity. We must demand that our nation and all nations put down the nuclear sword. We must demand that our nation and all nations: Abide by the principles of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Stop the development of new nuclear weapons. Take all nuclear weapons systems off alert. Persist towards total, worldwide elimination of all nuclear weapons. Our nation must: Revive the Anti Ballistic Missile treaty. Sign and enforce the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Abandon plans to build a so- called missile shield. Prohibit the introduction of weapons into outer space. We are in a climate where people expect debate within our two party system to produce policy alternatives. However both major political parties have fallen short. People who ask ``Where is the Democratic Party?'' and expect to hear debate may be disappointed. When peace is not on the agenda of our political parties or our governments then it must be the work and the duty of each citizen of the world. This is the time to organize for peace. This is the time for new thinking. This is the time to conceive of peace as not simply being the absence of violence, but the active presence of the capacity for a higher evolution of human awareness. This is the time to conceive of peace as respect, trust, and integrity. This is the time to tap the infinite capabilities of humanity to transform consciousness which compels violence at a personal, group, national or international levels. This is the time to develop a new compassion for others and ourselves. It is necessary that we do so, for at this moment our world is being challenged by war and premonitions of nuclear annihilation. When terrorists threaten our security, we must enforce the law and bring terrorists to justice within our system of constitutional justice, without undermining the very civil liberties which permits our democracy to breathe. Our own instinct for life, which inspires our breath and informs our pulse, excites our capacity to reason. Which is why we must pay attention when we sense a threat to survival. That is why we must speak out now to protect this planet and: Challenge those who believe in a nuclear right. Challenge those who would build new nuclear weapons. Challenge those who seek nuclear re- armament. Challenge those who seek nuclear escalation. Challenge those who would make of any nation a nuclear target. Challenge those who would threaten to use nuclear weapons against civilian populations. Challenge those who would break nuclear treaties. Challenge those who think and think about nuclear weapons, to think about peace. It is practical to work for peace. I speak of peace and diplomacy not just for the sake of peace itself. But, for practical reasons, we must work for peace as a means of achieving permanent security. It is similarly practical to work for total nuclear disarmament, particularly when nuclear arms do not even come close to addressing the real security problems which confront our nation, witness the events of September 11, 2001. It is practical to work to make war archaic. That is the purpose of HR 2459. It is a bill to create a Department of Peace. HR 2459 seeks to make non-violence an organizing principle in our society. It envisions new structures to help create peace in our homes, in our families, in our schools, in our neighborhoods, in our cities, and in our nation. It aspires to create conditions for peace within and to create conditions for peace worldwide. It considers the conditions which cause people to become the terrorists of the future, issues of poverty, scarcity and exploitation. It is practical to make outer space safe from weapons, so that humanity can continue to pursue a destiny among the stars. HR 3616 seeks to ban weapons in space, to keep the stars a place of dreams, of new possibilities, of transcendence. We can achieve this practical vision of peace, if we are ready to work for it. People worldwide need to be meet with likeminded people, about peace and nuclear disarmament, now. People worldwide need to gather in peace, now. People worldwide need to march and to pray for peace, now. People worldwide need to be connecting with each other on the web, for peace, now. We are in a new era of electronic democracy, where the world wide web, numerous web sites and bulletin boards enable new organizations, exercising freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, to spring into being instantly. We need web sites dedicated to becoming electronic forums for peace, for sustainability, for renewal and for revitalization. We need forums which strive for the restoration of a sense of community through the empowerment of self, through commitment of self to the lives of others, to the life of the community, to the life of the nation, to the life of the world. Where war making is profoundly uncreative in its destruction, peacemaking can be deeply creative. We need to communicate with each other the ways in which we work in our communities to make this a more peaceful world. I welcome your ideas. We can share our thoughts and discuss ways in which we have brought or will bring them into action. Now is the time to think, to take action and use our talents and abilities to create peace: in our families, in our block clubs, in our neighborhoods, in our places of worship, in our schools and universities, in our labor halls, in our parent-teacher organizations. Now is the time to think, speak, write, organize and take action to create peace as a social imperative, as an economic imperative, and as a political imperative. Now is the time to think, speak, write, organize, march, rally, hold vigils and take other nonviolent action to create peace in our cities, in our nation and in the world. And as the hymn says, ``Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.'' This is the work of the human family, of people all over the world demanding that governments and non-governmental actors alike put down their nuclear weapons. This is the work of the human family, responding in this moment of crisis to protect our nation, this planet and all life within it. We can achieve both nuclear disarmament and peace, as we understand that all people of the world are interconnected, we can achieve both nuclear disarmament and peace. We can accomplish this through upholding an holistic vision where the claims of all living beings to the right of survival are recognized. We can achieve both nuclear disarmament and peace through being a living testament to a Human Rights Covenant where each person on this planet is entitled to a life where he or she may consciously evolve in mind, body and spirit. Nuclear disarmament and peace are the signposts toward the uplit path of an even brighter human condition wherein we can through our conscious efforts evolve and reestablish the context of our existence from peril to peace, from revolution to evolution. Think peace. Speak peace. Act peace. Peace.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, more than 3,000 individuals from 40 countries and 48 states have signed the Campaign of Conscience Peace Pledge. ``I support peace for Iraq. I grant permission to use my name and city publicly as an opponent of the ongoing economic and bombing war on Iraq, and of any escalation of that war.'' This Peace Pledge has been endorsed by the American Friends Service Committee, Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Education for Peace in Iraq Center, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Lutheran Peace Fellowship, Voices in the Wilderness, and Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility. A state breakdown of signatories is below with a representative sample from Ohio. Priscilla Smith, Akron; Helen Thompson, Akron; Gary Blaine, Akron; Sara Cutlip, Akron; Tom Gentry, Jr., Akron; John Howell, Athens; Lynda Nyce, Bluffton; Jean Temple, Brunswick; Amy Spangler, Chillicothe; William Joiner, Cincinnati; Cynthia Maxey, Cleveland; Patti Flanagin, Cleveland Heights; Brenda Joyner, Cleveland Heights; Francis Chiappa, Cleveland Hts.; Mark Chupp, Cleveland Hts.; Melissa Bragg, Columbus; Connie Hammond, Columbus; Morton Saunders, Jr., Copley; Nathan Ruggles, Cuyahoga Falls; Robert Williams, Cuyahoga Falls; Christina Irene, Dayton; Jana Schroeder, Dayton; Ramona Nash, Dublin; Marion Kim, East Canton; Sarah Ile, Eaton; Joan Slonczewski, Gambier; Margaret Banning, Gambier; Susan Klein, Girard; William Nichols, Granville; Mike Pesa, Kent; Russell Andrews, Jr., Kent; Brad Clinehens, Maplewood; Michall Zabib, Massillom; Susan Mcgarvey, Nashport; Jane McCullam, Newbury; Diana Roose, Oberlin; Sadie Taylor, Oberlin; Richard Taylor, Oberlin; Geraldine S. McNabb, Oberlin; Ryan Van Lenning, Oxford; Patrick G. Coy, Peninsula; Erin Nash, Shade; Lydia Kuttab Brenneman, St. Marys; Donna Schall, Stow; Sharon Havelak, Sylvania; Matthew Wallace, Toledo; Nandor Szentkiralyi, Toledo; Robert Gibson, Warren; Elizabeth Gibson, Warren; Heather Brutz, Warrensville Heights; Kyle Kunst, Wooster; Rev. Richard Judy, Youngstown. State Breakdown Alaska--8, Alabama--8, Arkansas--3, Arizona--49, California--236, Colorado--73, Connecticut--34, District of Columbia--20, Delaware--5, Florida--66, Georgia--26, Hawaii--4, Idaho--8, Illinois--115, Indiana--32, Iowa--39, Kansas--11, Kentucky--13, Louisiana--7, Maine--20, Maryland--74, Massachusetts--160, Michigan--61, Minnesota--38, Mississippi--2, Missouri--46, Montana--7, North Carolina--86, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska--12, New Hampshire--30, New Jersey--62, New Mexico--18, Nevada--9, New York--214, Ohio--91, Oklahoma--7, Oregon--32, Pennsylvania--213, Puerto Rico--1, Rhode Island--18, South Carolina--9, South Dakota--4, Tennessee--11, Texas--74, Utah--4, Virginia--35, Vermont--20, Washington--402, Wisconsin--56, West Virginia--1, Unspecified--92.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise as an original cosponsor of the Military Tribunal Authorization Act of 2002, introduced today by Representative Conyers. This legislation is the companion bill to one introduced earlier by Senator Leahy. On November 13, 2001, President Bush issued a military order enabling the President to order military tribunals for suspected terrorists, bypassing the American criminal justice system, its rules of evidence and its constitutional guarantees. The order directs the Secretary of Defense to issue regulations detailing how the tribunals will be conducted. As of today, these regulations have not been released. Shortly after the announcement of the military order I sent a letter to the President, along with thirty-nine other Members, expressing our opposition to the use of military tribunals and its violation of Constitutional rights. Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution, gives Congress both the power ``To declare War'' as well as the power ``To define and punish . . . Offenses against the Law of Nations.'' Unfortunately, Congress has not been consulted in this unilateral establishment of the tribunals. We urge the Secretary of Defense to use this legislation as a guide in promulgating regulations on military tribunals. If the President is determined to go forward with the tribunals this legislation will ensure that constitutional and civil rights are protected. First, the bill defines who may be tried by military tribunal. Only non-United States citizens who assisted in the September 11 attacks, found outside of the United States and who are not prisoners of war can face trial in a military tribunal. Next, the bill lays out the procedural requirements to ensure a ``full and fair'' hearing against the accused. For example, the accused must have a right to independent counsel, the ability to cross-examine witnesses and the right to obtain exculpatory evidence from the prosecution. Defendants must be presumed innocent until proven guilty and that guilt must be determined beyond a reasonable doubt. Defendants will also be afforded the right to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. I would like to point out that these procedures in no way provide special protections to suspected terrorists. Rather these rules are drawn from sources of international law and the Military Rules of Evidence. For years the State Department has strongly opposed the use of secret courts in countries such as Russia, China, Egypt and Peru. Last summer China held secret trials of U.S.-based scholars on espionage charges. One of the scholars was a U.S. citizen and another two were U.S. permanent residents. We demanded full due process for Americans charged with a crime in a foreign country and we should not set a different standard for non-citizens. The legislation also provides regulations for the detainment of suspects and the conditions of detainment. For example, detainees must be provided with the basic necessities such as adequate food, water and medical attention. In addition, it also allows the free exercise of religion. Lastly, the legislation requires all proceedings to be made public unless it is determined that closed proceedings are necessary for the safety of involved parties including witnesses or judges. This openness will prove to all Americans and to the world that we have respect for basic Constitutional rights. The horrible events of September 11 should not cause us to reject the American system of justice.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize former member of the Supreme Court of Ireland, Justice Hugh J. O'Flaherty as an honored guest to our country and to welcome him to celebrate St. Patrick's day with the Cleveland law firm, Collins & Scanlon. Justice O'Flaherty displayed integrity, character, and intelligence throughout his nine year tenure on the Court. We are fortunate to have him visit our country and share his knowledge. Hugh J. O'Flaherty, was born in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. He studied law at the University College in Dublin. He was called to the Bar of Ireland in 1959 and became senior counsel in 1974. In 1990 Mr. O'Flaherty was appointed to the Supreme Court of Ireland. The court holds jurisdiction similar to the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice O'Flaherty carried out his duties with sound judgement and expertise. He has shared his wisdom by lecturing at the law schools at Fordham University and Duquesne University and by addressing numerous bar conferences in the United States as well as Australia. I ask my colleagues to join me in rising to honor this truly remarkable individual for his distinguished years of service to Ireland's judicial system.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Doris S. Schwab, who is retiring after 30 years as Executive Director of Senior Citizen Resources, Inc. Ms. Schwab's unwavering commitment to Cleveland's senior community has been invaluable. Her generosity, intelligence, and unselfish dedication will be greatly missed. For over 30 years Ms. Schwab has worked tirelessly to create much needed resources to serve Cleveland's senior citizens. In 1971 she organized and established the Crestview Senior Center, a Multi-purpose Center serving the elderly in collaboration with the Cleveland Jaycees. In the same year she became Executive Director of its parent organization, Senior Citizen Resources, Inc. Over the next few years Ms. Schwab worked diligently to expand the Center by creating new sites throughout the Cleveland area. In 1978 she piloted a site called Brighton Center. By 1979 she secured funding for and established a second Multi-purpose Center, Deaconess-Krafft, which was built on the Deaconess Hospital Campus. Between 1976 and 1981 she piloted a site in the Southwestern area of Cleveland at the Brooklyn Heights United Church of Christ and Brooklyn Acres. She secured a Community Development Block Grant to fund and establish a third site operating one day a week at the City of Cleveland-owned Estabrook Recreation Center. Throughout the 1980s she also worked with Deaconess Hospital and MetroHealth Medical Center to establish their programs serving senior citizens. Between 1998 and 2000 as a result of Ms. Schwab's dedication to the senior community, funding in the amount of $332,000 was secured for the renovation and construction of the Memphis Fulton Senior Center and administration offices of Senior Citizen Resources, Inc., Crestview Senior Center relocated to this new site. By this time the centers were serving over 3,000 senior citizens yearly in the Old Brooklyn community of Cleveland. Today the centers continue to thrive as a result of Doris S. Schwab's vision, leadership and unwavering commitment. I ask my colleagues to join me in rising to honor Doris S. Schwab and her truly remarkable accomplishments for the senior community of Cleveland, Ohio.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, today Congress is considering a bill to make it easier for corporations to avoid compensating victims for injuries corporations and their products cause. But current law is already heavily skewed toward their interests, and the public health suffers as a result. Case in point is the gag order on victims who receive a settlement. Under current law, victims receiving compensation under a settlement of a class action suit can be required not to disclose the dangers, evidence and admissions made by the corporate criminal as a condition of settlement. As a result, dangerous products remain on the market and able to do harm to an unknowing public. In a society dedicated to safety and security, there is no place for these gag orders. Safety and security cannot be realized with secrecy agreements. The Nadler/Delahunt/Johnson amendment is narrowly drafted to clear the way for disclosure of information unearthed in settled class action cases that would benefit the public health. It is a fact that enforcing the Nation's product liability laws rests in part on citizen-suits brought as class actions. But prevention is worth a pound of cure. If we repeal the gag rule on evidence of dangerous products, we will make society a safer, more secure place for the Nation's citizens. Vote ``yes'' on Nadler.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 275 expresses the sense of Congress that hunting seasons for migratory mourning doves should be modified so that individuals have a fair and equitable opportunity to hunt such birds. I think that the American people would have every right to ask the question: Why is Congress considering a resolution on mourning doves when 11,127,000 Americans have exhausted their unemployment benefits? The people of this country expect a sense of proportion about what we do here, a sense of priorities. When we are coming forward to this Congress with a bill that seeks to address the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 to try to modify that act to allow for mourning dove hunting during the last week of August, while over 1 million Americans are being deprived of an opportunity to receive income into their family because they are running out of unemployment benefits, and the Federal Government has not acted to extend those benefits, people have every right to ask, What are we doing here in this Congress? Why is Congress considering a resolution on mourning doves when the recession has lasted 52 weeks so far? Why is Congress considering a resolution on mourning doves when this week and next, persons who became unemployed after September 11 will exhaust their unemployment benefits? Now, if Members agree with many of us that this is an example of skewed priorities, it is an example of not being in tune with the real needs of the American people, then I want to ask them to join with us in opposing the motion on the previous question. The reason is this: if we are successful in defeating the motion on the previous question, we will then have a straight debate on unemployment insurance extension without any poison pills. I urge that we keep our priorities straight.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of James M. Smith, who is retiring after 30 years of distinguished service on the Cuyahoga County District Board of Health, 28 of which he served as President. Mr. Smith's unwavering commitment to public service has been invaluable to the people of Cuyahoga County. His integrity, intelligence, and unselfish commitment will be greatly missed. Mr. Smith grew up in Nebraska where as early as high school he displayed leadership as president of his senior class. After high school he served his country during WWII in the Navy and the Naval Corp. He went on to attend the University of Michigan where he earned a BBA degree from the School of Business Administration and a JD from the law school. He then moved to Cleveland where he opened his own law practice which he ran for many years before merging with the firm founded by William R. Van Aken in 1977. He became a senior partner in what is now called, Van Aken & Bond. Throughout his career Mr. Smith has displayed continued leadership and community involvement in the Cleveland area. He spent 10 years beginning in 1959 as a Councilman in the city of Highland Heights, the last three as President of the Council. He has served as an officer and member of the board of directors of many Cleveland based corporations as well as a member of various civil organizations. James M. Smith's educational background, professional experience and extensive community involvement in Cleveland made him an ideal candidate to serve as President of the Cuyahoga County District Board of Health. His leadership, vision and genuine concern for the people of Cuyahoga County have led the department to be a leader in public health issues statewide. On behalf of the residents of Cuyahoga County and the city of Cleveland I would like to express sincere gratitude to the years of devoted service by James M. Smith. I ask my colleagues to join me in rising to honor this truly remarkable public servant for his distinguished years of service to the Cleveland community.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, it is time for this Congress to rescue and secure democracy from the soft-money slavery of special interests and the clutches of the best-government-money-can-buy. We must stand here on the highest hill in the land and tell corporate interests, which give hundreds of millions in soft-money contributions who hold this government hostage, let my people go. Finance and credit card companies gave $9 million in corporate campaign cash, and ordinary people ended up with higher rates of foreclosure. Let my people go. Banking and security interests gave $87 million for banking deregulation, which undermines consumers' economic interests. Let my people go. Corporate campaign cash buys higher electric rates. Let my people go. Corporate campaign cash buys a higher rate of prescription drugs. Let my people go. Corporate campaign cash bought fast track which cost Americans millions of jobs. Let my people go. Corporate campaign cash wants to buy the privatization of Social Security. Let my people go. Mr. Chairman, freedom is on the line today. Free this Congress. Free this system. Free democracy from the yoke of corporate control. Let my people go. Pass the Shays-Meehan substitute.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, we have not allocated a full hour in our short workweek to consider a resolution that would ensure the richest 1 percent of Americans receive their tax cut on time. When it comes to policies that would benefit the mass of middle- and working-class Americans, the administration does not seem particularly punctual. After killing OSHA's ergonomics rules, the administration promised a new set of ergonomic standards. Nearly a year later thousands of American workers injured on the job are still waiting. The administration has long promised a meaningful prescription drug benefit for the elderly. The people are still waiting. Shunning the Kyoto Global Warming Protocol, the administration promised to develop a new plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The people are still waiting. Despite promising to control energy costs, the administration dragged its feet in imposing Federal price caps on electricity, allowing Enron and others to gouge California consumers to the tune of $6.8 billion. Californians waited 6 months for relief. After bailing out the airline industry post-September 11, the majority in the House promised legislation to help thousands of furloughed airline employees. They are still waiting. The people should not have to wait anymore for help, and I tell my colleagues, the richest 1 percent in this country, they can wait their turn.