Dennis Kucinich

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, skepticism is a healthy expression in a democracy, but skepticism should never permit us to stop reaching upward in establishing new frontiers. In the words of the poet, ``A man's reach should exceed his grasp or what is a heaven for?'' We should not let skepticism blind the American willingness and ability to envision a better future. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, ``Without vision, a people perish.'' We, in this Congress, are called upon to see the health care benefits, to see the medical technology benefits, to see the industrial technology benefits which comes from the space program. We are called to join with those visionaries who have given this country the ability to adapt to an undreamed of future. America's destiny is to keep reaching onward and upward.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 75th anniversary of St. Clement Church of Lakewood, OH. St. Clement Church was founded by Bishop Joseph Schrembs on April 27, 1922. The church was built by a local construction company with a lot of help from parishioners. The church officially opened its doors Easter Sunday, 1923. The church opened its school the next year, and the Cleveland Sisters of St. Joseph staffed it. By 1931, the parish had tripled in size from the original 314 families. A new sanctuary was added. In 1947, a convent for 18 sisters was built. St. Clement continued to grow, and in 1958, a new school building was built, with further expansion in 1965. St. Clement has grown with the times. St. Clement School is now staffed by lay teachers and a lay principal. The convent was converted to Freedom House, a program which helps women who are making strides toward recovery. An entrance for the disabled was added in 1982. St. Clement has matured through the generosity of its parishioners. A new restoration is being financed through the pledges of the 1,300 families who worship at the church under the direction of the Reverend Alfred Winters. St. Clement Church has been an integral institution in the city of Lakewood from its very beginnings. We are honored to have known it for so long, and we look forward to the many great contributions to the community St. Clement Church will make into the next millenium.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor the high intellectual achievement of a John Marshall High School American history class. This class of high school juniors and seniors has demonstrated a superlative command of the facts and a critical understanding of the meaning of American history. They are first among their peers, having won that distinction when they took first place in the State of Ohio finals of the We the People competition. The We the People competition does not involve mere rote learning and short answers, but requires detailed research and study on specific areas of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Students testify before a panel of judges, most of whom are judges and lawyers, as if they were testifying at a congressional hearing. The class is divided into six groups and each group is required to give a 4 minute prepared answer to one of three extremely complex questions. Each group must then answer extemporaneously 6 minutes of followup questions posed by the judges. Through this trying ordeal, the students must demonstrate their understanding and ability to articulate in-depth analysis of complex constitutional issues. All students must respond, not just the stars of the class. The entire class, then, has earned a coveted honor as the State representative at the national competition. Under the tutelage of their teacher, George Klepacz, the following students are commended by Congress for their work and achievement: Brigitte Beale, Alicia Bebee, Raenala Brown, David Bucchioni, Tyessa Howard, Kasey King, Deanna Lamb, James Lazarus, Kim Noeum, Ryann O'Bryant, Brad Schaefer, Tiwanna Scott, Matt Stevens, and Kim Chau Vo.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 1031.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 400. The essence of this bill is a hostile takeover of the American patent system by private interests. The American patent system is a public trust. It is operated by a responsible government organization for the benefit of the American people and individual inventors. It exists to enhance the capacity of our economy to cultivate and commercialize new technologies. If H.R. 400 becomes law, the integrity and independence of the patent system will be undermined. H.R. 400 would convert the Patent and Trademark Office, now part of the Department of Commerce, into a ``corporate body not subject to direction or supervision by any department of the United States.'' Another disturbing aspect of H.R. 400 is the establishment of a management advisory committee composed of corporate and management executives who will oversee the policies, goals and performance, budget, and user fees of this new government corporation. Even though the director of the Patent and Trademark Office would be appointed by the President of the United States, the director would be compelled to consult with a private sector board on all major decisions. The transformation of the PTO into a corporate body combined with the influence of the management advisory committee places our Nation on a slippery slope to corporate domination of the patent system and the destructive undermining of the democratic tradition which has produced some of the greatest inventions in the world from the American people.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the achievement of Audio Craft Co., Inc., a specialty retailer of home entertainment and mobile electronics which recently was a finalist for the National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics from the Better Business Bureau. Audio Craft Co., Inc. employs 75 people in Cleveland, OH. The company was established in 1954 and has set a standard for customer service ever since. Audio Craft regularly exceeds its customer's expectations through rigorously training its staff and by standing behind its guarantees. Audio Craft offers a 30-day, no questions asked return policy. It empowers its employees to make decisions regarding repair and replacement. Audio Craft has an excellent repair shop. Audio Craft's advertising is factual and well designed. For the past 12 years, Audio Craft has been the recipient of the coveted Audio/Video Best Retailer Award and the Better Business Bureau of Cleveland, OH honored the company with a top place award for customer commitment in 1995. Audio Craft is actively involved in the support of the Northeast Ohio Alzheimer's Association through the Albums for Alzheimer's Program, which was created by Audio Craft and has grown to become a national and international program. To become a finalist for the Torch Award, a company must have demonstrated a commitment to ethical practices in the marketplace; high standards of behavior toward customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, and their communities; truthfulness and accuracy of advertising and sales practices; and training and communications programs designed to assist employees in carrying out established ethics policies.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor State Road Elementary School of Parma, OH, on its 75th anniversary. State Road Elementary has been the starting place for thousands of proud, educated and involved Parmanians. They have grown to become leaders in their unions, respected members of their churches and capable and loving parents. State Road Elementary began humbly as a small school. But it grew with the neighborhood. It fit in with the neighborhood's character. State Road Elementary is located in a neighborhood where family values are strong. These are families that work hard at their jobs, support one another, look out for one another and stand up for what is right. State Road Elementary prepared children to be active and upstanding members of their community. For three-quarters of a century, this Parma neighborhood has sent its daughters and sons to start their education at State Road Elementary. I see no reason not to think that another four generations of families will be able to count on State Road Elementary for a healthy start and a head start for their children.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to praise credit unions. Credit unions do not charge exorbitant bank fees; they do not have excessive account minimums. They make low interest loans, mainly to their members in the communities in which they live. Credit unions are run by their members, who have a voice in the operation and policies of their credit union. Small businesses depend on credit unions for those reasons because offering credit union membership as a benefit to prospective employees is a benefit which workers value. Credit unions are very small compared with banks. The average credit union has less than $28 million in assets--less than one-sixteenth the assets of the average bank. The two largest U.S. banks--Chase and Citibank--combined have more assets than all 12,047 credit unions combined. Credit unions are modest compared to banks. Banks today control nearly every dollar in savings--93 percent--and in loans--94 percent-- in the United States. Banks overshadow credit unions by market share and profitability, as was recently detailed in the March 14, 1997, edition of the American Banker, ``Commercial Banks Set $52 Billion Profit Record Last Year, FDIC Says.'' I commend it to my colleagues. [From the American Banker, Mar. 14, 1997] Commercial Banks Set $52 Billion Profit Record Last Year, FDIC Says (By Dean Anason) Washington.--The banking industry earned a record $52.4 billion last year, although losses on consumer loans continued to grow. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Thursday that the nation's 9,528 commercial banks earned $13.7 billion in the fourth quarter, up 14.5% from the same period a year ago. For the year, profits rose 7.5% despite the $650 million banks paid to help rescue the Savings Association Insurance Fund. Profits were driven by noninterest income from fees and service charges, which increased 13.5% in 1996 to $93.6 billion. Interest income rose to $162.8 billion, but at half the rate of noninterest income. Despite the record profits, FDIC Chairman Ricki Helfer described as ``worrisome'' the yearend statistics on consumer loans, particularly credit card loans. Net loan losses rose to $15.5 billion, a 27% increase from 1995. Credit card loan writeoffs accounted for $9.5 billion of that total. ``We have seen both delinquent and noncurrent consumer loans increase at the same time that chargeoffs have risen dramatically,'' Mrs. Helfer said. ``Chargeoff rates are approaching the levels reached in the last recession.'' Commercial banks wrote off 2.29% of their consumer loans, compared with 1.73% in 1995. Credit card writeoffs amounted to 4.3% in 1996, up from 3.4% the previous year. Writeoffs reached 4.72% in the fourth quarter. The doubling of credit card loans in the past four years and rising personal bankruptcy filings only exacerbate concern, Ms. Helfer said. Ms. Helfer declined to say whether banks should tighten their credit card lending standards more, but she cautioned that banks must be ``very careful'' in making assumptions about a very unpredictable line of business. Further, she warned against underestimating risk caused by liabilities from credit card loans that have been securitized. Not all loan categories performed poorly. Commercial and industrial loans rose 7.3 percent to $710 billion, and real estate loans jumped 5.5 percent to $1.1 trillion. Average return on investment approached record levels, rising to 1.19 percent in 1996 from 1.17 percent in 1995. Nearly 70 percent of banks equaled or surpassed the traditional benchmark 1 percent ROA. The industry's asset growth slowed for the second year in a row, increasing 6.2 percent to $266 billion in 1996. Assets had grown at annual rates of 7.5 percent and 8.2 percent in the two prior years. Ms. Helfer described that as ``probably a good sign'' considering that rapid asset growth in the late 1980s and early 1990s foreshadowed industry downturns. The bank deposit insurance fund topped $2 trillion for the first time and reached reserves of $1.34 for every $100 of insured deposits at the end of 1996. After a $4.5 billion capitalization in October, the thrift fund achieved reserves of $1.30 for every $100 at the end of the 1996, versus 55 cents per $100 six months earlier. A slowdown in merger activity and rising numbers of new banks caused the smallest quarterly decline in commercial banks in 11 years, according to the FDIC. Only five banks and one thrift failed in 1996, the fewest since 1972. Echoing recently released figures by the Office of Thrift Supervision, the FDIC reported healthy thrift profits, too. The nation's 1,924 savings institutions earned $7 billion in 1996 despite spending $3.5 billion to capitalize the thrift fund.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Joseph Patrick O'Neil, a son of Parma, OH, who lived the American dream. Mr. O'Neil was a truckdriver and a proud union member of Teamsters Local 407. Mr. O'Neil earned the respect of his fellow union members during his 43 years with the union. He served in the position of recording secretary for 11 years. He also served as a steward. Mr. O'Neil was a veteran, and served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a master sergeant in Germany and France. He was awarded two Bronze Star medals for valor at Normandy and in central Europe. Mr. O'Neil is survived by his wife of 51 years, Erika; sons, Edward of Brunswick and Kevin of Lakewood; and two grandsons. He will be missed.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Andrew McCollum of North Olmsted, OH, who will be honored this month for his recent attainment of Eagle Scout. The attainment of Eagle Scout is a high and rare honor requiring years of dedication to self-improvement, hard work and the community. Each Eagle Scout must earn 21 merit badges, twelve of which are required, including badges in: lifesaving; first aid; citizenship in the community; citizenship in the Nation; citizenship in the world; personal management of time and money; family life; environmental science; and camping. In addition to acquiring and proving proficiency in those and other skills, an Eagle Scout must hold leadership positions within the troop where he learns to earn the respect and hear the criticism of those he leads. The Eagle Scout must live by the Scouting Law, which holds that he must be: trustworthy, loyal, brave, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, clean, and reverent. And the Eagle Scout must complete an Eagle Project, which he must plan, finance and evaluate on his own. It is no wonder that only 2 percent of all boys entering scouting achieve this rank. Andy's Eagle Project was the clean up of an island in the Cleveland Metro Park system which will enable animals and birds to feed and reclaim the island as part of a vibrant local ecology. My fellow colleagues, let us join boy Scouts of America Troop 53 in recognizing and praising Andy for his achievement.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Brian Blankenburg of North Olmsted, OH, who will be honored this month for his recent attainment of Eagle Scout. The attainment of Eagle Scout is a high and rare honor requiring years of dedication to self-improvement, hard work, and the community. Each Eagle Scout must earn 21 merit badges, 12 of which are required, including badges in: lifesaving; first aid; citizenship in the community; citizenship in the Nation; citizenship in the world; personal management of time and money; family life; environmental science; and camping. In addition to acquiring and proving proficiency in those and other skills, an Eagle Scout must hold leadership positions within the troop where he learns to earn the respect and hear the criticism of those he leads. The Eagle Scout must live by the Scouting Law, which holds that he must be: trustworthy, loyal, brave, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, clean, and reverent. And the Eagle Scout must complete an Eagle project, which he must plan, finance, and evaluate on his own. It is no wonder that only 2 percent of all boys entering scouting achieve this rank. Brian's Eagle project was the repair, refurbishing, and repainting of ticket booths and parking lot lampposts at North Olmsted High School. My fellow colleagues, let us join Boy Scouts of America Troop 53 in recognizing and praising Brian for his achievement.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Mercedes R. Cotner, whose lifelong dedication to the civic body, to the Democratic Party, and to the city of Cleveland is being recognized on April 10 at the annual meeting of the Cuyahoga Women's Political Caucus. For most of her 90 years, Mrs. Cotner has sought to involve and lead the people of the city of Cleveland to achieve a better life for themselves and their children. Mrs. Cotner has served in public office. She was a clerk of the Cleveland Council and she served her constituents from the old ward 2 as a Cleveland councilwoman. Mrs. Cotner also served the Democratic Party in many capacities. She was an executive committee member, precinct committee member, and vice- chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party. She worked closely with her neighbors through politics, service as a booth worker on election day, and as ward leader. Mrs. Cotner is a veteran of many contests for the heart and soul of Cleveland. She has shown her dedication to that sacred enterprise over many decades. And she reminds us of the essential value of persistence and patience. Mr. Speaker, let the Congress of the United States acknowledge today the great example Mercedes Cotner has set.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address an issue in which the credibility of Congress is at stake and the credibility of a congressional committee is at stake. Our Government was set up, the Government of the United States was set up to provide for a separation of powers, and that separation of powers was to prevent the abuse of power, a system of checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power, a House and a Senate to prevent the abuse of legislative power, a district, appellate, and Supreme Court to prevent the abuse of judicial power. Democracy is the greatest form of government known to the world, and it works, as long as we do not abuse power. The American people are very aware of this. That is why they favor a system which distributes the power throughout the Government. We have a situation on our committee, the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, which lends itself to the great concern of the American people as to whether or not power is being abused, because we have a condition set up which permits the chairman of that committee to be a policeman, a prosecutor, a judge, and a jury over matters relating to the investigation of campaign finance. The American people have a right to know what is going on with respect to campaign finance, but they also have a right to make sure that it is done in an even-handed way, where power is not abused, so that there is credibility to any investigation. Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives, we need to go very slowly on our efforts to investigate campaign finance if it is not being done in a bipartisan manner and if it refuses to recognize the demand and the requirements which the American people have for checks and balances and for the prevention of the abuse of power. I implore the chairman of the committee to consider our requests so that we will have the committee make the decisions as a whole for the calling of witnesses, for the subpoena of documents, and for any other matters which come before our committee. I would ask the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Burton] as a gentleman and as a Member of this House to consider the grave responsibility he has to protect this democratic process in this moment of great concern of the people.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Patricia A. Mead, whose lifetime of entrepeneurialism, fine business sense, volunteer service, civic action, and nonprofit leadership has earned her the respect and admiration of her peers. Pat started Metro Relocation Services in 1971, the first independent relocation company in the world. She eventually merged this company into Realty One, where she served as president of Corporate Relocation Services, a division with a staff of 30 that produced revenues of $275,000,000 per year. Pat has been generous with her time and expertise, and over the years involved herself with many organizations including: Recovery Resources, American Lung Association; Cleveland Opera; Cleveland Branch of the English-Speaking Union where she chaired the Shakespeare Recitation Competition; Cleveland Rotary Club; YWCA where she was named Woman of Achievement, Federation for Community Planning; Cleveland Ad Club; Junior Achievement; Friends of the Cleveland Library; Better Business Bureau, and Cleveland Ballet. Pat also served on the board of COSE and the board of trustees and executive committee of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, chairing their first executive network committee. Pat is also a longtime member of the Women's City Club. She served on the board of trustees as vice president of membership and operations as well as numerous committees. She created the Executive Women's Network. Pat served as president of Cleveland Women's City Club Foundation for 2 years. On May 23, 1997, Pat will receive the Margaret A. Ireland Award from the Cleveland Women's City Club. The award has been given each year since 1963 to local women who have achieved special stature because of their contributions in civic, social, and community service. They exemplify the leadership, commitment, and personal achievements of the award namesake. Let us join the Cleveland Women's City Club in recognizing the talent, versatility, dedication, breadth of interest, and leadership exercised by Patricia A. Mead. Cleveland is better for her efforts.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Cory Dunn of North Olmsted, OH, who will be honored this month for his recent attainment of Eagle Scout. The attainment of Eagle Scout is a high and rare honor requiring years of dedication to self-improvement, hard work, and the community. Each Eagle Scout must earn 21 merit badges, 12 of which are required, including badges in: lifesaving; first aid; citizenship in the community; citizenship in the Nation; citizenship in the world; personal management of time and money; family life; environmental science; and camping. In addition to acquiring and proving proficiency in those and other skills, an Eagle Scout must hold leadership positions within the troop where he learns to earn the respect and hear the criticism of those he leads. The Eagle Scout must live by the scouting law, which holds that he must be: trustworthy, loyal, brave, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, clean, and reverent. And the Eagle Scout must complete an Eagle project, which he must plan, finance, and evaluate on his own. It is no wonder that only 2 percent of all boys entering scouting achieve this rank. Cory's Eagle project was the restoration of a trail and opening of an outdoor clearing suited to contemplation and peace for parishioners of John Knox Presbyterian Church, his parents' parish. My fellow colleagues, let us join boy Scouts of America Troop 53 in recognizing and praising Cory for his achievement.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory and works of a great public citizen, Leo Wene. Mr. Wene, a retired college physics professor, was actively engaged in his community's most pressing social and economic issues. He headed efforts to establish a municipal electric power distribution system for Chardon, OH, after seeing the value municipal power has provided Cleveland. He criticized foolhardy attempts at unsafely storing nuclear waste and upbraided proponents of the plan. Mr. Wene was an active participant in the political process and, through his example, showed to many the value of activism. He served as chairman of the Committee for Fair Utility Rates and of the Tri-County Environment and Consumer Advocate Council. He encouraged fellow citizens to become involved in the process and to let their representatives know where they stood. Mr. Wene was educated at Ohio State University and the University of Idaho, where he received his master's degree. During World War II, he served with the Army's 83d Infantry Division in Europe. He participated in four major campaigns and was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. Wene was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry. Mr. Wene is survived by his wife of 57 years, Cleo; daughter Jennifer of Westerville, OH; sons, Kenneth of Bethel, CT; Daryl of North Royalton, OH, and Peter of Waldorf, MD; as well as five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Ohio will miss him terribly.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Brian Blankenburg of North Olmstead, OH, who will be honored this month for his recent attainment of Eagle Scout. The attainment of Eagle Scout is a high and rare honor requiring years of dedication to self-improvement, hard work, and the community. Each Eagle Scout must earn 21 merit badges, 12 of which are required, including badges in: lifesaving; first aid; citizenship in the community; citizenship in the Nation; citizenship in the world; personal management of time and money; family life; environmental science; and camping. In addition to acquiring and proving proficiency in those and other skills, an Eagle Scout must hold leadership positions within the troop where he learns to earn the respect and hear the criticism of those he leads. The Eagle Scout must live by the scouting law, which holds that he must be: trustworthy, loyal, brave, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, clean, and reverent. And the Eagle Scout must complete an Eagle project, which he must plan, finance, and evaluate on his own. It is no wonder that only 2 percent of all boys entering scouting achieve this rank. Brian's Eagle project was the repair, refurbishing, and repainting of ticket booths and parking lot lights at North Olmstead High School. My fellow colleagues, let us join Boy Scouts of America Troop 53 in recognizing and praising Brian for his achievement.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the dedication and achievement of the parishioners of the Church of St. Leo the Great of Cleveland, OH, on their 25th anniversary. Approximately 120 members have assisted the pastor and associates with a multitude of volunteer work. They have performed the important functions of acolytes, readers, and eucharistic ministers. They have contributed a portion of their earnings to the Vincent De Paul Society, which looks after the poor of the parish. They have visited the sick and aged at hospitals and nursing homes. They have sung in the choir and they have helped families in their times of mourning. St. Leo's volunteers give of themselves, and in doing that, they make Cleveland a better place.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Martin Patrick Cooney, Sr., a native of the west side of Cleveland who was dedicated to the Irish community. Because of his tireless efforts on behalf of the Irish community, in 1994 he was chosen Man of the Year by the very Irish Heritage Club he helped to found. He was once host to the Archbishop of Dublin and a member of Irish Parliament. Mr. Cooney, a member of Pipefitters Local 120, retired after 30 years as a pipefitter for the city of Cleveland. Mr. Cooney was a gifted Irish tenor. And throughout his 76 years of vibrant life and more than 20 trips to Ireland, he accumulated a wealth of knowledge on his heritage as well as the lineage of several Irish families in Cleveland. He is survived by three daughters, a son, and seven grandchildren; as well as a sister and brother, and dear friends. We will miss him terribly.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Rev. Raphael Zbin, pastor of St. Andrew's Parish in Cleveland, OH. He is celebrating his 50th ordination jubilee and was honored as ``Monk of the Year'' at a ceremony on March 16, 1997, in Lakewood, OH. The following tribute was contained in the St. Clair & Suburban News, February 1997 Edition: He was ordained a priest in 1947 and then began teaching biology at Benedictine High School and served on Cleveland Diocese School Board for many years. In 1976, he was appointed pastor of St. Andrews. There is no greater tribute to a Benedictine education than to dedicate one's life to the service of the Benedictine Order and its values in education. And that summarizes the life-long efforts of Fr. Zbin.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Joe Toriskie, a Garfield Heights resident who played his special brand of Cleveland-style polka music to countless fans of his band, ``The Casuals.'' Born in Cleveland, Mr. Toriskie started his first band while a student at South High School. He spread the joyous message of polka for the rest of his life. Over the past 30 years, Mr. Toriskie led his band, the Casuals, to the peaks of the polka music profession. He was nominated as Musician of the Year by the Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame last year. The Casuals were also nominated as Band of the Year in 1995 and 1996. Mr. Toriskie had a distinctive style. He liked to mingle with his audience during breaks. He exuded the good, happy, honest life. His friends knew him as a genuine person and a truly nice man. He is survived by his wife, Dolores, daughters, Christine Mackerty and Nancy Adams; and grandchildren, Michael and Katie Mackerty. He will be deeply missed.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, the clean air debate cannot be reduced to a simple cost-benefit analysis that ignores the effect of pollution on human health and separates the economic from the human. We should not face the 21st century locked into the old paradigm that gives us the false choice between jobs and clean air. Being proenvironment should not mean one is antibusiness. It is time for new thinking on the issue of pollution, thinking that promotes both economic growth and human health and supports environmental regulations that encourage efficiency and nonpollution. Nineteenth century thinking focused on pollution control, at the end of the tailpipe or at the end of the chimney. Such an approach requires a great deal of energy and money and is generally insufficient to protect the environment. New thinking looks at pollution prevention, inventing ways to stop pollution from being created. New thinking views pollution as resources that are distributed in the wrong place. Wasted resources mean lost profits. Environmental protection can be equated with fiscal conservatism. Application of more enlightened environmental management processes can increase profits. Such an approach will require that government and industry leaders work together to further the development of new communities; new technologies in energy; efficient industrial protection and transportation; new industries; and the unfolding of a new economic order based on profit and human progress.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, workers of the United States have a right to say show me the money, not in comp time but in overtime payment. H.R. 1 is not about flexibility or families or constructive reform of labor law. H.R. 1 is about undermining and ultimately destroying the Fair Labor Standards Act on behalf of those who wish to avoid their legal obligations to their workers. Mr. Chairman, this bill would open the door to employers to coerce their workers to accept comp time instead of receiving overtime in a timely manner. This bill would turn back the clock to the days of 16 tons. My colleagues remember Tennessee Ernie Ford: ``You load 16 tons, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St. Peter, don't you call me because I can't go. I owe my soul to the company store.'' American workers will not accept owing their soul to the company store in terms of comp time. This bill exchanges an economic right, a legal right that workers now possess, the right to obtain time and a half payment for overtime work for an IOU, an IOU issued by their employer to maybe give comp time in the future. H.R. 1 would encourage companies to schedule more overtime because companies would not have to pay their workers for it. More overtime means fewer jobs. In this era of labor saving technology and falling real wages, when working families are struggling with two jobs, the 40-hour work week plus overtime is already too long. We need to be discussing public policies that promote more jobs, higher wages, and a shorter work week. I urge the defeat of H.R. 1.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor the high intellectual achievement of a John Marshall High School American History class. This class of high school juniors and seniors has demonstrated a superlative command of the facts and a critical understanding of the meaning of American History. They are first among their peers, having won that distinction when they took first place in the State of Ohio finals of the ``We the People'' competition. The ``We the People'' competition does not involve mere rote learning and short answers, but requires detailed research and study on specific areas of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Students testify before a panel of judges, most of whom are judges and lawyers, as if they were testifying at a congressional hearing. The class is divided into six groups and each group is required to give a 4 minute prepared answer to one of three extremely complex questions. Each group must then answer extemporaneously 6 minutes of follow up questions posed by the judges. Through this trying ordeal, the students must demonstrate their understanding and ability to articulate in depth analysis of complex constitutional issues. All students must respond, not just the stars of the class. The entire class, then, has earned a coveted honor as the State representative at the national competition. Under the tutelage of their teacher, George Klepacz, the following students are commended by Congress for their work and achievement: Brigitte Beale, Alicia Bebee, Raenala Brown, David Bucchioni, Tyessa Howard, Kasey King, Deanna Lamb, James Lazarus, Kim Noeum, Ryann O'Bryant, Brad Schaefer, Tiwanna Scott, Matt Stevens, and Kim Chau Vo.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor John Borkowski, a keeper of the flame of Polish culture, a pillar of the community, and resident of the city of Parma. John Borkowski has earned the affection of greater Cleveland through his tireless work promoting Polish dance, Polish army veterans, a credit union for the Polish community, and Polish education. He has been honored widely, including awards from the Polish Government, the Alliance of Poles of America, the Polonia Foundation, and the Polish Army Veterans Association. John Borkowski's example illustrates that being a great American also means remembering and nourishing one's heritage.