Steve Kagen

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, it's not such a difficult question to ask, Whose side are you on? Are you on the side of Cassidy and her mother, Wendy? I am. I know my colleagues are. Whose side are we on? We will answer that question tomorrow.

Mr. KAGEN. I thank my colleague, and I appreciate your kind words and your passion and your introductory remarks about SCHIP, which in Wisconsin is under the name of BadgerCare. BadgerCare cares for about 57,000 Wisconsinites today. Would the President change his mind and sign the bill we passed, by enacting SCHIP in Wisconsin, we could sign up an additional 37,000 children and perhaps their young mothers as well. This is a bill that will determine what kind of Nation we are and which direction we are going to turn. It will also answer the question whose side are we on. Are we on the side of special interests, the big insurance companies, or are we on the side of ordinary people, hardworking families that simply don't have enough money to purchase private insurance. Ninety percent of the people in the SCHIP program across the country earn less than $41,000 a year. And I submit if you are making $41,000 every year, you don't have $12,000 or $14,000 to pay for private health insurance. This is a necessary program that will determine the life and the health of our children, on whose future we all depend. I yield to my colleague, Bruce Braley from Iowa.

Mr. KAGEN. I would say it is a smokescreen, like many of the attempts of this administration to cloud the issues and kick up some smoke, to confuse the American people. The State of New York asked for a waiver to cover those people under $83,000 of income. They were refused under the SCHIP program; but that refusal became a fact. The fact is that we have never enacted legislation that covers people above $41,000. $63,000. I think $60,000 will be the number now. But, look, this is about kids. Let's put a human face on this before we go any further. This is a young girl. She is 3 years of age. She is Kailee Meronek. She lives in a trailer home with her 3-month-old sister; her mother, Wendy; and her father, Scott, who is a stay-at-home dad. Her mother, Wendy, makes $2.33 an hour working in a restaurant, plus tips. They don't have the money to pay for insurance. They are covered by BadgerCare funded through SCHIP. This is the face of America. We cannot turn our backs on our Nation's children. They are our treasure.

Mr. KAGEN. So let me review and see if I get this straight. These funds come from the Federal Government in the grant form. It's capped in this expense. It goes to every State, and every State that we have in the Union fashions their own program, whether or not they choose to cover the mother of a child. Listen, as a doctor, I have to tell you, in 30 years of practicing medicine, I have never seen a child in my examination room without the mother or a caregiver that was responsible for the children. So we, in Wisconsin, cover the parent, the mother, as well in order to increase the enrollment in this program. This reauthorization of this SCHIP program, it's primary intent is not just to retain the 3.8 million children who are covered, but to expand it to all the children in the country who are already eligible and to expand it from 200 percent of Federal poverty level up to 300 percent. So, if I understand the facts, the facts are these. It's a State-run private program. Poorest working families are the focus. It costs $3.50 a day per child to keep them covered, and we hope to cover 10.4, 10.8 million children across the country. So these are the facts as I understand them. Covers kids up to age 19; is that right? And did you hear the same argument that I heard on this floor, that it might cover illegal aliens? Is that a fact?

Mr. KAGEN. But it isn't just Governors, both Democrat and Republican, that support children's health care. It isn't just the overwhelming majority of Senators. It isn't just the majority of Congresspeople. It's groups like Easter Seals, the March of Dimes, the American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, American Academy of Family Practice, American Academy of Pediatrics, and on and on we go. Every organization that cares about people, including members of the faith community of all persuasions, is in back of this bill. This bill makes sense. It's good for our children's health. It's good for our businesses. It just makes sense to invest in our children's future. To turn our back now at this point is morally unacceptable. It is morally unacceptable.

Mr. KAGEN. I don't want anyone in this Chamber or anyone in America to misunderstand the situation. We present this bill. It's already a compromise. We passed a bill that cared not just for children but for our senior citizens on Medicare. Medicare beneficiaries, when we sent the bill to the Senate, would have gained what? At no additional co-pay, they would have preventive health care measures like mammograms, cancer screening, diabetic education coverage. But the Senate chopped off the health care additions for our senior citizens, said, no, this is a children's bill, and they sent us a bill that I felt was morally responsible. This bill meets the needs of children. It's accepted by doctors, by insurance companies, by private hospitals. This bill is passable. This bill should not have been vetoed.

Mr. KAGEN. Well, I think you get it and I think the American people are beginning to understand that it takes officeholders with good judgment. People in Wisconsin have been writing to me and sending me postcards and e-mails, and I'll just quote from a constituent from Appleton, What is it with this country? Health care for the rich and those in government? The rest of us can just die or try and live with broken bones and illness. I think the American people are beginning to understand whose side we're on and where we need to be going in this country. We cannot allow this veto to stand. It's morally unacceptable. It's bad for our business. It's bad for the health of our Nation. We know from our studies that children, if they're healthy, well- nourished in the first 5 years of life, it sets them up for good health for years to come. We know that the developing human mind in the first 5 years is beginning to jell and form neuronic structures and connections that will help them all throughout their days. We have to be kind to our youth and our seniors as well. Of course, I would like the original version of this bill, but things in this place aren't always the way we like them. We did compromise. This is a compromise bill. It's one that makes sense and is good for our health. We often tell ourselves that America is the greatest country on the Earth and it is the greatest country in history. Now it is time for us to live up to that expectation and to that level of greatness and protect our children, our children from age 0 to 5, they are forming, their brains are forming and they are going to develop attitudes and health characteristics that follow them their entire lives. We need to protect the least among us, those that are least able to defend themselves and protect themselves. We need to make sure that we give them the start in life that allow them to achieve great things and continue to lead our country into greatness, defend our liberty, to defend our ideas. And we start that with good health at the youngest age. I yield back to my friend from Iowa.

Mr. KAGEN. I think that we are beginning to air out some of the smoke that has been filling up this chamber and some of the misinformation coming from the bully pulpit down the street. But I don't think that message of confusion is confusing anyone like Wendy and her 3-month-old baby Cassidy. Cassidy, the 3-month-old baby that she is holding, she doesn't understand health care. She doesn't think about having insurance. She is looking for her next meal. She is hoping that she has got someone there to support her, to help her out, to help lift her up through her early years, I am sure. And Wendy is working hard at $2.33 an hour plus tips. She is working hard. She needs a little lift, a little help along the way. But I know that people in Northeast Wisconsin, because I've asked them: Look, I'm working for you. I'm your hired hand. Here is your hard-earned tax money. Where do you want me to spend your money, here at home on your children to guarantee that they are healthy, that they can see their own doctor, their own physician in their doctor's office and not in the emergency room? Or, do you want your money to be spent overseas in the sands of Iraq? I yield to Mr. Walz who has some data on what it is costing us per day.

Mr. KAGEN. I don't want anyone to mistake my position on this. I am not in favor of government-run health care. We don't need socialized medicine in these United States. We do have a VA system that was in disarray until we got here. This class of 2006 helped to save our military veterans' health care. We helped to save our active military from a condition that was deplorable. Everything that the President has said he was, he is not. He was not conservative. He spent us into the drink. It is borrow and spend, and borrow and spend. But this discussion, really, is about our Nation's children. It is really about where we are going as a Nation and what kind of Nation we really, really are. From your report of the recent poll, the American people get it. And we are resonant to their message. We are listening to their message. We have got the judgment. But, my friends, people of the country have to understand that Cassidy doesn't have a murmur of a prayer unless we get in the next several hours, by tomorrow when we vote on this bill, another 15 votes from our Republican side. We have got the Democratic votes. We need our Republican colleagues to come on over, to understand that this is not about partisanship. We cannot separate the politics and the policy. We have to put them together. They have to be in harmony for our children to get the health care that they so richly deserve. I believe in my heart that with good people thinking this thing all the way through; one of the problems we have had in this country in the last several years, we have had an administration that in my opinion doesn't think things all the way through. You cannot say ``no'' to Cassidy; you cannot say ``no'' to Kailee and the millions of other children that need our support in the next several hours. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Walz, I thank you for yielding. And I'd like to share with you, my colleagues, one of the lessons I learned as I left my medical practice and entered the world of politics to become a candidate and now Congressperson here in Washington. I used to think it was doctors and nurses that really determined who would live and who would die. But really, it's politicians like you and I. It's politicians that will determine whether or not Cassidy has access to health care that she requires. It's politicians that took us to war based on lies and deceptions. It's politicians that have to get over the fact that they're not going to get a political donation from a child. The children don't have a voice in this body. We have to stand up and speak for them. One of those people, not a child, from Marinette, Wisconsin, wrote to me this: ``I'm a single person but I can't afford medical insurance unless it has a very high deductible, and then it's still expensive. I have many medical problems, and cancer runs in my family, but I can't afford tests or treatments because I don't meet requirements for free checkups.'' You know, my friends, it's not just about children. This bill is focusing on the health needs of our children. Later in this session, and next session, we will also take up the cause to guarantee access to everyone. Every citizen in this country deserves the right to see their doctor, their doctor when they need it. And I believe, in my heart, that we'll come around to get these 15 votes to override this veto and begin to change America. We have to begin to think differently in this country and solve our problems by getting together, by working together and building a better future for everyone. It has to start tomorrow, in my opinion, and the opinion of many people throughout the country. It has to start now, right here and right now by caring for those who are most in need, our Nation's children, on whose future we all depend. And I yield to my colleague.

Mr. KAGEN. Well, when an attorney asks me a question, I have to give a short answer, yes. You're right. In more detail, and quite seriously, every study that's ever been performed has proven that preventive health care, that disease management, saves money and saves lives. In diabetes it saves limbs. If you have a diabetic that is more under control, with their glucose maintained within a normal range, you gain longer life, less kidney failure, less heart disease, and your limbs, the circulation in your limbs, your lower extremities, in particular, are maintained. Diabetes is one example. In asthma it's yet another. Several years ago, 5,000-some children and adults would die from asthma attacks in this country, and with a disease management program, we've reduced the hospitalization rate of children with asthma. Asthma is the number one cause of hospitalization for children. Asthma is a very common illness today. It's in epidemic proportion in our major cities. Where, in our major cities? Well, there's lower poverty rates in our lower cities. And it is our Nation's children who are in low-income stratas that are developing allergy and asthma much more frequently. They need preventive health care. It saves money and it saves lives. And to think of it a little differently, we can lower the taxes of every town, of every city, of every State in this country by having children that are healthy. By investing in the health of our children, we can lower people's taxes. This just hasn't sunk in yet. It will some day, if we fail to cover our children's health care. And I yield.

Mr. KAGEN. Let me share with you just one such story of a patient of mine; actually, her children were my patients, and Jenny was a single mom with two young asthmatic children. And they were in my office by referral from their physician, and I made a diagnosis. I wrote some prescriptions for each child. I said, ``Hey, I'll see you in a month, and they'll be doing fine. They'll be back in school. They'll get the education they need. They'll be healthy.'' A month later she came back in with her children and these children were still wheezing. You know me pretty well; I'm right to the point. I said, ``Well, you know, Jenny, this medicine works pretty good if you put it in their mouths.'' And she was sitting next to me and she took up her purse and opened it up and took out the very same prescriptions I had given her a month earlier and put them on my counter. And she said, ``Well, Dr. Kagen, I don't have the money to put it in their mouths. I took your prescriptions that you gave me to the pharmacy. I stood at the counter. I could see the medicine, but I couldn't afford to put it in their mouths. What are you going to do about this? How can you help me? How can you help me?'' Well, I stood up and said that's it. I've got to run for Congress. I can't change health care by becoming mayor of Appleton, Wisconsin. I can't change health care by going to be a Governor in the State House because we can't fix health care. This is a national crisis. You can't fix it State by State. Insurance companies are hiding behind State lines. So I came here to work with you. As you all came here, so did I, to bring our country back to the basics. We have to get back to the basics in this country. And I'll just echo, not just what my patients have been telling me, but everybody along the parade routes, everybody I meet at the grocery store, everywhere I go, people say this: ``Hey, Kagen, I want my country back.'' They don't just mean a border that they can see. They don't just mean having a President that will obey the rule of law. They mean they want their morals back. They want their standing, their country to stand up tall and say we care about our children and we're willing to invest in their future. This is Jenny's story, and I bring it to you and I share it with the Nation. We cannot turn our back. We cannot say no to Jenny. We cannot say no to Wendy and her children. They are working hard. These are hardworking people. The 47 million people that don't have health insurance today, two-thirds of them are hardworking people. They simply don't have the money to pay an insurance company for what benefits they may or may not get if they have insurance. But this bill just makes sense. It's good for our Nation's health. It's good for our business. It's paid for. It's pay-as-you-go. Where do you want to spend your money if not on your children and their future? I yield back to Mr. McNerney.

Mr. KAGEN. And together we will.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, tomorrow, this House will consider and answer the question, the most essential question of our time, What kind of Nation are we and which direction shall we move? Shall we guarantee access to health care to our Nation's children, who need it most? Shall we send our children to the costly emergency room or to their family physicians' offices to receive the care they so desperately require? Whose side are you on? Failing to care for our Nation's children is morally unacceptable. This is the view of the March of Dimes; this is the view of Easter Seals, the faith communities throughout the country, and countless medical organizations across the land. Tomorrow, I have the honor of representing the hopes and dreams and lives of 11 million children. Join us in overriding the Presidential veto. It's the right thing to do. And let's work together across the aisle to build a better future for all of us.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, last evening I introduced you to a young girl that I had the honor of representing in northeastern Wisconsin. This is 3-year-old Kailee Meronek. Kailee and her family live in a trailer home just north of Appleton, and she receives care only because the United States Congress passed a Republican-inspired bill called the SCHIP, the State Children's Health Insurance Program. And through that program, funds were sent to Wisconsin, and we created in Wisconsin a program called BadgerCare. BadgerCare guarantees that nearly 57,000 citizens throughout the State have access to health care. And because they see their doctor in their doctor's office, the costs for their health care go down. They are not seen in the emergency room. They are seen in the doctor's office. Kailee gets health care because of BadgerCare. But BadgerCare and SCHIP are in limbo. Their futures are in doubt. Why? Because this Congress is considering and will vote on Thursday morning whether or not to override President Bush's veto of this fundamentally important program that provides health care to millions of our children who are most in need across the country. The SCHIP bill, which was vetoed by the President, guarantees that our children, the children of our Nation, have access to health care at the physician's office. It focuses on those who are among us that need us the most: our Nation's children. It is a private program because private doctors, private insurance plans, and private hospitals deliver the health care. It spends $3.50 per day for a child like Kailee. But Kailee doesn't live alone. She lives in a family and in a community, and allow me now to introduce you to her mother and her new sister. This is Kailee's mother, Wendy, who is a food server. She's a waitress. And she earns $2.33 per hour and tips. She is working hard to support her family and lives with her husband, Keith. Keith takes care of the children while Wendy is working. And this young girl, Cassidy, is 3 months of age. Cassidy doesn't understand health care. She only knows that she gets hungry and she has her mother to care for her. This country, our Nation, must decide what kind of a Nation we are and in which direction we are going to turn. In several days we will decide here in Congress whether or not to override a veto, which I believe to be morally unacceptable. We cannot say no to our Nation's children. We must accept the responsibility of caring for those who are most in need. That is not just my point of view. This bill is supported by everyone who is involved in delivering health care in this country, the American Medical Association, the American Nursing Association, and more. The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; the American Academy of Family Practice; the Federation of American Hospitals; the American Hospital Association; Catholic Charities; the March of Dimes; Lutheran Services; the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; and more and more. Everyone understands that we as a Nation must care for our Nation's children first because if our children are healthy, they will be in school and be able to learn and gain the education that they require to compete in this global marketplace. But it all starts right here Thursday morning when this House must vote to override President Bush's veto. I believe we are at a precipice here in our country. It is getting dark, but it's not dark yet. We have to stand up for those who are among us that need us the most. Please reconsider your votes. Our people, our children need us. Please reconsider your votes.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, what kind of Nation are we when 47 million Americans go to bed every night without adequate health care coverage? And what kind of Nation will we become when we turn our backs on those who need us the most, our Nation's children, on whose future we all depend? The SCHIP bill, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, will provide access to necessary medical services to 11 million of our children who are most in need. We cannot, we shall not, we must not turn our backs on our Nation's children. I urge my colleagues who have yet to consider voting up or down on this measure to think this thing all the way through. Whose side are you on? Are you on the side of our children, who need you the most? Or are you on the side of special interests? We Democrats are on the side of children. Please reconsider what kind of Nation we will be when we turn our backs on our children.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, we've been talking the last several weeks here in Congress about the SCHIP, the State Children's Health Insurance Program. This is the SCHIP face I'd like to show America. Before I discuss with you in the next several minutes the SCHIP program, I'd like to show you the face of Kailee Meronek from Appleton. I represent her. She's not here to speak for herself, so I have the great honor and duty of speaking on her behalf. She has a younger sister who is 3 months of age, and a young mother who's earning $2.33 an hour at a restaurant. She qualifies for SCHIP. She has benefited from SCHIP; and because she is covered by this state-run program, she sees her doctor in the doctor's office and not in the emergency room. Kailee needs our help and she needs our support. She will some day have to pay for a war that is costing the American taxpayers $400 million a day. And yet we're not even paying for this war. The occupation of Iraq is being paid for by borrowed money from China that Kailee and her younger sister, Cassidy, will have to pay back some day. The SCHIP program is a state-run program that's been very successful. We aim to reauthorize this program and expand its coverage to all children in America who are eligible. That's up to about 10.8 million to 11 million children who are the lowest income strata in the country. The SCHIP program will focus on the working families who need the help the most. It will guarantee access to health care at the doctor's office, not at the expensive emergency room. If anyone listening thinks that SCHIP is not a good deal, you're going to spend much more money taking care of Kailee and her family at the emergency room than at the doctor. SCHIP reduces your taxes. It cuts the cost of caring for families who are most in need. How about the money? $3.50 a day. Kailee is not asking for that money; she deserves it. What kind of Nation are we? What kind of Nation would turn their back on Kailee and Cassidy and their mother, Wendy? Not this America. I want my country back. I want a country that still cares about people more than corporations. I want a country that respects its laws and obeys all of its laws, including signing statements. We don't need signing statements. We need someone in our offices in the administration who cares about people. Kailee and her sister, Cassidy, need our help. I'm asking all Republicans, all Democrats, forget your party leadership. Forget your association with your party. Think about the people you represent, like this young girl. We aim to cover 57,778 people in Wisconsin on the SCHIP program, and hope to expand it another 37,000. We do it in a fair way, in a way that's called pay-as-you-go, not like our occupation of Iraq. We're going to pay as we go. I ask America tonight to put a human face on the SCHIP program. Help Kailee. Support Kailee, her sister and her family and everyone in this country who needs our help. What kind of Nation are we? We'll find out on Thursday. America is listening. My colleagues, Mr. Speaker, I ask you to support the SCHIP bill and override the Presidential veto.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Peterson and thank Ranking Member Goodlatte for allowing me to participate on a bipartisan committee, a committee whose example should be followed by the remainder of this Chamber. It has been a great pleasure for me to participate on this Agriculture Committee. My home State of Wisconsin has been a leader on this issue of renewable energy. Why? Because we need an energy policy today that is not put together behind closed doors but out in the open, in a committee forum and here on the House floor. Wisconsin has established its own renewable energy standard of 10 percent renewable by 2015, and judging by today's oil price that may reach $85 per barrel, it can't come too soon. This resolution of 25x'25, which I'm a proud cosponsor of, indicates our Nation's desire to become energy independent. By declaring our intent to provide 25 percent of our Nation's energy from renewable sources by 2025, we're taking a critical step in securing the energy and environmental needs of our future generations. As a member of the Ag Committee, I know the potential of our farms, the potential of our forests, especially in northern Wisconsin, and the potential of our working lands across the country. If we achieve the goals outlined in this resolution, we will not only provide for our Nation's energy requirements, but we'll also develop innovative industries and supply countless numbers of new jobs in this developing field of renewable energy and at the same time will continue to guarantee that we will all serve our Nation well as a leader in the world. Madam Speaker, it is no surprise today that we need a new energy policy, and this is a great start to a great new beginning.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, we must begin to think differently in America and begin to work together to guarantee universal access to affordable care for every citizen everywhere in these United States, and, without question, to all of our Nation's children on whose future we all depend. Every day until we vote to override President Bush's morally unacceptable veto of the bipartisan State Children's Health Insurance Program, I will be here to share with you here in the people's House views of ordinary people from Wisconsin, people like Dan from Crivitz, who writes, ``We want health care like you have in Congress.'' And Stephanie, who says, ``Insurance is number one on my list. My current employer can't afford to give us health insurance, and I can't get independent coverage. Help, please.'' I look forward to sharing the views of ordinary people later this evening with you. And now more than ever we must work together to guarantee access to care for everyone and build a better Nation for all of us.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Thank you for yielding, Congressman Hodes. It is an extreme pleasure for me to be with you this evening and with our Speaker Braley from Iowa. The American people have been posed a number of questions by you this evening. I think the most important question was posed to our generation many years ago by Bobby Kennedy on the evening of the assassination of Martin Luther King when he asked the country this question: What kind of Nation are we? And which direction shall we turn? We were confronted several days ago with a Presidential veto of children's health care called SCHIP. The State Children Health Insurance Plan, SCHIP, saves lives. SCHIP saves lives for children and for pregnant mothers. We have to do all we can to guarantee access to affordable care for everyone in our country. But first and foremost, what kind of Nation are we if we don't care for our children? I have here a placard that gives us the SCHIP facts. People may have heard a number of things in the last several days about SCHIP, but these are the facts. SCHIP is a State-run private program. The States get grant money from the Federal Government to run their own programs. It focuses on the poorest working families in America, families that earn just above what would qualify for welfare or Medicaid health care coverage. It also provides $3.50 cost per child per day. Now, if you want to compare what you can do with your hard-earned tax dollars, you can invest $3.50 of your hard-earned tax money into the health care for children who need it most, and on 1 day we are currently spending $330 million to $400 million a day in the sands of Iraq. Now, where I come from in northeast Wisconsin people are asking me this question: ``Doc, how can I get my country back? I want my country back.'' We need to create jobs here in America, not overseas. SCHIP fact Number 4, who is eligible? The poorest working people in America. People that are three times the Federal poverty rate, which is just under $58,000, $59,000 per year. Also, who is it going to cover? It is going to cover 10 million, 10.8 million, we hope, children who need access to their pediatricians, children who require their family practitioner to guide them and make them healthy. If our children are not healthy, they can't learn in school. If they are unable to learn in school and progress with their education, what kind of future do they have? Our children, after all, are our own future. Our future depends on the good health of our children. So these are the SCHIP facts that we are going to be taking about in the next several days. You will see more and more Congressmen and Congresswomen talking about health care for children. But I haven't seen in my medical practice over 30 years a single child in my examination room without a mother, a father, or a caregiver. So we have to begin to broaden this discussion not just about children's health care, but access to health care for every citizen everywhere in these United States. So SCHIP is a proven program. I hold it against no one that it started out as a Republican program. It is a Republican-inspired private program administered by States with moneys appropriated through the Federal Government. It focuses on working families, the poorest among us, and focuses on putting children first. It only involves U.S. citizens. If you are not a citizen, you are not a legal resident, you are not going to get these benefits that come with it. It is a private, private-run plan, private doctors, private health care plans, and children up to 19 years of age can be covered. This is a program that works for kids. In my view, in the view of most people living throughout the United States and especially northeast Wisconsin, the President was being morally unresponsible. It is morally unacceptable to say ``no'' to our children. I yield back my time for a few moments, to my good colleague from New Hampshire as we talk more about health care and its relationship to Iraq. Because the way I look at it, Iraq is a health care issue. They are using real bullets, real people are being killed, about 700,000 Iraqi civilians are dead, and they are not coming back. Thousands of our soldiers have given everything, have given their lives as they have served with courage, with honor and with incredible skill. We have done our job in Iraq. We have taken down Saddam. We have done everything the Iraqi Parliament needed us to do for them to help them in their religious civil war.

Mr. KAGEN. Thank you for yielding. One of the nice things about being in the majority is we have an opportunity now to have oversight, to ask questions seeking the truth about where our hard-earned tax dollars are being spent. I have always believed and I believe everyone in Wisconsin believes that your family values are reflected in how and where you spend your money. The values of this administration, of this President, will be reflected in how and where he is attempting to direct us to spend our hard-earned dollars. We have heard from you, Congressman Hodes, the voice of the administrator from the new Iraq, the freely elected government of Iraq. I would like to share with you now some of the words of people from my district who have concerns about money and their health and where we are going. Albert from Crivitz writes, ``Without a job that pays a fair wage, I won't have money to pay for health care, gas, a war, Social Security or anything else.'' Albert in Crivitz understands. He has to balance his checkbook every month and he can't spend money that he doesn't have. Lloyd in Wisconsin, who I spoke with this evening before coming down to the floor, he is from Kaukauna, said, ``Do something to help your senior citizens for health care and drug programs. Thank you.'' When I spoke with him this evening, he went beyond his postcard to me to explain that he has two daughters who are retarded who are dependent upon him. And even though he is trying to retire, he is a retired paper worker in the paper industry and his wife has diabetes, he is having a hard time making it. And without the role of government, what kind of future would he and his daughters have? From Waupaca, Dianne writes to me, ``We know numerous people over 50 who have lost their jobs so companies can cut health care and payroll costs, and cannot find any other work and no longer have health insurance.'' No health insurance for 4 years. In speaking with Dianne's husband this evening, Ken, he explained that his son is shipping out on the 26th of this month to Iraq as a member of the Guard. He is a gunner on a Humvee. He is a college graduate, and he is making a sacrifice. No one in this administration has asked the American people to sacrifice for this poor judgment of entering into the Iraqi civil war. But who is he really asking to pay the price? He is asking us to forgo health care for the poorest among us and for our Nation's children who are near poverty. That is a poor choice. It is poor judgment that got us into Iraq. But we have to stand up in this House, in this, the People's House, expressing citizens' points of view. It is their money, and that is who we represent. From Appleton, Wisconsin, my hometown, Leroy and Lois: ``We are retired, over 80. We need drugs for high cholesterol, but the cost for this drug is extremely high. Also it would be great to have some alternative auto fuel.'' These people in Appleton really get it. And they are listening tonight. I called them to tune in on C-SPAN, because we are expressing their views here this evening. From Fremont, Wisconsin, Larry writes, ``My wife and I spend over $900 a month for drugs now. When we hit the doughnut hole, that is when we really will pay.'' In speaking with him tonight, his wife is in the doughnut hole. That is over a $2,400 hole, and their copay is $600 for their medications. We have some values that we have to reflect here in the People's House. Where are we going to spend the taxpayers' hard-earned dollars-- overseas, or here at home? Bonnie from Biron, Wisconsin, writes, ``We need to start worrying about the people of U.S.A. before we worry about others in the world.'' Robert from Green Bay, ``Iraq, bringing them home. If taxpayers can't get the same health insurance as Congress, at least get drug costs down to the VA amounts.'' My friend, people in Wisconsin understand the deal they are being handed. My honorable friend, Congressman Hodes, you point to a chart that shows $330 million a day being spent in Iraq. I can build 10 brand new hospitals in Wisconsin with that amount of money. Each and every day, 10 hospitals in your State, Texas, California, Missouri, everywhere in these United States and that money is gone and it is not coming back.

Mr. KAGEN. That brings up a good point that Linda DePere writes, ``I do not want the government involved in health care. The government mismanages money and thinks funds are endless.'' We agree with Linda, but we also believe in good government. And I believe good government can make a real difference in people's lives. That's why I left my medical practice to come to Congress to speak up for people who can't pay for their prescriptions.

Mr. KAGEN. Being a songwriter and a singer yourself, I understand, you remember the song, ``There's a Hole in the Bucket.'' Well, when we came to Congress, we discovered there is a hole in the bucket. We feel, and I will just speak on behalf of myself, I feel just as frustrated as everyone back home that change can't happen fast enough, that we can't plug the leaks as fast as humanly possible. We have not got the ability. I wasn't elected President; I was elected to be one of the 435 Members of Congress who express the people's view. We are not the administrators. Our job is to do oversight, to legislate, and to fund those things and place our values on the table and put our money where we believe the people best want it spent. And people watching have to ask themselves: Whose side are we on? Are we on the side of large insurance companies? Are we on the side of no- bid contractors? I am a Democrat. I am not on their side. I don't sit in the boardrooms. I sit and stand with you on the House floor speaking their voice. All these issues come together. You cannot solve our situation in Iraq and health care and education and our environment and the safety and security of this Nation without talking about how we are going to spend our hard-earned money. It always requires money, and that's obvious. It is simple. Money is a problem solver. If you have a problem, you throw money at it and the problem should go away. Well, we are throwing money into Iraq and the problem isn't going away. Here are the words from Tom and Sue from New London: ``Number one, 51 million people without health care is a disgrace. Number two, the war in Iraq is like Vietnam all over. Number three, outsourcing is unacceptable and morally wrong.'' Tom and Sue from New London understand. There is a connection between outsourcing by hiring people offshore, lower wages, lower tax base that we don't have the money to solve our problems here at home. Vicki from Green Bay writes, ``Better medical care for poor seniors.'' Well, SCHIP is not focused at seniors. It is focused first at our children who are most at risk, those with lower-income families. Those are the people I think we have to focus on first, and never think for a moment we are going to neglect our seniors, our military veterans and active military people who have served and put their lives on the line. They covered our back. It is time we cover theirs as well. This is Kathleen from DePere: ``It is time for all Americans to have the same health care benefits as their representatives in Washington.'' Well, Kathleen, you don't want my coverage because I respectfully declined the health care benefits here until everyone in my district and the State and the country is offered the same cafeteria menu of choices. I felt it was wrong. Deb from Little Chute in my district. ``I want to see lower drug prices for everyone, not just seniors.'' People back home get it, Congressman Hodes. It is not just about kids, but we have to start somewhere. If we can't stand up and say-- what kind of Nation are we, that we would turn our back on those most in need, children from hardworking families, what kind of Nation are we? It is morally unacceptable for the President to have vetoed this bill. This bill is paid for, and it is paid for in a responsible manner. It is a good deal for the American taxpayer. It is a great deal for our future to invest in our children's care.

Mr. KAGEN. Thank you for yielding. One of the lessons I learned when I entered the world of politics and politicians was that it's politicians that determine who will live and who will die. It was, after all, politicians that took us to war based on lies and deceptions, and it's politicians today who are preventing my patients, my constituents and those who are most in need from having access to their health care that they require to survive. It's politicians that are very important. So our politicians I believe on every level, whether you're a mayor, an alderman, a county board person, a Governor, a President, our elected leaders must now, more than ever, have good judgment, and good judgment will yield good results. Now, this bill isn't just paid for with SCHIP. It saves money. Instead of a low-income family taking their children with a strep throat to the emergency room, they will get to go to a doctor, and you know, I can share with you a scientific fact you already know, but sometimes people who point out the obvious are called geniuses. You know, a cataract never had a name on it like Republican or Democrat. Strep throat never had a name like Independent or Progressive or Republican. Human disease has no political affiliation. I have not asked my patients what political party they're in before we decide what's best for them. The motto is, the thematic idea is, do what is best for your patients if you're a physician. Here in Congress we have to have that same mantra, that same idea: do what is best for our constituents. That's our duty. That's our job, but we have to have good judgment. Now, the other thing I've discovered here, when I served in the Veterans Administration hospitals as a physician during my training days, we had a slogan that said, hey, wait a minute, if it makes sense, don't do it; it's the military. If you served in the Marines or the Army, you might have that same idea, wait a minute, if it makes sense, what are we doing it for? But we have to now make sense of our judgments, especially with health care for our children. They are the ones most at risk. Early in life, the early development of the human brain, the first 5 years of development are so critical to the future health and psychology of that person. We have to invest in our children's health care. SCHIP is not perfect but it is the best way forward. It just makes too much common sense for many people. I'm hoping that tonight people watching throughout America will understand, yeah, it does matter who my politician is, who my congressperson is. They should call and write their congressman and congresswoman today. Don't wait till tomorrow. This is far too important. This is a matter literally of life and death. It's not just your pocketbook. We're talking about your neighbors, the people that live just down the street that don't have access to care that they require. We can change it. I believe in good government. I know you do as well. I know people listening want good government. This is their opportunity to participate. We have shared their stories here tonight. It's their story, and it's their lives that we're attempting to improve. Their quality of life is on the line on the 18th of October. This President has failed to listen to ordinary people, people from my district who are asking for access to their doctor, who are asking him to take a new and different direction away from Iraq and back after Osama bin Laden and his followers. The President, who I believe is a good man, has poor judgment on this one, is listening to some people that are giving him bad advice. We'd like to work with the President. The third lesson I've learned: One congressperson can't make a tremendous change, but they don't have to give up trying. What really matters here in our government is who's in the White House. I'm convinced, now more than ever, with this recent battle over health care for children that makes sense, that's paid for, that saves money, saves tax dollars, if we can't win over this President and the Republican Party on this argument, they don't deserve to be in the White House for a generation. Their judgment is ill, spoken like a physician, and no joke meant. I cannot tell you how hard I took it when the President said ``no'' to our children, to our Nation's children most in need. It's the most unkind act, other than taking us to war based on poor judgment and deception.

Mr. KAGEN. I appreciate your sentiment, your energy, and I agree with everything that you have been saying, and I would ask another question of the American people, not just what kind of Nation are we, but this essential question that you will recognize. If not now, when? And if not you, then who? This moment does matter. I am so grateful for our leadership in giving us this opportunity this week to have an ongoing conversation with constituents and voters and parents and children all across the country. We need to have a discussion about what kind of Nation we are and in which direction we're going to turn, shall we invest in the health of our children, those who are most in need, or shall we be unkind and immoral and turn away from them? I think most people would agree with us, that it's a great idea to be healthy and especially to invest in the health of our children. In the State of Wisconsin, the SCHIP program under BadgerCare, what we call BadgerCare, 16,527 children are covered. We can enhance with this bill up to 37,000 additional children who have access to health care. My friends, if not now, when? And if not you, then who? You must contact your representative to make sure that he or she is speaking the way you want them to speak. We have been listening to you all throughout our election and all throughout our careers, we will continue. Because a politician is someone who is looking forward to their next election. We are statesmen looking out for our next generation.