Robert Latta

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Congressman, thank you very much for hosting this extremely important Special Order tonight on cap-and-tax. It's an issue that I think every American had better learn about quickly. I did a teletown hall last night, and we discussed it quite a bit because in my area we're hurting. Just to kind of give you a little bit of background on my area, according to the National Manufacturers Association, I represent the largest manufacturing district in the State of Ohio. Last summer I represented the ninth largest in Congress, but because of what's happened with the economy and jobs, I now represent the 13th largest manufacturing district in Congress. One of the things that we hear about, as you were talking about, is what we are going to be doing about cap-and-tax in this country. It is something I think the American people need to know, if it is something we need to have. In my opinion, it will be something that will destroy jobs across this country. You know, the Chinese were asked not too long ago, and it was reported in one of the Washington papers, what about cap-and-trade? What were they going to do about it? And they said, Well, you don't understand the situation. We only produce it. You, the United States, consume it. And if you hadn't consumed it, we wouldn't have produce it. So, therefore, you pay the tax. I think there is a real quick answer where they are going to be coming from on this. If the United States wants to go it alone on this and say that we're going to put these standards down on the American people, on American manufacturing, we're in trouble. What we have to do is cast our eyes across that pond and see what they did in Europe. They have what they called leakage. That leakage occurred once they started putting in their cap-and-trade policies, the next thing you knew was these companies started filtering out, leaking out, and then they started coming into the United States. If we do this, we're going to have companies say, we can't afford it. We'll just move over. Because most of these are multinational. They'll move over into the Pacific rim, and we'll have more job losses.

Mr. LATTA. I thank the gentleman. I will be brief. Time is short for this country. We have folks out there that need jobs--and they need them today. We have been in a tough recession. Back in 1982, when we were coming out of that recession folks were confident that those factories were going to open back up; that those doors would be open and those jobs would be there. Today, a lot of those jobs are gone. We're in a tough economic environment. We're in a tough global environment--the competition is tough. If we want to make sure that we can compete in this country and we can make sure that we have those jobs in this country to compete against the rest of the world, we have to make sure that we have the costs down. If we go through this cap-and-tax, it's going to be a bad day for America. I just want to thank the gentleman for hosting this tonight. We're going to be talking about this not only here in Congress, but across our districts in the coming days.

Mr. LATTA. I tell you, the discussion that we are having right now boils down to one thing, that this cap-and-tax is going to cost this country jobs. And I am sure everyone in this body speaks at their local schools every month. I am going to be speaking at graduation this weekend at one of my colleges. What do you tell these students that are graduating? They have this great opportunity, that you are going to have the same chance that we had, that your grandparents had? Or are we going to tell them, You know what? It's going to be tough out there. Maybe you won't find a job. You know, when you hear more and more that parents are worried that when their kids graduate from college, what do they do? They move home. There is no place for them to go. There are no jobs. One of the things that I think we have to remember in this whole debate, this is all about jobs, jobs, jobs. And one of the things that people kind of also have to remember is that government does not create a single job. This government consumes wealth. The only avenue that we have out there to produce wealth in this country is through business. And if businesses aren't able to operate, if they can't turn the lights on because it's too expensive, and day in and day out I am hearing from my constituents, I hearing from companies across the State of Ohio, they are saying, if this goes in, we don't know how we are going to literally keep the lights on.

Mr. LATTA. I'm still looking for the logic because, you know, we have all these resources. We have all this technology, but we're not using it. And we are all for, I think, on our side of the aisle what we call the ``all-of-the-above'' policy, all these things I just rattled off for using. In my district they manufacture solar panels. I'm going to have two companies by the end of the year manufacturing solar panels. We have the ability for wind, and we have everything from ethanol to biodiesel and we're looking at hydrogen down the road. But we need to be doing all of the above. Right now I am getting calls from my constituents and they're saying, Bob, how come the gas prices are going up 30 cents in 1 week? And I said, Well, gasoline is over $60 a barrel again. And people are going to start watching it go up and up and up. And the same thing that's going to come is how are we going to pay for this, this, or this, and we're going to have to say we're not going to buy this.

Mr. LATTA. Thank you very much for yielding. Just to follow up on your conversation right there, we do have such great resources in this country. We have almost 25 percent of the world's coal. We ought to be using it. And it's that clean coal technology. We ought to have those contests out there. There are people in my district right now that are working on clean coal, but they are always being beaten down because they hear things coming out of Washington saying absolutely not, we're not going to have clean coal because we'll tax you out of existence. So who wants to use it? So, you know, when you look at what we have in our country, we have all these resources. We have oil. We have natural gas. We have the coal. We should be developing nuclear. We haven't had a new nuclear power plant sited since 1977, and our competitors in the world like the Chinese are looking at 35 to 40 in the next 25 to 30 years. That's not sustainable.

Mr. LATTA. In 1977.

Mr. LATTA. Correct.

Mr. LATTA. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Again, you are absolutely correct. What will happen is this: I represent an area that manufactures. We have General Motors. We have Chrysler. We make washing machines. We make furniture. We make all kinds of things in my district. Brass fittings. But when you implement this tax, this cost is going to be passed on from the utility companies to the manufacturers. And the next thing that will happen is, these companies are going to have a very hard time competing within a global economy. I was in one of my district counties several weeks ago and went into one of the plants. They showed me two things. They said, this is the brass fitting that we make. This is the brass fitting that they make in China. You know, for like 45 cents they can do it over there, and it may cost us $3 or $4 to make the same type of product here. The whole idea of putting cap-and-trade and raising this tax and passing it on to the manufacturers, we're not going to have any jobs left, not only in the 5th Congressional District but across the Midwest because with our heavy coal usage and with the number of manufacturing jobs. The Heritage Foundation recently put out a study. What they did was, they looked at all 435 congressional districts. And what they said was, okay, we're going to look at the number of manufacturing jobs you have, and now we're going to also look at how much power usage is from coal, et cetera, going right down to natural gas through nuclear. I have what you might consider the third worst district in the United States, according to the Heritage Foundation, when it comes to cap-and- trade because of the cost it will be to do business in my district. I have companies in my district, because they use so much energy, a slight blip will make them have to think, is it even worth manufacturing in this country anymore? We're in a tough recession right now. But one of the things that we have to look at right now is going back to the late seventies, early eighties into that recession. But the United States, people said, you know what, we're going to get out of that thing because we knew that those factories were going to start back up. But today we don't know that because when I go through these factories, and they take me in and say, you know, we only have a third of our factory running, or I hear today that one large company might have 50 percent of their workforce laid off, a huge company.

Mr. LATTA. Well, what you have to do is look at this. What is this thing? We're talking about carbon, carbon credits. To put this all into perspective, Ohio is a heavy user of coal when we turn our lights on. So if what they are saying is that we're really going to hit coal, Ohio and Indiana are going to be in deep trouble right off the bat. Indiana is even, we might say, in worse shape than we are. In Ohio about 87 percent of our usage to turn on our lights every day and run our factories is coal generated.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding young man from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am happy to announce that Steven Billmaier of Bowling Green, Ohio has been offered an appointment to attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Steven's offer of appointment poises him to attend the United States Naval Academy this fall with the incoming midshipmen Class of 2013. Attending one of our Nation's military academies is an invaluable experience that offers a world-class education while placing demands on those who undertake one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives. Steven brings an enormous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming class of midshipmen. While attending Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio, Steven attained a grade point average which placed him fourth in his class of 257 students. During Steven's high school career, he was inducted into the National Honor Society and the Insignis Society; distinguished as a Regents Scholar; and received a National Merit Commendation. Outside the classroom, Steven demonstrated his dedication and service to his community and peers by being active in the Boy Scouts of America in which he obtained the rank of Eagle Scout, in addition to earning four Eagle Palms. Steven utilized his leadership skills during his participation in Central Catholic High School's German Club, Environmental Club, Spiritual Commission, and he was a class officer. Athletically, Steven has been an active member of Crew, participating in both the fall and spring sessions during the past four years. I am confident that Steven will carry the lessons of his student leadership to Annapolis. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Steven Billmaier on his acceptance of appointment to the United States Naval Academy. Our service academies offer the forest military training and education available. I am positive that Steven will excel during his career at the Naval Academy and I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to him as he begins his service to the Nation.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding young man from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am happy to announce that Jared Leininger of Archbold, Ohio has been offered an appointment to attend the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Jared's offer of appointment poises him to attend the United States Air Force Academy this fall with the incoming cadet Class of 2013. Attending one of our Nation's military academies is an invaluable experience that offers a world-class education while placing demands on those who undertake one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives. Jared brings an enormous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming class of Air Force cadets. While a gifted athlete, Jared has maintained the highest standards of excellence in his academics, having been on the alpha honor roll and honor roll each year, and earned varsity letters in wrestling and football. Outside the classroom, Jared was a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Hand Bell Choir, Senior Lutheran Youth Fellowship, serving as both Vice President and President, and served as an elementary tutor and teachers' aide. Jared participated on Archbold High School's football, wrestling, and baseball teams. Jared's dedication and service to the community and his peers has proven his ability to excel among the leaders at the Air Force Academy. I have no doubt that Jared will take the lessons of his student leadership with him to Colorado Springs. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Jared Leininger on his acceptance of appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. Our service academies offer the finest military training and education available. I am positive that Jared will excel during his career at the Air Force Academy and I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to him as he begins his service to the Nation.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding young woman from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am happy to announce that Jacqueline Crawford of Waterville, Ohio has been offered an appointment to attend the United States Naval Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island. Jackie's offer of appointment poises her to attend the United States Naval Preparatory School this fall, and after successful completion, will attend the United States Naval Academy with the incoming midshipmen Class of 2014. Attending one of our Nation's military academies is an invaluable experience that offers a world-class education while placing demands on those who undertake one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives. Jackie brings an enormous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming class of midshipmen. During Jackie's high school career, she received honors in chemistry and chose to enroll and excel in Advanced Placement courses. Outside the classroom, Jackie demonstrated her dedication and service to her community and peers by being active in the Race for the Cure, the Diabetes Research Walk, Meals on Wheels, and other fund raising and relief efforts to assist those less fortunate. Jackie utilized her leadership skills during her participation in Anthony Wayne High School's FCCLA, track, choir, theater, softball and as captain of the cheerleading squad. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Jacqueline Crawford on her acceptance of appointment to the United States Naval Preparatory School. Our service academies offer the finest military training and education available. I am positive that Jackie will excel during her career at the Naval Academy and I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to her as she begins her service to the Nation.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding young man from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am happy to announce that Matthew DeMichiei of Napoleon, Ohio has been offered appointments to attend the United States Air Force Academy and the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Matt has accepted the offer to attend the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Matt's offer of appointment poises him to attend the United States Air Force Academy this fall with the incoming cadet Class of 2013. Attending one of our Nation's military academies is an invaluable experience that offers a world-class education while placing demands on those who undertake one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives. Matt brings an enormous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming class of Air Force cadets. While attending Napoleon High School in Napoleon, Ohio, Matt attained a grade point average that placed him among the top of his class. While a gifted athlete, Matt has maintained the highest standards of excellence in his academics, choosing to enroll and excel in Advanced Placement classes throughout high school. Matt is a member of the National Honor Society, Honor Roll, and has earned varsity letters in soccer each of his four years. Outside the classroom, Matt was a member of the Quiz Team, French Club, Youth Soccer Club, Camp Palmer Counselor, Prom Committee, and Student Advisory Board. Matt participated on Napoleon High School's soccer, swimming, and tennis teams. I am confident that Matt will carry the lessons of his student leadership to the Air Force Academy. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Matthew DeMichiei on his acceptance of appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. Our service academies offer the finest military training and education available. I am positive that Matt will excel during his career at the Air Force Academy and I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to him as he begins his service to the Nation.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding young man from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am happy to announce that Michael Wurth of Perrysburg, Ohio has been offered an appointment to attend the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mike's offer of appointment poises him to attend the United States Air Force Academy this fall with the incoming cadet Class of 2013. Attending one of our Nation's military academies is an invaluable experience that offers a world-class education while placing demands on those who undertake one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives. Mike brings an enormous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming class of Air Force cadets. While attending Perrysburg High School in Perrysburg, Ohio, Mike was a member of the National Honor Society and High Honor Roll. Outside the classroom, Mike was active in Boy Scouts, serving as a Patrol Leader, Chaplain's Aide, and Order of the Arrow Brotherhood Member. He obtained the rank of Eagle Scout and served as a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. Mike participated on Perrysburg High School's cross country, track, and wrestling teams, earning varsity letters in each and serving as captain of the cross country and wrestling teams. Mike also organized community track meets. I am confident that Mike will carry the lessons of his student leadership to the Air Force Academy. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Michael Wurth on his acceptance of appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. Our service academies offer the finest military training and education available. I am positive that Mike will excel during his career at the Air Force Academy and I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to him as he begins his service to the Nation.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding young man from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am happy to announce that Benjamin Van Horn of Whitehouse, Ohio has been offered an appointment to attend the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Ben's offer of appointment poises him to attend the United States Air Force Academy this fall with the incoming cadet Class of 2013. Attending one of our Nation's military academies is an invaluable experience that offers a world-class education while placing demands on those who undertake one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives. Ben brings an enormous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming class of Air Force cadets. He was a member of the National Honor Society, received the Anthony Wayne Academy Award in grades 9-11, received the Presidential Physical Fitness Award and the National Physical Fitness Award, among numerous other academic awards. Outside the classroom, Ben was a member of Brailey Union Church Youth Group, serving as vice president, was a student leader for Campus Life. He was President of the German Club and active in marching, concert, and jazz band. Ben participated on Anthony Wayne High School's cross country and track teams, earning varsity letters in both and serving as captain of the cross country team. He has taught hunter safety courses, fire safety courses, and obtained his student pilot license. He has been extremely involved in community service projects. I have no doubt that Ben will employ the lessons of his student leadership as he excels among the leaders at the United States Air Force Academy. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Benjamin Van Horn on his acceptance of appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. Our service academies offer the finest military training and education available. I am positive that Ben will excel during his career at the Air Force Academy and I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to him as he begins his service to the Nation.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding young woman from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am happy to announce that Janelle Runion of Tiffin, Ohio has been offered appointments to attend the United States Military Academy and the United States Naval Academy. Janelle has accepted the offer to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Janelle's offer of appointment poises her to attend the United States Military Academy this fall with the incoming cadet Class of 2013. Attending one of our Nation's military academies is an invaluable experience that offers a world-class education while placing demands on those who undertake one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives. Janelle brings an enormous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming Class of 2013. While attending Tiffin Columbian High School in Tiffin, Ohio, Janelle attained an impressive grade point average; was inducted into the National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society; participated in Tiffin Columbian's Student Forum, and was active in the Spanish Club. Throughout high school, Janelle was a member of the track, basketball, and soccer teams. Janelle demonstrated her dedication and service to her community and peers by being active with the TC Crew Club and by serving as a Tech Center Ambassador. In addition, Janelle utilized her leadership skills by being the secretary of her class for three years and coaching in Tiffin City Schools' elementary league basketball program. I am confident that Janelle will carry the lessons of her student leadership to West Point. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Janelle Runion on the acceptance of her appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Our service academies offer the finest military training and education available. I am positive that Janelle will excel during her career at West Point and I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to her as she begins her service to the Nation.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding young woman from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am happy to announce that Allison Reedy of Tiffin, Ohio has been offered an appointment to attend the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Allison's offer of appointment poises her to attend the United States Air Force Academy this fall with the incoming cadet Class of 2013. Attending one of our Nation's military academies is an invaluable experience that offers a world-class education while placing demands on those who undertake one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives. Allison brings an enormous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming class of Air Force cadets. While attending Tiffin Columbian High School in Tiffin, Ohio, Allison attained a grade point average which placed her in the top ten percent of her class. Allison participated in Tiffin Columbian High School's marching, concert, and symphonic bands; she was a member of the Quiz Bowl, and was active in TC Crew. Allison was also inducted into the National Honor Society. Outside the classroom, Allison was a member of the cheerleading and swim teams. Allison utilized her leadership skills as President of the Spanish Club and leader of the Band Dance Committee. I am confident that Allison will carry the lessons of her student leadership to the Air Force Academy. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Allison Reedy on her acceptance of appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. Our service academies offer the finest military training and education available. I am positive that Allison will excel during her career at the Air Force Academy and I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to her as she begins her service to the Nation.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding young man from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am happy to announce that Mark Brake of Ohio City, Ohio has been offered an appointment to attend the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Mark's offer of appointment poises him to attend the United States Military Academy this fall with the incoming Class of 2013. Attending one of our Nation's military academies is an invaluable experience that offers a world-class education while placing demands on those who undertake one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives. Mark brings an enormous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming class of West Point cadets. While attending Lincolnview High School in Van Wert, Ohio, Mark attained a grade point average which placed him in the top third of his class. During Mark's high school career, he earned several Scholar Athlete Awards and tutored other students. He was active in Spanish Club, Science Club, and Marching Band, serving as field commander his senior year. Outside the classroom, Mark demonstrated his dedication and service to his community and peers by being active in many church activities and excelled on the violin. He was also a representative at Buckeye Boys State. On the fields of competition, Mark was a varsity wrestler and participated in track and field events. I am confident that Mark will carry the lessons of his student leadership to West Point. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mark Brake on his acceptance of appointment to the United States Military Academy. Our service academies offer the finest military training and education available. I am positive that Mark will excel during his career at the Military Academy and I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to him as he begins his service to the Nation.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. I appreciate the gentleman yielding. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the Democrat budget. In 2010, the death tax is set to expire; however, the President's budget retains the death tax, and the Wall Street Journal said yesterday, and I quote, ``The President's budget calls for the largest increase in the death tax in U.S. history in 2010.'' The death tax is an unfair attack on small businesses and farmers across this Nation. You know, Members go across to their county fairs every summer. I was at one of mine. One piece of equipment, one combine with one head cost $425,000. One piece, $425,000. The death tax forces Americans to have to make tough decisions. They have to make decisions that they have to hire attorneys, you have got to hire CPAs, you have got to hire your financial planners. It is tough. You are taking time away from these people's business when they can be out working and making money. It is not right. You know, the time has come that this death tax expire. It should expire. Most of all, to quote again from the Wall Street Journal yesterday, ``What all this means is that the higher the estate tax, the lower the incentive to reinvest in family businesses. Former Congressional Budget Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin recently used the Summers Study as a springboard to compare the economic cost of a 45 percent estate tax versus a zero rate.'' It goes on to say that, ``He finds that the long-term impact of eliminating the death tax would be to increase small business capital investment by $1.6 trillion. This additional investment would create 1.5 million new jobs. ``In other words, by raising the estate tax, in the name of fairness, Mr. Obama won't merely bring back from the dead one of the most despised of all Federal taxes, and not merely splinter many family- owned enterprises. He will also forfeit half the jobs he hopes to gain from his $787 billion stimulus bill. Maybe that's why the news of this unwise tax increase was hidden in a footnote.'' Madam Chairman, it is time that we make sure that this death tax expires. It is time that the government's cold hand gets out of the warm grave.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor to H.R. 1135.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LATTA. I thank very much the gentleman for yielding. And I appreciate your having this very important discussion this evening. I have been sitting here listening to the other gentlemen this evening. I have been having what we call ``courthouse conferences'' in my district. What I have been doing is I have been going around the district. We go to two counties a day when we are not in session. We are there from about 8 o'clock in the morning to about 12:30 in one county, and then 1:30 to 6 in another county, and I meet with constituents almost every 10 minutes. What you have been talking about is on the minds not only of your constituents, and your constituents in Pennsylvania, but constituents across this country. And I will tell you, the question on their minds is about jobs. And it is about saving that wealth that they tried to accumulate, as you said, in their 401(k)s and their IRAs. They are worried about the Federal spending that is going on out there. You're absolutely right. The small-business owners are the ones that are creating the jobs in our area right now. A lot of people think it is the big corporations. No. It is not. It is those smaller companies. I sit across the table from these individuals. They look you in the face and they say, ``do you know what? I'm not sure how I am going to keep my doors open. We are having a liquidity problem. We are having a problem where we are losing our orders.'' But there is one thing that they all say. They all say the same thing: ``I feel a responsibility to the people I hire. How am I going to look those people in the face in a few months? I have 20 employees or 30 employees. And I have to start laying these people off. These people not only work for me, but they are part of my family now. They live down the street from me.'' You're absolutely right. We are going down that road of ruin. It was not that long ago, back in the Carter administration, when we saw interest rates in this country go up to 21 percent. And what did that do? As you said, Federal Government does not create any wealth. We consume wealth. It is that small entrepreneur out there that creates the wealth for this great country of ours. So when we watch what happened back in the Carter administration, it is not that long ago that you couldn't go down to the local bank and get a mortgage. You couldn't get a loan. I started practicing law back in those days. We had to do what they call ``laying contracts,'' where the seller actually had to do the financing for the buyer because there was no money. I will tell you, the last thing we want to see in this country is interest rates going back to 21 percent. I remember, though, you could get a money market at that time, you could get a 14 percent return on your money. But if you are paying 21 percent, you're in the hole. So not only the folks back home in northwest and north central Ohio are scared, but people across this country. They tell us, ``here we are in our businesses cutting back. We are trying to scale back in every possible way that we possibly can. But what's the Federal Government doing?'' They just see us with the $700 billion bailout last fall for the financial institutions. And then they find out about AIG and the big pay outs. And they ask how about the stimulus package, how is that going to help me? How is the $75 billion on the mortgage bailout going to help me? What is going to be in it for me with the $410 billion omnibus. And as the gentleman talked about, we might be talking about another stimulus package. Who is going to pay for it? You are absolutely right, the generations to come are going to be paying for it.

Mr. LATTA. If the gentleman from Missouri would yield, I think the real question is where is this taking us? As the gentleman mentioned, $1.1 trillion, and the American people and the folks in my district are saying this: $1.1 trillion, what is this all adding up to? Right now, this country is $10.6 trillion in debt. By the end of this fiscal year, this country is going to be $12.7 trillion in debt; $12.7 trillion. And it hasn't been very long, when you start looking at the figures, in 1979, the national debt of this country was only $129 million. We went to $2.8 billion in 1989, and it started going up. But when you start looking at the totals, the thing that really concerns me is not only are we building this debt up, but we have a $1.75 trillion deficit. The real question is: Who is buying this debt? Who is buying this debt? Right now, we have a $3 trillion debt that we owe to foreign countries and governments, $727 billion is what we owe the Chinese right now--they are our largest debt holders--and that is not counting what they own in Fannie and Freddie, which takes them over $1 trillion of our debt. What is happening in this country is, we are going to not only have problems in this county trying to pay this back, but we also have a problem in this country, we have a situation where we are trying to say, in our foreign policy, who is going to start dictating it, us or our debt holders? And that scares the living daylights out of me.

Mr. LATTA. I think the number I'm now seeing is that by the year 2012 we'll be paying a billion dollars in interest on the debt every day, which is absolutely putting our future generations in the hole that they're never going to climb out of. And that worries me with our kids back in Bowling Green and what we're going to do to their future. And I don't think it's right what this Congress is doing. I think a little earlier I might have misspoken when I was talking about some of the debt numbers. You start throwing around billions and trillions, and I think the numbers I should have been saying were trillions when we talking about the debt in 1989 and 1999 and 2007. But those numbers keep going up. And we can't have that going on because, again, as I've mentioned and as all the gentlemen have mentioned this evening, when you look at what we have been doing to this country and owing foreign governments only $119 billion in 1979 and, as I said a little bit ago, that we now owe over $3 trillion. As the gentleman from Pennsylvania mentioned, the problem we're going to be having is that we're going to have a situation with this debt going up. The President has already said if we can't get people to buy that debt, we're just going to have to raise that interest rate. And as I mentioned a little bit earlier, we're going to be right back where we were in the late 1970s with President Carter when we had 21 percent interest rates, and the problem is going to be that no one is going to be able to get any loans out there and the situation we're going to be in is a dire one because back 30 years ago, this country was on top of the heap. China is now the number one manufacturing country in the world, not the United States. They've passed us this year, and now we are going be in a situation where how do we climb out of it?

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 1105, the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act. Requesting Member: Congressman Robert E. Latta Bill Number: H.R. 1105, FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Account: Commerce; NOAA--Operations, Research and Facilities Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Bowling Green State University Address of Requesting Entity: 106 University Hall, Bowling Green, OH 43403 Description of Request: $355,000 for monitoring of Lake Erie water quality with remote sensing for Bowling Green State University and Heidelberg College, in partnership with the consortium partners of OhioView and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL). The funding will be used to continue the project of monitoring algal blooms in Lake Erie with LANDSAT TM satellite data. This will allow for real-time, continuous monitoring and assessment of harmful algal blooms and coliform in Lake Erie and its Southern-shore tributaries. This research is authorized by the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Act of 2003. The funds will be used to develop the systems for determining cyanobacteria in Lake Erie and in local water supplies and to continue to collect data for analyzing and further study. This project began in 2006 and provides continuous monitoring from the satellite data of the potentially harmful algal blooms. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project. Requesting Member: Congressman Robert E. Latta Bill Number: H.R. 1105, FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Account: DOJ; OJP--Byrne Discretionary Grants Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Defiance College Address of Requesting Entity: 701 N. Clinton Street, Defiance, OH 43512 Description of Request: $145,000 for genetic analysis equipment for Defiance College's Forensic Science program. Due to the critical need for trained forensic scientists, the requested funds will be used to expand the capability of Defiance College's dedicated forensic science lab to include an Applied Biosystems 3130 Genetic Analyzer. This crucial piece of equipment is found in all professional forensic science labs and it is important for students to be trained with this equipment to prepare them for the workforce. It is my understanding that Defiance College is providing the remaining share towards the project. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project. Requesting Member: Congressman Robert E. Latta Bill Number: H.R. 1105, FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Account: U.S. Department of Energy; Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy account Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Bowling Green State University Address of Requesting Entity: 106 University Hall, Bowling Green, OH 43403 Description of Request: $951,500 for the Coastal Ohio Wind Project: Collaborative Research Effort in Onshore/Offshore Wind Energy Development. Funding would be used for project expansion by its partnership with the University of Toledo to include advance remote sensing research for off-shore applications and to gather site data with a temporary tower on the Firelands campus, ultimately to test new wind turbine technologies. The project will promote the use of renewable energy by conducting research and testing wind power and developing wind energy for the region. The partners in the projects have committed to match the federal funding at the required level. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project. Requesting Member: Congressman Robert E. Latta Bill Number: H.R. 1105, FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Account: US Army Corps of Engineers; Investigations Legal Name of Requesting Entity: The Northwest Ohio Flood Mitigation Partnership Address of Requesting Entity: 101 West Sandusky Street, Findlay, OH 45840 Description of Request: $119,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for funding regarding the Western Lake Erie, Blanchard River Watershed. Funding would be used to perform a comprehensive Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration study, and related activities. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed a preliminary feasibility study of the entire Blanchard River Watershed, and recommended a further flood control feasibility study. The partners in the projects have committed to match the federal funding at the required level. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project. Requesting Member: Congressman Robert E. Latta Bill Number: H.R. 1105, FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Account: US Army Corps of Engineers; Construction Legal Name of Requesting Entity: City of Fremont Address of Requesting Entity: 323 South Front Street, Fremont, OH 43420 Description of Request: $500,000 for the Off-Stream Water Supply Reservoir project in regards to Ohio Environmental Infrastructure. Funding would be used for construction of a new off-stream water supply reservoir to replace an existing reservoir impounded by the Ballville Dam on the Sandusky River. The new reservoir will provide drinking water to approximately 22,000 people in the City of Fremont and surrounding area. The new reservoir is necessary to eliminate nitrate maximum contamination level (MCL) in the City's drinking water. There will be two phases of the project, with Phase I consisting of building the reservoir and Phase H consisting of the raw water intake, pumping station and water mains to and from the reservoir. It is my understanding that the state and local share will be $14.5 million of the cost share. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project. Requesting Member: Congressman Robert E. Latta Bill Number: H.R. 1105, FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Account: US Army Corps of Engineers; Section 205 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: The Village of Ottawa Address of Requesting Entity: 136 North Oak Street, Ottawa, OH 45875 Description of Request: $252,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for funding regarding the Village of Ottawa Flood Control and Mitigation Reconnaissance and Feasibility Studies. Funding would be used for a Section 205 Feasibility Study of flood risk management plans for the Blanchard River at Ottawa, Ohio. The funding would fulfill the Federal share needed to complete the Feasibility Study. The Village of Ottawa has allocated $250,000 to fulfill the required non-Federal match. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project. Requesting Member: Congressman Robert E. Latta Bill Number: H.R. 1105, FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Account: STAG Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Project Legal Name of Requesting Entity: City of Defiance Address of Requesting Entity: 631 Perry Street, Defiance, OH 43512 Description of Request: $300,000 for the Defiance Combined Sewer Overflow Elimination project. The funding would be used for engineering for three subprojects and construction for three other subprojects. The wastewater infrastructure of Defiance, Ohio is in need of improvement. The city's 44 combined sewers have been divided into 20 subprojects. There will continually be one project in sanitary sewer evaluation survey, one project in engineering design, and one project in construction. These projects will separate virtually all the combined sewers in Defiance and will eliminate discharge of untreated/partially treated sewage into the Auglaize River, the Maumee River, and Lake Erie. The City of Defiance will provide at least the local matching funds in the amount of 45%. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project. Requesting Member: Congressman Robert E. Latta Bill Number: H.R. 1105, FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Account: Elementary & Secondary Education (includes FIE) Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Putnam County Educational Service Center Address of Requesting Entity: 124 Putnam Parkway, Ottawa, OH 45875 Description of Request: $238,000 for the Putnam County Education Service Center (ESC). The funding would be used for Project MORE: Mentoring in Ohio for Reading Excellence. The MORE program is a volunteer reading mentoring project designed for students with disabilities. Through the program children with disabilities receive one-on-one structured, volunteer reading mentoring 3-4 days per week. These funds will be used to start 30 additional Project MORE programs in Ohio, as well as outside Ohio. The project is intended to create awareness to expand the use of the volunteer reading mentoring program throughout the nation. The remaining funds for the project will be supplemented by local partners in the program. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project. Requesting Member: Congressman Robert E. Latta Bill Number: H.R. 1105, FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Account: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-Health Facilities and Services Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Visiting Nurse Association Healthcare Partners of Ohio Address of Requesting Entity: 2500 East 22nd Street, Cleveland, OH 44115 Description of Request: $95,000 for the Visiting Nurse Association Healthcare Partners of Ohio. The funding would be used to purchase daily tele-monitoring equipment for the Tele-care Program for Chronically Ill Seniors. This program provides daily monitoring via a small, clock-like device that ``talks'' to the patient and collects essential baseline vital signs. Data is wirelessly or telephone transmitted to the central receiving station at the home health agency office. It is my understanding that besides the requested appropriation amount, the state of Ohio and program partners are providing the local cost share. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project. Requesting Member: Congressman Robert E. Latta Bill Number: H.R. 1105, FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Account: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-Health Facilities and Services Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Memorial Hospital Address of Requesting Entity: 715 S. Taft Avenue, Fremont, OH 43420 Description of Request: $190,000 for Memorial Hospital in Fremont, Ohio. The funding will be used for the Herbert-Perna Center for Physical Health Expansion project. This 29,000 square foot building houses Memorial Hospital's physical, speech, and occupational therapies as well as HealthLink, the region's largest occupational health provider. HealthLink provides services to many companies in the region and saves significant dollars by providing overall wellness programs. The funds will be used to finish the construction of the Center and therefore offering X-ray services in the Center. This will allow workers to continue to rely on the program and return to work quicker. It is my understanding that the hospital is contributing $5,350,000 towards the project, with an additional $950,000 being provided through local and community support. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project.