Scott McInnis

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Inquiry of the Speaker. That is a headline on a newspaper. Is that what the Speaker is referring to, is an objection to the headline off the Washington Times that says that the Vice President misled?

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, let me move on from there and mention something else. Obviously, we are in the presidential election; and when you get into an election that is as intense as this election is, the question always comes up, does the media favor one candidate over the other. Now, of course, as many of you know, obviously, I am a Republican, and I am concerned. I think that there is a liberal bias to the media in this country, not all of the media, obviously. We have many papers, the Wall Street Journal editorials which I think are outstanding. We have the Washington Times, but on a whole I think most people would agree that the media has a very liberal bent to it; that the media favors Al Gore as the next President of the United States. I think it has been clearly demonstrated in the last few days. I guess a couple of weeks ago, an advertiser hired by George W. Bush put an ad out that had rats or something on the ad. You could not believe it. Many of you saw it. That became the headlines and the starting news story on the newscasts in the evening. They have played this story over and over and over and over. That word did not come out of George W. Bush's mouth, but they tagged him with it; and they have been tagging him day after day after day. Well, another big issue that has come up in this presidential election is prescription drugs; and as I said last night, look, do not buy into what the liberal Democrats, not all Democrats because moderate and conservative Democrats do not necessarily agree with the liberal Democrat philosophy, but do not buy into their philosophy that they have the magic answer and that you are going to get something for nothing. Prescription drugs are a huge problem in this country. Our medical delivery system is a huge problem in this country; but the quick and easy answer, especially for a politician, is to promise all of you that you can get something for nothing; that the government will take all the responsibility; you do not have to worry about individual responsibility anymore; we will do it for you and it will not cost you anything. Prescription drugs are a big issue, but they have to sell this. Hillary Clinton attempted this about 8 years ago. She attempted, and I will say the polls were way up here, it took a lot of guts to stand up against Hillary Clinton and the national health care plan that Gore and Clinton supported 8 years ago, but the American people did not buy into it. Once they had time to evaluate it, once they understood what the consequences of a national health care plan would be, once they understood how poorly the government managed its current health care delivery system, like veterans benefits, like Medicare, like Medicaid. Once they realized this, they did not buy into that. Initially, when the Hillary Clinton proposal came out to offer a nationwide socialized health care plan, the polls supported it, the majority of Americans said hey, we are tired of paying the kind of prices, we are tired of getting it stuck to us by insurance companies and frankly in a lot of cases they were. So they supported this plan until they began to look at the details. But during that period of time, until the American people had time to let the details settle out, until they had time to weigh what the consequences were of this nationalized socialized health care plan, there was a lot of propaganda put out there. Well, you know what? We are seeing the same kind of thing. You know what is happening? The media is giving Al Gore a free ride on it. Let me say exactly what I am talking about. Not all of the media, obviously, because this headline came out of the Washington Times. Al Gore, to try and push his numbers higher against George W. Bush, has gone out and we have seen this history with Al Gore in the past, Al Gore at one point said that the movie Love Story, which my generation remembers, that Love Story was written about him and his wife, Tipper. Al Gore went on later to say that he is the one who invented the Internet, and now in the last couple of days Al Gore has stood in front of senior citizens, and I will say one of the ways that the liberal Democrats are selling their plan and are attacking the conservative or moderate Republican/Democrat plan is by the doctrine of fear, so a couple of days ago Al Gore stood up in front of a group of senior citizens and he said to these senior citizens, he said my mother-in- law, who lives with us, has arthritis and she has to pay, and I think the number was $138 a month for her prescription every month, and he says our dog has arthritis and the same drug that is administered to that dog, why that prescription costs, I think he said $37 a month. Well, you know what? Afterwards, some people began asking questions, well, what was the price of this drug and what was the price of that drug? And this is the result: Gore made it up. He made up the antidote about the cost of the drugs. His own staff admitted that Al Gore made it up. In all fairness, and talk about fairness here, do you think that the media has put this out? This came directly from Al Gore's mouth, by the way. Whereas this rats ad, or whatever it was, did not come from George W. Bush; it came from an advertisement authorized by his campaign or whatever. But do you think the media has done much about this? Frankly, Al Gore has had some problems with credibility with the administration that he is associated with, but he says now he is his own man; but yet he stands in front of the American public and he lied to us about this. He fabricated. That is the word they are using, not the word lie. He fabricated the facts because it sounded good. Of course, it is alarming that the average person would pay $138 or something a month for prescription drugs and the same drugs used on the dog would be $37 a month. That is unfair. On its face, its outrageous. Of course, we sympathize with the Vice President. Of course, we are drawn in by Al Gore's story. He told that story for a purpose, to get votes, to get your votes, Mr. Speaker. Yet now his staff admits well, he fabricated the story. At the beginning of my comment in regards to this issue, I said take a look at whether you are a liberal Democrat, whether you are a conservative serving up here, whether you are a moderate, take a look from a nonpartisan point of view and see if there is fair play going on out there with the media. Ask the media, hey, why is not this story being played up like these other stories? I can say if that was not Gore but Bush who made up the antidote about the cost of drugs, it would be the lead story on every national broadcast in this Nation. It would be the lead story, bold headlines in a lot of newspapers across this country. They would unmercifully attack Bush for this kind of little example. But look what happened. It is a small story in a lot of these newspapers. My point tonight is to demonstrate to you, as we get in these presidential elections, we do not have a level playing field, in my opinion, with a lot of the media out there on this presidential race. I am saying, Mr. Speaker, most of our constituents, in my opinion, will eventually see through this, and I hope most of our constituents have an opportunity to stand back and make an educated decision on who they want to support for the White House. Well, let me move off of this subject. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues recall, last evening I had an opportunity to address my colleagues and to speak about a number of different subjects. I would like to kind of do a quick summary or at least some additions or amendments to my comments last night based on some of what I saw today. First of all, as many of my colleagues will recall last night I spoke about Pueblo, Colorado, and the home of heroes. This week is Patriots Week in Pueblo, Colorado, and there we are going to honor over 100 recipients of the Medal of Honor. These are real heros, as I said last night, and I read the definition of heroes. And we do not have to explain to people what courage is and how courageous and brave these particular individuals were, we know that just because they are recipients of the Medal of Honor, they are amongst the most recognized, courageous and brave people in the history of this country. I say with some sadness today that we lost one of our heroes who passed away at age 74, and I thought I would just read a brief paragraph or two about this particular hero. Douglas T. Jacobson, Douglas T. Jacobson who received the Medal of Honor was a Marine private, private in the Marine Corps for single handedly storming enemy positions on Iwo Jima, an action that resulted in the deaths of 75 Japanese soldiers, died in August. He had congestive heart failure. Iwo Jima is often remembered for the photograph of the five Marines and the Navy Combat Medic raising the American flag on February 23, 1945, but the carnage of what occurred there was one, as described, as one of the most savage and most costly battles in the history of the Marine Corps. This was taken from the obituary out of the New York Times. Unfortunately, obviously, Mr. Jacobson will not be in Pueblo, Colorado, but to his family, we mourn his passing and want them to know in Pueblo this week we will think about him. We will think about the action that he took on behalf of this country. Moving on to another subject. I talked last night about the entertainment world, specifically I focused in on some of the video games that we can pick up or rent at the store or pick up or go down to the video arcade and play. I showed you a demonstration of some of them, including one which is called the Kingpin. And on the Kingpin, as I mentioned last night, you are actually able to put this video game on your video and focus in on the exit wounds of the person that you shot. The game itself encourages you to be like a tough gang person and wipe out your opponents. And it is a gross miscarriage of, in my opinion, of responsibility, community responsibility, by some individuals, not all individuals, but by some individuals in the entertainment industry. Mr. Speaker, I said yesterday in my comments that I felt that I probably represented 1 percent, maybe 2 percent, 3 percent of that entertainment industry that put that kind of trash out. Tonight while I was waiting for my opportunity to address my colleagues, I was back reading the New York Times. And I noticed a story and I would like to say or comment on a response that was given to our concern in the United States Congress, our concerns as parents, parents who have young children that many of our constituents do, we expressed the concern of a lot of people and a lot of communities across this country. Here is the response of one of the people of the entertainment industry, a guy named Larry Casinof, he is president of Threshold Entertainment, a company that makes, among other things, movies based on action oriented video games like Mortal Kombat and Duke Nukem. Here is his comment about what Congress says about these video games, about what parents and communities are saying about these video games. I think it is a bunch of weasels scrambling for votes; that is exactly what this fellow calls my colleagues up here who express concern about the entertainment industry that small portion of the entertainment industry which puts this kind of garbage out there to be sold to our young people, with the intent of influencing our young people. Let me tell you it would be interesting to call Larry on the phone and I wish had his phone number because I would call him this evening. In fact, if I could, I would bring a phone on to the floor, it is not allowed, but I would bring it to the floor and let my colleagues hear in the microphone, and I would ask Larry the question, Larry, do you have any children? My guess is he probably does. Let us see. Larry, how young are they? And I would hope that his children are young. I would say Larry, do you buy these games? Do you buy Mortal Kombat, and do you buy Duke Nukem or do you buy Kingpin games for your own children? Do you allow your children to play the same kinds of games that you are profiting from by marketing to your neighbor's children, to your community's children, to your State's children, to the Nation's children. My guess if Larry who has got the big mouth and says you are nothing but weasels if you question my integrity on putting this kind of trash out, my bet is he does not allow his kids near this stuff. I think this guy is a self-righteous guy, and I do not mind saying it on the House floor; and I sure wish he would take a second look at his community responsibilities. I sure wish he would take a look at some of the tragedies that we have suffered, some of the school shootings, Columbine High School, for example, in Colorado. I think he ought to take a look and say, gosh, are the people that are really worried about this, should we consider them vote-getting weasels or maybe, just maybe, it is somebody who is worried about the communities that they represent. I hope I get an opportunity some day to meet this fellow because I would like to ask him that question. The Liberal Media Bias

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, let me move on to another subject very quickly. I am going to wrap up with a letter that I got after our last discussion. In our last night side chat, we talked about the death tax. We talked about the fact that the President at that time was going to veto, and has subsequently vetoed; not only supports death as a taxable event, but that the Clinton-Gore administration actually proposed this year in their budget a $9.5 billion increase in the death tax. Now, it was amazing how much I heard, the rhetoric, about how the death tax only hits 2 percent of the community. It hits the entire community. Because to summarize, what happens with the death tax is we take the money out of a community and we transfer that money, regardless of whose money it is, it is still money that circulates within that community, and we move it from that community to Washington, D.C. to the bureaucracy and the U.S. Federal Government for redistribution. I can assure my colleagues that not a fraction of what we send in goes back to our community. I got a very interesting letter subsequent to that and I would like to read just parts of it. Although my own personal experience seemingly pales in comparison to the families in Colorado and Idaho who lost ranches and farms in order to pay estate taxes, I can still easily relate to the frustrations that those families are experiencing. I am just one of the growing number of middle- class Americans who feel that they have literally been ``screwed'' by their own government, and I encourage you to continue in your efforts to repeal our country's death tax laws now to prevent more of us from having to experience what my own family recently experienced. My mother fought a valiant battle against breast cancer for a few years, but passed away in 1996. Sadly, she had just turned 65 years old. She was a full-time mother and also worked hard as a nurse for many years to pay college tuition for my sister and I. Dad worked most of his life for a defense contractor as an aerospace engineer. You can see that both of my parents were not farmers or ranchers, but they worked at jobs that many ordinary Americans work at. Both of my parents were also raised in families that survived the Great Depression, and, as a result, they acquired a deep appreciation for the value of a dollar. They both worked hard and they were also great ``savers.'' They were wealthy in many ways, but they certainly were not rich. When mom and dad were in their early thirties they purchased a dream home in a typical middle-class track neighborhood on Long Island for about $16,000. They resided there for 40 years, and last year my sister and I had to sell the house, which we sold for many many times what my folks bought it for, and every penny we got from that House went to the Federal Government to pay for the death tax. Dad passed away unexpectedly. We knew that my folks had planned all their lives for retirement, but we didn't have any idea how they really had saved all those years. They did not have an extravagant lifestyle, but they lived comfortable, as many middle-class American families do. Upon retirement, dad and mom wanted to ensure that they could continue to live the comfortable standard of living they had come to enjoy as middle-class Americans during their prime earning years. Unfortunately, neither one of my parents got to reap a dime from their IRAs, their pension account, their savings or from the proceeds of the sale of their home. Rather, as I just mentioned, my sister and I were forced to sell the home soon after my dad's passing in order to pay the death taxes on the estate that was left to us. There aren't as many farms anymore, for many reasons. Many baby-boomers, like my sister and I, who are now just beginning to inherit the wealth of a previous generation, were born and raised in suburban cities and subdivisions. Even here in Colorado Springs, my own kids are far removed from the rural farming communities that you had referred to in Colorado and Idaho. But, nonetheless, many city folks from previous generations also worked hard all of their lives. While they do not have farms or ranches to leave to their children, they do have other kinds of assets to bequeath. While the estates of middle-income Americans often will not qualify them to be included among the rich and famous, these estates are, nonetheless, considered sizable to most of us. Many suburban and city dwellers save so they can retire comfortably, as my parents had planned, and many, like my parents, many intended their estates to be passed to their own children and to their grandchildren, estates that had already paid the taxes on the property, and they wanted to have enough money to send their grandkids to college. But they did not intend upon their death for 55 percent of their estate to be handed over to the government because death is a taxable event. It is absolutely ludicrous and unconscionable to think that this could happen in America, but it is a reality. I was amused by your comments in which you indicated that the current administration would most likely, once they left office, seek out the expertise of tax attorneys and accountants to advise them how to best shelter their assets on their estates to avoid paying the death taxes. How true that is. But the irony is that many of these folks probably are already sheltering their assets in various tax deferred plans so their heirs can avoid paying these taxes. If my father would have lived for a couple more years and had gotten into the retirement routine, he probably would have tried to seek advice too. But he just never got around to it. My dad used to laugh, ``don't worry, I won't spend your inheritance on fancy sports cars and other expensive toys. There will be something for you.'' I am sure millions of Americans haven't gotten around to it either, and I know these folks would be equally distraught to know how much that they would have passed on to their children instead automatically goes to the Internal Revenue Service. My sister nor I never felt we were owed or entitled to an inheritance. Our parents provided for us and we were raised to be independent. We also knew that both of our parents fully intended to have what they worked so hard for to be conveyed to their children, as was directed in their wills. My parents were known for their generosity to their family, their church and their community, but we never knew that they would have contributed 55 percent of their entire estate to the Federal Government. So, you know, I know there has been a lot made about the death tax and the President says and the vice president, well, it is a tax for the rich. This is middle-class America. As I said earlier in my comments, few are a contractor, all you have to do is own a dump truck, a pickup, a bulldozer and a backhoe, and if you own it, you are subject to that death tax. It has a very punitive way of working against communities. And what bothers me the most is not, of course, the Kennedys and the Fords and the Carnagies and all those people. They have lawyers to plan to save their estate. But what bothers me the most is the small communities, where somebody who has been successful in that community and that money is working in that community, either through contributions to charity or jobs or otherwise, and that money is taken by the Internal Revenue Service and transferred to Washington, D.C. for redeployment through government programs. It simply can be summed up in a couple or three words: It is not fair.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to move on. It is election year so in the last week and a half we all of a sudden begin to hear about a problem that, frankly, I addressed over a year ago. Not that I knew that I could foresee this problem, we had a lot of people talking about it after the Columbine High School tragedy in Colorado, and that is, what kind of violence are we educating our young people with? We know that at tender ages, at younger ages, that is an opportunity, probably the maximum opportunity, to mold a young person, to influence a young person, to set him upon a direction in the life that they are beginning. Unfortunately, for example, the tobacco companies took full advantage of that. They marketed their products to very, very young individuals because they knew, frankly, that they could get them addicted. They knew what the disease was that they would cause. They knew the evils of tobacco, but nonetheless they knew their customer base had to constantly be renewed and the best way to renew it was to go into this fragile age, say 14, or maybe 12 to about 17, and get them hooked on the product that you wanted them to buy. Well, we see the same kind of thing happening today in the video game industry. There is actually a market out there not for what I would consider bad entertainment but what I would consider trash. Now, look, I am not up here bashing Hollywood. I go to the movies like all the rest of you. I enjoy them. In fact, I watch Titanic any time I get an opportunity to. I have lots of favorite movies. So do you. There are a lot of neat things about Hollywood. In fact, I think films in America really speak freedom throughout the world. It is amazing on my international travels what kind of influence America has because there is American music in these countries, in China, for example, or when the American movie industry starts to creep into China, freedoms, people see what freedoms are about. So I think Hollywood has a very strong place in our society, and I think that under our First Amendment they have constitutional privilege, and 99 percent of the product that comes out of there is good product, but unfortunately 1 percent of it is being ignored by the other 99 percent. Now I am not talking about entertainment that I do not like. Look, there are movies out there that I would not watch. There is music out there that I am not entertained by. I can assure you that my three children, who are all now in college, are not exactly entertained by the kind of music I listen to and they are not necessarily entertained by the kind of movies I like to go to. So I am not talking about music that is not entertaining to my ears or to my sight. What I am talking about is violence that is being marketed in a retail sense clear across America. Now some people have said, well, what should government do about it? I do not think we need what is called a recreation or an entertainment czar. I do not think we need that any more than we need socialized medicine in this country. Our country prides itself on saying to the individuals, look, you have personal responsibility. The people in America still exercise a great deal of personal responsibility. So what can the government do about this? I think we in the government have an obligation for an awareness, to put out as much as we can about what we think is going on out there so that we can communicate a message to the maximum amount of our constituents. For example, I had not been in a video arcade in a long time before last year. After Columbine, I was at the Denver International Airport and I decided to go into the video arcade, and I think out of the 27 games in that video arcade in Denver, Colorado, well over half of them were games of killing somebody; violence; games of shooting each other. Now to the credit, Mayor Wellington Webb of Denver, Colorado, I called the city and I said, hey, I have just become aware of this. We do not have anything in the government that prohibits the City of Denver from leasing this video arcade to have this kind of merchandising of violence, but the mayor took it upon himself and within I would say half a day those games were out of that video arcade. It did not take government action; it did not take a U.S. Congressman coming back here with his colleagues and passing laws to get it out of the arcade. It took the responsibility, the personal responsibility of the people of Denver, led by their mayor and the mayor's staff, and they stood up to it and they took it out in about a half a day. Well, I think we as congress people, we have to take this message to our constituents and say hey, go visit your local video arcade, see what is going on in your neighborhood. For example, I had one of my constituents give me the magazine that his then 13-year-old boy bought off the counter. I am going to show my colleagues this magazine in a few minutes and what it markets. This magazine right here. It markets terror, it markets violence, it markets death, and it markets it in such a way that it knows that the typical 13-year-old or 14-year-old will grab this and begin to become influenced and molded by what they are reading, and what they are seeing, and pretty soon, what they are playing when they buy the video game. For example, on this chart here, this is a video game that is advertised in this magazine. This magazine is called, Next Generation. This is the ad, a full, 2-page center-fold ad. The name of the game and the name of this ad is ``You're Going to Die.'' This is what is being marketed out there: ``You're Going to Die.'' Now, in the last week, Hollywood has gotten defensive, and I have heard some artists say well, you cannot impede on the right of free speech and an artist's opportunity to have free thought. Come on. We have to have some peer enforcement. We have to exercise responsibility. Mr. Speaker, I happen to agree with Hollywood; I do not think the government ought to have an entertainment czar. But I do think, and I would say to my colleagues that if we have constituents in the entertainment industry, that we have to emphasize upon them that, look, we all have a duty, a responsibility to our young people. This incident that occurred at Columbine High School, it did not occur because of this magazine, but let me tell my colleagues, there are some violent things out there, in my opinion, that have occurred as a result of this kind of game. Let me show my colleagues. I have blown up the ad. This ad is available to our children and our constituents. Any constituent out there that has children, they can go to the store and pick up this magazine, no problem. Now, take a look at this ad. This is the video game that we can buy. ``You're Going to Die.'' You will see right here to my left the individual, this is a person who has been shot, that red is obviously blood. Let me tell my colleagues what the game offers. It offers its player to zoom in, to zoom in on this game, right up here, one can zoom in on one's computer, and one can target specific body parts and actually see the damage done, including exit wounds. They do not have to show a lot. All you have to be is a kid with some money and you go in the video store and you buy this game. You can steal a bike or hop a train just to get around town. Even the odds by recruiting the gang members you want on your side. Talk to people the way you want, talk to them any way you want on the video game. Actual game play screens, built on top of the revolutionary Quake 2 engine, includes multi-player gang bang death match for up to 16 thugs. Life of crime. Unbelievable. I pulled it up tonight. I web to the web site. Needless to say, a year ago, when my constituent came to me with this after we were discussing what had occurred at the Columbine High School in Colorado, I was amazed. I contacted the executives of one of the magazines that advertises this type of advertising and then too, I contacted the producers of this game, and I asked those executives; in fact, I disclosed their names on the House Floor, I asked those executives about their own children. Believe it or not, on the web sites, on their web sites they disclosed their background, or maybe on financial documents under public corporation disclosure, they described their families. So I wrote them and I said, Mr. Executive, Mr. Big Corporation Executive, do you allow your children to go buy the product that you are trying to market intensely to every other child in America? I will bet any amount of money, I say to my colleagues, that not one of the executives of this company allows their own children to possess this game that they, in turn, are marketing to every other American family that has children the same age they have, young children. Not one of those executives puts that trash in their own children's hand. Do we know why? Because they know the impact of what this influence means. They know what the result will be if we continue to allow these kids to play game after game after game where one can focus in and see the damage of exit wounds, where they are encouraged to steal a bike, where they tell you to go in and gang bang death and talk smack. When the tobacco companies first came forward and said oh, this is not addicting; when the tobacco companies first came forward and said, kids have the right to choice, this is not addictive to young kids, we are not targeting young kids, it was a lie, and it is the same thing here. Do not let this company tell us they are not trying to grab that young kid, that young boy or girl, the future leaders of our country, the future citizens, the members of our families, I say to my colleagues, we know darn well what this company is trying to do with this videotape. Stuff cash in their pockets at the expense of the right and wrong of our children. I pulled up the web site tonight, I wanted to see if this company had changed anything since I had written to them. They have not changed much. Let me tell my colleagues how they describe that. I pulled it off the web, it is called a story off their web site. ``Somewhere in the past that never existed lies the world of kingpin'', that is the name of this game, ``a landscape of burned out buildings and urban decay where local gangs rule the street. Begin your rise to the top, assembling your own gang of thugs. If a new member turns out to be a punk, waste him. Waste him, and make room for new blood. Moving up in the world is sure to attract the attention of kingpin. Eventually, you are going to have to take him down, but you knew that anyway.'' Mr. Speaker, that is awful. I pulled that off the web site tonight before I came over here to speak. This company has not slowed down one bit. Mr. Speaker, I think it is unfortunate. I contacted Imagine Publishing, and Imagine Publishing, by the way, is the magazine that puts this stuff out. I asked Imagine, I talked to some of their executives about a year ago, why do you put this kind of stuff in? Well, they start to give me the freedom of speech and the First Amendment. I said, wait a second, wait a second. Why do you put this stuff in there? Would you let your own children play with it? Well, no, but that is not the point, they said. The point is that really we do not censor. Essentially, anybody that wants to put something in one of the Imagine publications, why, this is just fine. Do they have any sense of responsibility to the community that they maybe ought to say no? I did not get any idea at all, I did not get any feeling that the Imagine Publishing Corporation cared at all about any kind of community responsibility to the young people that picked up their magazine called Next Generation right here and saw this ad and went out to buy that kind of video game. Now, of course I contacted Interplay, as I mentioned earlier in my remarks. I contacted Interplay, and as I mentioned earlier in my remarks, I said to them, do you let your own children do it? Why do you go out to America, why do you go out to our communities and market this kind of crap? Why do you do it? Look at this garbage. Do you think it is a distortion of reality? Do you think that you, in effect, are brainwashing our young people, that violence is the answer? And to think nothing of killing and to think nothing of being proud of the exit wounds the size of the exit wound that you create in a body, and that if you want to get around town you just steal a bike or a train, and then if you have a gang member you do not get along with, waste him, you are going to do it anyway? I did not get any sense of responsibility out of that corporation called Interplay. So my conclusion is this, I say to my colleagues. We have to shoulder a responsibility to go into our communities. We should go and look in our local arcades. Most of the video arcade dealers that I have talked to, and prior to last year I had not gone into video arcades since my kids were that big playing pinball machines, and they have changed a lot. And my bet is most of my colleagues have not gone into their own districts and stopped just at a regular video arcade store to take a look at the games that are being played. But I have done that in the last year, and I can tell my colleagues that most of the video arcade owners that I have talked to responded much the same way that the city of Denver responded saying, wow, we really were not paying attention to it. We will get the game out of there. Mr. Speaker, I can also tell my colleagues that I went to the advertisers. I figured I was not going to get this publisher to do anything, because he wanted the cash; and, by the way, there was a she too, a she executive, and they wanted the cash in their pocket. They could care less, in my opinion, about community responsibility towards our youth and violence. So I went to the advertisers, and I tried to encourage the advertisers not to buy advertising in this magazine. I set up meetings; it did not require Federal law, it did not require U.S. congressional action. I set up meetings with Target, with City Market, King Supers Corporation, with Wal-Mart Corporation, with J.C. Penney Corporation. Every one of those retailers was responsive and every one of those retailers has taken not large steps, but small steps and, in some regards, some aggressive steps towards doing something about making sure that this kind of stuff, this kind of true violence is taken off of those retail shelves, is not being offered for sale by some of these retailers. Mr. Speaker, that is what I am speaking here tonight about. I think we have an obligation. I know that in the last week Al Gore prided himself on taking on Hollywood. I think we have to go to the grass-roots. I think each one of us, each one of my colleagues, we need to go into our communities, take it by the grass-roots, just like we are doing in our political campaigns in the next 5 or 6 weeks and talk to our local video arcades, talk to our local parent-teacher organizations, talk to our local churches and say, hey, here is somebody over here, we ought to ask them to take this stuff off of their shelves. We ought to go to the local Wal-Mart or local Target or local K-Mart, or the bookstore, and if they have this kind of stuff, we ought to ask them to take it off. I think we would get a pretty positive response. Because most citizens out there, unlike the executives of Interplay, and unlike the executives of Imagine, most people out there that are proprietors that have their own businesses and who are operating these businesses and have more community responsibility. After all, they are a part of the community. So, Mr. Speaker, I think we can be successful, and I do not think we need to take the kind of action that requires Federal oversight. Eliminating the Death Tax

Mr. McINNIS. Until the end of Congress, I am going to be here to rebut the gentleman from New Jersey who employs the doctrine of fear. He likes to get up here in front of the microphone and speak to all of you and give these misstatements, misleading statements, inaccurate statements. Less than 5 minutes ago, I just heard the gentleman from New Jersey say, and I quote, The Republican leadership, speaking of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), the Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), the majority leader, they used the word ``cruel,'' they throw a few bucks at the insurance companies. And then these Democrats talk about the dream team, about how everybody is going to be caught in this wonderful net, and all of your needs, your prescription needs, your medical needs will all be met by this Democratic Congress and by this Democratic Gore plan. Have you ever heard of the proposition, You don't get nothing for free? Somewhere somebody has got to pay for it. You better figure out what the problem is. I think we can agree on the problem. The Democrats that were up here, they would like you to believe that they are the only ones that understand that there are prescription service problems out there in our society and that they are the ones with the solution and their solution is very simple. It tracks the Canadian health care plan. It is nationalized health care. It is socialized health care. The Republicans and frankly some conservative Democrats are saying, Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Before we jump into this pool of nationalized medicine, what you tried to do with Hillary Clinton about 6 or 7 years ago, 7 or 8 years ago, let's take a look at what the ramifications are; let's study other nations that have jumped into the same pool that you want us to jump into, for example, Canada, and take a look at what the Canadian system has that is better than our system. That is what I propose you do. Before you jump into the pool, take a look at what the unintended consequences are. Maybe there are some things in the Canadian health care system that are better than the American health care system. But I would tell you this, that in America you still get the best health care of anywhere in the world. When they like to come up here and talk about the uninsured Americans, remember that there are different categories. You may have somebody that is uninsured; but no matter where you are in America, you can never be denied emergency care at a hospital if that hospital receives government funds. And I do not know any hospital, I am sure there are a couple of them out there but not very many more that do not operate on government funds. The fact is, the prescription drugs in this country, the prices that are being charged for them are in my opinion outrageous. There is no question that the angel here is not the pharmaceutical companies. But let me tell you, there is also something to be said about the research that these pharmaceutical companies ought to be doing so that we have better medicines. You take a look at the kind of medicines we have today, just in the last few years. I can remember 3 years ago when you got diarrhea, you drank that junk, that pink junk, you drank it. You drank a whole thing of it to try to get rid of the diarrhea. Today you buy a little packet about this big with little pills, you pop one pill and that is it. Our country is the country that makes advancements. We have got to do something about these outrageous prices that have snuck in here. For example, I do not know why the Democrat from New Jersey, instead of up here bashing and misleading all of you by saying that the Republicans, the leadership, have planned this cruel hoax on the Americans. Really, honestly, is there anybody you have ever met in elective office that wants to go out and play a cruel hoax on the constituents they represent? Is that an exaggeration? Of course it is an exaggeration. But the fact that we come back to is this: What do we do to bring the pharmaceutical prices into line without bringing in nationalized health care? The Democrats are very easy to stand up here in front of you, ladies and gentlemen, and stand in front of my colleagues and promise you the Moon, the magic cure, greener fields on the other side of the fence. All I am saying is before you jump on the other side of the fence, take a look at the consequences of the plan that they are proposing. Where do you think Al Gore, the Vice President, is going to get his money from this? It comes out of that surplus. Remember, this is the first time in 30 years we have had that surplus. As I say, clearly there is a problem out there. We need to address that problem. But the Gore approach and the Democratic Congress approach or at least the liberal side of it, I have got to say, I have got to restrain myself because we have several conservative Democrats who do not agree with the liberal approach as just espoused by the gentleman from New Jersey. But the liberal Democratic approach is the Hillary Clinton approach, nationalized health care, socialized health care. I can tell a lot of you right now, 64 percent of the people in America, as I understand, have some kind of prescription care service. You better figure out what the gentleman from New Jersey is proposing to do with the service of those of you that have prescription care in moving that to the people that do not have prescription care service. There are lots of consequences to what the Democrats, the liberal Democrats, are proposing when they offer you something for nothing. There is a price to be paid, and I think it is incumbent upon the gentleman from New Jersey and his colleagues when they stand up here and trash and cut down more conservative Democrats or the conservative Republicans. I think it is incumbent on them to kind of have an openness requirement. Tell the people what the consequences are of nationalized health care. Tell people what the consequences are of a Canadian-type of system. Talk about it. Tell the people what the consequences are of research for better medicines. Know this is why this Congress just does not jump up and sign the blank check offered by the gentleman from New Jersey. We are not going to jump up and sign a blank check, at least enough of us on both sides of the aisle are saying wait a minute, what are we doing, what are the consequences. Clearly, we all agree on the problem. Despite what the gentleman from New Jersey says, nobody is patting the pharmaceutical companies on the back and saying be proud of yourself. They have not done a good job in some regards with medicine, but frankly it appears that there is some gouging going on out there. But before my colleagues address that problem, take a very careful look at what the Democrat, the liberal Democrat approach is, because I can assure my colleagues in the long run, first of all, they promise it will only be 10 percent of the surplus and a much, much smaller percent of the budget and nothing will grow and grow and grow; and it is the open door for socialized medicine in this country, for a national health care, and there are a lot of people who, in my opinion, will suffer under a national health care plan. Nobody should be forgotten and nobody should be left behind, but there are ways to address that without going into a Hillary Clinton- type of health care plan. So my discussion here tonight was not intended to be on health care, but there is nobody else that stands here to rebut these gentlemen, as they speak here unrebutted for 1 hour about the so-called quote cruel hoaxes by the Republican leadership. Those words ought to be stricken from the Record. They are inaccurate. They are misleading. The gentleman from New Jersey and some of his colleagues, they know that the cruel hoax by the leadership. I did not say there is a cruel hoax by the Democratic leadership. Come on, we have more protocol on this floor. We can be more ladies and gentlemen in talking about the problem. The people that suffer while this partisan bickering goes on back here are the senior citizens that do not have prescription care or, by the way, anybody that does not have the ability to care for themselves. But do not address it by waving the magic wand and saying look, citizens, we have got something for nothing. We are going to take care of all of your health care needs. We are going to take away your personal responsibility and the government is going to assume it. Remember, every time, and I cannot say this strong enough, every time the government assumes one of your responsibilities, every time the government takes a burden of yours and makes it a burden of theirs, they take something with it. It comes with a price. Somewhere we are losing a freedom. Somewhere we are going to lose the ability to have choice in the future. So in summary on this health care plan, let me say, I am discouraged by the comments that were made previous to my speaking here this evening. We do not get anywhere, and I direct my remarks at the liberal Democrats. Look, we are not going to get anywhere with a nationalized health care plan. We are not going to get anywhere with socialized medicine. Why do you not sit down instead of talking about how leadership has this cruel conspiracy going on by throwing a few bucks at insurance companies? Why do you not put the election-year rhetoric aside and sit down with us and help us try and figure out what a solution is. Every day that we use that kind of rhetoric, there are people out there who are suffering because my colleagues are not willing to sit down and put their heads together to come up with a solution. And there is a solution. I am optimistic that we can have a solution. We do have a great country, and we have made wonderful strides in health care. But clearly we have got some problems in that system, but we can fix it without having our health care provided by the United States of America, which means they are going to oversee what doctors you see. They are going to oversee what kind of prescriptions you get. They are going to oversee what kind of treatments you get. They are going to oversee how often you are going to get to see this doctor or that doctor. Socialized or national medicine is not the magic answer it appears to be. Tonight it is very easy to buy into this, very easy to buy into this, because the Democrats, the liberal side over here, not all Democrats, I stand corrected, the liberal Democrats over here, they think you are going to get something for nothing. And they are saying, look, it is easy for us to afford it, no problem. Remember, you do not get something for nothing. Let me switch subjects and talk about something much, much more pertinent, I think, really because of the Olympics. I hope some of you have are having the opportunity to watch it. In fact, I was over at the office before I came over this evening watching the Olympics, how exciting that is, even if it is taped NBC or whoever does that. The reality of it is look what we get to see clear across the ocean in Sydney and watch those Olympics, and I am very proud of those people. I want to tell you I heard an advertisement, I will not tell you the name of the company the other day, but I heard an advertisement about the Olympics, and it said our young men and women that go over there to compete in the Olympics, they will come home heroes. And I thought to myself, you know, they will come over celebrities. I would like to have their autographs. I am proud of them. But I think using the word heroes is somewhat of a delusion. I think the real word of heroes is used in a different type of setting. There are sports celebrities, and there are heroes. I have a perfect example. I am not just up here talking without giving you an example. It is happening this week in Pueblo, Colorado. First of all, on my way over I real quickly grabbed a dictionary, and I looked up the word hero. Hero, a mythological or a legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability, an illustrious warrior, a man admired for his noble qualities, one that shows great courage, an object of extreme admiration and devotion with courage. With that said, let me read an editorial from one of the leading newspapers in the State of Colorado, the Pueblo Chieftain. It is called Patriots Week. What is Patriots Week about? This is a celebration of heroes. This week, we anticipate more than 110 Americans, more than 110 Americans who have been decorated with the Medal of Honor, which is the highest honor our country can give out, 110 of them will be in Pueblo, Colorado, to be honored by a city which was recently designated as one of the four finest communities to live in this country. Pueblo, Colorado, picked out of hundreds of communities. It was picked in the top four. This week Pueblo is hosting 110 medal of honor winners, and they are calling their week Patriots' Week. I am going to go through my poster here in a few minutes with you and show you some of the interesting things about what this week is going to consist of. First of all, let me read the editorial out of the Sunday Chieftain Star and Journal, my good friend Bob Rawlings, who is the publisher and editor, this is Patriots Week, the home of heroes in Pueblo, Colorado. On Tuesday, the National Medal of Honor Society convenes here for its annual convention. Pueblo is home to four medal of honor recipients, the most of any city at least in modern times. On Thursday, larger-than-life bronze sculptures of the four Puebloans who won this will be unveiled at the Pueblo Convention Center. They are Carl Sitter, William Crawford, Drew Dix, and Jerry Murphy. Mr. Sitter and Mr. Crawford died this year, but not before they got to see their sculptures taking form. Also included is a display of all medal of honor recipients dating back to the Civil War, when the Nation's highest honor was approved by the United States Congress. A black tie patriot dinner on Friday will bring five greats from the world of sports to Pueblo. Golfer Arnold Palmer; gold glove baseball player Brooks Robinson; NBA center David, The Admiral, Robinson; one- time boxing champion Gene Fullmer; and the NHL hockey star Pat LaFontaine will receive the Society's Patriot Award for the joy and support they have given to our military forces. Also commentator Paul Harvey and World War II cartoonist Bill Maudlin will receive special awards from the Medal of Honor Society. Two other veterans organizations are in Pueblo this in week in conjunction with the Society's convention. Two days ago, the 50th anniversary reunion of the 578th Combat Engineering Battalion began. Later this year, the crew of the Peachy, a B-29 piloted by Puebloan Bill Haver that flew raids over Japan, will meet for its annual get- together. Mr. Haver named the plane, a replica of which is at the aircraft museum at the Memorial Airport in honor of his sister Peachy Wilcoxson, and I know Peachy. Today is Constitution Day. All of these patriots spot for the ideals embodied in the United States Constitution, and many of their comrades perished in that effort. So let each and every one of us reflect on that remarkable document and re-dedicate ourselves to the cause of liberty and justice. Well, how exciting. In Pueblo alone, for example, I would like to just to kind of, for a moment, go over who are the four members who are from Pueblo, Colorado. As I mentioned in my comments, unfortunately, two of our members, two of our citizens of Pueblo, passed away earlier this year. Mr. Crawford, who was in the Army, you can see right here, and Mr. Sitter, right here, but we still have surviving Drew Dix, the gentleman right here with the red dot, and Jerry Murphy, who was in the Marines in Korea. This is the plaza that Pueblo, Colorado, has dedicated and put together through contributions from the local community. Here is a community that came together, did not come to the United States Congress and ask for money, did not expect the government to do it; they got together in their community of Pueblo, Colorado, to honor all medal of honor recipients, but specifically to put something that will be a long-lasting recognition of the four medal of honor winners from Pueblo, Colorado. That is what that little plaza is going to look like. The statues, here is one of Jerry Murphy, 8\1/2\ feet tall; that is the completed statute there honoring Jerry. Here, so you have an idea, there is Bill Crawford before he passed away as he stands with the statue of him, which is also about 8\1/2\ feet high. This is going to be an exciting week in Pueblo. What I thought I would do is share with my colleagues four of the stories of these medal of honor winners. I can tell you that I have had the occasion, and I consider it amongst the highest privileges of my congressional career, if I were to kind of recapture my memories of serving in the United States Congress, where I felt the most fortunate to meet somebody or the most privileged to be able to shake their hand, I would have to put it in the order of, I am Catholic, the Pope, and Mother Theresa, and right behind them, our medal of honor winners. In fact, I was in a parade in Pueblo not very long ago, and I had the opportunity in that parade to shake the hands of two medal of honor winners who were watching the parade. You feel so much pride, because these people are such heroes. They really are what heros are, the word. They do not cause any delusion to the word hero. They embody hero in its fullest envisions. Let me talk about Drew Dix. I will point out Drew here. Drew right here. By the way, a special hello to his mother, a very sweet person in Pueblo, Colorado. Let me talk a little about Drew, Drew D. Dix, U.S. Army Special Forces Vietnam, citation for conspicuous gallantry in the action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sergeant Dix distinguished himself by exceptional heroism by serving as a unit advisor to heavily armed Vietcong battalions attacked the providence capital of Chau Phu resulting in complete breakdown and fragmentation of defenses of the city. Sergeant Dix with a patrol of Vietnamese soldiers was recalled to assist in the defense of the city. Learning that a nurse was trapped in a house near the center of the city, Sergeant Dix organized a relief force, successfully rescued the nurse and returned her safely to the tackle operations center; but that is not all. Being informed that now there were other trapped civilians within the city, Sergeant Dix voluntarily led another force to rescue eight civilian employees located in a building which was under heavy mortar and small arms fire. Sergeant Dix then returned to the center of the city. Upon approaching a building, he was subjected to intense automatic rifle and machine gun fire from an unknown number of Vietcong. He personally assaulted the building, killing six of the Vietcong and rescuing two Philippinos. The following day, Sergeant Dix, still on his own volition, assembled a 20-man force, and though under intense enemy fire, cleared the Vietcong out of the hotel, the theater and other adjacent buildings within the city. During this portion of the attack, Army Republic of Vietnam soldiers, inspired by the heroism and success of Sergeant Dix, rallied and commenced firing upon the Viet Cong. Sergeant Dix individually captured 20 prisoners, including a high ranking Viet Cong official. He then attacked enemy troops who had entered the residence of the deputy providence chief and was successful in rescuing the official's wife and children. Sergeant Dix's personal heroic actions resulted in 14 confirmed Viet Cong killed in action and possibly 25 more. The capture of 20 prisoners, 15 weapons and the rescue of 14 United States and free world civilians. The heroism of Sergeant Dix was in the highest tradition and reflects great credit upon the United States Army. Raymond Jerry Murphy, and if you ever go to Pueblo, Colorado, you will see Murphy Boulevard. I mean, these guys are real heroes. Their community loves them. Our country has deep respect for Medal of Honor winners. Excuse me. Not winners they did not win it. Medal of Honor recipients, and I stand corrected on that. Raymond Jerry Murphy, United States Marine Corps, Korea, citation for conspicuous gallantry at the risk of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty as a platoon commander of Company A, an action against enemy aggressor forces. Although painfully wounded by fragments from an enemy mortar shell while leading his evacuation platoon in support of assault units attacking a cleverly concealed and well-entrenched hostile force occupying commanding ground, Second Lieutenant Murphy steadfastly refused medical aid and continued to lead his men up a hill through a withering barrage of hostile mortar and small arms fire; skillfully maneuvering his force from one position to the next and shouting words of encouragement. Undeterred by the increasing intense enemy fire, he immediately located casualties as they fell and made several trips up and down the fire swept hill to direct evacuation teams to the wounded, personally carrying many of the stricken Marines to safety. When reinforcements were needed by the assaulting elements, Second Lieutenant Murphy employed part of his unit as support and during the ensuing battle personally killed two of the enemy with his own pistol. With all of the wounded evacuated and the assaulting units beginning to disengage, he remained behind with a carbine to cover the movement of friendly forces of the hill, and although suffering intense pain from his previous wounds he seized an automatic rifle to provide more firepower when the enemy reappeared from the trenches. After reaching the base of the hill, he organized a search party and again ascended the slope for a final check on missing Marines, locating and carrying the bodies of machine gun crew back down the hill. Wounded a second time, while conducting the entire force to the line of departure through a continuing barrage of enemy small arms artillery and mortar fire, he again refused medical assistance until assured that every one of his men, including all of the casualties, had preceded him to the main lines. His resolute and inspiring leadership and exceptional fortitude and great personal valor reflect the highest credit upon Second Lieutenant Murphy and enhance the finest traditions of the United States Marine Corps. William Crawford, our third Pueblo citizen, United States Army, World War II, for conspicuous gallantry at the risk of life and above and beyond the call of duty in action, with the enemy in Italy, 13 September 1943, when Company I attacked an enemy-held position on hill 424, the third platoon in which Private Crawford was a squad scout attacked as a base platoon for the company. After reaching the crest of the hill, the platoon was pinned down by intense enemy machine and small arms fire. Locating one of these guns, which was dug in on a terrace on his immediate front, Private Crawford, without orders, and on his own initiative, moved over the hill under enemy fire to a point within a few yards of the machine gun emplacement and single-handedly destroyed the machine gun and killed three of the crew with a hand grenade; thus enabling his platoon to continue its advance. When the platoon, after reaching the crest, was once more delayed by enemy fire, Private Crawford again, in face of intense fire and on his own volition, advanced directly to the front midway between two hostile, two this time, hostile machine gun nests located on a higher terrace and placed in a small ravine. Moving first to the left, with a hand grenade he destroyed one gun emplacement and killed the crew. Then he worked his way to the right and under continuous fire from the other machine gun emplacement, he used one hand grenade and the use of his rifle and he killed one enemy and blew out the machine gun nest and forced the remainder of the enemy to flee. Seizing the enemy machine gun that was left from the one emplacement, he fired on the withdrawing Germans and facilitating his company's advance. These are remarkable individuals. Carl Sitter, United States Marine Corps Korea, for conspicuous gallantry at the risk of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty as a commanding officer of Company G, in action against enemy aggressor forces, ordered to break through enemy infested territory to reinforce his battalion the morning of 29 November. Captain Sitter continuously exposed himself to enemy fire as he led his company forward, and despite 25 percent casualties suffered in the furious action, he succeeded in driving the group to its objective. Assuming the responsibility of attempting to seize and occupy a strategic area, occupied by a hostile force of regiment strength, deeply entrenched on a snow covered hill, commanding the entire valley southeast of town, as well as the line of march of friendly troops withdrawing to the south, he reorganized his depleted units the following morning and boldly led them up that steep frozen hillside under blistering fire, encouraging and redeploying his troops as casualties occurred, and directing forward platoons as they continued the drive to the top of the ridge. During the night when the vastly outnumbered enemy launched a sudden vicious counterattack, setting the hill ablaze with mortar, machinegun and automatic weapons fire and taking a heavy toll in troops, Captain Sitter visited each foxhole and gun position, coolly deploying and integrating reinforcing units consisting of service personnel unfamiliar with infantry tactics into a coordinated combat team and instilling in every man the will and determination to hold his position at all costs. With the enemy penetrating his lines, in repeated counterattacks which often required hand-to-hand combat, and on one occasion infiltrating to the command post with hand grenades, he fought gallantly with his men in repulsing and killing the fanatic attackers in each encounter. Painfully wounded in the face, wounded in the arms and wounded in the chest by bursting grenades, he staunchly refused to be evacuated, and he continued to fight on until a successful defense of the area was assured with a loss of the enemy by more than 50 percent of their troops dead or wounded or captured. His valiant leadership, superb tactics and great personal valor throughout 36 hours of bitter combat reflect the highest credit upon Captain Sitter and the U.S. Naval service. These four gentlemen that I just described as heroes who got the Medal of Honor are from Pueblo, Colorado, but I want to remind all of my colleagues there is what we call the Medal of Honor Society, and 110 members of that society will be in Pueblo, Colorado, this week to be honored by our community and to be honored by our Nation for what they have done. Those four stories I told are but a drop in the bucket of the stories of valor, the stories of courageous brave men and women, who stepped out above the call of duty because they believed in America. They believed in freedom and they were willing to lay their life down for it. This weekend I had a wonderful opportunity to spend with my wife and my parents in Meeker, Colorado, and we were up at the cemetery, an old cemetery, we were in the old section of the cemetery, and I walked by a grave and it was a young man, not much on the gravestone, had the gentlemen's name, had his birth. He was 22 years old, and all it said on the gravestone was he died for his country. As we know, we have thousands and thousands and thousands of men and women in this country who have died for their country, and we have hundreds of thousands of men and women who have fought bravely for what this country stands for, for the freedom of this country, for the benefit of all of us. We cannot acknowledge everybody with a Medal of Honor, so we know that there are brave and courageous individuals out there who should have received the Medal of Honor, who earned the Medal of Honor but did not receive it, but we do know we still have a group of individuals who did receive the Medal of Honor, and they truly should own lock, stock and barrel the title of hero. What Kind Of Violence Are We Educating Our Children With?

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to acknowledge two upstanding citizens of Western Colorado, Casey and Jean Brown. Casey and Jean, through their determination and `old fashioned' hard work have built a reputation among Colorado's rodeo community. This dedication was recently rewarded when the couple received the Western Service Award, presented by the Durango Pro Rodeo. Casey and Jean understand the value and benefit of working hard and this is evident in their day to day routine running their family ranch. Jean plays the dual role of mother and bookkeeper on the ranch. The tasks of her typical day range from patching up her rodeo bruised husband, to helping care for her children, to ensuring the health of the family's livestock. Before coming to Colorado, Casey could be found behind the teacher's desk at California Polytechnic College. After moving to Colorado, Casey and Jean began the legacy of service to their community that they are now widely known for. Working as a rancher, Casey realized that many ranchers like himself needed assistance in the political arena. To aid others like himself, he served with distinction on the Colorado Wool Growers and Cattleman's Associations. In addition, he has also served on the National Public Lands Council and the Pine River Irrigation District. The commitment of these two individuals to family and community is truly commendable. They have found that, through dedication and hard work, a person can truly do anything that the mind desires. They have made a true impact upon the community of Durango and they are clearly deserving of this prestigious award from the Durango Pro Rodeo Association. Casey and Jean, I thank you for your commitment to helping others. The citizens of Durango are truly privileged to call you neighbor and friend. Congratulations!

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to commend the Honorable Joe Collins on his remarkable service as Rio Blanco County Commissioner. Joe is stepping down after serving his community for nearly 15 years as Commissioner. Joe's commitment to bettering his community has ensured that Rio Blanco County will be a better place for its citizens. Joe is a long time resident of Rio Blanco County and truly understands what is important to his community. As commissioner, he fought to ensure the safety of western Colorado's land and water resources. Understanding the importance of serving his fellow Coloradans, Joe has also been involved with a number of different public interest organizations. Joe put his outstanding leadership qualities to use as a member of the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, the Rio Blanco County Cattlemen's Board of Directors, the Local Forest Service Advisory Board, and as Chairman of both the Regional Transportation Board and the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado. Joe, you have served your community, State, and Nation admirably, and on behalf of the State of Colorado and the U.S. Congress, I thank you. The leadership that you have given to Rio Blanco County will be greatly missed. Good luck in your future endeavors.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to recognize the Honorable Donna Ferganchick of Cedaredge, Colorado. Donna is stepping down as Delta County Commissioner after nearly a decade of public service. Before moving to the position of Commissioner, Donna served for six years as County Assessor. She served half of her second term, enabling her to be elected the first woman County Commissioner in Delta County history. While Commissioner, Donna has served as Chairman and currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners. Donna's outstanding leadership abilities have not only benefited Delta County, but also a number of different organizations on which she serves. The Juvenile Diversion Board, the Grand Mesa Scenic By-ways Committee, as well as serving as an Alternative Sentencing Representative, are just a few of the ways in which Donna focuses her energy in order to ensure a better quality of life in Delta County. Donna, you have served your community, State, and Nation proudly, and I wish you the very best in your future endeavors.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to honor the considerable efforts of my friend, John Frew, during his accomplished tenure at Colorado Ski Country USA, the distinguished association that represents Colorado's ski industry. Recently, John announced that he was stepping down as its President and CEO. As John moves on, I would like to take this opportunity to thank and pay tribute to him for his dedicated service. You don't have to know much about the great State of Colorado to know that skiing is an important part of who we are, both economically and culturally. For years, Colorado Ski Country USA has been the unified voice of this important industry. And when this already highly regarded organization hired John Frew, that voice only got stronger. Colorado Ski Country USA brought John in to strengthen the operation, increasing its visibility and stepping up its role in the public policy arena. As someone in that arena, Mr. Speaker, I can say without hesitation to John: mission accomplished. Under John's leadership, Colorado Ski Country USA has thrived and for that the entire State of Colorado is grateful. It is with this that I say congratulations to John on his successful stint with Ski Country USA and wish him all the best as he returns to Brownstein, Hyatt & Farber P.C.A. John, your community, state and nation are thankful for your service.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with profound sadness that I ask for this moment to celebrate the life of Keith Clark. Keith was a model citizen and a highly respected educator in Grand Junction, Colorado. Keith left an indelible impression upon many he came in contact with and he will be deeply missed. Keith grew up during the Great Depression where hard work wasn't an option, it was part of everyday life. Keith took these values to heart, serving his country with distinction in World War II as a B-52 pilot. After returning States side, Keith finished his formal education, an education that would ultimately lead to a career that would have an immense impact upon thousands of Colorado's youth. After receiving his education from Mesa State College, and his teaching certificate from the University of Northern Colorado, Keith began his illustrious teaching career. For nearly 30 years, he ensured that Grand Junction's youth understood the importance of knowledge and learning. His techniques and style were at times considered unconventional, but for many students, Keith's unorthodox approach sparked an intellectual curiosity that would remain with them for the rest of their life. Larry Beckner summed up the incredible impact that Mr. Clark had upon his life in an article by Rachel Sauer in The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: ``He instilled in me the belief that whatever is out there, I can do it. That was the attitude that he had and the attitude I picked up from him.'' Keith taught students to realize the importance of life and how to appreciate it. He also helped young people to learn the value of being a student. Beckner also had this to say: ``He turned me around from being just a person in school to being a student. He opened my eyes to community involvement, to political issues and he made me a student.'' Keith Clark exemplified the ideals of what it means to be an American. He fought to protect this country's highest ideals during World War II and he worked tirelessly to promote the importance of a good education to his students. Both at home and abroad, Keith was a genuine American hero. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to extend my condolences on behalf of the State of Colorado and the U.S. Congress to the family of a true American patriot, Keith Clark. Keith touched the lives of thousands of people. Though he is gone, his proud legacy will live on in the family, friends and students who were blessed to know him.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I take this moment to celebrate the life of Wayne Moorehead. After an extensive battle with heart disease, Wayne passed away in his sleep at the age of 84. While friends and family remember this accomplished journalist, I too would like to pay tribute to this great American. Wayne brought a smile to everyone he came in contact with. His infectious laugh and great sense of humor will be greatly missed. Wayne is, to say the least, a celebrity in southern Colorado, leaving an impression upon many that he came into contact with. Karen Maas-Smith, from a recent article by Charlie Langdon in the Durango Herald, said this about Wayne: ``When I heard of his passing, I instantly missed him, but I can't reflect on him without smiling. His laughter was his greatest gift. He himself was a gift to the planet.'' Wayne always found a way to find something positive out of every situation he was in. His sense of humor helped to ease tensions in the news rooms and press meetings where he spent most of his professional life. Wayne's love for life and his fellow man was obvious in his every action. No matter the difficulty of the situation, he always seemed to find a way to get through it with a smile. His illuminating persona will be greatly missed by the community of Durango. Wayne was a great journalist and a great friend of Colorado.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to commend Costilla County Commissioner Floyd E. Espinoza on his contributions to his community. The Honorable Mr. Espinoza has served Costilla County since 1994 and has fought hard to increase the tax base in his area. December will conclude Mr. Espinoza's six-year service as County Commissioner. Mr. Espinoza spent over three decades in the Federal Government before moving to elected office. These thirty some years were spent in the Air Force and United States Department of Interior. Mr. Espinoza's contributions and leadership to Costilla County have made it a better place for all of its citizens to live. Mr. Espinoza has served his community in outstanding fashion and I wish him the best in his future endeavors. Floyd, your community, State, and Nation are proud of you and we're grateful for your service.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to commend the Honorable Ben Beall for his outstanding public service to the State of Colorado. After nearly a decade of service to his community, Ben is stepping down as Routt County Commissioner. He has served his community admirably and I would like to pay tribute at this time, to his career in public office. During his distinguished tenure as a Commissioner, Ben strove to ensure that the agricultural needs of Colorado's farmers were respected and preserved. Ben's desire to help others has also led him to get involved with a number of different community organizations. Ben has served as Chairman of the Emerald Mountain Partnership, and the Routt County Democratic Party. He also served on the Yampa River Basin Partnership, the Northwest Transportation Planning Commission, and the Yampa River System Legacy Project. Ben has worked diligently to ensure that his community is a better place for all its citizens. His hard work and outstanding leadership will be greatly missed. Ben, on behalf of the State of Colorado and the US Congress, I thank you for your service. Good luck with all of your future endeavors.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege and an honor to have this opportunity to pay tribute to one of Alamosa's most well-loved and admired coaches, Dr. Joe Vigil, as he prepares to leave Adams State College after a decorated and distinguished 29-year career. Joe has been the embodiment of service and success during his time at Adams State and clearly deserves the praise and recognition of this body as he, his runners and the town of Alamosa, Colorado celebrate his ground- breaking career. If ever there were a person who embodied the spirit and values that motivate others to achieve success, it is Joe. He has distinguished himself through his exceptional leadership and service that have placed him amongst the elite running coaches in the country. He was voted No. 3 on the list of Colorado's top collegiate coaches in the past 100 years and received the honor of NCAA and NAIA Coach Of The Year 14 times. He has also served the United States as an international coach on 17 different occasions, including several Olympic Games. Most notably, Joe coached his teams to 18 national championships, accounting for more than 350 All-Americans. Mr. Speaker, Joe's commitment to his community has been so great that it led the Alamosa City Council to proclaim August 12, 2000, Joe I. Vigil day. Their proclamation reads: ``Whereas Dr. Joe I. Vigil has led Adams State College teams to athletic excellence over the years, whereas he has successfully coached numerous Olympic and champion athletes, whereas he is an inspiration for recreational runners and a role model for all, whereas he represents Alamosa nationally and internationally as an athletic ambassador, now therefore, I, Charles J. Griego, Mayor Pro Tem of Alamosa, Colorado, by virtue of the authority vested in me, do hereby proclaim August 12, 2000, as Dr. Joe I. Vigil Day in the City of Alamosa, Colorado.'' As Joe celebrates leaving Adams State College and Alamosa, Mr. Speaker, I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you and congratulations on behalf of the United States Congress. In every sense, Joe is a great coach who deserves praise and admiration from all of us. I wish him the best of luck as he continues to pursue his coaching career in Green Valley, Arizona. Joe is one of the nation's best and someone we can all be proud of. My thanks to him for a job well done.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with deepest sympathy that I wish to recognize the life and exceptional contributions of Dr. Sam Callaway. Sam Callaway passed away on July 12, 2000 at the age of 86. Dr. Callaway served the community of Durango, Colorado for forty-two years, beginning his practice in 1946 and retiring in 1998. Dr. Callaway cared for his patients, giving both time and compassion to each person he treated. His dedication was evident in his manner, his attitude of interest and in his practice of going to patients in need, day or night. Known for his bedside manner, Sam Callaway was a model of kindness and gentility. Dr. Callaway was not only appreciated and respected by his patients, but also by his colleagues. He was often requested to assist in surgeries. Dr. Callaway was active in the community as well, serving as a member of the Durango Elks Lodge and Masonic Lodge. He served our country in the Navy during World War II as part of the medical corps in the South Pacific. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Callaway was a selfless man, giving endlessly to ensure the well-being of others. His service to this great nation, as well as his 42 years of medical service and countless years of kindness to the citizens of the Durango community, are honorable and worthy of recognition. I am confident that in spite of this great loss, the family and friends of Dr. Sam Callaway can take comfort in the knowledge that each is a better person for having known him. It is with this that I pay tribute to the life of this accomplished and wonderful man.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to recognize the outstanding service of the Honorable Joe R. Janosec, of Moffat County, Colorado. Mr. Janosec is retiring as Moffat County Commissioner after nearly a decade of service to his community. Joe's commitment to public service is obvious to all those around him and his contributions to his community have been many. Mr. Janosec began working in Colorado as an educator in 1962. His desire to educate America's youth led him to a career in education that spanned almost three decades. After serving as principal of Moffat County High School, he turned to elected office where his involvement was immense and his service admirable. In addition, Joe brought strong leadership abilities to a vast array of groups and organizations serving as a member of the Executive Board of the Colorado High School Activities Board, president of Western District CCI, Chair of the AGNC Coal Issues Committee and the Regional Transportation Committee. Mr. Janosec's natural ability to lead and desire to serve his fellow man will be greatly missed. He had donated nearly a decade to serving his community and has ensured that it is a better place in which to live.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Stuart Schneider on an award he recently received from the National Park Service. Stuart is the Chief of Visitor and Resource Protection at Great Sand Dunes National Monument in Colorado--a treasure that shares a special place in my heart. Recently he received the Harry Yount National Park Ranger Award, honoring him for his outstanding excellence in his field. Clearly, Stuart is eminently deserving of this high honor. For years, Stuart has been highly respected in the land management community for his commitment to preserving and protecting our public lands, particularly the Great Sand Dunes. He has played an instrumental role in the creation and maintenance of the Backcountry Management Plan, the Wildland Fire Management Plan, as well as the Safety and Risk Management Plan. His efforts to preserve the integrity of this natural treasure has earned him not only respect from his peers, but also this distinguished award. Stuart's professional excellence is perhaps best summarized by comments made by National Park Director Robert Stanton in a recent news release announcing that Stuart had won this award: ``Ranger Schneider has demonstrated a genuine commitment to the field of rangering. He has a tremendous passion and respect for the National Park Service along with a strong command of traditional ranger skills.'' Ranger Schneider's commitment to preserving and protecting America's natural heritage is remarkable. He has helped to make America's national treasures safer for the millions of tourists that visit them each year. His efforts are well deserving of the distinguished award and the praise of the U.S. Congress. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would ask that we all extend our sincerest congratulations to a well deserving Ranger, Stuart Schneider.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to honor a remarkable gentleman, Harold Westesen, of Olathe, Colorado. Mr. Westesen was recently honored by Mayor Bill Patterson of the Montrose Rotary Club who declared an official ``Harold Westesen Day'' in Olathe. Mr. Westesen's contributions to the citizens of western Colorado are great in number and deserve the recognition of Congress. Mr. Westesen came from a family where education and hard work were part of everyday life. Throughout his life, he has exemplified these characteristics, earning two degrees from major institutions: a Physics and an Electrical Engineering degree from Colorado College and Purdue University, respectively. After finding competition in these fields unseemly, Harold moved to farming in the 1930's where he remained for the next 40 years. Mr. Westesen always worked hard to make a living, but he also found time to give back to his community. Such public works as the Ridgeway Dam would not have been possible if it hadn't been for his participation. What's more, he spent over 25 years on the Montrose Memorial Hospital Board improving the health services of his community. He also spent nearly ten years as president of the Tri-County Water Conservancy District Board, making sure that farmers of western Colorado received the much needed water they deserved. Mr. Westesen has worked hard not only for his family but also his community. His efforts to improve the health care and water issues have made western Colorado a better place to live. Mr. Westesen has gone out of his way to make where he lives a better place for all. It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I say thank you to Harold Westesen and congratulate him on having a day named in his honor.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the Honorable Cosme Sanchez, Jr. on his outstanding commitment to public service. Mr. Sanchez has spent over three decades serving his community, most recently as Costilla County Treasurer. Mr. Sanchez has also served as County Appraiser and Town Clerk and Municipal Judge for the town of San Luis. The Honorable Mr. Sanchez has served the citizens of Costilla County exceptionally well in his roles as a public servant. Citizens such as Mr. Sanchez, that are willing to spend so much of their lives serving the public, are the reason that the state of Colorado is the great state that it is. Costilla County is privileged to have had such an upstanding public servant as Mr. Sanchez. I would like to congratulate Mr. Sanchez on his commitment to bettering his community through public service. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to commend the Honorable Cleo Day on her distinguished service as Custer County Commissioner in Colorado. Serving as County Commissioner since 1992, Ms. Day has focused on a whole array of important issues, including efforts to protect property rights and helping improve the Emergency 911 service in Custer County. Before becoming County Commissioner, Ms. Day ran a number of small grocery stores throughout Colorado that were committed to the service of the local citizens. After leaving the grocery store business, Ms. Day ran for County Commissioner to give back to the community that had given so much to her. Her commitment to the wellbeing of the citizens of Custer County is honest and sincere and was ever present in her everyday actions. Cleo has served Custer County, her state and nation admirably and she will be missed. It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I say thank you and congratulations to this public servant and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the Cedaredge Police Department for receiving the Colorado Association of Chief of Police Accreditation Award. This award is given to Departments that meet lofty and highly selective standards. This fitting award was accepted by Marshall Tom Early and Officers Archibeque and Beach of the Cedaredge Police Department. According to the Chief of Police of Montrose, Colorado, Gary Meecham, in a recent article by Leeanna Mewhinney, ``Many people do not know what it takes in order to get this honorable award. Over 160 standards must be met and out of 300 agencies (police departments) in Colorado, only 3 departments on the Western Slope have received this, Cedaredge being one of them.'' This statement shows the dedication and hard work that is required to receive this distinguished recognition. Police officers work very hard and often do not receive the recognition they truly deserve. It is with great honor that I congratulate the officers of Cedaredge Colorado for not only their recent award, but also their continued efforts to keep Western Colorado a safe environment for all its citizens. As a former police officer, I am grateful for their service to our community, state and nation. Congratulations!

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like moment to celebrate the life of Julius ``Bud'' Dammann of Pueblo, Colorado. Sadly, Bud died earlier this month. While friends and family mourn his passing, I would like to take this opportunity to remember Mr. Dammann's distinguished life. Mr. Dammann was a caring person who constantly did what he could to improve his community, whether that was supporting the local 4-H Club or ensuring his employees were being treated as well as they should be. Mr. Dammann owned and operated Industrial Gas Products and Supply in Pueblo for over five decades. His commitment to ensuring a quality- working environment earned him a distinguished reputation as a businessman. Being from a small town, Bud used sports as a way to further his education. His athletic ability enabled him to enroll in Colorado Agricultural College where he received honorable mention All-American honors for football. After receiving his education, he returned to Pueblo where he was drafted into World War II. After returning a proud war veteran, he began his successful local business for which he is widely known. His desire to help his community started when he took over his family's grocery business. A native of Pueblo, Bud understood the area and realized the importance of education and giving back to his community. This desire to better his community was eminently apparent in his involvement in the Masonic Lodge, the Al Kaly Shriners, the Elks Club and as an original member of the 30 Club, an organization that raises charity money for other Pueblo charities. Bud's desire to help young people was evident in his involvement on the University of Southern Colorado Foundation Board and the Pueblo Community College vocational board. Julius ``Bud'' Dammann cared a great deal about his community and his fellow man. He did everything in his power to ensure Pueblo was a better community for all its citizens, both young and old. Bud was truly a great Coloradan and he will greatly missed.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I take this moment to recognize the accomplished life of Myron Myles Kronkright. Mike, as he was known, recently passed on at age 77. Mike was a cherished person among the Grand Junction community and he will be greatly missed. Mike committed nearly half of his adult life helping the children of Grand Junction, Colorado. For over four decades he officiated football, basketball, baseball and softball throughout the valley. He helped to establish the Football and Basketball Officials Association for Colorado as well as served on the Grand Junction Park and Recreation Advisory Board. His commitment to helping children and the sports community was recognized when he was presented the Lloyd McMillian Award and when a softball complex was named in his honor. Mike went to great lengths to help others, donating a great deal of time and effort to help the children of his community understand the importance of team sports. He helped Colorado by giving them an association where other individuals could learn the importance of helping children appreciate fair play in athletics. He may be gone, but memories like these will live on in the hearts of all that knew him. Mike Kronkright was a truly great Coloradan that was extremely committed not only to bettering children's lives through team sports, but also giving back to his community. He had an immense impact upon the community of Grand Junction that will not soon be forgotten.