Scott McInnis

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize an exceptional man, George Ding-Felder. In February, George was recognized as the ``Heat Hero'' in honor of his outstanding achievements in the area of drunk driving arrests. For his efforts in this area, George is eminently deserving of the thanks and admiration of this great body. George became a state trooper in 1995 and has served with great distinction ever since. As proof, look no farther than his record in combating drunk driving. In 1999 alone, he had 130 DUI/DUID arrests. It is obvious that George and his untiring efforts to help his community have made a real difference. He personifies the spirit that this award stands for and we all can learn from the example he has set. It is clear why this outstanding American was chosen as the recipient of the ``Heat Hero'' award. His efforts in the fight against drunk driving have made his community a safer place. In fact, his commitment to this important cause has probably saved many a life. I think that we all owe George a debt of gratitude for his service to the state. Due to George's dedication, it is clear that Colorado is a better and safer place. Your community, state and nation are grateful for your dedicated service, George.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, It is with great pride and pleasure that I would like to take this moment to honor Sam Suplizio for being inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Sam has dedicated a significant portion of his life to the great American game of Baseball. His many successes as a player and coach make him most deserving of this Hall of Fame induction as well as the praise and esteem of this great body. For these reasons, I feel it is proper that we pay tribute to him now. Sam's devotion to baseball started with his stellar career as a player. He got his start as an All-American Center Fielder for the University of New Mexico, where he had a three-year varsity career. To further his playing career, Sam was drafted in 1953 by the New York Yankees. While with the Yankee's organization, Sam earned such honors as Eastern League's best defensive outfielder and was recognized as a league all-star. Sam began his coaching career as a manager for the Dodgers' Thomasville affiliate. After a short stint with the Dodgers, Sam moved to Grand Junction, Colorado where he landed a job coaching the Grand Junction Eagles, a job that provided him with 20 years of success. Sam's coaching career has also steered him overseas, where he headed the World Port tournament in Rotterdam, Holland and instructed teams in both Europe and Israel. In all, Sam has spent 46 years as a player or coach in professional baseball. His professional career has seen him serve as a coach/instructor for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Anaheim Angels. Mr. Speaker, Sam Suplizio is truly an American baseball legend. His dedication and devotion to the great American game of baseball are unparalleled and should not go without recognition. Beyond his remarkable career in baseball, Sam has been a pillar of the community in Grand Junction and a role model for many. His love for the game is eminently worthy of this body's recognition even as he receives this prestigious award from the American Baseball Coaches Association. Great job Sam! Your community is very proud of you!

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege and an honor to have this opportunity to pay tribute to one of Colorado's most distinguished citizens and favorite sons, Mr. Walter F. ``Bus'' Bergman, as he celebrates his 80th birthday. Bus has been the embodiment of service, success and sacrifice during his remarkably accomplished life. He clearly deserves the praise and recognition of this body as he, his friends and family celebrate his 80th birthday. If ever there were a person who embodied the spirit and values that make Colorado great, it is Bus Bergman. Born in Denver on June 11, 1920, Bus' athletic credentials are truly unsurpassed. As a school boy at Denver North High School, Bus was a three sport star who propelled each of his respective teams to greatness. In fact, Bergman made the winning basket to clinch North's first state basketball championship. Following a prodigious high school career, Bus went on to excel as a student-athlete at Colorado A&M, where he earned 10 varsity letters in three sports. Beyond athletics, Bus excelled both academically and in an array of extra-curricular pursuits. He was the sophomore class president, a four year member of the student council, a four year member of Sigma Pi Epsilon, and was named to the select list of Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities. Although Bus had a range of professional athletic opportunities at his disposal after his great college career--including an offer from the Philadelphia Eagles--he chose instead to commit himself to the great cause of freedom during World War II, where he served with great valor and distinction. Bus was involved in numerous marine operations in the Pacific and was awarded the prestigious Bronze Star for his extraordinary heroism in action against enemy Japanese during the assault and capture of Okinawa. In 1948, he was discharged as a Captain and was later upgraded to the status of Major. Upon his return from WWII, Bus returned to Colorado A&M to pursue higher learning. After completing his studies, he was named the football and baseball coach at Fort Lewis College where he served until 1950, when he accepted the top jobs in the football and baseball programs at then Mesa College. At Mesa, Bus' football teams went 102- 63-9, winning three conference championships, while his baseball teams were 378-201, winning twenty conference championships and finishing second three times at the JUCO World Series. While it would be impossible to list the litany of awards and achievements garnered during his remarkable career, it is safe to say that Bus has achieved beyond what most could ever dream. Throughout his career as a player and coach, Bus was the very symbol of greatness. For those who know Bus, it is clear that, above all else, Bus is a family man. Bus and his lovely wife Elinor Pitman were married in 1946, later giving birth to three children: Judy Black, Walter Bergman, Jr., and Jane Norton. Bus and Elinor are also the proud grandparents of six grandchildren. While his athletic and professional accomplishments are many, Bus' enduring legacy will be his family. As you can see, Mr. Speaker, Bus Bergman has achieved beyond measure in his distinguished life. He is a model citizen who represents all of the best that Colorado and America has to offer. As he celebrates his 80th birthday, Mr. Speaker, I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you and congratulations on behalf of his family, friends, and the United States Congress. In every sense, Bus Bergman is a great American who deserves the praise and admiration of us all.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the accomplishments of an outstanding student, Elizabeth ``Lizzy'' Searle. Her creative mind has earned her a distinguished award, the United States National Award Winner in Art. In addition, Ms. Searle will appear in the United States Achievement Academy Official Yearbook in recognition of her academic performance, interest and aptitude, leadership qualities, responsibilities, enthusiasm, citizenship, attitude, motivation to learn and improve and dependability. Ms. Searle received her award for her remarkable dedication to learning. Ms. Searle is a model for all students to follow and one that will be sure to achieve great things. She has proven to be an asset to her school and the community. It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I say congratulations to Elizabeth Searle on a truly exceptional accomplishment. Due to her dedicated service and creativity, it is clear that Colorado is a better place.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I consider it a personal privilege and honor to offer this tribute in acknowledgment of Dr. R. Douglas Yajko, an avid hunter and great humanitarian. Recently, Dr. Yajko was recognized by the Safari Club International as the recipient of the highest award given to hunters, the Hunting Hall of Fame Award. The award is given to a member of the SCI who has had noteworthy contributions to the organizations. Dr. Yajko has spent a lifetime working on behalf of hunters from around the world. His contributions to the hunting community have helped hunters everywhere educate the public about the nuances of hunting and wildlife. Dr. Yajko has participated in an array of associations, including the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, International Sheep Hunters Association, Boone and Crockett Club, and the National Rifle Association. In addition, the good doctor founded the SCI's Upper Colorado River Chapter in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and served as president for five years. Dr. Yajko has been an avid hunter since his early childhood and has traveled to six continents in which he has successfully taken over 16 dozen distinct big game animals, many of which qualified as SCI records for trophy animals. Although Dr. Yajko hunting exploits are formidable, his contributions to the medical community are probably more impressive. A general, vascular and thoracic surgeon, Dr. Yajko has been a committed surgeon in my district for more than 25 years, and has been published in various medical journals during that time. It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I say thank you and congratulations to Dr. Yajko for his life of service and success. Colorado is proud--and fortunate--to call him its own.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the accomplishments of an outstanding student, Valerie Beascochea. Her sharp mind and strong work ethic recently won her the high distinction of being named the United States National Collegiate Award winner in Nursing. In addition, Valerie will appear in the United States Achievement Academy Official Collegiate Yearbook in recognition of her academic performance, interest and aptitude, leadership qualities, responsibilities, enthusiasm, citizenship, attitude, motivation to learn and dependability. What makes these accomplishments even more remarkable is that Valerie is a wife and a mother of two. Her ability to successfully juggle the rigors of school, work and family underscores the significance of these outstanding achievements. She is a model that other students should follow and one that will be sure to achieve great things for the good of our community. She has proven to be an asset to her school, community, state and nation. It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I say congratulations to Valerie Beascochea on a truly exceptional accomplishment. Due to her dedicated service and integrity, it is clear that Colorado is a better place. We are all proud of Valerie.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker it is with personal privilege and honor that I enter this tribute in acknowledgment of Charles Gallagher, a friend, a philanthropist and humanitarian. On June 1, Mr. Gallagher was recognized by the Mizel Museum of Judaica as the recipient of the Community Cultural Enrichment Award. The award publicly notes Mr. Gallagher's commitment to education as well as his deep commitment to the State of Colorado, its people and its future. I would note, Mr. Speaker, that Mr. Gallagher's wife Diane is a critical element of her husbands success and that she shares the commitment to Colorado and dedication to education. Mr. Gallagher serves on the board of the Metropolitan Denver Area Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Denver Network Board of Governors, the University of Colorado at Denver Graduate School of Business Administration, the Metropolitan State College of Denver Foundation, the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver Art Museum, Denver Area Council Boy Scouts of America, Colorado UpLIFT, The Denver Foundation, The Catholic Foundation for the Archdiocese of Denver, Irish Community Center, and Xavier University in Cincinnati. Mr. Gallagher is also a member of The Colorado Forum, Colorado Concern, and a Regent for Regis University. He and Diane have four married children and nine grandchildren. The people of Colorado have every right to be proud of Mr. Gallagher and his family. On behalf of the people of Colorado, I thank the Gallagher's for their involvement.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to honor a man that has devoted his career to protecting the health of Colorado's environment, John Schwarz. In doing so, I would like to honor this individual who has exemplified the notion of public service and civic duty. Recently, the Public Lands Foundation named Mr. Schwarz its Outstanding Public Land Professional. Mr. Schwarz was presented the monumental task of restoring the Blanca Wetlands, a dry arid area, back into a highly productive ecosystem. In doing so, his main focus was on designing a formula that would deal with the strong water opposition, while moving the project forward. His tenacity and professionalism were instrumental in reviving the wetlands into a vibrant and productive ecosystem. In recognition of his success in restoring this splendid natural system, John was named the Outstanding Public Land Professional. He traveled to Washington D.C. to receive the award on December 10, 1999. Public Lands Foundation President George Lea said at the ceremony that he hoped that ``Mr. Schwarz's work will help the real owners of these lands to better understand and appreciate the high ideals and integrity that Mr. Schwarz and the Bureau of Land Management bring to this difficult task each day.'' It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I would like to pay tribute to Mr. Schwarz and his efforts to make his community a better place to live. His dedication and know-how have distinguished him greatly. The citizens of Colorado owe John a debt of gratitude and I wish him well.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to honor Theodore and Maxine Albers for being recognized by the Mesa County Civic Forum for their lifetime of contributions to Mesa County. The Civic Forum's mission is to promote citizen influence regarding the important issues affecting Mesa County's quality of life through better understanding, objective, non-partisan dialogue, and support for citizen action. Without question, Theodore and Maxine have upheld this mission to its fullest extent and are distinguished role models that every citizen should seek to emulate. Theodore and Maxine have a longstanding record of reaching out to the Grand Junction community. They have played an active role in numerous community organizations throughout their years as residents in the area. Together, they have worked in both the public and private sectors of the local economy and, most notably, have been extremely influential in the field of education, particularly at Mesa State College. In 1992, Mesa State College honored the couple by giving them the Distinguished Service Award, naming Albers Hall in their honor and forming the Albers Scholarship Fund as part of the Mesa State College Foundation. The former President of Mesa State College from 1970-74, Theodore currently sits on the Mesa State College Board of Trustees and is an active member in such organizations as Club 20 and the Lions Club. Maxine served with great distinction as a Mesa County Commissioner from 1974-1988 and today is a member of the Women's Foundation of the Colorado Advisory Council and the Mesa County Republican Women. These are but a hand-full of the literally dozens of community causes to which the Albers have dedicated their time and energies. Mr. Speaker, the active role that the Albers have played in Grand Junction has contributed immeasurably to the betterment of our community. The Civic Forum plays a crucial role in the community and Theodore and Maxine Albers embody the ideals of service and sacrifice that this distinguished organization promotes. For all these reasons, Mr. Speaker, the Albers eminently deserve the thanks and praise of this body. Colorado is clearly a better place for having known these outstanding Americans.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Hilltop Community Resources Inc., an organization that provides a range of invaluable services to the residents of Mesa County who are in need of special assistance and care, as they celebrate their 50th birthday. In recognition of this tremendous landmark and Hilltop's considerable efforts to improve life for those who are less fortunate, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this tremendous organization. Hilltop originated as the Mesa County Society for Crippled Children and Adults in 1950, offering outpatient services for people with disabilities. In the time since, Hilltop has incorporated a number of helpful services to assist its patients with their ailments and needs. Hilltop creates independent living communities that provide care and comfort for their citizens and offer the Elder Care/Assisted Living program that ensures elderly residents the opportunity to stay active in their daily lifestyle with the assistance of the Hilltop staff. In all, Hilltop can be credited with helping over 12,000 Mesa County residents a year. One notable person who has had a dramatic impact on the success of Hilltop is its current Chief Executive Officer, Sally Schaefer. Sally has been the driving force behind Hilltop's dedicated effort to put forth a helping hand to needy citizens in the Grand Valley for nearly two decades. She has initiated numerous outreach programs and, most notably, created a 158-unit retirement and assisted living facility. Ms. Schaefer's care and compassion for those in need of assistance is evident in the effort she has put forth during her career at Hilltop. Her hard work and dedication are emblematic of the role that Hilltop plays in the Grand Junction community. Mr. Speaker, it is a wonderful privilege and honor to salute the 50th anniversary of Hilltop Community Resources Inc. I am proud to represent a district that has an organization of this stature within its boundaries. The invaluable services that Hilltop provides bring joy and dignity to the lives of the less fortunate, offering them hope and putting a smile on their face.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize an exceptional man, Michael Harvey. In May, Mr. Harvey traveled to Washington D.C. to receive the ``Star of Life'' award, the highest honor presented to paramedics. Mr. Harvey received the award because of his dedicated service to his community and his fellow man as a paramedic. Mr. Harvey embodies the goals that this award stands for and we all can learn from the proud example he has set. As you know Mr. Speaker, paramedics work tirelessly and selflessly to serve their fellow man. Mr. Harvey and his fellow paramedics are expected to perform in difficult--even perilous--situations on a daily basis. Mr. Harvey's service and sacrifice in his field clearly merit both the ``Star of Life'' award and the respect and admiration of this great body. It is obvious why Mr. Harvey was chosen as the recipient of the ``Star of Life'' award. I think that we all owe him a debt of gratitude for his service to the State of Colorado. Due to Mr. Harvey's dedication, it is clear that Colorado is a better and safer place in which to live. It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I say thank you and congratulations to Mike Harvey on this outstanding accomplishment. Your community, state and nation are all very proud of you, Mike. Keep up the good work.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to recognize Larry Wilkinson for receiving the Extraordinary Library Advocate of the 20th Century award that is presented by the ALA/ALTA National Advocacy Honor Role. This award recognizes individuals who encourage and promote library services at both the state and national levels. Larry was one of five individuals chosen for this award. Some of Larry's accomplishments, with regards to his library service, include initiating the inception of two public libraries in the State of Colorado. Perhaps his greatest achievement was the restoration of a former jailhouse into the current library in the town of Telluride. Today, Larry volunteers one day a week to continue his public passion and also serves on the Colorado Council of Library Development. The many contributions that Larry has made have markedly improved the publics' access to information, especially in the Telluride area. Before Larry's involvement and the creation of the library, residents would have to travel to the city of Montrose in order to obtain access to literary materials. Thanks to Larry, that is no longer the case. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to pay tribute to Larry's efforts and to thank him for his work to provide access to information that is only available in public libraries. Larry is exceedingly worthy of this prestigious award and deserves the praise of this body.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to congratulate Jerry Groswold on being inducted into the Denver & Colorado Travel Industry Hall of Fame. He is one of only seven members to receive this distinction. He was inducted on April 1, 2000 at the Second Annual Denver's Salute to Tourism, an event which raised over $25,000 last year for Colorado students entering the hospitality and tourism field. Mr. Groswold's roots have a long-standing history with tourism in Colorado. He got his feet wet as a water boy for early ski pioneers, building the first trails on the slopes in Winter Park, Colorado. In 1959, he joined the Winter Park Recreational Association and eventually served as chairman. After his tenure as chairman, he became Chief Executive Officer for the resort and held it for 22 years. Currently, Jerry is serving as Chairman of the Board for Club 20 in western Colorado. Without Jerry's contribution, Winter Park would not be the ski community that it is today. His dedication and commitment helped to complete one of the largest ski expansions in Colorado's tourism history. I am proud to honor Jerry and thank him for his efforts to make Colorado's tourism industry a model for other states.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to congratulate Steve Osborne on being selected as the 2000 Small Business Person of the Year for the Colorado District of the U.S. Small Business Administration. His hard work, dedication and business savvy have propelled Steve and his business--Building Specialities--to new heights. Steve and his organization have not had an easy road to success. After a very promising and profitable inception, the company began losing money. An external audit was performed and it was revealed to Steve that an employee was embezzling money. Amid this adversity, Steve never put his head down in defeat. Rather, he put his shoulder to the plow and revamped his company. Today, that turn-around is complete as Building Specialities is expected to reach nearly $5 million in gross sales this year. Much of this renewed success is attributable to Steve's efforts and energies. Steve has taken a proactive approach to his business philosophy and continues to draw from his experience of hard knocks. He is a model citizen and a firm believer in never giving up. I am encouraged by Steve's accomplishments and his success story. He is the embodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit that makes America's economy the strongest in the world. Because of entrepreneurs of Steve's caliber, America can look forward to many decades of continued prosperity. It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I say congratulations to Steve on winning this prestigious award. We are all very proud of you.

Mr. McINNIS

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

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, once again we are here for a nightside chat. It is very interesting. I just had the opportunity to hear the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) speak about the death tax. What I was surprised about is he actually got some applause as he concluded his remarks. I want to talk about his remarks on the death tax. This is a supporter of the death tax in this country. I want to specifically go through the impacts, the negative impacts that this tax called the death tax has on our country. I want to point out very clearly, Mr. Speaker, that the current administration, the Democrats, have not only proposed not to cut the estate tax but, in fact, in the administration budget, and I would urge my colleagues from the State of California to look in the administration's budget, and they will find out that there is not a freeze on the death tax; that, in fact, the administration proposes a $9.5 billion increase in the death tax. I say come on to my colleagues from the Democratic side who are supporting this death tax. Be straightforward. Be up front. Talk about that administration budget. Talk about the administration policy. They want to increase the death tax on the American people. They do not want to freeze it. They do not want to cut it. Let us talk about facts here this evening. Let us address it. Today, very interesting, I read the Wall Street Journal. I tell my colleagues, I am an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal. I think they have excellent articles. I also read articles written, and I have it here to my left taped on this platform, an article by Albert R. Hunt. I thought this evening would be a good opportunity for us to go over a few points made in his article, because I think his article is full of inaccuracies. I am afraid that the gentleman, Mr. Hunt, who wrote this article has not been to rural America. I am afraid that he simplifies, is even disingenuous in his comments towards those of us in rural America who are impacted by death taxes. Now, before we start our conversation, Mr. Speaker, let us just remind ourselves what are the death taxes. Death taxes are a tax imposed upon one's estate, actually upon one's death. One has about 9 months to pay them. They are taxes, in many cases, on property that one already has paid taxes upon. In other words, during one's lifetime, for example, a rancher, a farmer, a small business, one begins to work the American dream, one begins to accumulate some assets. It does not take much anymore to get to $675,000 if one owns some land, for example, in Colorado or if one owns a small business and one has benefited from the growth in this economy. What the Government says is, despite the fact one has paid taxes all one's life on most of this property that one has now accumulated, with the exception of some IRAs, despite the fact that one has paid taxes one's entire life, we the Government, we Uncle Sam are going to come to one's estate and, upon one's death, we are going to tax one again, as if the Government has not gotten enough. Well, let me tell my colleagues it has been oversimplified by the previous speaker, the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman). He makes it sound as if it is the very wealthiest people in this country and all we are doing is asking him to dig out some pocket change and throw it out on the table so that the Government can be satisfied and take its take and walk away. That is not what is happening out there. I am disappointed the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) has left the Chamber because I wish he were here so he could hear firsthand what that does to the small business people, what it does to the ranchers and the farmers, and what it does to the people in Colorado and throughout this Nation who are advocating open space instead of condominiums. It is time, Mr. Speaker, to wake up to what this death tax is doing: number one, what that impact is, and, number two, what is important is the principle. Where is the justification to go to somebody who has succeeded in the American dream, who understands American free enterprise, who has been successful with American free enterprise, who wants to pass something on to the next generation. Where is the principle of justification in going to that family's estate and saying to them, hey, we are Uncle Sam, and we have not had enough. We want to tax you just a little more. By the way, a little more could go clear up to 55 percent of your estate. I am going to give my colleagues a specific example here a little later on of how it impacted, not only the estate, but how it impacted the family of a successful individual who recognized the American dream who started out with nothing, and probably most important, and, again, I wish the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) were here on the floor, how it impacted the entire community. My colleagues want to talk about charitable giving to churches, well, stay tuned for my example of what happens when the Government comes in and taxes property that has already been taxed, in many cases not only once, twice, or three times. Let me turn now for a moment to this article by Mr. Hunt. Let us kind of go through the article. Of course, in the first paragraph Mr. Hunt compares what the House Republicans are doing. I am glad that he has made it very clear that, in fact, it is the Republicans who have taken the lead on eliminating this tax, the death tax. Ironically, in the last couple of days, the Democratic leadership has jumped up and all of a sudden exhibited a great deal of interest in also trying to get rid of the estate tax at the same time apparently some of the troops have been directed to come out here and talk about how abusive it is. And, of course, Mr. Hunt plays right into their hands. Let us go over this article. Mr. Hunt. ``House Republicans, with the help of some accommodating Democrats,'' as if it is wrong for a Democrat to support doing away with the death tax, ``wants to give $50 billion to Steve Forbes and Bill Gates.'' Of course, Mr. Hunt is going to talk about the Steve Forbes and the Bill Gates kind of people. How interesting in that paragraph he does not talk about the ranchers, he does not talk about the open space matters, he does not talk about the small businesses. Mr. Hunt does not talk about the American dream. All Mr. Hunt talks about is $50 billion. We are getting this money from a tax that, in my opinion, is not justified; a tax that is the most punitive tax we have in our system, punitive meaning punishing tax. It is there for one purpose, it is there as a shot based on a person's wealth. It is there penalizing someone who has become successful. That is the only reason that tax is in place. Yet Mr. Hunt's concern, as expressed in this article, is not whether or not it is justified in principle, Mr. Hunt's point is that we are losing $50 billion. So whether it is right or not, we cannot afford to lose the $50 billion. How interesting that Mr. Hunt in his article does not mention that the administration proposes this year to increase the death tax by $9.5 billion. Is that fair? What we were hoping for, until George Bush takes office, which I hope occurs, and the reason I mention this is because George W. Bush has committed to eliminating the death tax, but until that happens, I was in hopes at least the Democratic leadership would stay neutral on this estate tax. It was too much to expect the Democratic administration would actually support us in a reduction of the estate tax, but they caught me off guard because I did not expect the Democratic administration to propose this year in the administration's budget a $9.5 billion increase on the death tax. Let us go a little further. I just mentioned that Bush advocates the repeal. Here they talk about diminished support for churches. If we do not tax the rich people, so-called, as they quote it, if we do not tax the rich people in this country the churches are going to suffer. Now, boy, is that an example. The churches are going to suffer. I am going to go through an example and show my colleagues how the estate tax made a church suffer; how an entire community in small town America suffered. Not Bill Gates' community, not Steve Forbes' community. And, by the way, he names two Republicans. Let us talk about some Democrats. Not the Kennedys, none of these big families' communities, but small town America. Let us talk about small town America tonight and what this estate tax does to small town America. It is interesting that the gentleman who spoke said that this bill is wrong because it does not give tax relief to working families. That is what the gentleman from California just told all of us, my colleagues, that this bill to reduce the estate tax does not give a tax break to working families. In other words, the gentleman's assumption, as he spoke, and I am not sure if it was his intent, but as the gentleman spoke his comments were that if an individual happened to accumulate more than $675,000 either in a small business or some lands or some other type of success, that individual apparently is not a working member of our society; that somehow that money just fell out of the sky and that the government is entitled to come to that individual's family, to that person's survivors, and tax them. Where is the equity of that? Let us go a little further in this article. Mr. Hunt says, with regard to this estate tax, ``these arguments are Trojan horses. The pressure for repeal comes from wealthy campaign contributors rather than the average voters.'' Mr. Hunt needs to come with myself or some of my colleagues out to rural America. He needs to step out there and let us show him these wealthy contributors, these families, these small ranchers, these farmers. All of my colleagues know that the very wealthy, the Bill Gateses and the Steve Forbeses have an entire floor of attorneys to advise them on how to escape that estate tax. They can afford it. They have the expertise to minimize the tax. The people that do not have that kind of money are people like my in-laws. They are ranchers. They have been on the same ranch since 1860, somewhere in that time period. A hundred- some years they have been on that ranch, I would say to Mr. Hunt and to my colleagues. We should not underestimate the American dream and what it meant to my wife's descendants, what it meant to those people in her family who came over to this country for the American dream. Yet the gentleman from California says they must not be working members of our society because they have accumulated wealth to the extent that the government can tax it. Wealth, for example in my in-laws' family, is not cash, it is the land they live on. It is the land they have ranched on for over 100-some years. It is the land they live for. It is the house where my father-in-law was born and where his father was born. It is the community where my wife was born. Maybe some of these people who think this estate tax, one, is fair and, two, is only for the wealthy should spend a weekend with me in Colorado. I will show my colleagues some of these people that are being impacted. Let us talk a little further about this article. He says it is disingenuous, for example, to talk about farms and small businesses. After all, he says, they are fewer than 5 percent of all taxable estates. I do not give a darn if a small family farm or a small family ranch is only 1 percent of the taxable estates. We have a fiduciary duty as representatives of the citizens of this country to be fair. And how can we be fair if we go to even 1 percent of the small ranches and farms in this country and say to them that even though they have worked their land, even though they have tried to save it so that their farm or their ranch can be passed on to the next generation, that because they only represent 1 percent, we are going to nail them to the wall. We are going to come and tax them on land that they have already been taxed on. My gosh, I wish my colleagues could see what my in-laws went through to save their pennies, to sell their cows so that they could buy the land and have a ranch to pass on to the next generation. And now, of all the things that their descendants could ever have imagined back in the 1860s or the 1800s, when my in-laws' grandfathers and grandmothers came to this country, of all the things that would destroy their dream, I am sure they never thought it would be the government; that upon their death they would have a new tax called the death tax. And let me tell my colleagues, the purpose, the real reason the death tax was put in place was jealousy. It was put in as a punitive measure against some of the tycoons of the early 1900s, the Carnegies, the Rockefellers, and people like that. Our forefathers never envisioned, when they drafted our constitution, they never envisioned when they settled this country that the government would, upon a person's death, punish that person's family by taking the valuable assets that had been accumulated, whether or not they amounted to a whole bunch. Let us go a little further in this article and talk about what it does here. It talks about, well, the Democrats, the top Democrat tax writer, for example, will offer an alternative that will lower rates, and somehow this is the magical thing. Let me say, before we talk about lowering rates, let us address the issue of whether or not this tax is justified. If we have a tax in place and we come to the conclusion that the tax is not fair, we should not care about whether or not it is producing revenue, we should care about is it fair to the people that we represent. This country is a country based on the principle of fairness, based on justice, and is it just and is it fair to impose a tax on the American people even if it is only 1 percent of the American people; a tax that serves as a punishment and not as a legitimate taxing purpose? That is exactly what we have with the death tax. Now, I referred earlier in my comments about giving an example of the American dream and how the American dream was crushed. It is not about a Bill Gates, it is not about a Kennedy, it is not about a Steve Forbes, it is not about any wealthy family in America. It is about small town America. It is about a small town in the State of Colorado. It is about a small town that has churches and schools. It is a small town that has a lot of community unity in it. Let me tell my colleagues what happened in that small town. A young man, many, many years ago, came to this small town in Colorado with big dreams. He started working in a construction company with a shovel in his hand. The gentleman's name was Joe. Joe went out and he dug ditches. He worked 10 hours a day, 12 hours a day, 14 hours a day, because all he wanted was to gain a little foothold on the American dream. He wanted to go out and have the opportunity, if he worked harder, if he thought smarter, to be successful for himself and for his family. That, after all, is how he was brought up. Those were the principles of America: Go out and enjoy capitalism, go out and enjoy the American free enterprise. So that is what Joe did. He started in this small community digging ditches. Pretty soon he got promoted to be the bookkeeper of this construction company, and later on, several years later, he had an opportunity, on an installment basis, making payments out of his check every month, at the same time trying to support his young family, to buy into the business. Now, colleagues, he did not inherit any money. He did not come into this with a bag full of money. He came into it with a bag full of energy, with a bag full of dedication, with the American dream that maybe he could own a part of this construction company. Now, Joe's family, his wife and his two boys, although his boys were very, very young at the time, they shared in the sacrifice. They did not get the extra privileges of life, because papa was out there taking every penny he could to make his payment to have a little shot at ownership of the construction company. Well, that ownership began to pay off after years. And during those years that the amount of money coming back from the construction company began to exceed the money invested in the construction company, in other words, the profits from his investment, he paid his taxes. Never once in his life did Joe evade taxes. Never once in his life did the government have to come to Joe and tell him that he had not paid his taxes; that he had tried to cheat the American people; that he was not carrying his fair share because he was trying to get out of his taxes. It never happened once with Joe. Joe is one of the most patriotic men I ever met. And so as he began to make profits, the first thing he did was pay his taxes. And then do you know what he did? He took money, and he put it back into the business. The more money he put back into the business, the more people in this small community he gave jobs to. Then some of the money he took home he put in the local bank. And the money that he put in the local bank grew the bank, and pretty soon the bank was able to make more loans to people with the American dream in this small town of Colorado. This money was circulating in the community. It was not transferred to the Government in Washington, DC, except for the legitimate taxes. What else did he do? And I hope my colleague from the State of California is listening to this. He supported the local church. In fact, at the time of his death, he supported the local church to the extent of about 70 percent. Mr. Speaker, let me recap where we are. Joe goes to the small community in Colorado. He does not have any money. He did not inherit. He is not wealthy, he and his wife both. At that point in time, the role was she was to assume the role of being a homemaker. She worked as hard as he did. She took care of the kids, who are two young boys. He worked 10 to 14 hours every day of the week, started in a ditch with a shovel, to try and make good to try and accomplish the American dream. And as often happens in America, if you work hard, you are rewarded. That is what happened to this gentleman. Joe began to become rewarded. The first person that got their hands on the money that he made was the Government. And it was fair. Joe, as long as I knew him, never complained about the taxes. He felt that he needed to give a fair share to the Government for the roads and for the military and for our national issues. So he paid his taxes. As I mentioned before, he was never late on taxes. He never avoided taxes. He was never cited by the Government for cheating on the taxes. He paid his taxes. And then he took the other money that he made and he put it back in the small company. This was the construction company which employed a few people. Pretty soon it employed a few more people, and pretty soon those people were able to take money home to their family. And pretty soon those people were able to save for their dream and their life because Joe was able to employ them. It created jobs in our community. The gentleman from California that spoke here earlier, the Democrat, believes that the way to create jobs is to create them in Washington, DC. I am telling you, this death tax, that is exactly what it does. It transfers wealth from a small community like ours or from any community. And where does that money go? When the Government charges a death tax, do you think that money stays in the community? Of course it does not. That money is immediately, within 9 months, has to be transferred to your State for their estate death tax or, more importantly, to Washington, DC; and then Washington, DC, redistributes it in this community for jobs in Washington, DC. It does not help our little communities out there in Colorado. And it did not help Joe. But Joe kept working, and he accumulated more and more ownership of the construction company until one day he was able to buy his own construction company after years and years of making payments. And so Joe ran that construction company, and he provided the majority of support for the local church of which he was a member. He supported the majority from a contribution point of view. He gave the largest contributions to almost every charity drive in that community. When somebody in that community got sick, when somebody in that community had a hardship, they went to Joe for help and Joe helped them. Now, I say Joe. I should also add, in fairness, Joe and his wife. Because, with all due credit, his wife worked just as hard as Joe did. So I should include both of those parties. So Joe and his wife, you could always go to them and they would always help out in their local community. So what happens? Joe and his wife were able to educate their children. Then Joe's wife takes ill. She does not come to a hospital in Washington, DC. By the way, his kids were not educated in Washington, DC. They were able to be sent to a State school. But Joe's wife becomes sick. She becomes ill. She dies of cancer. So Joe decides that he is going to sell the company. So Joe sells the company. And he immediately pays a capital gains tax, pays a capital gains tax on the sale of the company. Joe never complained about that. He made capital gains on that company. In other words, capital gains is you buy the company at this price, and you sell it at that price. That profit is called a capital gain. That is a legitimate gain upon which to charge tax. And that is exactly what they did. He did not complain about it. He paid a tax in excess of 28 percent on the profit he made from the construction company he was able to own after starting in the ditch with a shovel. But then let me tell you what happened. Within 3 months Joe got cancer and he died. Do you know what the Federal Government did to that family estate? They went into that family estate, and they assessed it with a tax of 55 percent. Now, you add the 55 percent; and you add 24 percent on capital gains because the construction company was the primary asset in the family estate, and you come up with a tax of 79 percent. What this man and his wife spent their entire life working for, 79 percent of it was taxed by the Government upon his death. That is within that period of time, 4 months preceding his death and upon his death. Now, I know the son very well, both the sons. I asked the one son, I said, now, tell me, 79 percent, that means your family got 21 cents on the dollar? In other words, 21 percent of what your father and mother spent their entire life working for, you got 21 cents on the dollar. No, no, no, he says. We did not get 21 cents on the dollar. Because we were forced to sell. We had to sell it within a very short period of time. We could not get the best price. We had to get whatever somebody would pay us so that we could pay the Government before the Government then assessed penalties upon us because we did not pay the death tax in time. So we really did not realize 21 percent. This family told me they thought they realized about 15 cents on the dollar. So their father and their mother worked their entire lives to accomplish an American dream. They paid taxes their entire lives. They never cheated the Government on one penny of tax; and upon their death, the Government came in and took over 79 percent of the value of that estate. And Mr. Hunt calls that, why do the Republicans complain about that? My colleague from California stands up and says, my gosh, it is going to cost us $50 billion; who cares about the fairness. It is going to cost the Government $50 billion to be fair to these people. Well, now what happens? The next thing that happens is that the local church comes to my friend, the son, the son of the father and mother I just talked about that died, and they said, you know, we are sorry about your father and your mother's passing. But did you know that your father provided the majority of support for our local church? The son says, no, I did not. And did you know that our drive for a new building and these other charities, your father and mother were the primary people who donated in our small town; they are the ones that made it happen? The son says, no, I did not. Well, they said, the church, we hope that you are going to be able to continue on the commitment that your father and mother made, that you are going to be able to carry on like they did and make these major contributions, major in a small community. We are not talking about a $10 million grant to the Kennedy Center. We are talking about a small church in small town America. And we hope you are going to be able to continue this. Do you know what the son said? I cannot. I do not have the money. We had to send that money to the Federal Government in Washington, D.C. Now, this gentleman from California, my colleague, stands here and talks about fairness, talks about the fact that if we eliminate the estate tax that we are going to hurt churches. Wake up, my colleague. You want to see what hurts churches and what hurts charitable causes? Go out and see what you are doing with this punitive tax. And quit bringing up the name Bill Gates and the name Forbes and all of these wealthy families. Start talking about some of the people that do not have a lot of cash in their pocket, but instead their pockets are full of the American dream and they have had a little success so you penalize them. I see my colleague, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Hulshof), is here; and I am happy to yield to the gentleman if he would like to join in the discussion.

Mr. McINNIS. I would acknowledge to my friend the 45 Democrats that have signed onto this, they have enough guts to stand up to the administration and stand up and say wait a minute to their colleagues on the Democratic side, let us talk about, is this tax justified. Sure the revenue might be important but the primary focus of our question here this evening and the primary focus of our debate tomorrow should be, is this tax upon one's death a fair and justified tax? You can only answer that honestly by saying no. As the gentleman just very accurately pointed out, there are three reasons that this tax came about. One was an animosity and a jealousy towards the Rockefellers and the Carnegies and those kinds of families. It was a transfer of wealth. Even Al Hunt in his article today in the Wall Street Journal says the tax has always been aimed at the accumulation of wealth by sons and daughters of the elite. So because your parent as in my case in small town Colorado, because their parents realized the American dream, because they had a company that employed people in that community, they should be penalized. The second reason that these aristocrats and I call these the aristocrats, they may not have been aristocrats in wealth but they were aristocrats in class warfare. That is the second reason. Hey, let's go after the rich. The rich are always the wrong people. If you are rich somehow in this country, they never figure out and the same with the administration, they never figure out maybe you worked for it, maybe the American dream allowed you to have it. And what does ``rich'' mean? In a lot of our towns in Colorado, owning 50 acres is something. If I had 50 acres, I would feel rich. The government looks at it as an opportunity to tax you. I think it is very important that as we look into tomorrow's debate that we look at real life examples that somehow my colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle who are opposing any kind of reduction or oppose elimination of the death tax, that they first go out into their community and do not go out to the Kennedys or the Gates or the wealthy people, go out to the average person in your community who has had some success, who has a home or some property valued over that $675,000 and ask them what happens to their money upon their death. What I urge my Democrat colleagues and what I ask the administration to take a look at on their policy is remember that what you are doing, you are removing money from a community and you are transferring it to Washington, D.C. Let me tell you what we have experienced in the State of Colorado. Fortunately a lot of you visit Colorado, and I am happy you do. Unfortunately a lot of people decided to stay there, it is so beautiful. And so our land values have gone up in Colorado. What we are seeing in Colorado is a lot of our beautiful open space, our mountains are being converted to subdivisions. Those mountains and those fields and those farms, they are farms and ranches. The reason that that land is available is not because these families want to give up farming, not because these families want to give up ranching, not because they want to give up the rural way of life but because in many cases the Federal Government through its death tax forces the family to sell that land. If you want to help protect open space, let these farms and ranches continue in existence and do not let the Al Hunts of this world tell you, well, they ought to just go out and plan for it, or the Gates family we are talking about or the Forbes family we are talking about, or the Carnegies or the Rockefellers. Do not let them sell you on that. They are sugar-coating it. Do not let them sugar-coat what you are doing by this death tax. It is not right, it is not fair, and you ought to admit it is not right and it is not fair. And you ought to get a firsthand experience from your own constituents as to what it does to your community. And the example I gave you this evening, what it did to the local church. The ranch example, what I gave you this evening and what it does to open space in States like Colorado, what it does to little businesses like Brookhart Lumber Company in Delta, Colorado. Headline in our local newspaper about 4 months ago, Brookhart must sell because of estate taxes. Brookhart, by the way, is not Home Depot. Brookhart maybe had 20 or 30 employees. Those people's jobs were at risk. I do not know whether they had to sell it or liquidate it. In a lot of cases they have to liquidate it. Remember that the only time that money does not work in a community, the only time you do not see the wealth, somebody's wealth circulate in a community is if a wealthy person goes out and digs a hole and buries their money in the ground. That does not happen very often. People who accumulate through success money in a community put it in the bank, they hire more people, they make investments, they buy land, that money circulates and circulates and circulates. And all the death tax does is it goes in and forces that money, one, to be converted to a cash form which requires in a lot of cases forced sales; two, it requires double or triple taxation; and, three, and probably as critical as anything else, it sucks that money out of the small community or out of any community and transfers the money to the Federal Government in Washington, D.C. for redistribution. By the way, a lot of that money is redistributed in the confines of Washington, D.C. So this community benefited upon the death of my constituents out in rural Colorado. Where is the fairness of that? Where is the fairness of a family in rural Missouri having their family accumulation under the American dream sucked to Washington, D.C.? That saying, the giant sucking sound of NAFTA many years ago, that is exactly what the estate tax does. I am asking all of my colleagues tomorrow when we do this debate, do not let them divert you into the vast wealth of a few rich American families. Again, I do not take it away from those families. Those people realized the American dream. Who cares how rich the person is that invented the seat belt? Who cares how rich the person is going to be that invents the cure to cancer or the cure to AIDS? Who cares? I do not. That is the incentive that drives it. But do not be diverted by a few select names they use tomorrow, of the status of like a Rockefeller or a Carnegie. Instead, bring those people that are using that in the debate, my colleagues and your colleagues, bring them back to the American farm family, bring them back to the Colorado rancher, bring them back to the small lumber company in Missouri, bring them back to the small businesses in your communities. And then also ask them the fundamental question of the death tax and every American ought to be asked this question. Is it fair? Is it justified? How, Government, can you say you should go upon the tragedy, upon the death of a person and tax property upon which they have already taxed? I have no objection if somebody has some property that has not been taxed. Everybody agrees they should pay their fair share. But do not let them draw you off course with that, either. Talk about the property they have already paid the taxes on, and ask them, what does the American dream really mean? Does the American dream mean that you are not entitled to pass something on to your children? I can tell you in my own personal example, my wife and I are not wealthy but I can tell you one of our dreams in being in America is to save enough of our pennies so that maybe our kids when they grow up can have their own house, maybe our kids if they get in a hard spot and they need a new car, they can buy a new car. I am not talking about buying them a jet, I am not talking about buying them a palace in Aspen, Colorado. I am talking about buying them a basic house. That would give my wife and I a great deal of happiness if we could do something for our kids, but the government is doing everything they can through this death tax to take that American dream away from a lot of people. For a lot of our young constituents out there, our young men and women in their early 20's who are just starting on their career paths, who have in their mind a dream to do what my wife and I dream of doing, and that is provide something for the next generation, keep in mind that the group or society out there that will do everything they can within their powers to prevent you from going onto that next generation is your own government through this unfair and unjust tax called the death tax. Mr. Speaker, in the final minutes that I have, I would like to move to another subject. Today I had an opportunity this morning to visit with a famous singer, a gentlewoman named Carole King, very talented, very capable, and frankly a very impressive person. It was interesting to be a part of that discussion. The discussion was on wilderness areas and preservation of the wilds in the United States. Fundamentally we did not disagree on that issue. In fact, I am not sure anybody in this country disagrees on the fundamental issues of trying to preserve and utilize, kind of like Teddy Roosevelt. We have a right to use the land but we have no right to abuse the land. I have never met people that really consciously want to abuse the land and if we have those kinds of people, we ought to do something to eliminate their opportunities to abuse our land. But one of the things that I learned from our conversation this morning is that even people of note sometimes have not had the opportunity to understand the differences between the western United States and the eastern United States. So in these next 9 minutes or so, I would like to show my colleagues a fundamental difference in the eastern United States compared to the western United States. Let us start with the first fundamental difference. Remember that in the west it does not rain like it does in the east. In the east, in a lot of cases, their problem is getting rid of the water. In the west, our problem is being able to save the water, to store the water, to obtain the water. For example, my State, the State of Colorado, is the only State in the union where all of our water runs out of the State. We have no water, free-flowing water for our use that comes into Colorado. So our water issues out here in the State of Colorado are different than water issues here in the State of New York or in the State of Maine or other places. Keep that in mind. If one lives in the east there is a fundamental difference on water alone as compared to the west. So it is very easy for people in the east, it is a free vote for them, to oppose us in the west where we have to store water. The second point is demonstrated by this map that I have brought here tonight. This map is titled, Government Lands. Take a look at the government landownership in the east. It is very sparse. In fact, one could take this pen and one could identify on this map with pencil points the government landownership in the east, with a couple of exceptions. We have a blotch in the Appalachias, we have the Everglades, we have some up in the northeast. But then take a look at the government ownership in the west. This is the western United States. It is almost entirely owned by the government. So people in the east have no idea, for the most part, what kind of impact we have when we are surrounded by government lands, when we live on government lands. So it is very easy for people in the east to talk about life in the west, but it is very hard for them to understand, and I say this with due respect to my colleagues from the east. They have never had to live under those conditions. Now, the history to that is really pretty simple. What happened in the early days when this young, growing country wanted to increase in size, we had to figure out a way to encourage people to leave the comforts of the East Coast and to go west to settle this country, because then, our purchases like the Louisiana Purchase, we needed to possess the land. A deed did not mean much. One actually needed to be in possession of the land. We know the old saying, possession is nine- tenths of the law, that is where it came from. So to get people to settle out here, they said, look, we will give you free land, it is called the Homestead Act or the Home Stake Act, and it worked good. Here is 160 acres, 320 acres. Well, it worked good until it got to the Colorado Rockies or the Wyoming mountains or Montana or Idaho and they found out that while in Kansas or Pennsylvania or eastern Colorado, or Ohio, 160 acres could support one's family, here in these mountains, 160 acres would not even feed a cow. So the government consciously decided, they said, well, we cannot give them an equivalent amount of acres; for example, 3,000 acres would be the equivalent of 160 acres. Let us go ahead and let the government keep the title for this. Politically, that is the wise thing to do because we cannot give that much land away to one person, so let us for formality just keep the title, but we will let the people use it. It is the government who put the people out there. It is the government who, for generation after generation has asked these people to occupy and make their living on this land. So understand that. This morning, in my conversation with Carol King, I thought it was very beneficial, and I look forward to future discussions, and I hope my colleagues do too, with individuals of this type of capability to explain the fundamental differences that exist. Because before we can come to some kind of understanding between the east and the west, before we can come to that understanding, we need to have an idea of each other's lifestyle. The people in the east need to understand our water problems in the west. The people in the east need to understand. For example, when they want to build something, they go to their city council or their county commissioner or their province. In the west, we have to do all that, plus in many, many cases we have to go all the way to the Federal Government clear in Washington to get permission to do something out here. So I am urging my colleagues from the east, do not just walk away with a free vote on people in the west. Sit down with us. Talk to us about what is different in the west than in the east. We all are Americans. This is the United States of America. We are a team. But we cannot be a team unless every team member understands what the other team member faces, understands the burdens that the other team members have. That is what makes the strongest team. This morning, in my conversation with Carol King, she indicated to me that she was willing to sit down and try and listen to us and try and understand what we face there. Although she is from Idaho, I am not sure she was aware of this map. My guess is she had never seen this, but I saw willingness there. I would express to my colleagues from the east, take time to understand our water problems in the west. Take time to understand why we need water storage in the west. Take time to understand that most of the government ownership in this country is in the west. Take time to include us on the team. Yes, sure, in the east, you have the population, but understand, we are Americans too, and we have a part to play, and let us play it. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, number one, I ask that we have more of a team effort from our colleagues in the east. Help us out. We are a good team, we make a great team. Second of all, in the debate tomorrow on this death tax, do not let them mislead us. This is not about the wealthiest families in America, this is about a lot of average, middle-income families in America. This is about a lot of family farms and a lot of family ranches and a lot of family businesses. This is about local churches and local charitable causes. This is about keeping money that was made under the American dream in the local community. This is about not allowing that money to be transferred from the local community to Washington, D.C. for redistribution. Mr. Chairman, I hope all of my colleagues pay attention in that debate tomorrow. It is important, and fundamentally it is the question we must ask, and my final comment of the evening is, is the death tax fair? Is it justified to go to a family that has realized the American dream and say to them, we do not want you to be able to transfer that wealth to your next generation, we want to transfer that money to the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., so we are going to tax you on your death. If you think it is fair, vote with the administration to increase the estate tax $9.5 billion, which they are doing. But if you do not think it is fair, do not play party line, Democrats. Forty-five of you had enough guts to join us. Join us and let us get two-thirds up on that voting panel tomorrow, so we can override the administration's intent to raise the death tax, so that we can be fair to the many people in America who have gone after, sought, and succeeded in the American dream.

Mr. McINNIS. The gentleman's point is so well taken. In Colorado one of the families I am very familiar with, it is a ranching family, they barely get by from year to year but they have the land they have accumulated. In fact I will give an example of my in-laws. The family has been on there since the late 1860s. Somebody like our colleague from California, the Democrat who supports this or the administration that has actually asked for an increase, their response to my in-laws and to other family farmers and ranchers is, go out and buy life insurance. The example you just gave is that family puts out $35,000 per year. My in-laws do not have $35,000 a year to pay for life insurance. They are lucky enough to get a new pickup every 5 or 6 years. I wish some of these people who think this only applies to the Gates family or some of the other wealthy, and mind you, I do not take a thing away from the American dream, these people who have met with success. I wish they could come out and see the kind of expenditures that people like my in-laws have. They are very happy, they have lots of love, they love the land they are on, but they are not driving new pickups, flying in Gulfstreams, taking vacations in the Bahamas or anywhere else. Every penny they have got has to go back into the cattle operation. They do not have extra change for life insurance. I think the point the gentleman brings up is very valid.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to thank George Straface for the time he spent as Superintendent of District 51 in western Colorado. George Straface truly had a passion for education and it was evident in the effort he put forth. George dedicated nearly 20 years of his life to District 51, six of them acting as Superintendent. His presence will surely be missed. George brought to the District an ability to balance all of the difficult tasks that are required of a superintendent. He did his job to the best of his ability and influenced all of the educators around him. His abilities to listen to and motivate people distinguished him in his leadership role. Not only was George able to accommodate the many needs of parents, teachers, and students, but also George's strong vision helped make the District a reputable model for others around the state. Mr. Straface will continue his pursuit of furthering education as he has agreed to take the position of Head of Schools in Westminster, Colorado. I am sure that he will continue to put education as the first priority on his agenda and continue to encourage educators to assist students in furthering their learning endeavors. I wish him the best of luck and thank him for his dedicated effort.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to congratulate Mary Korte for receiving the 1999 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. She is one of 200 teachers to receive this prestigious award nationally and one of four to receive this award from Colorado. She will also receive a $7,500 grant in the name of Grand Junction High School in conjunction with the award. Her dedication and enthusiasm are unsurpassed in the field of math and science. Mary's real passion lies in educating her students about the environment. A class entitled ``River Dynamics'' is one included in her curriculum. This class allows students to rigorously investigate rivers using many different academic skills. She encourages students to be ``hands on'' and enjoys seeing them actively participate in their environmental communities. It is encouraging to see teachers of Mary's stature receive awards for excellence in their prescribed academic rigor. Mary has also received the Radio Shack National Teachers Award among her many accomplishments. I am confident she will continue to strive for academic excellence and continue to encourage our future generations to pursue an active role in the health of their environment.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to congratulate Cheryl Dougherty for receiving the U.S. Department of Education's 2000 Fulbright-Hays Scholarship. She is one of 30 American teachers to receive this prestigious award out of an applicant pool of over 10,000. The scholarship will engage Cheryl in a six-week program that will allow her to travel to Poland and Hungary. Ms. Dougherty is no stranger to international travel and education. Some of her academic travels have taken her to such destinations as Hawaii and Japan. She is a former participant of the Fulbright Memorial Scholarship program where she was given the opportunity to travel and teach in Japan. Cheryl was even given the opportunity to address Japanese students in their native language, a commendable experience. She believes it is crucial to educate our youth on different cultures and customs. She is constantly encouraging her student base to interact and become aware of these differences. It is not uncommon for her students to exchange letters or videos with students from different countries. It is encouraging to honor teachers of Cheryl's caliber. With more teachers like her, we can continue to dissolve cultural barriers and promote international prosperity. I am confident she will continue to strive for academic excellence and further the knowledge of our youth.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the accomplishments of an outstanding student, Ryan Patterson. His innovative mind has won him a parade of awards, most recently he has won top prize in the Colorado Science Fair. He also represented Colorado at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, in which he won almost $10,000. His outstanding invention rightfully called ``Sleuthbot'' is a computerized device schools can use to seek out bombs or suspicious individuals without getting put into harms way during a crisis. Mr. Patterson traveled to Detroit with 1,200 other students from 40 countries to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. His accolades from the competition are extensive, but most admirable is the $250 and a paid internship he received from Axonne Corp. Mr. Patterson is a model for all students to follow and one that will be sure to achieve great things for the good of mankind. He has proven to be an asset to his school and community. It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I say congratulations to Ryan Patterson on a truly exceptional accomplishment. Due to his dedicated service and ingenuity, it is clear that Colorado is a better place.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask that we all pause for a moment to remember a woman who we have lost, Hazel Pahler. Though she is gone, she will live on in the hearts of all who knew her. Mrs. Pahler was a first lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps. She was laid to rest with full military honors, in Grand Junction, Colorado after her battle with cancer. Mrs. Pahler was a nurse who witnessed the horrors of war. She was dedicated to her profession and was able to endure all the hardships of war while remaining focused on the welfare of the soldiers. As a result of her untiring efforts, Mrs. Pahler earned many awards. She has been honored with the European, African and Middle Eastern medals, the American Defense Medal, the Red Cross Service Pin, the World War II Victory Medal and three Overseas Service Bars. She is a remarkable person that devoted her life to the service of others. Hazel Pahler is someone who will be missed by many. Her friends and family will miss the woman that they all enjoyed spending time with. The rest of us will miss this woman who exemplified the selflessness that so few truly possess. But, when we lose a woman such as Mrs. Pahler, being missed is certainly no precursor to being forgotten. And everyone who ever knew her will walk through life a bit differently for it.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker. It is with great pleasure that I now wish to take this moment to honor two individuals that I am proud to call friends, Harland and Ruth Jacob. On June 4, 2000, Harland and Ruth will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. As family and friends gather to celebrate this wonderful occasion, I too would like to pay tribute to the 50 year union of these great Americans. Harland and Ruth Jacob were married on June 4, 1950 in Bloomfield, Nebraska. Harland had been attending the University of Nebraska in the months prior, but was forced to return to Bloomfield to run the family farm when his father fell ill. While the illness was deeply unfortunate, it appears that Mr. Jacob's illness had something to do with a larger plan. You see, Mr. Speaker, had Harland not returned to Bloomfield because of his father's illness, he never would have met his bride-to- be Ruth at a town barbecue in the fall of 1949. As fate would have it, Ruth and her three sisters would all later marry young men that they met for the first time at this fateful barbecue. Clearly smitten by Ruth, Harland didn't waste any time before seeking Ruth's hand in marriage--Harland asked Ruth to be his wife that Christmas. Six months later, they would start their new life together as husband and wife. After farming for about 3 years in Nebraska, Harland took a job with J.C. Penney's, where he would work for the next 20 years. Together, the Jacob family moved from town to town--J.C. Penney to J.C. Penney--all over the midwest, eventually settling in the great town of Grand Junction, Colorado. After retiring from Penney's many years later, Harland, with the support and able assistance of Ruth, started up his own carpet store in Grand Junction. Surviving a cycle of boom and busts that claimed the life of many a business in the Grand Valley, the Jacob's store is set to celebrate its 17th year in business. The business, and the years of hard work put into it by Ruth and Harland, is rightfully a source of great pride for the Jacob's and their many friends and family. In so many ways, Harland and Ruth Jacob's dedication to keeping their furniture store afloat--through good times and bad--embodies the entrepreneurial spirit that makes America so great. While the success of their carpet business speaks volumes about Ruth and Harland, their enduring legacy rests in their beautiful family. Harland and Ruth are the proud parents of four--Kathy, Mike, Jean, and Todd--the grandparents of 14--Kelly Paxton, Rachel Jacob, Jake Zambrano, Amanda Hamblin, Elissa Zambrano, Joey Pepper, Josh Zambrano, Megan Lawson, Greg Jacob, Matt Pepper, David Pepper, Manon Jacob, Luke Jacob, and Amelia Jacob--and the great-grandparents of six more--Alexia Zambrano, Jerika Hamblin, Alex Zambrano, Arianna Zambrano, Sydney Hamblin, and Josh Zambrano. As you can see, Mr. Speaker, the Jacob family has been very blessed over the course of the last 50 years. As my friends Harland and Ruth celebrate this wonderful occasion, I want to wish them congratulations and continued happiness on behalf of their many friends, family, and neighbors. Ruth and Harland, we are all very proud of you!

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, due to family commitments in Colorado, I was unable to vote on final passage of the following bill, H.R. 3916. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted ``aye.''