Sue Myrick

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Ninth Congressional District I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our hometown hero, Dr. Billy Graham. I have been friends with Dr. and Mrs. Graham for many years, and it is a privilege to know people of such high moral fortitude and devotion to principle. Dr. and Mrs. Graham have traveled the world in the advancement of a message of hope, a message that has reached the ears and hearts of millions of people. Those who have known the Graham family have been enriched not only by their words, but by the living example their daily walk in life has set for us. Their endless devotion to the advancement of a simple, yet profound message has truly changed the lives of millions of people around the globe. I can think of no better recipients of this award than the Reverend and Mrs. Billy Graham. May this award serve as a small token of appreciation for their lifetime of service.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, This resolution simply reaffirms the commitment that was made in November by Congress and the administration that we would achieve a balanced budget not later than the year 2002, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office. Those estimates are simply more conservative. This resolution does not commit anyone to any one set of proposals or policy. Very simply, we have always stressed that everything is on the table, and that is still the same today. The only thing that is not is that we will achieve balance in 7 years, by 2002, using real numbers. President Clinton, in February of 1993, in his State of the Union Address said, and I quote, ``I will point out that the CBO was normally more conservative in what was going to happen and closer to right than previous Presidents have been. Let us at least argue about the same set of numbers so the American people will think we are shooting straight with them.'' We have a moral reason to balance this budget by the year 2002. It is going to lower interest rates by at least a couple of percentage points, and that makes a big difference to young couples like my son and his wife who are just buying a new home. That is going to save them thousands and thousands of dollars on their mortgage. Also, our new granddaughter, who was just born last week, is not going to have to pay $187,000 in interest just on the interest of the debt over her lifetime. It will make a big difference for all the young people in our country. So I urge everyone today to please support this resolution.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, as the debate rages over our moral obligation to balance the budget in 7 years, we need to remember to whom we owe this obligation. It is our children, grandchildren, parents, and millions of hardworking Americans who simply cannot bear the burden of debt any longer. These are real people, not statistics or public opinion polls. Real people like George Sigmon, a senior citizen from my hometown of Charlotte who called yesterday to urge us to stand firm and let me know that he is behind us 110 percent; retired Navy veteran Charles Peterson of Bessemer City, NC; Donny Loftis of Gastonia, a furloughed Federal employee; Betty Stiles of Cramerton, who wants us to stand our ground; Abraham Ruff of Kings Mountain, a disabled veteran who supports our efforts so much that he has decided to switch his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican; and Marion Harris of Charlotte, an 80- year-old woman who supports the GOP effort to balance the budget in 7 years and urged us to help save Medicare for her 50-year-old son. These people are depending on us to do what we were sent here to do, balance the budget in 7 years. Let us not let them down.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I insert the following for the Record: In the United States House of Representatives November 18, 1995. Whereas Temple Israel in Charlotte, North Carolina is celebrating its 100th Anniversary; and Whereas Temple Israel is the oldest and largest Conservative congregation in the Carolinas; existing to strengthen Judaism through worship, study, celebration and the promotion of human well-being; and Whereas Temple Israel has been an integral part of the Jewish community in Charlotte and surrounding areas, and has given her congregants a warm environment in which to expand their minds, hearts, and souls; and Now, Therefore I, Sue Myrick, Member of Congress for North Carolina's 9th District of Congress, do honor the congregation and of the Temple Israel as it celebrates 100 years of spiritual growth; and heartily congratulate the entire synagogue family. Best wishes for continued success, health and happiness; and In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this Seventeenth day of November, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety- Five.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, November 8, 1995, due to illness, I missed rollcall vote No. 769, Senate Concurrent Resolution 31, legislation ``Honoring the Life and Legacy of Yitzhak Rabin.'' Had I been here, I would have voted ``yea.'' Also, had I been able to attend the House proceedings, I would have risen to remember Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and his life of selfless public service. His tragic death only highlights the difficult road a nation must travel in order to achieve peace. He made the ultimate sacrifice for Israel in this most noble of goals, and countless generations will undoubtedly remember him as a pillar of peace.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Chairman, I honestly believe that many of the societal problems we have today stem from the fact that we have no regard for human life. Partial-birth abortions, drive-by shootings, cop killings, they have all become a way of life. Mr. Chairman, call me old-fashioned, but I believe every individual born into this world is special, needed and important. Our forefathers shared this philosophy when they wrote into our Declaration of Independence that, ``We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'' Mr. Chairman, I ask that we consider the difference. A doctor performs a painful, cruel, partial-birth abortion one day and it is accepted. Then, if that same mother gave birth to the same age child the next day and then she killed her child, she would be charged with murder. Mr. Chairman, only a few hours separate these two acts, but one is considered unjust and the other is accepted and even promoted. There is something wrong with our society today if we continue to justify such an unjust procedure. Mr. Chairman, let us show our respect for human life and support H.R. 1833.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Chairman, our colleague, the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Tom Coburn, became the proud grandfather of a little baby girl, Sarah. Today's vote on this balanced Budget Reconciliation Act is going to be an historic vote that is going to make a big difference in Sarah's life. It restores fiscal sanity to our Government. As a mother of five and a grandmother of six, I have a moral obligation to balance this budget. I want my kids to have the same opportunity to succeed that I have enjoyed in this generation. We are looking today at a national debt of $4.8 trillion. What this vote on the balanced budget means is very simply that Sarah and my new grandchild, No. 7, who is going to be born in December, will not have to pay $187,000 just to cover the interest on the debt alone through their lifetimes. We cannot go on literally mortgaging our children and our grandchildren's future, and saddling them with this huge mountain of debt. When we pass this bill today, it is going to be the first step in balancing a budget that has not been balanced in 26 years. That is historic. We owe it to our children and we owe it to our grandchildren, and their children, to pass a balanced budget. This bill is the first step in the right direction.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. If the gentleman will yield, the gentleman from Michigan makes a very good point, you know, when you talk about government funds, and it is really our money and the taxpayers' money. Have we ever considered the fact that why do we not just talk about, instead of saying government funds, taxpayers' funds or taxpayers' money every time that we mention it? Because really and truly there is a mentality up here that says, ``Oh, it is the government's money,'' and so the American people really do not have the benefit of the thinking to realize that we are here to say, hey, wait a minute, this is your money, and we want to give it back to you. Just a thought.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Chairman, the national debt now stands at $4.8 trillion, and this means that a child who is born today is going to have to pay $180,000 just to pay the interest on the debt over their lifetime. That is $3,500 in taxes every year of their working life. We are literally mortgaging our children's future and straddling them with a mountain of debt. As a mother of five and grandmother of six, almost seven, I have a moral obligation to balance this budget for them because I want my kids and grandkids to have a better future, to have more opportunity than I have. But, how can that happen if they start out with this great mountain of debt on their backs? Mr. Chairman, it has been stated if we balance the budget, interest rates will drop 2 percent. Now, that may not sound like a lot, but just consider the fact that that means, on a 30-year mortgage on a $75,000 house, an individual would save $37,000. That is enough to put our kids through college. It also means that an individual would save $900 on a $15,000 car loan. My goodness, look at what that would mean to a young person starting out or a young couple. Mr. Chairman, the family is the most important part of society in America today and a balanced budget is good for the American family. On behalf of our children and our children's children we need to vote for a balanced budget and to do that so we will be sure that tomorrow's dream, the American dream, does not turn into tomorrow's nightmare.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing my right to object, I reiterate that I totally agree, again, on the idea. Actually, it was the Republicans who actually championed this right to vote. It is not at all that I would like to stop the process. I believe that if we all get busy and work, we can raise this money privately. Having been in government before, I know how it works once you spend government money and try to replace it. It is a very difficult thing to do, because I faced that when I was mayor. But I would like to again challenge everybody to join in to do it. I believe we can do it and still meet the deadline without any problem. I know offers are already out there for people who have offered to do it and try and go ahead with the celebration on the day that it is set and not stop the process but just not spend the taxpayers' dollars to do it. I remind everybody again, there are no Federal funds. The money belongs to the taxpayers. We have a responsibility to be judicious in the way we spend it, especially today when we are in all the tight budgetary areas that we are and the decisions that we are making that way. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of objection, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington [Ms. Dunn].

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I yield to the gentlewoman from Idaho.

Mrs. MYRICK. That is correct.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I have no problem with raising the statue up and I think it is very commendable that we do that, but I have the same concern of spending taxpayers' money. I would like to see us work out a situation where we could raise the money privately, instead of spending taxpayers' dollars to do it, and still accomplish the same purpose within the time frame.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I yield to the gentlewoman from Maryland.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Lowey]. (Mrs. LOWEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I support the idea of doing this, because I think that is very important to what we are all trying to accomplish here. I really have no problem with that. Mr. Speaker, I would like to suggest that what we do is look at this from an overall point of saying why can we not raise the money privately to do it, instead of spending taxpayers' dollars on it? Mr. Speaker, I understand that there are some structural concerns, because it does weigh 13 tons, that we really have not looked into. I would like us to explore the options and I would like to volunteer that I would be happy to help raise those funds, and I do believe that it could be done privately.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I yield to the gentlewoman from Maryland.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I would like to state again that I appreciate the gentlewoman's comments. I agree that this is very important and that we need to do something. I think it is even more important if the women show that they can raise the money and make that statement to put this statue where it belongs in a place of honor in the rotunda. I again challenge everyone to join in so we can accomplish that fact and get it done by the 25th of October. Mr. Speaker, I object.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, today, the Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee will mark up its reconciliation package--that includes the repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act. The Budget Committee has already acted on this, and included it in the fiscal year 1996 budget resolution. Davis-Bacon needs to be repealed not only for budgetary reasons--but for commonsense reasons. This law serves no practical purpose in today's world. This law has been protected for many years because it takes Federal taxpayer money and puts it in the pocket of a small, but powerful interest in the form of a wage subsidy. [[Page H 9595]] The repeal of Davis-Bacon will open up the Federal construction market to fair and open competition and will eliminate the current monopoly on Federal jobs held by a few large companies. It will open up more construction jobs to semiskilled workers who wish to break into the construction field but are now prevented from doing so. The bottom line, Mr. Speaker, is the repeal of Davis-Bacon will give all American taxpayers a break on Federal construction costs. The Budget Committee has acted on this mandate. It is time for the rest of Congress to do the same.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I could not let another day go by without commenting on two senseless incidents that have happened in the last week that are very, very frustrating to me. One of them was in my own home city of Charlotte, where a teenager, a high school student, was senselessly gunned down in a drive-by shooting. It was not the first time it has happened, there or in other parts of the country. Last week there was an incident in Los Angeles where a young couple made a wrong turn. When they tried to turn around, they were stopped by a gang of youths who literally fired into their car, killed a 2-year- old, injured a 2-year-old and an adult. I just ask: What has happened in America, and how long are we going to stand back and allow this to go on without us as a people speaking up? I mean, it is just like it has become so common and everyday what we do, feel, or say, that is just the way it is. We ignore it. I implore everybody, no matter where you live in this country, to start to speak out, to let your voice be heard and to say we are not going to tolerate this type of behavior in this great land of the United States any longer.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, we thought we would like to give an explanation of what is really going on in the situation with Medicare. We have heard so much discussion over this past couple of weeks, and we are going to hear more, especially tomorrow, when the plan is actually released. I wanted to clarify just a very simple point. That is that it really is true that the fund is going bankrupt, and will be bankrupt in 7 years, and this is not something that is just a figment of someone's imagination or politics or political rhetoric, it really is true. This is part of the conclusion of the Medicare trustees, as we see on the chart before us, that the fund will be exhausted in 2001, and that they also made a statement right after that that simply says that the present financing schedule for the Medicare program is sufficient to ensure the payment of benefits only over the next 7 years. This is why the Republicans have taken it very seriously, that we must deal with this, we must be up front on this issue, and we must be responsible. We must find a solution. That is what we are doing with the help of the American people. The thing that has been so gratifying to me is that when I have been home in my district over the last few weeks, we have spent so much time not only talking with seniors but talking with the hospitals and the providers, the doctors, and really getting a lot of input. I know all my colleagues have been doing the same thing. The encouraging part is that the people really do understand that there is a problem, and they want to be part of the solution. We have been very, very, I think, pleased with the idea that people have come forward and said, ``I want to help, and I would like to give my suggestions, and will you really take these to heart?'' We want the American people to know that yes, we take these suggestions to heart, and we really are going to incorporate them to make a better system for the American people.

Mrs. MYRICK. I am delighted to yield to my colleague, the gentleman from Arizona.