Kevin McCarthy

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, tonight for the American public, we are going to hold the fourth quarterly report of the newly elected freshmen Republicans giving an update of what has gone on here on the floor. As the Sun begins to set on our first year in Congress, this is really the appropriate time to talk about it. This week we are bringing up what they call the omnibus bill, because we have 13 appropriation bills, but this Congress has only been able to get one through. So what are they doing this week, at the last hour, at the last moments because Christmas is coming and people want to go home? They are throwing them all into one great big ball and putting them before the American people. Now, when we flew back here, like we do each and every week, when I got here on Monday, I quickly found 34.4 pounds of pieces of paper of the omnibus bill and was told that in a few short hours we were going to go to a vote. Well, tonight we want to tell the American people that we want to bring a little transparency to their government. We want to show them exactly what is going on here. And I will tell you this, the American people should know, Mr. Speaker, that this government is not small. This government is $2.9 trillion. Now, just think for a moment. That is just the amount of money that this government spends. Now, if you compare that to economies, not just to what other countries spend in their government, but to their economy and what they produce, what their governments spend it on, ours would be the third largest in the world. Of course, the United States economy is the largest, and there would be Japan, but we would be larger than Germany. We would be larger than China with all the money they spend in government and all that they produce as you look at the different products that they make. We would be larger than the United Kingdom, larger than France, and larger than Italy. When you think about that and you think about the deficit that we have, isn't there a place that we can find the fraud, the waste and the abuse and eliminate it? And that is what these 13 freshmen who have been newly elected a year ago have been about to do. Now, tonight, we are going to start out talking with different members of the freshman class. It is an honor to look at the different members that we have. Our first individual that we have comes from the State of Minnesota, the Sixth District, Representative Michele Bachmann from Stillwater, Minnesota. I would like to yield time to Michele.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Patrick Sayne on his retirement as Superintendent of Paso Robles Joint Unified School District. Dr. Sayne is currently the longest serving superintendent in California. He accepted his first leadership position in Warner Union Elementary School District in San Diego County in 1978, and also served in Valle Lindo School District and Lakeport Unified School District. In 1998, Dr. Sayne became the superintendent of Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, which I represent. Dr. Sayne is a native of New Jersey, but moved to Long Beach, California with his family when he was a teenager. After graduating from California State University at Long Beach with a bachelor of arts degree in Russian history, he later obtained a master of arts degree in education in 1977. Dr. Sayne then went on to earn his doctorate in educational administration from the University of Southern California in 1988, and remains an avid Trojan fan. Dr. Sayne has not only dedicated his life to ensuring excellence in education for his students in the school districts he has served, but he has also served his country with 34 years of military service, which includes active and reserve duty with the U.S. Marine Corps. He also joined the U.S. Navy Reserve, and in 2004, Dr. Sayne retired from the Navy Reserves with the rank of Commander. Not only did he serve his country in the military and dedicate his life to improving the educational opportunities of his students, Dr. Sayne is active in the community, as a volunteer with Rotary International, the Association of California School Administrators, and the American Red Cross, where he is on the board of directors for the San Luis Obispo chapter and spent two weeks in Louisiana helping those communities impacted by Hurricane Katrina. He is also a former member of the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce board of directors and a current member of the Paso Robles Library Foundation board of directors. Dr. Sayne will be remembered as an active and involved leader during his nine years at Paso Robles Joint Unified School District. Through his long career as both a teacher and a superintendent, he always put his students first, was a strong advocate for alternative education, and consistently worked with his teachers to examine student performance to ensure that his schools were making a difference for the students. One of his proudest accomplishments as superintendent of Paso Robles Joint Unified School District was working with the California Office of Emergency Services, OES, and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, to secure funding to rebuild Flamson Middle School, which was destroyed in the December 2003 San Simeon earthquake. His leadership and dogged determination ensured that Flamson will be rebuilt and will again serve the students of the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District. Dr. Sayne and his wife Mary currently live in Paso Robles and are the proud parents of daughters Cari and Kelly. He and his wife look forward to retirement and staying involved in the Paso Robles community, and I wish Dr. Sayne well in this new chapter of his life.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. My good friend from Georgia, I appreciate your yielding. You are talking about spending and you are talking about how much it has increased. The American public would say before you raise my taxes, have you cut the waste, the fraud and abuse? You just talked about the chairman of Ways and Means. You look at the tax increase he proposed and you wonder why does he want to increase taxes so much? I look back and I remember on this floor when we were bringing up the Health and Human Services bill. In there, you thought you were going to talk about the needs and the other things. There was an amendment in there. I remember the debate on the Republican side, Mr. Speaker, because in there, there was put in what is called an earmark for $2 million for a library which the college didn't ask for to be named after the chairman of Ways and Means. It was interesting to me, I call it ``the monument to me,'' because that is exactly what it is. The American people need their taxes raised so somebody on this floor can name a library after themselves for $2 million? And if you look at the brochure, it says it will be just as nice as President Clinton or President Carter, which I will tell the American people, Mr. Speaker, were paid for by private funds. When it was challenged on the side of the Republicans to say maybe that earmark is not right because it didn't go through the process, the chairman of Ways and Means came to the floor and defended it and said he deserved it. When someone said, Well, maybe you shouldn't name it after yourself, he talked about it and said, No, I have been able to raise $25 million from corporations to go through it. Then when he sat there and talked and they said, Well, maybe we should name one after ourselves, he said, No, no, you don't deserve it. But that is the hypocrisy that goes on on this floor of the Congress. When you continue to spend, when you continue to move earmarks and you think you can just tax the American public more and more, they are going to wake up. That is why I appreciate the time you have taken, the Truth Squad, to let people know what goes on on this floor. Mr. Speaker, I apologize to the American people for scaring them too much, but this is the truth, and I yield back to my good friend from Georgia.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding. Mr. Speaker, it's quite ironic, Mr. Speaker, that Mr. Price has this hour tonight. Tonight is Halloween. I will tell you, when I look back at home in California, my kids will be getting ready to go out with their friends. Some of them are going to dress up, some will try to scare one another. But tonight, Mr. Speaker, this is the scariest moment of all. This largest tax increase in American history is going to scare every American there is. I will tell you that as you study history and study economics, you will see in the last cycle when taxes were lower, we set a record April 15. April 15 was the day people were paying their taxes. With taxes lower, more revenue came into American coffers, government, than ever before in the history of collecting taxes. Why? Because you let people keep more of what they earn. They went out and took their money and invested into capital, invested into businesses. What does this plan do that the Democrats put forward in the Democrat's largest tax increase? It taxes small business, small business at the highest rate. How do you create a big business? I guess you can't under the Democratic plan. For those that are sitting at home, Mr. Speaker, I want them to think for one moment when you think about taxes, because you always don't realize how much taxes you pay in a day. On an average day, you wake up, you take a shower; do you realize you pay a tax on that water? You go maybe over to Starbucks to get a cup of coffee, you pay a tax on that coffee. You stop off and fill your car up with gas; you pay a gasoline tax. You go into work, and for the first three hours you're just paying taxes before you make any money. You go home, turn on the TV, hopefully you will see yourself on television, you pay cable tax if you're watching this show tonight. You go out tomorrow, a lot of us are going to fly home, and when we buy that airplane ticket, we're going to pay an airport tax. You rent a car, you pay a rental tax. Somebody stays in a hotel, they pay an occupancy tax. God forbid, you save enough money and unfortunately die, you're going to pay an inheritance tax. On the Democratic plan, it goes to 55 percent. They think they know what to do with your money. I believe the Republicans know what to do with your money. You keep your money and invest it and build America. The plan has shown that if government continues to grow, they are going to raise your taxes further. Mr. Speaker, this plan and the appropriations that have gone through on this floor have continued to make government grow, continued to increase. How do they want to feed it? By taking more of what you have. I want to yield to my good friend from Georgia and thank him for the time that he has put into this, because it is a Truth Squad. It's rather ironic that tonight you're talking about how the Democrats have scared the rest of America. It is scary because they plan to move forward with their plan.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I along with my colleague Congressman Costa, would like to recognize the City of Bakersfield Fire Department on 130 years of excellent service to the residents of Bakersfield, Kern County, and the surrounding area in the Central Valley of California. Congressman Costa and I both represent the City of Bakersfield and are extremely supportive and proud of the Bakersfield Fire Department. In 1868, Colonel Thomas Baker moved into the Central Valley and settled near the present-day intersection of Truxtun Avenue and R Street. Recognized as a good neighbor, Colonel Baker would help people fight fires using buckets, a hand-drawn hook and ladder truck, and several hand-drawn two wheeled hose carts. In 1877, the City of Bakersfield Fire Department was officially formed, relying first on hand-drawn and eventually on horse-drawn carts. Today, the Bakersfield Fire Department consists of 13 fire stations, uses modern equipment and has 13 engine companies. The department employs 183 professionally trained and sworn firefighters and 25 dedicated civilians. In fact, the Central Fire Station, which was constructed in 1939, is still in operation today. What started in 1877 as a group of residents who wanted to keep their developing town safe from fires is now a professional, disciplined, and elite force that serves and protects more than 300,000 people and has a primary jurisdiction of more than 83,000 acres. In addition to its primary responsibilities in Bakersfield, the Fire Department also provides support services to neighboring jurisdictions in the event of natural disasters, forest fires, and other emergencies. My family and I have a history fighting fires in the area. My father, Owen, was an Assistant Chief for the Bakersfield Fire Department. My uncle, Tom, was the Chief of the Kern County Fire Department. Like my uncle, I also worked for the Kern County Fire Department as a Seasonal Firefighter. For well over a century, the City of Bakersfield Fire Department has been fighting the area's fires, earning these firefighter professionals the respect and admiration of a grateful community. It is a singular person who races into burning buildings at risk of life and limb to save the lives of fellow human beings, and to drive with sirens wailing towards disaster areas to provide vital emergency and recovery services, when others are evacuating. Congressman Costa and I are fortunate that the City that we both represent is protected by our brave firefighters. The Bakersfield Fire Department, through the service of its current and former employees, has exemplified dedication to service in the Bakersfield area for the past 130 years. I am honored to recognize the Bakersfield Fire Department's 130th Anniversary.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of legislation I introduced to designate the United States Postal Service facility located at 427 North Street in Taft, California as the ``Larry S. Pierce Post Office.'' U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Pierce was born in Oklahoma in 1941. As a young child his family moved to Taft, California, which I represent. SSG Pierce attended Taft City Schools and would have graduated from Taft Union High School with the Class of 1959, but decided to serve his country by joining the U.S. Army in 1958. SSG Pierce served with the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade in the Vietnam War. On September 20, 1965 near Ben Cat in Vietnam, SSG Pierce, while leading his reconnaissance platoon, was ambushed by hostile forces. SSG Pierce and his squad successfully routed the hostile forces from their location. During pursuit of the enemy, SSG Pierce heroically sacrificed his own life to save the lives of his fellow soldiers by throwing himself on an antipersonnel mine as it exploded. In February 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson posthumously awarded SSG Pierce the Medal of Honor on behalf of the United States Congress. SSG Pierce's Medal of Honor citation notes in part his ``conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty,'' his ``inspiring leadership and personal courage,'' and his ``profound concern for his fellow soldiers'' acting with ``extraordinary heroism, at the cost of his life'' to save the lives of his fellow soldiers, which reflects the ``highest traditions of the U.S. Army'' and ``great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.'' SSG Pierce would have been 66 years old this year, and is survived by his wife Verlin, who currently lives in Bakersfield, California, and his children Teresa, Kelley, and Gregory. My legislation is a fitting honor for this Vietnam War hero, who sacrificed his life to save the lives of fellow soldiers, by naming the post office in his hometown of Taft in his memory.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3571, which provides needed flexibility for the Office of Compliance to fill critical positions within the office and to maintain institutional knowledge within the office. The Office of Compliance provides an important function in the legislative branch. It is charged with administering and enforcing the Congressional Accountability Act. The act, one of the first considered and passed by the 104th Congress with the new Republican congressional majority, required Congress to comply with the same employment and workplace safety laws that applied to the private sector, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Current law governing the office places limits on the appointment and tenure of the staff and board. These limits, placed in part to preserve the integrity and independence of the office, have unfortunately resulted in the board's inability to fill vacancies with the best- qualified candidates. In addition, GAO has recommended, and the board agreed, that Congress amend the law to allow for reappointment of board members and staff to an additional term in the office to maintain institutional continuity and to ``prevent the loss of critical organizational knowledge'' within the office. This bill is a commonsense adjustment of current law, and I recommend my colleagues support the legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Peter Roskam. He makes a good point that you may campaign as a Republican or a Democrat, but when you come here, you should come to the issues as Americans. That is how we come to you tonight, looking for common ground, and the place where we can actually solve problems. That is what we campaigned on and made a promise to do, and that is why we are before you. Just as when you are back home sitting at your table with your children, and I have mine, Connor, 13, and Megan, 11. I look for their report cards. I look at their grades. Tonight we are going to talk about Congress's grades. The next speaker we have tonight is an individual from Ohio. He was a State senator, kind of a star there as well as on match, a wrestler, an NCAA champion. And currently, he is serving on Judiciary, Oversight and Government Reform, and Small Business. He is also looking out after us when it comes to the budget.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the Congressman from Illinois, Mr. Peter Roskam, and all those who have joined with us tonight.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I want to thank the Congressman from Tennessee, Congressman David Davis. I appreciate your talk directed to the people back home, telling them we should run Congress much like you run your house. It is not being done today. As we heard earlier from the Congressman from Ohio about the spending, we heard from Congresswoman Michele Bachmann from Minnesota, we have found that we are not talking about hope here, we are talking about the largest tax increase in American history, because that is what has gone on on this floor, and we want to make a real change about it. I now have another freshman who is joining us. He comes from Colorado, Colorado Springs, the home of the Air Force Academy, Congressman Doug Lamborn.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman from Colorado, and I appreciate his opportunity to come down and talk with us. As I said earlier, as we talked about the accountability of what has gone on on this floor and we said, why has spending increased by 9.3 percent from last year? And we talked about the majority here and how they have had the ``Monument to Me,'' where they put $2 million in to name a library after themselves. When you talk about earmarks, when you talk about transparency, this is what we are talking about. We can find ways that we can eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. That is what the American people want to have happen here. I don't believe the taxpayers of America think Members of Congress deserve $2 million libraries with well-furnished offices and a library for your papers and memorabilia, that taxpayers should be spending their money on that. I think we should be spending their money in the classroom teaching our kids to read and write English. That is what we should be spending our money on. But I will tell you, we have another Member, a brand new Member of the freshman class. Unfortunately, there was a death after the election by Congressman Charlie Norwood in Georgia, and that special election has taken place and we have a new Member to join with us tonight. He actually has some late-breaking news that he wants to share with us, so I would like to introduce and yield what time he desires to Congressman Paul Broun, representing Augusta and Athens.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Bachmann for her talk. You can see from her enthusiasm, you can see from being a mother of 23 foster children, that she brings hope, not only to America, but to Congress. She brings a problem-solving idea, trying to find some commonsense ways actually to make change here. We are so proud to have you here. As I said, this is the third quarterly report put on by the freshmen Republicans on accountability of what has gone on here in Congress. We want to bring it back to your house, Mr. Speaker, to let people know what has gone on on this floor. There is a reason why America has lost faith in their Congress. The approval rating is now at 11 percent, the lowest in the history of any poll on the approval rating of what has gone on in Congress. So tonight we want to talk about what has happened here. But we want to also talk about our future and how we can make things better, how we can find common ground, how we can actually bring hope back to America and have real change. Tonight I have the honor of introducing one of the superstars in the freshman class. He comes from the Sixth District of Illinois, Congressman Peter Roskam from Wheaton, Illinois. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the Congressman from Georgia bringing forward exactly what is going on right now in America. I would like to, as we have a few moments left, turn back to Congressman Peter Roskam from Illinois and yield him the time that he desires.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, tonight we are having our third quarterly report to the 110th Congress. This is a quarterly report for the newly elected republican freshmen. We came here to solve problems. We came here to find partnerships. We came here to really, what we listened about during the campaign, to make America better. Tonight, I have a few freshmen joining with me. The idea tonight is about accountability. What has gone on here in Congress? I think every time we do this quarterly report, I go and I check the Web sites. Again, today is a new record. Congress has the lowest approval rating, at 11 percent, that it has in the history of its taking a poll; lower than in the years of Watergate, lower than during the years when we were rationing and being held hostage in Iran, lower than the time of 1994 when the last time the parties switched powers here. Tonight is the night we talk about what has gone on, the accountability of what has happened here, and what has taken place. To start us out tonight is a congresswoman from Minnesota, from St. Cloud, Michele Bachmann. I yield to Mrs. Bachmann.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials therein.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 207, a resolution recognizing the 60th anniversary of the United States Air Force as an independent military service. I am honored that Edwards Air Force Base, home of the Air Force Flight Test Center, is located in my district, the 22nd District of California. I rise today to honor the men and women of the United States Air Force, especially those who have spent part or all of their careers in the pursuit of cutting edge flight technology at Edwards. The USAF was ``born'' in 1947, but as we all know, our military's efforts to explore air power began in the early part of the 20th century with the Wright Military Flyer. The area now known as Edwards joined the effort in 1933, when LTC Henry H. ``Hap'' Arnold of the Army Air Corps selected a site on the edge of Rogers Dry Lake for a bombing and gunnery range at a place called Muroc, a reversal of the last name of the Corum family, which had settled in the area in 1910. After World War II, Muroc Army Air Field was alive with activity on the X-plane programs, resulting in great successes such as the Bell X- 1, which broke the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, with Chuck Yeager at the controls. The base was renamed in 1949 after CPT Glen Edwards, who died in a crash of the YB-49, and the Air Force Flight Test Center was activated in 1951, the same year that the Air Force moved its test pilot school to Edwards. In the 1960s, the X-15 broke record after record for speed and altitude. Over the years, the Flight Test Center has tested and supported the development of virtually every aircraft system that has entered the Air Force inventory and has been involved in more major milestones in flight than any other comparable organization in the world. It has been on the cutting edge of every major development that has transformed the field of flight, from the first American jet plane to the current system-of-systems revolution. It is a pleasure to recognize and honor the hard work of the men and women of our United States Air Force on their 60th anniversary, although each day we should remember those who sacrifice in defense of our country. As the Air Force moves forward from its 60th year, we can look to the motto of the Air Force Flight Test Test Center--``Ad Inexplorat . . . Toward the Unexplored.''

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1384, a bill I introduced to designate the United States Postal Service facility located at 118 Minner Avenue in Bakersfield, California as the ``Buck Owens Post Office.'' An accomplished, self-taught musician, Alvis Edgar ``Buck'' Owens, Jr. amassed twenty-one country music hits throughout his career, of which ten were consecutive #1 hits, including ``Act Naturally,'' ``My Heart Skips a Beat,'' and ``Streets of Bakersfield.'' Over his more than 50 years in the music industry, Buck worked with other legendary country musicians including Merle Haggard, who dubbed Buck's band ``the Buckaroos,'' Wanda Jackson, and Dwight Yoakam. Buck was best known for his signature ``freight train'' musical sound that combined classic country music with electric guitar, a unique rhythm, and rock and roll and honky-tonk influences, and always played his trademark red, white, and blue guitar. Buck was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame, both in 1996, for his musical talent and accomplishments. In 1999, Buck received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award for one of his #1 hits, ``I've Got a Tiger by the Tail.'' In addition to recording hit country music songs, for almost twenty years, Buck could be seen on Hee Haw, an immensely popular country music comedy show. Following Hee Haw and returning to his country music roots, Buck opened Buck Owens' Crystal Palace in 1996, a concert hall in Bakersfield, California, where Buck hosted other bands and performed live for fans up until the night he passed away, on March 25, 2006. An astute businessman, Buck owned several radio stations, including KKXX-FM, which was under Buck's tenure for more than a decade the #1 rock-and-roll station in Bakersfield. In addition, Buck also owned KUZZ-AM, which he expanded to FM radio, and, up until his death, was and remains the #1 country music station in Bakersfield. Finally, Buck established his own music production company, Buck Owens Enterprises, which produced records by country music artists. Buck moved to Bakersfield in 1951, and contributed greatly to the country music industry in Bakersfield and around the Nation and amassed a legion of fans, like myself, across the country. H.R. 1384 is a fitting honor and tribute to this influential and charismatic Californian by designating the post office in his hometown of more than 55 years in his memory. The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read the third time, and passed. The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 118 Minner Avenue in Bakersfield, California, as the `Buck Owens Post Office'.'' A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the ranking member. Madam Chairman, I rise today in disappointment. Disappointment, because only 6 months ago I sat in this chair to be sworn into this body, and I listened to our Speaker sit up at that podium and say this body was going to talk about partnership, not partisanship. When I went onto the Agriculture Committee, I thought I found that partnership. For 6 months, we worked in a bipartisan manner, and I will tell you, I was proud of the fact to work with my colleagues, my colleagues like Jim Costa and Dennis Cardoza. We worked together in a bipartisan fashion on bills such as this farm bill. We even looked to the 21st century and putting in specialty crops. We have done tremendous items when it comes to this farm bill. But I will tell you that that was all taken away this week. That all changed when we now decide to raise taxes, $4 billion. Instead of looking for the future, instead of thinking of our children, who are going to compete for the first time since the 1860s, to have economies that are going to compete in America, to be as large as or even larger when you talk about China and India, now we are going to take away jobs. That is not partnership. That is partisanship. And it is not like we bring up a farm bill every year, or we even bring it up every 2 years. We only talk about a farm bill twice every decade. We are missing an opportunity. We are missing a very big opportunity. That disappointment, when I think back 6 months ago when I listened to our Speaker say that, I listened earlier tonight to our debate when we had our chairman from the Ways and Means Committee down here talking about why he wanted to raise taxes. And I listened earlier this week when we had appropriation bills, and you wonder where does the money go? We build monuments to ourselves, because people think they have served in this body long enough that they should spend $2 million building their own libraries. That is not what the American people are asking for. That is not what the American people are looking for. I guess I when I think back 6 months ago, the Speaker should have looked at a quote from Dwight Eisenhower, when Dwight Eisenhower said, ``You don't lead by hitting people over the head. That is assault, not leadership.'' Let's send this bill back and have real leadership, and go back to the bipartisanship that the Agriculture Committee has experienced for the last decades, because there is only two chances we have for it for the next decade. Madam Chairman, I ask for a ``no'' vote.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, but oppose the process.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, while I agree with the intent and substance of the bill, I have to object to the process of bringing this bill to the floor under suspension in the time frame established without committee debate. There have been three versions of the bill. The committee received notice of the bill intent action by the majority just last Thursday when we all left town. Since then, the bill has been amended twice, and we just received the final version at 11:30 a.m. today when Members were just returning. H.R. 2630 has not been the subject of any debate or questioning by the committee. There is clarification needed as we go through on this debate. While I would support the bill, and I sit on the committee, I have only been in this House and this body for 6 months, and already I see we are repeating our old mistakes. As I sat on this floor when we debated H.R. 6, the ethics reform which I fully supported, voted for, passed with 430-1, to my amazement right afterwards we found that when we thought we were doing a good deed, we thought we were changing what we thought was wrong about flying around on these planes, having individuals be able to donate planes to fly around, soon we found out that those who are pilots on this floor, those who had their own plane, we said they couldn't even fly on their own. Why? Because we did not go through the process that we have set up; we did not debate it in committee; we did not have clarification; we did not have light of day. While I am the first one to stand up and want the reform, I am also the first one to stand up and say going around the process is just as wrong. We should have the debate, we should have a bipartisan bill, we should have common sense, and we should learn from our mistakes. Our ratings are low, yes. Our ratings are low probably because of this action that we are trying to change. But they are also low because they see inaction. Don't hurt the bill by going around the process. The end does not justify the means.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a community leader, my friend, Dennis Cassidy, on his retirement after over 30 years of serving the people of Paso Robles, CA, most currently as chief of police. Chief Cassidy began his law enforcement career with the Paso Robles Police Department in 1974. In 1985, Cassidy was promoted to patrol sergeant and in 1988, he became Detective Bureau commander. In 1990, he was promoted to Lieutenant, and was responsible for seeking grants to further the department's Community Outreach Program through the early 1990s. His success led to the establishment of a satellite police office, in cooperation with the Housing Authority, where two officers were assigned to work full-time. The results were remarkable. Criminal activity dropped, community and police relationships strengthened, and a safer Paso Robles gave families increased peace of mind. In 1997, Cassidy was named chief of police, a position he has held since, until his retirement. During his tenure as chief, Cassidy was instrumental in planning the new Public Safety Center in Paso Robles. This center was put to the test after the San Simeon earthquake in December 2003. This earthquake caused massive damage to Paso Robles and took the lives of two Paso Robles residents. The center immediately served as a staging area as Cassidy and other members of the Paso Robles Emergency Services coordinated initial rescue and recovery efforts. Later, the building was used by many different agencies brought in to assist with recovery. Chief Cassidy has been in the forefront of exploring new technologies, which has resulted in the Paso Robles Police Department being equipped with innovative technology to help combat crime and ensure the safety of the community and residents. Specifically, Chief Cassidy was responsible for the Department obtaining its Computer Aided Dispatching and Records Management Systems, as well as Livescan fingerprinting and digital in-car video with wireless station-server download capability. Serving his community is not something Chief Cassidy only does on- duty; he is very involved while he is off-duty. Chief Cassidy is a past commissioner of the Children and Families Commission of San Luis Obispo County, the local agency administering State tax revenue to fund education, childcare, health and other programs for expectant parents and toddlers. He also served as president of the North County Women's Resource Center, which assists women and families against domestic violence and abuse. Finally, he is active as a Paul Harris Fellow in the local Rotary, and a member of the San Luis Obispo Cattlemen's Association. Chief Cassidy exemplifies how one can answer the call of duty to protect and serve his fellow neighbors, and do it with great passion, strength, and devotion to his community. His shoes will be tough to fill as he raised the police department's level of excellence and outstanding conduct, and has forged a relationship of trust with the community his officers serve and protect. I know Chief Cassidy looks forward to his retirement and spending time with friends and family. I commend his service to the city of Paso Robles and wish him the best as he enters into the next stage of his life.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. You make a great point. Numbers don't lie. You see it in a graph. You see it in the facts. You see it on April 15, the highest revenue ever to come in. Now, why do we continue to have these deficits? Because it is a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Just as when you live at your own house, you balance your checkbook. If you have got more money coming in, how come you are going further into debt? Because of the management and the lack of accountability here. You see the unemployment rate continue to go down from 2003. Why? Because if people are able to keep more of what they earn, they are able to invest. We want America to be the most competitive, to be able to be the most productive, and you need capital to do that. And do you know what else you want? You want the creation of small business. You want everybody across the board to have the opportunity for the American dream. Well, if you are taking a savings account that you maybe want to invest in your family, to invest for them in the next 21st century, to invest them in the ability to have a small business, invest them in taking a risk and a little reward, you don't want to give 55 percent to the government. You want to be able to hand it down.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. And don't you want your grandchildren to be able to have a greater opportunity, greater education? It is not just the undergraduates we look at. As I told you before, I have two kids at home: Connor, who is 13; and Meghan, who is 10. And when I look at their education and we sit around our kitchen table, my wife Judy and I, all we do is talk about the future for our children. And I am not worried about our children competing with somebody from another part of California or even somebody in different parts of America. Do you know whom our children are going to compete with? It is a global economy. They are going to compete with the kids in India and China. And I will tell you in India and China they don't have a 55 percent tax rate on the death tax. They don't hold their children back like we are holding ours back. We don't have the opportunity to grow. And this economy is competitive. And for us to stay that way, we need actually a new direction in this Congress where the people are before politics. And the one thing I have seen in these 100 or so days, this November election never ended, that we continue to have politics on this floor in each and every way we go about doing it. We should now start talking about solutions. How do we solve the problems? How do we make America energy independent? Not how we simply fund greater dictators, not that we buy as much oil from Venezuela as we do from America, and you listen to what Mr. Chavez says about America, ``ending the evil empire.'' We want to make America and this world safer, freer, and leave it a better place for our own children. And we are not going to do it with the change in direction in this Congress. We are not going to be able to achieve those goals. That is why I want to congratulate you on the work you have done because you are bringing accountability to this floor. You are letting the American people see it. And what we want to derive from that are solutions, bringing people back before politics.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I just want to congratulate this Member because I truly believe more people are listening than we've been hearing about. We see Nielsen's ratings out there and we see a number of people that watch C-SPAN. But I must tell you, there must be more because when I was sitting in my office, I was reading headlines, and the headline recently said, Congress has its lowest approval rating to date: 29 percent of the United States approves of what Congress is doing. And that means nothing. And I believe that a lot is coming from what you're talking about. You're giving people truth and accountability on what's gone on in this new majority and what has happened in this new majority. And that's really what I want to talk about today. Not much has moved. It's more about doing nothing. You talk about they are talking about putting politics before policies. And what I'd like to talk about today is actually a solution. I'd like to talk about putting people before politics. That's where we have to have a new direction and a new change. When you look at some of the graphs that are sitting down on that floor, you will see, and it is a direct comparison of what policy the Republicans believe in and the policy the Democrats believe in. A headline that I read just the other day was the largest amount of money coming in on April 15 in the record of the United States of America. The largest amount. And how did we come about doing that? We lowered taxes. It said, if you let people keep more of what they earn, they will invest. And what happens when they invest? They create more jobs. When you create more jobs, you create more homeowners. When you create more homeowners and more jobs, more people are able to go to college, get a greater education. That's talking about putting the people before politics. It all goes back to the 2003 tax relief bill, much of what your graph will say. It'll show greater job creation the Republicans went out to do, and it'll show greater investment and, in the end, greater amounts of money to America today. And what happens? It comes down to tell us that this is not a revenue problem in our deficit. It is a spending problem. But the Democrats look at it all different. They believe they should take more of what you earn. And I know I've said it before on this floor but I want to say it again. When you put people before politics, let's talk about taxes. Let's talk about what the Democrats proposed in their 100 days of increasing taxes which, Madam Speaker, our speaker just said on this floor, increasing taxes in every realm. If you have children, it's going to cost you more. If you're married, it's going to cost you more. If you're elderly, it's going to cost you more. If you're in the lowest tax bracket, it's going to cost you more. Now, I want to put it in perspective, because this is something that this floor doesn't talk about. What is the day-to-day life of an American? How do they pay taxes? Do they pay enough taxes? Well, I want to give you an average day. A person wakes up, they go in and they take a shower. Do you know, when they turn that water on they are paying a water tax? They get ready for work. They go out, maybe they stop off at a coffee shop, buy a cup of coffee. They pay a tax on that coffee. They look at their gas gauge. They go to the gas station. I am in California, paid $3.49 a gallon. A lot of that was in tax. Then I go into work. For the first 3 hours of work, I'm just paying State and Federal tax. Lo and behold, maybe I'm like most of Americans, I have to move in my job. I have to be able to go to other places to be able to sell because it's a global economy. I buy an airline ticket, I pay an airline tax. I rent a car when I get there. I pay a rental tax. I go and work part of the day. I come home, turn on the TV maybe to see our good speaker here on television. I pay a cable tax. And lo and behold that I was able to put a little money away after they tax me from morning till night, and I invest. I invest for my family. I invest for my children to go to college. I invest and take the risk and hopefully I got a little reward. And maybe I invest in some property. Maybe I invest in the stock market. And because the Republicans lowered the tax and more people are paying dividends, so I'm getting a greater income and my kids can go to a maybe more expensive college. Then maybe I can afford to send my kids to Disneyland a little more. Maybe I can afford to spend time with my family a little more, and that's what Americans want. But lo and behold, if I invested and I got a return on my investment, and I wanted to leave some money for my children and my grandchildren, what do the Democrats answer with? They answer they want 55 percent of that. They don't even want half. They want 55 percent. Because you decided to invest in America, they think you owe the government. What do Republicans say? Keep it and add on. Why? Because we believe that's your money. We believe the capital is good for America, good for the investment. It helps us to be more competitive in a global economy. Yeah, you're becoming more efficient; that you should, if you owned a small business, invest in new equipment because your employees will be able to be more efficient. America will be more efficient, and that's what this Congress has produced. There is a direct change in this Congress, and I applaud this individual on the floor, Mr. Price, because from the standpoint I believe more people are listening. If it's rating a 29 percent, your Truth Squad is getting out that accountability is lacking here in Congress today. And I would like to just talk to you a little longer about this. Maybe you can dwell on a little more, you have a graph down there. Maybe you can talk a little bit about what you see from the 2003 plan to today's plan as well.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Thank you, Congressman. We appreciate your principled belief to represent your constituents, those hardworking individuals from Michigan that are trying to create opportunity, trying to put their children through college, trying to have that home ownership, and at the same time taking care of their parents as they are getting older. But this Congress says ``no.'' They want to take money out of their pocket and pass the highest tax increase. Congressman Smith, if you could just sum up tonight on what you see the future holding.