Ted Poe

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Given the ongoing economic downturn in this country, patent fee collections at the Patent and Trademark Office are running short, based on earlier estimates. If things do not improve, the agency must initiate furloughs of its staff in the fall, an outcome that no one wants. Aside from affecting the individual workers, mostly examiners, these furloughs would create another setback in the effort to reduce application backlogs and expedite the processing of new applications. The agency has already reduced its operating plan for fiscal year 2009 by $120 million and is pursuing another $125 million in cuts. But the PTO cannot accurately estimate at this time how much additional revenue it needs to survive through this fiscal year. H.R. 3114 responds to this crisis by allowing the director to shift necessary funds from the trademark ledger to patent operations through June 30, 2010, less than 1 year from now. The bill also requires the Patent Office to reimburse the Trademark Office for any funds reassigned to it within the CBO's 5-year scoring window. The bill also is an appropriate legislative response because trademark operations currently have a projected surplus of $60 million to $70 million. In addition, there is precedence for allowing such an intra-agency revenue transfer. Twice in the past 10 years, the Trademark Office borrowed more than $24 million from patent operations. This is an unfortunate but necessary response to a funding crisis at an agency that is crucial to the economic vitality of this country. American IP industries now account for over half of all U.S. exports and 40 percent of our economic growth. These industries provide millions of jobs for Americans with high-paying salaries. Patents encourage innovation and provide incentives to create, build, and market new products. Delays in obtaining patents stifle entrepreneurship in our country. We want new ideas, new technologies, and new patents. America has always been the Nation of great inventors. Now we must protect those inventors and their inventions with timely patents. Mr. Speaker, this bill won't cure all that ails the Patent and Trademark Office long term. For that we need the other body to confirm the new PTO director who will work with Congress to implement fundamental change to the agency; but failure to enact H.R. 3114 at this time will place PTO in an even deeper hole that jeopardizes agency jobs, harms the interests of inventors, and damages a crucial component of our national economy. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3114.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding. This legislation basically directs the Architect of the Capitol to quit ignoring history, just like the last piece of legislation where it is not mentioned anywhere in Emancipation Hall or the Visitor Center that this Capitol was built in due part by slave labor. Neither does that expensive Visitor Center mention any religious history that this country has. I don't know if the Architect of the Capitol doesn't like the Pledge or approve of the national motto ``In God We Trust''; otherwise, both of those would already be in this expensive Visitor Center. Both mention God, and it appears that the Visitor Center, the way that it is conducted and constructed, wishes to disown and deny our religious heritage. You go to the Visitor Center and you are led to believe, Mr. Speaker, that the national motto is not ``In God We Trust'' but it is ``E Pluribus Unum,'' because the national motto is never mentioned in the propaganda video that all people see when they come into the Visitor Center. Well, the national motto is not ``E Pluribus Unum.'' It is ``In God We Trust,'' and that is the national motto and it should remain as such. Mr. Speaker, our religious history is a part of American history. When the Founders of this great country got together in the Continental Congress, before they decided to draft this new concept of freedom and liberty, Benjamin Franklin made the comment that if the good Lord is concerned about the birds that fall from the air, certainly he would be concerned about the birth of a new nation; and with that, the Members of the Continental Congress knelt down and they prayed. And, Mr. Speaker, we have continued that tradition every day since the Continental Congress. We start every day the same way. When the House is called to order, the first order of business is a prayer. The second order of business is the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, and it is important that we continue those traditions, but it is also important that people who come to the Capitol understand that is part of our routine. Mr. Speaker, ``unless the Lord watches over this House, the builders build in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, those that watch watch in vain.'' Above the flag behind you, Mr. Speaker, is the phrase ``In God We Trust.'' It is not to the side. It is not below it. It is above it, symbolic of what we do each day, that we pray and then we have the Pledge of Allegiance. So I strongly support this legislation to make sure that the Architect of the Capitol does not deny our religious history. Put it in its proper perspective, because religion is a part of our history, whether the Architect of the Capitol likes it or not. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, British Government medical ethics advisor Baroness Warnock proclaimed that people who suffer from dementia have a patriotic duty to die. She said: ``The care dementia requires is very expensive and drains the government resources for health care.'' This government decision maker said that people will soon be licensed to put other people down if they are unable to look after themselves. If that wasn't bad enough, she went on to say: ``If you're demented, you're wasting government resources.'' Human beings are a drain on the government; so they need to be put to death? Mr. Speaker, that sounds like a rather sick and demented idea to me. Government-run medicine like in England puts the government's welfare above the welfare of the people. Government always values itself more than anyone or anything. It's the nature of the beast. Recently, the President said at a town hall meeting we could save money on health care in America by putting a stop to expensive procedures for people who have been diagnosed with terminal diseases. He said: ``Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, just taking the painkiller.'' Now, is our government going to adopt the English system and determine who lives and who dies? It doesn't sound like a healthy health care plan to me. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Let me just speak to that issue of jobs. As you know, in my southeast Texas district I have 20 percent of the Nation's refineries; and those are blue collar jobs, union jobs. And it's a tremendous concern for not just management, but for those people who work in those refineries when they're told that the cost of producing energy--because they have to use, as you mentioned, fuel to produce energy--that they will be driven out of business and somewhere else where they didn't sign this 1,200-page bill. You know, China didn't sign that, Cuba didn't sign it, India didn't sign it. They laugh at us for signing it. And they're really doing a better job of making sure that they produce energy cleanly. Perfect example: as you know, and have also advocated, we should drill in the Gulf of Mexico for more crude oil and natural gas. We can do that safely and cleanly. But we're not doing it. So who's going to do that? The Cubans and the Chinese are going to be drilling in waters that are near the United States where we ought to be drilling. And I can assure you that those platforms that the Cubans are building and the Chinese are helping them build are not going to be near as safe, pollution safe, as what we can currently do. And so it makes no sense that we hurt ourselves in producing energy and automatically say we're going to punish energy consumption by taxing energy and its consumers, the American people, out of business in hopes that we can get a cleaner environment. We'll all be riding bicycles and living in towns where we used to have to use candles because we're not going to have the energy to take care of ourselves as we are doing now. I would yield back. Thank you.

Mr. POE of Texas. Thank you for yielding. The concern that I have about this bill is that, as I mentioned at the outset, we love the fact that we are a free people and that we are an independent Nation. This bill makes us dependent on government. It will control our lives. We have to get permission from the government for every action we will take as individuals and as businesses. We do not have free will to make decisions, because the government won't let us have that free will to make decisions. Decisions will be made by the government. The government picks winners and losers in that bill because it creates great subsidies to some people to make them more dependent on government and government control. That is not what America is about. America is about freedom. It is not about dependence. So the sad part about the bill is the aspect that it creates right here in Washington, D.C., as Mr. Conaway said, the center of the universe to some, control over everybody from Indiana to Texas to California to Hawaii to Florida. And that ought not to be.

Mr. POE of Texas. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. POE of Texas. Thank you for yielding, Judge Gohmert. You know, we approach what we consider the most important of all days for our Republic, and that's Independence Day. And this legislation that unfortunately passed tonight has not made us more independent, but it has made us more dependent. As a Nation, we are more dependent upon, now, government control of every aspect of our lives, our personal lives, our business lives. When the government starts telling you what type of electricity you can have in your home, when the government starts telling you that you have to pass an energy efficiency before you can sell your home, maybe we have gone too far in the government controlling our lives. But that's just a smidge of what has occurred in the passing of this legislation. I am not sure what the goal of the legislation was. We heard different things. One was that it's going to create more jobs for Americans. Well, that's just not going to happen. All the sane studies show that that's not going to occur in the United States. There will be government programs, which means subsidies paid by taxpayers to go to, quote, green jobs. Those are programs, and they will be created, subsidized by the taxpayers, to move us in a direction of the green environment, which I will say just a little bit more about in a minute. But one group that has not been mentioned today in the House debate that talked about jobs, the National Black Chamber of Commerce said this legislation will cost 2.5 million jobs almost immediately. Well, that's a lot of Americans being put out of work when we are already having Americans losing their jobs. We do have an example of a country that has tried this legislation. Although they didn't sign this one, it's one very similar. Spain has had this so-called idea of trying to control carbon emissions in their country for several years, and they have created jobs, but they have lost jobs. For every green job that they have created, by their own statistics, two other jobs have been lost. Now, I am not a CPA like Mr. Conaway is, but it would seem to me the more green jobs you create, the more jobs you are going to lose. And that's what Spain has done, and now they are trying to get out from under their own legislation that has cramped their economy because they are losing jobs by moving to this so-called green job economy. So we are losing American jobs overseas for a lot of reasons already, and a lot of it is because of the high cost of energy. Now we are going to have energy cost increase. So first idea, a goal to create American jobs, that's just fiction. The second thing is that this is supposed to be a bill to save the planet. You know, humans are bad and that we are creating all this gas that we need to control, and it's all because of energy. And so if we have this legislation that passed, we are going to save the planet. Up until a few months ago, we heard from those people. That was called global warming. But since global warming is not occurring, it is now changed to climate change. We changed the title, because global warming does not appear to be what those who claim it to be is occurring here. Now we hear from the Congressional Budget Office, when they testified before the Senate several weeks ago, that the effect of this legislation will have little or no effect on climate change. Now, the first goal, create jobs, is a fiction. The second goal, to control the climate from bad humans, is not going to have any effect because of this legislation. And the third thing about this legislation is it costs too much; we can't afford it. We can't afford it even if it did create jobs or save the planet. But the billions of dollars in that 1,200 pages you have in front of you there, Judge Gohmert, that's going to cost Americans. It's not going to result in what we were all promised. So those are two items that I see as a major problem. And another problem that I think is very paramount is the fact that we're going to turn our lives, our businesses over to government control. The government is going to control all energy in this country and it's going to tax it all. You turn on these lights here in the Capitol--of course this is the government, they don't have to pay their bills--but if you turn them on at home, the cost of electricity is going to go up. If you use natural gas, a hot water heater, that's going to go up. You drive down the street using gasoline, that's made from crude oil, that's going to go up. Because everything that uses energy--which is everything--will cost Americans more. The energy companies, the ones that stay in America, they will pass that tax on to consumers, and the consumers pay because the consumers always pay. But the hardest hit group is going to be, as Mr. Souder from Indiana said, the small manufacturing plants in the United States. They have to use energy to produce their products. Whether it's a paper mill in east Texas or whether it's a van up in Indiana or whether it's a small steel mill in my district, they have to use some form of energy to produce the product. Now, the cost of that energy is going to go up so high they cannot produce the product and sell it. Because, you see, over in China, they're producing the same product and can ship it to the United States cheaper because they're not bound by all of these energy regulations and are not taxed for use of energy as American manufacturing companies will be. And that's a sad thing because it has always been the small business--and really the small manufacturing companies--that's been the heart and soul of the American economy. You know, there was a time when you could go into a Wal-Mart--you've got them in your district, I don't know if Mr. Conaway has them in his, but we have a lot of Wal-Marts--but you could go into a Wal-Mart and they had a big sign that said ``Made in America.'' They claimed that everything they sold in that Wal-Mart was made in America. Well, that sign isn't up anymore; it hasn't been up in years because I don't think they make anything in America that they sell at Wal-Mart. It irks me to no end. This time of year, you go into a Wal-Mart and you want to buy a flag, just like that one behind the Speaker, and it's made in China. We can't even make our own flags because manufacturing in this country is being killed by the cost of doing business. And that bill in front of you, Judge Gohmert, is not going to help that at all. It's going to just make the situation worse. The last thing that bill does not do is create more energy. It taxes energy. It does not provide for more energy for Americans. Nuclear energy, I mean, even France, 80 percent of its energy comes from nuclear energy. And it can be done and created in a clean and safe way. We don't have any more nuclear plants in this country because of the fear tactics that have been placed upon the thoughts, so we don't use nuclear energy. So we're not doing anything. We're not drilling offshore even for natural gas. Natural gas is supposed to be the product that we go from this one environment to this beautiful environment. Of course, we can't get there from here. And now the other side that voted for this bill says, well, we need natural gas to bridge that gap because it's clean. Well, they don't allow drilling. You can't drill anymore. You can't drill offshore. You can't drill anywhere that there is natural gas. So how are we supposed to have energy to get to the clean energy if we cannot, as a Nation, even drill for natural gas? So there's no nuclear, no natural gas, and of course we can't use clean coal. We don't want to use any more of that nasty old crude oil, even though crude oil and its byproducts is in everything Americans use, from plastics to our radios to our cell phones. It's in everything. And it's a derivative of some product of crude oil. We are always going to need crude oil to build the products that we have in this country. You can't build them all from biodiesels. And so the bill does not do what it's supposed to do. It doesn't create jobs, it doesn't help the climate, it doesn't give us a new alternative for energy until we get to this supposed clean energy. And of course I think the worst thing is it takes control of Americans and their independence and makes us slaves to the Federal Government and the Federal bureaucrats to run our lives every day. I will yield back, Judge Gohmert.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. We all know that liberty is not free, and our history shows that it is cause to stand on principle. But freedom has always been worth the price. Even before that magic list was published in 1776--on July 4--of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, those 56 men, the British knew who they were, and they had already marked down every Member of Congress suspected of putting their name to that treasonous document. All of them became the objects of individual manhunts by the British. Of course, the punishment for treason was death by hanging. Of the 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine of them died of wounds or hardships during the American War of Independence. Five were captured and imprisoned. In each case, they were treated brutally. Several lost their wives, their sons, or their entire families. One Member lost all 13 of his children. Two wives were brutally treated. And all at one time or another were victims of manhunts or driven from their homes. Twelve signers of the Declaration had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything that they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on their pledged word. Their honor and the Nation they sacrificed so much to create is, yes, still intact. You see, they pledged to themselves their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. And they did not go back on their word. New Jersey signer, Abraham Clark, gave two sons to the officer corps in the Revolutionary Army. But they were captured and sent to the infamous British prison ship in New York harbor known as hell ship ``Jersey,'' where thousands of Americans who had been captured were going to die. They were treated with a special brutality because of their father, Abraham Clark. But when the war was almost over, the British told Clark to come out in favor of the King and his sons' lives would be spared. Abraham Clark, in his anguished answer, replied, No. Francis Lewis was a New York delegate. He saw his home plundered and his estates in what is now Harlem completely destroyed by the British. Mrs. Lewis, his wife, was captured and treated with great brutality because of her husband. John Hart of Trenton, New Jersey, risked his life to return home to see his dying wife. But German Hessian soldiers rode after him and he escaped into the woods. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his homestead. Hart, 65, hid in the woods as he was hunted throughout the countryside. When he finally made it home, he found that his wife had already been buried and his 13 children had disappeared. He never saw any of them again. Judge Richard Stockton, another New Jersey signer, had rushed back to his estate in an effort to evacuate his wife and his children. The family found refuge with friends, but a sympathizer betrayed them. Judge Stockton was pulled from bed and brutally beaten and put in jail. Congress finally arranged for Stockton's parole, but his health was ruined. He returned home to find his estate looted and did not live to see the triumph of the Revolution. His family was forced to live off charity after he died. John Morton was a British sympathizer, but once he came to sign the Declaration of Independence, he changed his mind and came out strongly for independence. Most of his neighbors, however, in Pennsylvania, and his relatives, were British sympathizers and ostracized him. When he died, just 1 year later after signing the Declaration of Independence, his last words to his tormenters were, ``Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge the signing of the declaration to have been the most glorious service that I have rendered to my country.'' There were similar stories with the other 51 signers of the Declaration of Independence. A person who did not sign the Declaration, but one of my favorite persons in history, and a son of liberty, was a schoolteacher by the name of Nathan Hale. He was from Connecticut. He was a 21-year-old teacher by trade, but joined the Colonial Army under George Washington. At the Battle of Harlem Heights, George Washington was facing General Howe in battle and asked for a volunteer to go behind enemy lines and spy on behalf of the Colonial Army. Hale volunteered and went forward. He disguised himself as a Dutch schoolmaster, set out on his mission for a week and he gathered information on the position of the British. But he was finally captured when returning to the American lines. Because of incriminating papers that he had in his position, the British knew that he was a spy. It is said that his cousin, a British sympathizer under Howe's command, betrayed him. So Howe ordered Hale to be hanged the following day without trial. On September 22, 1776, American patriot Nathan Hale was hanged for spying on British troops. His famous last words, I regret that I have but one life to give to my country. Mr. Speaker, an amazing breed these early Americans. So this July 4th we should pledge to ourselves and our Nation that no matter the cost, we who live here now will not ever allow the flame of liberty or the flag of freedom to quietly disappear from our land, a land that God has shed His grace upon. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the most patriotic time of the year is at hand. I love the Fourth of July. It is picnics, hot dogs, potato salad and barbecue. It is kids decorating wagons with red, white and blue for neighborhood parades and little kids sitting on their dad's shoulders watching the parade. It is horses and cowboys. It is John Phillips Sousa and ``The Stars and Stripes Forever.'' It is waving flags and thanking our troops for their service. It is yellow ribbons tied to trees. The Fourth of July is a packed freeway and a long weekend. It is going to the beach and getting sand in everything. It is coolers, beach towels, blankets, sunscreen and the salty air. It is the big fireworks display in the big cities and the small ones in the neighborhood. It is making circles in the air with sparklers. It is bottle rocket wars. It is Black Cat firecrackers and Roman candles. It is buy one, get four free. It is stump speeches by politicians. It is people dressing up as Tom Jefferson and George Washington. It is snow cones and caramel apples. It is kids, grandkids and pets all packed in the Jeep and going for cotton candy. Everybody is happy about the Fourth of July. There is nothing sad about freedom. After all, it is happy birthday to our country. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman for yielding. I represent southeast Texas, the energy capital of the United States. Twenty percent of the refineries in this country that help all these folks all over the fruited plain with energy, I represent them. This week alone, we've had 86 people call and say, Vote for this bill. We've had 1,578 people in my district call and say vote ``no'' on this bill, almost 20 times the number of yes votes. I'm an advocate for those people in southeast Texas. They believe, as I believe, we're going to close up America's energy with this bill. The CBO and the EPA says there's not going to be much difference in the climate if we pass this deal. Bummer. It's not even going to work. And it's more important to realize this bill is about control, government control of our lives, our businesses, and everything we do. Washington, D.C. is going to dictate how we live and how we shall live and how our businesses will live. And it's all bad because D.C. is in control and not the people. This is a bad bill. Vote ``no.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2996, Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010: Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe Bill Number: H.R. 2996, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Account: Environmental Protection Agency's STAG Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Project Legal Name of Requesting Entity: City of Baytown, TX Address of Requesting Entity: 2401 Market Street, Baytown, TX 77522 Description of Request: I, and Rep. Ron Paul, have jointly secured $500,000 in funding under the Environmental Protection Agency's STAG Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Project account for the city of Baytown, TX to help them fund a six-year, $140 million Capital Improvement Project that will rehabilitate and upgrade the city's wastewater and water infrastructure to comply with increased federal and state regulations, maintain its condition and reliability and save costs. This project rehabilitates portions of the Central District Wastewater Treatment plant. The work includes redesign of critical components to elevate structures out of the floodway and to reduce the storm surge impacts suffered as was suffered during Hurricane Ike. These include the influent lift station, blower building, administration/laboratory building, and grit removal process. The internal piping needs to be replaced to improve energy and operating efficiency, along with the chlorine contact basin and plant pumping/ transfer systems. Installation of post-storm emergency power systems are also a part of this project.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2892, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010: Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe Bill Number: H.R. 2892, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010 Account: FEMA, Predisaster Mitigation Legal Name of Requesting Entity: CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth Hospital Address of Requesting Entity: 2830 Calder Street, Beaumont, TX 77702 Description of Request: I have secured $250,000 in funding under FEMA's Predisaster Mitigation account to allow for the purchase of a 2.5 megawatt diesel generating plant to ensure sanitary and safe conditions for both current and potential patients during disasters. Although the Hospital has basic generator capabilities to sustain life support, Hurricanes Rita and Ike have proved that this basic capacity is insufficient. During Hurricane Ike, 190 patients were unable to be evacuated and as commercial utilities were shut down, basic hospital operations were compromised. The generator will make certain that the Hospital remains serviceable by ensuring that power and water are functional; thus, allowing the Hospital to maintain its mission of providing essential medical care to the residents of southeast Texas.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we have all seen the bold and brave students defy the imperial regime of President Ahmadinejad of Iran as they struggle for freedom. The people of Iran are being shot, assaulted and arrested by their repressive government. This is the same government that supplies arms and money to insurgents that are at war with our military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard, a state sponsor of terror, or more appropriately called the ``Demons of Democracy'', are killing their own people, mostly students, whose only crime is speaking out in public against these tough tyrants. As the Fourth of July nears, the most sacred of all days of liberty, how about we invite the sons of freedom and the daughters of democracy of Iran for a bit of ``Hot Dog Diplomacy?'' The youth of Iran have shown more tenacity and love of freedom than the world has seen in years. There would be no better way to honor the Fourth of July, our Founders and our heritage, than to celebrate this glorious day by opening our embassies not to the Iranian Government, but to these students who desire freedom and liberty. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the gentleman from Idaho for yielding and also appreciate the chairman and all the indulgence tonight. I know it's been a long evening, and as we approach midnight here in the cradle of democracy and freedom, sad darkness is also falling heavy on the men and women and their families of the Houston Police Department in Texas. Madam Chair, two nights ago we lost a hero veteran police officer in our city of Houston. The Houston Police Department Senior Officer Henry Canales was killed in the line of duty. He was an undercover police officer doing the very dangerous work of holding criminals accountable to the law. It is because of brave men like Officer Canales that the rest of America can sleep safely tonight and every night. Undercover officers face their own unique set of dangers. Assuming the identity of the criminal, they mix with the worst elements of evil in our society. They seek out these outlaws, become a part of their world, and they bring them to justice. Their bravery, their nerve is unequaled anywhere in our country. They live to serve and protect our freedom and our homes. Two nights ago, about this time at night, Officer Canales and other undercover Houston police officers met with four people in the parking lot of a drugstore. These four thieves were buying stolen TVs in a sting operation by the Houston Police Department. Things started going downhill in this operation right after the money changed hands. After the transaction, Officer Canales, working undercover, walked around to the front of a truck, and the suspect followed and drew a weapon. Gunfire rang out in the silent night air, and Officer Canales was shot. A second undercover police officer, Officer R. Lopez, went to help his fellow downed officer. Lopez was attempting to subdue and handcuff the shooter when the suspect fired at least two more times. Lopez returned the fire. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, and Officer Lopez was not injured. By the way, Madam Chair, the shooter and two other of the bandits were illegally in the United States at the time of this crime. Officer Canales served at the Houston Police Department for 16 years, spending the last 7 of them in the Auto Theft and Burglary Division, the same division he was working two nights ago when he was killed. He had also worked in northeast patrol. Officer Canales had also built and raced hot rods together with his family. He was active in drag racing and raced with an organization called Beat the Heat, which combats street racing. He lived in the nearby community of Baytown, Texas, with his family. Chief of Police Harold Hurtt said Canales ``was not only an outstanding officer but an outstanding individual.'' He cared a great deal about his family, the people he worked with and, of course, the City of Houston that he served. Madam Chair, I spent 30 years at the courthouse in Houston, Texas, as a prosecutor and as a judge. I have known hundreds of Houston police officers. They are the finest caliber and strongest of character, and Officer Canales was a rare breed in our culture who wore the badge to defend and protect the rest of us. Officer Canales died during surgery at the hospital where he and his family and hundreds of other officers had gathered. He was 42 years of age. This is a photograph of Officer Canales. He leaves behind his wife, Amor, a 15-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter. Officer Canales was the first Houston Police Department officer killed in the line of duty this year. The last time we had an officer killed was December 7 of last year. Officer Tim Abernethy was killed by a gunman that ambushed him during a foot chase in northeast Houston. In the State of Texas, six police officers have been killed in the line of duty this year. They are Senior Corporal Norman Smith of the Dallas Police Department, Officer Cesar Arreola of the El Paso County Sheriff's Department, Lieutenant Stuart J. Alexander of the Corpus Christi Police Department, Sergeant Randy White of the Bridgeport Police Department, Deputy Sheriff D. Robert Harvey of the Lubbock County Sheriff's Department, and now we add the name of Senior Officer Henry Canales of the Houston Police Department to that hallowed roll of honor. All Americans should recognize the profound debt of gratitude we owe our law enforcement officers and also the gratitude we owe their families. These officers put themselves into harm's way to guard our safety because they care about our communities and the people they serve. They are the ones standing between us and the bad guys every single day. So tonight we bid farewell with humble gratitude to Senior Officer Henry Canales. And to his wife, Amor, and his children, we say: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May He lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I appreciate the chairman's input on my amendment. As I mentioned earlier, the request for predisaster mitigation funds is three times what is available under current law. And I probably have dealt with FEMA as much as anybody in this House, not by choice, but because of the fact that our district keeps getting hammered by hurricanes, starting with Katrina. And the management system of FEMA has a lot to be desired. That has to be dealt with eventually in another issue. Hurricane Rita, 2005, people in my congressional district are still living with blue plastic tarps on their roofs because of the inadequate response. That is why this bill is so important, because it allows for predisaster mitigation. It allows the hospitals to get a generator so that when they lose their power, they are able to take care of the patients that are in the emergency room. That is a portion of predisaster mitigation. And I think it's imperative that we be proactive because it takes FEMA too long to respond to disasters, which drives up the cost of recovery. Some people in my district still say FEMA is the disaster. We talked earlier on other amendments about the fact that a next terrorist attack may occur in New York City. That may be so. But Mother Nature, as we say in Texas, ``has a mad on'' for Hurricane Alley because we keep getting hammered every year with hurricanes. And one way to help is to ratchet up the amount of money available in areas in the Gulf Coast and other parts of the country that have the likelihood of being hit by a major disaster. Where recovery takes a long time, and if we are prepared with just a third of the money that is needed to recover, we can be prepared, and communities can get back together a lot quicker. So I would respectfully disagree with the chairman and say that we need to adopt this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Chairman, the amendment I am offering today seeks to add additional funding to the highly successful and widely supported National Predisaster Mitigation Fund. In a time of deficits and rampant government spending, predisaster mitigation is good for the taxpayer. According to a study first released in 2005, the ``National Hazard Mitigation Saves: An Independent Study to Assess the Future Savings from Mitigation Activities,'' performed by the group called the Multi- Hazard Mitigation Council, stated that for every $1 spent on mitigation, $3 to $4 is saved. Further, the Congressional Budget Office issued its own report on predisaster mitigation and its cost savings and confirmed the savings derived from this program. According to these studies, this amendment that I'm offering could save anywhere from $96 million to $128 million in future disaster costs. In communities such as I represent along the gulf coast of Texas, predisaster mitigation is essential in weathering future devastating hurricanes which have ravaged my district in recent years in helping to reduce the cost towards recovery. Just since I've been elected, the following hurricanes have hit my southeast district in Texas: Katrina, Rita, Humbert, Gustav, and the latest is Ike. Every year it seems, Madam Chairman, a new hurricane comes down Hurricane Alley through my congressional district, but also hits other gulf States. The purpose of this program is to implement hazard reduction measures prior to an event. Funds can be used to help retrofit buildings, such as the courthouse that is used as the Center for Emergency Management Services. Those retrofitting buildings can withstand high wind damage. Also it moves properties out of flood plains, and flood-proof buildings, among many other things. The problem is requests for funding from this program is three times the amount of money that is actually available under current law. This amendment takes $32 million out of the $850 million of salaries. The $32 million figure comes from the amount that's over the President's request. And communities throughout Hurricane Alley and other areas in the country prone to devastation, such as earthquakes and wildfires, are all looking at ways to strengthen their defenses and avoid the often long and painful recovery. The predisaster recovery program is a community-based program and emphasizes commitment to local input on what's needed. Over the last decade, the predisaster mitigation program has developed and grown as mitigation itself has become accepted as Federal policy. Adoption and expansion of mitigation as a beneficial approach for government has been bolstered by studies that demonstrated cost reductions following disasters due to earlier mitigation investments. So I ask support of this amendment and support of communities that would benefit from this amendment before disaster strikes. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk made in order under the rule.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, this country has lost nearly 3 million jobs just this year. That's over a million more than the 2 million men, women, and children, including illegals living within the fourth largest city in the United States, namely, Houston, Texas. We are still buying oil from dictators who don't like us because the enviro-elites are dead set on their none-of-the-above energy plan. No oil, no gasoline, no oil shale, no clean coal, no nuclear, no drilling, and that means no natural gas. Just what do they expect to use to power the Nation's cities and industry? The taxacrats' plan is simple: tax energy consumption. And because of these new taxes and higher energy costs, even more jobs are at risk. According to the National Black Chamber of Commerce, the national energy tax will cost another 2.5 million jobs in America. America cannot afford any more of this change. The cap-and-trade bill will cost jobs, raise taxes, raise the cost of energy, and, according to the Congressional Budget Office, won't even significantly help the climate. The bill is bad for everybody except the enviro-elites who get more government control over the rest of us. What we need to do is cap the taxacrats and trade them for some offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, as dangerous to the public's health and well-being as government-run health care is in Europe and Canada, we have our own American example that has some very serious problems. Last month there was a surprise inspection at Veterans Affairs clinics in the United States. The surprise inspections exposed that fewer than half of those clinics followed proper standards for colonoscopies. Some mistakes could have exposed veterans to HIV and other diseases. Let me repeat: Less than half followed proper medical standards for colonoscopies. Since February, the VA has informed 10,000 veterans in three States to get retested. More than 50 patients tested positive for infections, including some with HIV. But that's just the beginning of the medical malpractice by the VA. VA patients with prostate cancer were put through their own particular set of horrors. In Philadelphia, a patient received a common surgical procedure where a doctor implants dozens of radioactive seeds to attack the cancer. But the doctor's aim was more than a little off. Most of the radioactive seeds, 40 of them to be exact, ended up in the patient's healthy bladder instead of the prostate. The mistake was a serious one, and under Federal rules it was investigated by the bureaucrat regulators. The regulators allowed the doctor to rewrite his surgical plan to make his mistake just disappear. In the private sector, somebody would have been held accountable for this negligence, but not with government-run health care VA style. They cover up their errors. The patient had to undergo a second radiation implant. This time the unintended dose ended up in his rectum. Once again, more negligence. Two years later in 2005, the same doctor made the same mistake, putting more than half of the radioactive seeds in the wrong organ, and again the bureaucrat regulators did not object when he once again rewrote his surgical plan to cover up his mistake. Had the bureaucrat regulators actually done their jobs, they would have uncovered what the media calls a rogue cancer unit. This one Philadelphia VA hospital, botched 92 of 116 treatments over 6 years, then covered it up. Let me repeat, Madam Speaker, the VA government health care hospital in Philadelphia medically erred in 92 of 116 cancer treatments. The medical team continued to perform these radiation implants, even though for over a year the equipment that measured whether or not the patient had received proper radiation dosage was broken. Records proved that the radiation safety committee at the veterans hospital knew of this problem but took no action. In Philadelphia, 57 of the implants delivered too little radiation to the prostate, either because the seeds were planted in the wrong organ or were not distributed properly inside the prostate. Thirty-five other cases involve overdoses to other parts of the body. An unspecified number of patients were both underdosed in the prostate and overdosed somewhere else in their body. This is a horrible way to treat America's veterans. Another patient, 21-year veteran of the Air Force, had to remain in bed 6 months with pain so severe he couldn't even stand. He lost his job as a pastor at a local church and all of his income, thanks again to the incompetence of the Veterans Administration. Adding insult to injury, this 21-year veteran of the Air Force didn't learn of the radiation injury from the Philadelphia VA hospital. He found out when he sought treatment in Ohio at a hospital where he underwent major surgery to treat the damage. Because the bureaucrat regulators were covering up for the VA, it took a private hospital to not only diagnose but treat his injury. That is right, Madam Speaker, the good old private sector saved the veteran where the VA just took a pass. The New York Times conducted its own examinations. They found that none of the safeguards that were supposed to protect veterans from poor medical care had worked. They also found none of the botched implants in Philadelphia were reported properly. So the errors weren't investigated for weeks, months and sometimes years. During that time, many patients did not know their cancer treatments were flawed by our government-run health care. The regulators are now looking into the flawed implants in other government-run VA hospitals in Mississippi and Ohio. Who knows what they will find out there about the way government treats our veterans. Madam Speaker, the Veterans Administration is a government-run health care program that treats our veterans cavalierly in these examples. Veterans should be able to go to any doctor or any hospital to be treated and not bound and tied to VA hospitals. And, also, this is a prime example of how things will be when the government takes over the health care of all Americans. Do we really want the government to control our health care? Not a healthy idea for Americans or for veterans. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the turmoil continues in Iran with the little man from the desert, President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, claiming victory in the apparent fraudulent presidential elections. Leave it to the students of Iran to continue to protest, in spite of the government's shooting of students and others who risk their lives for the human right to peaceably assemble and freedom of speech. Backed by the government-controlled press and the religious leaders, Ahmadinejad is trying to quell the hundreds of thousands who say his claim to the imperial throne of the presidency is a fraud. The sons of liberty and the daughters of democracy in Iran who wish to exercise the right of free speech and freedom to assemble should resolve this drama peaceably in order to ensure their human rights. And I hope our American policy would be morally and verbally supportive, as stated by President Kennedy years ago when he said, ``Let every Nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to ensure the survival and the success of liberty.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, the State of Texas lost a warrior this month in the Forward Operating Base Gardez in Afghanistan, a remote and desolate place in the middle of the badlands in this war zone. Army Specialist Jarrett Griemel died on Wednesday, June 9, 2009, from injuries he suffered in Afghanistan. He was just 20 years of age. This is a photograph right here, Madam Speaker, of Specialist Griemel. Specialist Griemel is the 28th warrior to have died in Iraq or Afghanistan with connections to my Second Congressional District in Texas. Jarrett was a young man who personified the best qualities of the young people in America today. Born in San Angelo, Texas, and raised in La Porte, Texas, Jarrett was living the life he had always made plans to live, that being a life filled with the achievement and adventure that he desired. Jarrett was a patriot. He joined the Army his junior year in high school, and he had already completed basic training before graduating with honors from La Porte High School. He was a member of the swim team and the surf club, and he loved the outdoors and especially the beach and water sports. Jarrett spent his spare time parachuting and cliff diving. Jarrett lived his life to the fullest. In February of last year, Jarrett married his high school sweetheart, Candice, at a small ceremony in front of a justice of the peace. She joined him in Alaska, where he was deployed by the Army, to begin their young married lives together. Jarrett had a lifetime goal of eventually becoming a surgeon. Jarrett was an athletic young man with bright red hair and an infectious smile. His brother Chase says he and Jarrett were typical adventurous boys growing up. They spent time in the woods catching snakes and bugs. He wanted to travel, see the world and live a life of excitement and adventure. And Jarrett did just that. Jarrett was a petroleum supply specialist assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade combat Team (Airborne) of the 25th Infantry Division Battalion at Fort Richardson Alaska, home of the Arctic Warriors. The 3,500-soldier brigade is still in the midst of deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Madam Speaker, our American warriors live under the most grueling of conditions in Afghanistan. Jarrett's experience in the outdoors growing up would come in handy in the rugged and cursed terrain. Having been to Afghanistan myself, I have witnessed how the hot desert sun is unrelenting as our soldiers patrol the dusty, rocky mountains and deserts. The only real relief from the heat is the freezing cold night in the desert, one harsh extreme to another. Even in the ``desert of the sun and the valley of the gun,'' our troops are not deterred. The elements do not stop the best-trained, best-prepared, most-lethal military in the history of the world. The United States Army is on patrol in the mountains and cursed land of Afghanistan. Our brave men and women in uniform are unequaled anywhere in the world. They are an all-volunteer force. They are educated, motivated, but they are tenacious. They bleed red, white, and blue. They meet and exceed any task our country sends them to accomplish with great skill and with great pride. They are America's backbone. Our heroes. The best of our Nation. Our amazing examples of the youth of this country. Jarrett was a proud and accomplished soldier, and at just 20 years of age he was only 1 day from becoming a sergeant when he died in Afghanistan. Texas is proud to have called him a soldier, a son, and a hero. He will always be remembered by his family, his friends, and a grateful Nation for his service. His love of country, excellence in achievement, and love of his family will be forever engraved on the hearts of every life he touched. Jarrett's wife, Candice; his mother, Trena Dorsett, and her husband, Donnie, of La Porte, Texas; his father, Michael Griemel; his brothers, Chase, Jason, and Brandon; and his sister, Brianna, are all a living testimony to the memory of this one brave soldier's love of life, love of his country, and love of fellow citizens. Madam Speaker, it has been said without the brave efforts of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and their families, this Nation would not stand so boldly, shine so brightly, or live so freely. Madam Speaker, Jarrett Griemel was one of those soldiers. He was an American soldier, the rare breed who take care of the rest of us, and we will forever be indebted to him, his life, and his service to our Nation. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I think a little history is in order here, because only Congress can remove a Federal judge. It is part of the checks and balances in our Constitution. It prevents the executive who doesn't like what a judge is doing from taking that person out of office. It prevents other judges in the United States in the judicial branch from removing a judge when they don't like that judge's opinion. That is our duty today, to resolve this issue. Over my career, I have been somewhat critical of Federal judges, but the reason is because of a philosophical difference sometimes with interpretation of the Constitution and constitutional law. For the most part, most of our judges, the hundreds that serve all over the United States in the third branch of government, have the utmost integrity and demeanor. In our judicial branch, I would hope we would always have the best legal minds on the bench, not the best legal minds that appear before the bench as attorneys. Unfortunately, that's not universally true, because our Federal judges are underpaid. The lawyers that appear before them, for the most part, make more than the Federal judges. But they serve, not because of money. They serve because of their pride and belief in our Constitution and public service. Judge Kent is the exception to this rule. We are past the stage of allegations because he made admissions against his own interest in a court of law sufficient to convict him of a felony to the degree it is an abuse of office, abuse of duty, while serving on the bench in a courtroom. That basically is the end of the story. It is a felony. It is a high crime and misdemeanor. He's in prison, and his actions since his conviction show a haughty spirit and a total disregard for his conduct. Mr. Speaker, in the United States, we don't pay Federal judges to go to the penitentiary. He should be impeached today by this body.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Justice Department has ordered Miranda rights to be read to terrorists captured on the battlefield. The administration is confusing constitutional rights of arrested criminal defendants in the United States with acts of war by terrorists against the United States in foreign lands. Miranda rights ordered to be given by the Supreme Court do not apply to a group of people who have a worldwide mission to murder in the name of religion who are captured by our military in Afghanistan. Never mind, sayeth the administration. Enemy war combatants must be told: ``You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to a lawyer. If you cannot afford a lawyer, we will provide one for you. And anything you say may be used against you.'' This new policy is misguided. Never in history have captured war combatants overseas been treated with such an overflow of privileges. They have been dealt with by our military, especially regarding interrogations. But now I guess we are changing all that. But that ought not to be. I guess next we will have a whole battalion of lawyers going into the battlefield to tell our troops if and when they can shoot back. Have we gone a bit too far? And that's just the way it is.