Ted Poe

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. About 100 years ago, there was a fight brewing in Dallas. Back then there was a different type of 9-1-1. When you needed to bring in the big guns, you knew who to call. So the Dallas mayor made his urgent plea for help and was waiting anxiously for the Calvary to ride into town, so to speak. As Captain Bill McDonald stepped off the train, the mayor was elated, but wondered out loud where the rest of 'em were? ``Hell! ain't I enough? There's only one prize-fight!'' Those words have become synonymous with the Texas Rangers: One Riot, One Ranger. This past weekend I had the honor and privilege to speak to over 300 Texas Rangers in Waco, Texas. I was like a kid in a candy shop! Some were not active Rangers anymore, but don't think that made any real difference in their appearance or demeanor. Just like a Marine; once a Ranger, always a Ranger. There is no ``ex-Ranger.'' As I mingled through the sea of starched shirts, jeans and cowboy hats, I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. You can always spot a Ranger. Long, lean and mean with a silver star made out of a Mexican sliver dollar and six guns. It was like I was talking to Gus McCray and Woodrow Call of Lonesome Dove. The legends of the greatest law enforcement agency ever known were alive and well. And me, a mere U.S. Congressman, was getting to hang out with them! The Texas Rangers can be traced back to the earliest days of Texas history, technically long before we were Texas. They are the oldest law enforcement organization on the North American continent with statewide jurisdiction. Stephen F. Austin got a few men together to protect the early settlers from Indians in the early 1800s. They got their name from their primary duty--patrol the range and keep the peace. For over 200 years, their purpose hasn't really changed. In 1835, at the beginning of the Texas Revolution, the Corps of Rangers was established; and in 1847, they officially became known as the Texas Rangers. Twenty-five men under the command of Silas M. Parker were designated to protect the frontier between the Brazos and the Trinity; ten men under Garrison Greenwood were assigned to the east side of the Trinity; and 25 men under D.B. Frazier to patrol between the Brazos and the Colorado. They did what even the U.S. Army could not do--protect the settlers from the Indians. Through the years the Texas Rangers have increased and decreased in numbers and their charges have varied, but their duty has never waivered. During the Texas Revolution, while the Texians' focus was on defeating Santa Anna's army, the Rangers focused on protecting the settlements from Indians. During the Mexican-American War, they became know as the ``Los Diablos Tejanos''--the Texas Devils, for their fierce protection of the frontier. Their storied history can fill pages and pages; their duties and contributions are just too long to list. But, the famous words of Captain Bill McDonald have evolved into the Ranger creed and pretty much say it all: ``No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow that's in the right and keeps on a-comin.'' They have been the focus of legend, lore, radio shows, Hollywood movies and television dramas. One Ranger, and the outlaw who wronged him, even made their way to my courtroom. Back in 1988, the Lone Ranger flew into Houston Intercontinental Airport to speak at a charity for disabled kids. When he left town a baggage handler stole his luggage. (Yes, the real Lone Ranger; some people know him as the actor Clayton Moore, but believers know he is actually the Lone Ranger.) Inside this bag were his twin ivory handled Colt .45s--might as well have been the Hope Diamond itself. Well, when it came to sentencing I really had no choice in the matter. This was the Lone Ranger after all and he had been wronged. It was my duty as a Texan and a man of the law to punish this outlaw in the name of everything holy and sacred--600 hours shoveling manure at the Houston Police Department Mounted Patrol stables. And through it all, I refused to reveal the true identity of the Lone Ranger. I allowed him to remain ``masked'' and wear his white hat in the court--even over the loud objections of the defense attorney. I was not about to go down in history as the man who un-masked the Lone Ranger! These lawmen have always had a certain swagger; a certain something about them that made them Rangers. Another legendary Ranger, who lived up to his nickname, ``Rip'' (Rest in Peace) Ford said this about the men that served under him: ``A large proportion . . . were unmarried. A few of them drank intoxicating liquors. Still, it was a company of sober and brave men. They knew their duty and they did it. While in a town they made no braggadocio demonstration. They did not gallop through the streets, shoot, and yell. They had a specie of moral discipline which developed moral courage. They did right because it was right.'' Whether they be fact or fiction, Texas Rangers are a special breed. But, would we really expect anything less from Texas? Nowadays they mainly work alone. They are the finest law enforcement agency in the world. By the way, Ranger Captain Bill McDonald successfully stopped the Dallas Prize Fight Riot--by himself. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, when government, without the consent of the people, takes control over independent businesses, it is an oppressive regime. The unelected, unaccountable auto task force gang continues to pick winners and losers in car dealership closings. And they aren't telling why they are closing some dealers and not others. They don't have to. They are the government. In Houston, Todd and Bob Archer of Archer Chrysler have been ordered by these Supremes to close all three of their Chrysler dealerships. Archer has been in business for over 50 years. This historic motor company has a payroll of $9 million a year and pays annual taxes of $6 million a year. Now, how does shutting down this business help anyone? Certainly not the 250 workers who now join the over 150,000 summarily fired by the administration. These profitable dealerships are not the reason Chrysler of Detroit is a failed state. These auto task force bureaucrats need to be given the pink slip. This country is great for two reasons: Personal liberty and economic liberty. We did not become great because of government control over our lives and our businesses. Yet the oppression continues. 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. 2847, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe Bill Number: H.R. 2847, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Account: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Byrne Discretionary Grants Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Houston Police Department Address of Requesting Entity: 1200 Travis Street, Houston, TX 77002 Description of Request: I, and Rep. John Culberson, have secured $350,000 for the Houston Police Department to be used towards enforcement of illegal possession and distribution of Methamphetamine/ICE, Heroin, Cocaine and Marijuana throughout the Houston region. The Houston Police Department intends to use the funds for classified overtime for Narcotics Personnel, for the purchase of covert equipment, for the purchase of evidence/information, for the purchase of block overtime expenses for general personnel, and for investigative travel. The Targeted Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET) is an enforcement group whose mission is to carry out investigations addressing the broad spectrum of drug trafficking in and through the Houston region. The goal is to identify, target, and disrupt or dismantle major drug trafficking organizations operating on a regional scale. However, TNET is unique in its efforts by focusing on the full organization. With investigators continuously developing confidential sources (CS) along the Texas-Mexico border, the group is able to target major Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs). TNET also works through its coalition of investigators, attorneys, inspectors, and citizen groups to target the dealers and end users that make the DTOs' work profitable. Over the past several years, Mexican DTOs have taken over the production of Methamphetamine and the more crystallized meth known as ``ICE.'' Once dominated by domestic labs, Mexican DTOs now produce the bulk of methamphetamine powder and ICE. These DTOs have utilized the same smuggling routes and techniques that have been used in the past. TNET has quickly adapted to this new threat and has successfully targeted these Methamphetamine DTOs. Additional resources will enhance our ability to combat these sophisticated DTOs. Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe Bill Number: H.R. 2847, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Account: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Byrne Discretionary Grants Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Harris County, TX Constable Precinct #4 Address of Requesting Entity: 16000 Stuebner Airline Road, Suite 520, Spring, TX 77379 Description of Request: I have secured $90,000 in funding to be used to provide a uniform manner of handling violent crimes against woman within this precinct by supporting an investigating deputy for the precinct. This way cases will be worked on 24 hours a day and have a faster completion time. The investigating deputy shall make the scene when a incident is reported and interview all victim(s), suspect(s), and witness(es) while at the scene. Collect all evidence at the scene and provide the victim(s) with a written notification of their `` Victim Rights'' found in the departmental issued Victim Assistance pamphlet. The investigator shall initiate a case report and post the case on the office information board so that all patrol deputies may be informed of the case. Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe Bill Number: H.R. 2847, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Account: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Byrne Discretionary Grants Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Houston Police Department Address of Requesting Entity: 1200 Travis Street, Houston, TX 77002 Description of Request: I have secured $910,000 for the Houston Police Department to purchase more LiveScan equipment, enabling them to capture electronic fingerprints and be part of the IAFIS (Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System) program which enables them to determine in seconds as opposed to days the alienage and criminal history of those they apprehend through the federal Law Enforcement Support Center. They still need 9 more machines to be fully electronic under IAFIS city wide. Additionally, funding will be used to purchase additional handheld devices that would be given to police officers to quickly capture biometric information of suspects and quickly determine their criminal histories, outstanding warrants, whether they have an order of removal or bench warrant for a failure to appear for an immigration proceeding from Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Detention and Removal's deportable felon database.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I appreciate the gentlewoman from Wisconsin for her representation and hard work on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is a strong amendment, and it puts forth the proposition that victims' issues aren't partisan issues; they're people issues. I strongly support this amendment to increase Legal Assistance for Victims by $4 million. That doesn't sound like much, but it's a lot of money for victims of crime. It will bring the total Legal Assistance for Victims grants to $41 million. This funding is offset by a $4 million reduction from the Department of Commerce--Departmental Management, Salaries and Expenses account. I think that money would be better served in being given to the Legal Assistance for Victims rather than giving raises and salaries to this department. These legal assistance grants provide much needed funding for domestic violence victims to seek protective orders, child custody, child support, and housing and public benefits assistance. As I found during my 30 years as a prosecutor and as a judge, too often, domestic violence and sexual assault victims have to appear in court by themselves, alone. They don't have high-dollar lawyers pleading their cases or guiding them through the complex and often burdensome legal system that we have in all of our States and Federal courts. Instead, even though those who supposedly loved them chose to beat them up, they have to pay the price to fight their way through the legal system to request civil protection. This shouldn't be. We need to match civil justice with our criminal justice system. The Civil Legal Assistance for Victims program provides funding to meet the legal needs of domestic violence and sexual assault victims. It is the only federally funded program designed to meet all of the legal assistance needs of victims. It is one of the most crucial and lifesaving programs in the Violence Against Women Act; yet it remains critically underfunded. The demand for legal services is so high that the Office on Violence Against Women receives almost 300 applications per year, but that office is only able to fund one-third of the total request. We have a duty to protect the innocent and to make sure their voices are heard in our court system. We must ensure that victims are not further victimized by their abusers through the legal system in this country. As founder and co-Chair of the bipartisan Victims' Rights Caucus, I support this amendment. I strongly urge its passage.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, with the banner cry, ``they never found a tax they didn't like,'' the taxacrats want to tax energy consumption. Here's the plan: Tax American energy and use the tax to pay for the national health care program. In fact, Duke Energy has already asked for a 13.5 percent rate increase on its customers to pay for this new oppressive tax. You see, taxes on American energy companies will be passed on to the rest of us. And so it begins. Families and businesses are already struggling during these new times of change. The stimulus bill has only made things worse. So the government is going to automatically raise the cost of everything that comes from energy, which is almost everything. And the consumer pays, while our small manufacturing companies go out of business because of these new energy taxes. And now we learn the new energy tax plan, which was supposed to save planet Earth, will have little or no effect on the climate. Bummer. So why punish American energy companies that pass the pain on to citizens? Here's the reason: The government economic philosophy of 2009 is: if something moves, regulate it; if it keeps moving, tax it; and if it stops moving, nationalize it. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 349 and 350, I was inadvertently detained. I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 349 and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 350.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize and thank Kenneth Wayne Hudson for his service in the United States Navy. The hard work and devotion he has demonstrated through out his career serves as an example to us all. Kenny has served our country with courage and honor both at home and abroad. See Madam Speaker, during the Vietnam War Kenny chose to leave high school before graduating to serve his country. After the war, he began his career and was never able to return to school to obtain his high school diploma. It is with great pleasure that I am today congratulating Kenny on his most deserved accomplishment of receiving his high school diploma from Humble High School. I know all his family and friends are very proud. Kenny has recently retired from the workforce and I know he will enjoy the company of his wife Becky and three children, Michelle, Chad and Todd. This great country will forever be in Kenny's debt. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. He will continue to reach new levels of accomplishment. We appreciate his service to America and his commitment to keeping our nation the ``Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, ``can you hear me now?'' That phrase repeated by cell phone users across the vast prairies and wide-open spaces of America soon may be taxed by the Feds. That's right. The taxacrats want to tax citizens for their private cell phone use and for the use of mobile phones at work. It's a benefit, the taxacrats saith. So they want to tax it. Don't think this new ``talking on the phone tax'' will ever leave. In 1898, Congress passed temporary phone taxes to fund the Spanish- American War, but Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders had the 4-month war won even before the tax took effect. Guess what? Americans are still paying that temporary phone tax for that war 111 years ago. Phone taxes never die. They don't even fade away. Americans are taxed enough already. Government addiction to spending should be cured cold turkey style. Citizens don't need more silly taxes to fund pet projects. Mr. Speaker, the people are weary of taxes. ``Can you hear them now?'' No more taxes. No ``talking on the phone tax.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, somewhere in the dank dungeons of the Federal Government, the taxacrats are loose, and now they're working on a new tax to tax the middle class out of existence. Death by a thousand taxes. This time, they're talking about taxing health care benefits that folks get from their employers. In other words, if you take care of your family by having health benefits, you're going to be punished for doing so. I thought the goal was to make sure that everyone had affordable health care. That's what the taxacrats do tell us, but if that's the goal, it doesn't make any sense at all to make health care more expensive by taxing it. Someone is going to have to explain to me how raising taxes on working people is going to make things better for all of us. The taxacrats are trying to convince people that taxing health insurance won't affect very many people. Well, if that's true, experts say it's not going to be enough money to pay for the government-run health care socialized system we're going to. They also want to mandate coverage. That means that they'll tax anyone who doesn't buy insurance. Taxed if you do. Taxed if you don't. It's enough to make a person sick. That's not a very healthy health care plan. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, the out-of-control violence along our border is made up of more complex elements than most people realize. The criminal cartels controlling our southern border are a lot more powerful than we are led to believe. They are international organized crime cartels that make money off the weaknesses of others. They traffic drugs, money, weapons and human beings across our southern border. They leave death, doom, and destruction in their wake. Make no mistake about it, there is corruption on both sides of the border that facilitates the lawlessness that is taking place there. Just last month the former sheriff of Starr County, Texas, Rey Guerra, pled guilty to Federal narcotics charges. He admitted to facilitating intelligence that helped Mexican drug traffickers invade the United States and evade counternarcotics efforts. That included trying to find out the identity of confidential informants. Madam Speaker, he needs to be locked up forever for his betrayal of this country and law enforcement. But he is just one of a growing number of recruits from both sides of the border that are facilitating this avalanche of corruption and anarchy along the southern frontier. The Mexican criminal cartels have added a layer of intelligence that better resembles foreign recruitment of spies during the Cold War than a traditional criminal enterprise. The huge amounts of money paid to these officials allow these criminals to traffic people and drugs into our land. There is a huge difference in the size and scope of these international criminal activities and the typical domestic law enforcement agencies and their duties. As more and more of the violence spills over into Texas and other border States, there is an urgent need to get this lawlessness under control. The cost of this culture of crime is hammering border States. The FBI is stretched too thin, they don't have the manpower to address this cross-border corruption, and they are fighting domestic Federal crime and jihadists. Right now we are asking local sheriffs in border States to do double duty, as if they are agents of Interpol. Our domestic police forces should be freed up to do what they do best, fight crime in their counties and their communities. Our Drug Enforcement Agency is doing a noble effort to control these international criminal cartels that more and more resemble an army at the border than the Cosa Nostra, but the FBI has not been given enough American resources. The Border Patrol is overrun, outmanned, and outgunned. Our government has limited their rules of engagement. Their standard operating procedure is nonconfrontational. Heavily armed bad guys come through with their contraband of drugs and humans, and yet little is done when they confront our Border Patrol. These cartels are made up of a hybrid of many of the worst elements of organized crime. They include terrorist cells, international espionage agencies, and a foreign military. But why are we acting as if we can no longer defend our borders and citizens from this lawlessness? It is the philosophy of some that we should wave the white flag of surrender and lessen, not strengthen, our border security. This is absolute nonsense. The Mexican organized criminal cartels are sophisticated, and they are deadly. Maybe it is time to put the United States military on the border. There is no higher duty for the American military than to protect the borders of its own Nation from international criminal invasion. It is interesting, Madam Speaker. We use our military thousands of miles away to fight the drug war in Afghanistan, but we won't use them at home. Why not? There is no answer from the administration. We should rotate deployments of our military to the southern border. Our brave men and women are routinely deployed for desert training. Why not concentrate these deployments on the border? This frees up our domestic law enforcement to do the job they should be doing, which is rooting out corruption on our side of the border. Madam Speaker, I have flown with the National Guard along the Texas- Mexico border. They do a tremendous job working with the Border Patrol and the DEA. But a handful of helicopters is not enough to secure the border. The Air National Guard needs more equipment, more money and more troops to capture the outlaw cartel gangs. The U.S. gave Mexico $1.5 billion to fight the cartels. That money should have been given to our border protectors, not the culture of corruption on the Mexican side of the border. A lot of attention has been rightly focused on our southern border over the past few years. We have increased the boots on the ground, installed some cameras and erected some barriers and fences and sensors. The efforts have not sealed the border, however. As the violence gets worse in Mexico, we must get a border strategy in place now before it erupts into a level of widespread violence and more corruption that engulfs our own citizens. It is not going away, Madam Speaker. The drug cartels are in it for the long haul because of their lust for money. There is a war against drugs going on on the border, even though we are told now that we should not, because of political correctness, use that term. The first duty of government is to protect the people. The government needs to focus on border protection. Meanwhile, the border war continues. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, do we really want to nationalize health care and let it be run by the government? Well, here's what's going on in England with their nationalized system. Recently, a British medical ethics expert proclaimed that people who suffer from dementia have a patriotic duty to die. Baroness Warnock, the government medical adviser, says that ``the care dementia requires is very expensive and drains the government resources for health care.'' This government decision-maker says that people will ``soon be licensed to put others down if they are unable to look after themselves.'' She goes on, ``If you're demented, you're wasting people's lives, your family's lives, and you're wasting government resources.'' Mr. Speaker, when the government controls health care, it's expensive, inefficient and ultimately provides poor care. In Britain, it results in the government's rationing of services. The government picks winners and losers in the United Kingdom, and the government picks who lives and who dies. That doesn't seem to be a healthy solution for health care. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, due to other Congressional business, I unfortunately missed a recorded vote on the House floor on Thursday, June 11, 2009. I ask that the Record reflect that had I been able to vote that day, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote No. 334.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, many countries, including China and European nations, are continuing to move to clean energy, such as nuclear power. The United States, the nuclear power pioneer, lags far behind in the development of new generating plants. The United States could and should move to the licensing and development of more nuclear power plants. Nuclear power is an efficient and a cheaper way of providing clean energy to America's manufacturing sector. We should streamline the long cumbersome process of power plant applications that use safe reactor designs, designs that have already been approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Progress, safety and costs have advanced to a state that America can safely store spent nuclear fuel rods and also recycle fuel. One of America's most impressive plants is the North Anna Nuclear Station here in nearby Virginia. Nuclear power is responsible for 20 percent of our energy, but in France 80 percent of their energy comes from nuclear energy. Nuclear power will keep jobs in America and help free us from the shackles of foreign control of our energy. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, while our President preaches the virtues of government-run health care, the Prime Minister of Great Britain is apologizing to his country for their socialized system. And no wonder--Bella Bailey went to Staffordshire Hospital for minor surgery. But things were so bad, she got scared because of the poorly trained English staff. Her fears proved correct when a nurse dropped Bailey on the floor. Her daughter said, ``Meals were brought to patients who couldn't feed themselves, but the staff wouldn't help. Elderly men wandered the halls in a confused state. Vulnerable patients were left hungry and dirty screaming in pain without help.'' ``Some patients were so thirsty, they drank from flower vases. It was like a third-world country. Things were so bad, I fed patients and took them to the lavatory. It was like I was watching my mum die and others too.'' Well, Mrs. Bailey did die in that government-run hospital from injuries sustained while there. Do we really want the government controlling access to health care? Nationalized health care will have the competence of FEMA, the efficiency of the Post Office, and the compassion of the IRS. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, unveiled today was a new energy plan that would increase production of American-made energy in an environmentally sound manner. The American Energy Act is an all-of-the- above solution that offers more affordable energy, good-paying American jobs and American energy independence, and it is safe for the environment. However, what the administration and the taxacrats are still proposing is a none-of-the-above approach to energy development. They call it the cap-and-trade bill. Their answer is to tax energy consumption, not actually find more energy. Their new tax will cost the average American family over $3,000 in additional taxes each year. If you use energy, you are going to be taxed. That will mean all sources of energy will cost all consumers more money. Electricity costs will go up. Natural gas, gasoline, and even the cost of food and consumer goods will rise. Everything is going to cost a whole lot more, because everything Americans buy is produced using the energy the administration is going to tax. Their plan is to punish Americans who use energy by taxing them, plus there is no real plan for energy that they propose. Their new cap-and- trade national energy tax will financially devastate middle class families across America. It will be especially hard on energy-producing States like Texas that are going to lose thousands of jobs. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office issued their analysis of the energy consumption tax this week. The CBO reports say that the administration cap-and-trade tax imposes $846 billion in new national energy taxes that will affect all of us. Not only that, the CBO told the Senate the new energy consumption tax will have little or no effect on the climate. Now, isn't that lovely? The none-of-the-above energy plan and tax on business hammers what few manufacturing plants are left in the United States. It is going to send countless American jobs overseas to places like China and India. You see, both of these countries have said they are not going to participate in any scheme to cap-and-tax carbon like America is going to do. Thus, they will make what were American products cheaper in those countries. Also, if all of these factories and plants move overseas, along with the jobs, to so-called polluting nations, how is this going to have any positive effect on our climate? At the same time, the taxacrats are trying to kill off carbon-based fuel supplies; that is, things like oil and its derivatives, as well as natural gas. There is no transition fuel that exists at this time. That is at least 10 years away. Now we are really in a fix; no new energy, and, literally, we are going to be in the dark and we are going to be taxed back to the stone age. The strange part of all this is that the taxacrats say natural gas could be that transition fuel, but they are trying to kill the drilling of natural gas, especially offshore. I wonder if they understand that natural gas is a carbon-based fossil fuel that requires drilling to unearth? You cannot grow natural gas like corn. Those taxacrats also want to force us all into small, little green cars that are death traps. Have you seen these things? These dinky cars are too small for people like me and too small for even groceries or putting children in these toy cars. There is no room, and they are unsafe at any speed. The Institute for Highway Safety ran three 40-mile-per-hour, car-to- car, front-to-front crash tests each involving one of these little bitty microcars and a midsize car from the same manufacturer. They didn't even use large cars or those SUVs. The results weren't pretty. They found that the weight of just a midsize car was devastating to these micromini toy cars. These green cars simply do not have the weight to protect the passengers, and they are not safe on American highways. So the government is going to force us to drive small, battery-powered, unsafe vehicles, but they will be cute, Mr. Speaker. And speaking of batteries, if all our vehicles are electric, where are we going to dispose of the millions of larger batteries that will be required to generate these little cars? The other side talks about protecting the environment, but this will create an environmental nightmare when we are trying to dispose of these batteries somewhere in America. It is just common sense to do everything we can to embrace an all-of- the-above approach that is environmentally friendly as well as affordable for the American people. The American Energy Act is good for the country. We can drill safely off our shores for oil and natural gas. That will create American jobs and make us less dependent on foreigners. We need to use more nuclear and hydroenergy, and eventually we will, as an American Nation, develop alternative energy. Meanwhile, we don't need the bureaucrats forcing Americans into a none-of-the-above energy plan, raising taxes and forcing us to drive unsafe cars. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the chairman for his response in support of this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Chair, this amendment would make it a requirement for the President to report annually the total United States cash and in-kind contributions to the United Nations system each fiscal year by every United States agency or department. This amendment only applies for the next 2 fiscal years. Last year, American taxpayers contributed $5 billion to the United Nations, making the United States the largest member donor to that institution. Seeing the amount of American investment and the influence the United Nations has on world opinion and world events, it's important that Americans know how their money is being spent and that it is not subsidizing activities which hurt American security, values or our national interests. The amendment I am sponsoring today would make it a requirement for the President to submit to Congress a report of U.S. cash and in-kind contributions to the United Nations and U.N.-affiliated agencies each fiscal year. The funding would be reported on usaspending.gov, as required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act; and this amendment would expire after 2 years. Without the report, Americans would be in the dark concerning the ways in which their money is being spent in funding the United Nations. I urge the adoption of this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas. I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, noble sacrifice dominates the character of a man who so willingly dedicates his life for others. There are none who understand that any better today than the men and women in our U.S. military. They personify the very essence of what it means to be an American. Today, under the morning sky at Arlington Cemetery, myself and other Members of Congress--Rob Wittman from Virginia, Jo Bonner from Alabama, and Senator Sessions from Alabama--joined several hundred other family members and friends as a 21-gun salute and ``Taps'' was played for United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Mark E. Stratton, II. The somber silence of the grave sites was broken with this tribute. Colonel Stratton trained as a navigator on an Air Force KC-135. In his honor, one of these massive aircraft flew low and slow over Arlington Cemetery, over the flag-draped coffin of one of Air Force's finest. He gave his life helping the Afghan people to know dignity of a life lived in freedom. He was assigned to the Joint Staff at the Pentagon here in Washington, D.C. and he served as the commander of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan. On May 26, 2009, Mark died near Bagram Airfield of wounds that he sustained from an improvised explosive device, what we call an IED. Mark had strong Texas ties. He graduated from Texas A&M University in December of 1991 with a degree in political science. And while at Texas A&M, he was a member of Squadron 1 in the Corps of Cadets. He received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1992. He has numerous Air Force commendations, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He is remembered by friends as a man of unquestionable character and loyalty. He was a patriotic individual who exemplified the spirit of the American airman. Lieutenant Colonel Gil Delgado, Mark's former roommate at Texas A&M, described Mark as a man who passionately loved God, his family, his friends and his country, and it showed in everything Mark did. Through his heroic work in Afghanistan, Mark lived a life helping other people. His time was spent building roads and clinics, schools and canals for the Afghan people. He was an ambassador for the American spirit. He described the job to family and friends as the best he had ever had in his entire career. When he was killed, Mr. Speaker, the villagers in Afghanistan had a memorial service in his honor. Mark held a deep sense of tradition. Just a few weeks prior to his death, Mark made a special effort to share his Texas Aggie spirit with the Afghan friends that he had met. Mr. Speaker, each April 21, the day Texas gained independence, Aggies from Texas A&M observed what is called Aggie Muster. This occasion is where all Aggies gather in all parts of the world to honor Aggies who have died the previous year. Even though Mark was the only Aggie within 100 miles of his forward operating base, he convinced the Panjshir Provincial Governor and his security detail to join him atop a nearby mountain to observe the very special occasion of Aggie Muster. One Aggie Air Force colonel and Afghan villagers paid tribute to Americans who died the previous year; that must have been a sight to see. Texas Aggies have a long tradition of military service. In fact, during World War II, Texas A&M produced over 14,000 officers, more than came from West Point or Annapolis combined. Mark was a proud Texas Aggie. Mark is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and their three children, along with his mother, stepfather, and his brother, Michael. Mark's late father and namesake served as an Army captain in the Vietnam War. His stepmother, Debby Young, lives in southwest Houston. Mark's brother, Michael, and stepbrother, Steven, also live in the Houston area. A great testament to Mark's life is the lives he forever changed through his work; every structure, every canal and road well traveled. Every school Mark helped build will offer generations of Afghan children the opportunity that comes from education. Every clinic he helped build will be a place where sickness will be cured, where human suffering is relieved, and where lives are being saved every day. Mark has left a noble legacy as he has come to the end of this Earthly journey. It is for others now to pick up the torch he used to light a way for the Afghan people in the rugged mountains and deserts of this remote nation. Mr. Speaker, it has been said, ``The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.'' Next year, on April 21, at Aggie Muster, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Stratton's name will be called. His name and life will be remembered by Aggies and other grateful Americans and by his Air Force buddies. But no doubt the people of Afghanistan will also remember the man from America, the Air Force colonel who built their schools, their water wells, and their villages. And maybe those villagers will return once more to that mountaintop and pay tribute to this American hero, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Stratton. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Pennsylvania yielding and the support of the gentleman from New York. I'm proud to sponsor H. Res. 454, which recognizes the 25th anniversary of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. As founder and co-Chair of the Victims' Rights Caucus, along with my friend from California, Mr. Costa, I am thankful for the work that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children does to protect the Nation's children. At the time the Center was founded 25 years ago, there were little or no resources available to assist law enforcement with the cases of missing children. In fact, there was no way for police to enter information about missing children into the FBI's national crime computer. Today, thanks to the work of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, this is no longer the case. Each year, approximately 800,000 American children are reported missing. When a child is missing, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children works tirelessly alongside families and law enforcement agencies in locating, finding, and recovering the children and bringing them home to their parents. Many people may be familiar with John Walsh from his TV show America's Most Wanted, but they may not realize the tragic events that led to his advocating on behalf of children and his work with America's Most Wanted. In 1981, Adam Walsh, son of John and Reve Walsh, was abducted from a toy department store in Florida at a shopping mall. Two weeks later, fishermen found Adam's decapitated head. They never found his body. He was 6 years old. Last year, after 27 years of not knowing who killed their son, police announced that Adam's murderer was a serial killer who had died a decade earlier while serving five life sentences in prison. Ottis Toole was his killer's name, and although we know this knowledge did not take away the Walshes' pain, we hope that it gave them some peace of mind and a sense of justice. Even during the years of unanswered questions, John Walsh turned his loss into advocating on behalf of children. He helped fight for the passage of the important Federal legislation, such as the Missing Children's Act of 1982 and the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984. The Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984 established a national resource center and a clearinghouse for missing and exploited children, thus creating the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. President Reagan officially opened the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on June 13, 1984. Twenty-five years later, we thank John Walsh for his pioneer efforts and recognize the center for their work on behalf of America's children. We celebrate today that, since 1990, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's recovery rate of missing children has increased from 62 percent to 97 percent. Many children owe their rescue to the center, and many parents are grateful for the return of their kids, thanks to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This legislation is sponsored by both the Victims' Rights Caucus and the Caucus for Missing and Exploited and Runaway Children. I would like to thank my friend and fellow co-Chair of the Victims' Rights Caucus, Jim Costa, and the co-Chairs of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, Judy Biggert, Bart Stupak, Zoe Lofgren and Frank Wolf. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, are reporters for Current TV. They were in China near the North Korean border making a film about the horrible sex trafficking between North Korea and China. The North Koreans claim they crossed the border illegally, so the Communist court sentenced them to 12 years at hard labor. That's some border enforcement policy. The conditions in these prison camps are harsh. Some reports say a quarter of the inmates die of starvation every year. The prisoners do backbreaking work in factories, coal mines and rice paddies. They're also used in experiments involving biological weapons. I guess the Communists didn't get the memo on human rights. Now we hear that the journalists may have actually been kidnapped and forcibly taken to North Korea. Anyway, they are being used as political prisoners to try to force this administration to give more concessions and American money to North Korea. North Korea is starving. The Communist regime is bankrupt. But they want to be able to sell nuclear technology to terrorist nations, so they're holding these journalists ransom until they get their way. Mr. Speaker, the journalists should go free, and the North Korean outlaws should take their place in that prison. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, we have yet another czar appointed by the administration. The Pay Czar will set limits on how much money people can make that took bank bailout money. The government is establishing a central committee accountable and answerable only to the President. These czars and czarinas avoid scrutiny of Congress. There is no advice and consent by the Senate and little oversight, and no one knows what these czars really do or how they're doing it. There is no authority found anywhere in the Constitution to appoint these czars. They enforce czar rules with no recourse by the citizens. The czars claim they know best how to take care of the masses. It's appropriate that this administration and past administrations use this Russian term ``czar'' since the Russians, under the Soviet Union, invented the Politburo. The Soviet Politburo was made up of political party appointees that made all policy decisions and ruled the country through their dictates. Now we have 21 czars. The newest, the Pay Czar, is moving us ever nearer to a socialist union which leaves us less and less control of the government by the people. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, the recent focus on Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict that continues today is vital and important to our world peace. There are a lot of people out there trying to revise history, however. The State of Israel was established in 1948 by British mandate after the Holocaust of World War II. The Jewish people lay claim to this area since Biblical times. The establishment of the Jewish State of Israel merely formalized the return of their indigenous homeland by international agreement. Both the United States and the U.N., including the Soviet Union, recognized the State of Israel. The day after the Jewish state was established in 1948, it was invaded by six surrounding Arab nations. A negotiated cease-fire ended hostility, with Jerusalem being split in the middle between Israel and Jordan. In 1967 Israel was once again invaded by Syria from the north, Jordan from the east and Egypt from the southwest. During the war, Israel defended itself and expanded its border by including the Golan Heights that was controlled by Syria, the West Bank, controlled by Jordan, and Gaza, controlled by Egypt. Some would have you believe that the establishment of the State of Israel changed the borders of Arab states in agreements that had existed for centuries. That is simply incorrect. The boundaries of the Middle East countries were fixed by Western powers after Turkey was defeated in World War I. The French took over Syria and Lebanon. The British took over Palestine and Iraq. The areas allotted to Israel had been under the control of the Ottoman Empire from 1517 to 1917. During this 400-year reign of the Turks, the Holy Land was only sparsely populated. The few folks living there were an oppressed Jewish population and mostly revolving Muslim immigrant groups, but also there were small groups of Christians in the area. The actual boundaries of what became the State of Israel were set by the United Nations in 1947. When formally established in 1948, the attacks on the tiny new state of Israel began immediately by the neighboring Arab states. Yasser Arafat formed the Palestine Liberation Organization, or the PLO, in 1964. He formed a state within a state in the Palestinian homeland of Jordan. Arafat many times stated that Jordan is Palestine. It was not until the 1967 war that the Arab nations backed the PLO for the purpose of taking back land that Israel had won in that defensive war of 1967. In 1967 Arab forces massed against Israel, surrounding the tiny nation. Egyptian President Nasser was allowed to kick the U.N. peacekeepers out of the Sinai Peninsula, which acted as a buffer between Egypt and Israel. The world watched as hundreds of thousands of Arab troops tried to ``drive Israel into the sea.'' The unexpected brilliance of the Israeli military stopped the aggression from all directions, and Israel was secure for a moment. As a result of that war for survival, Israel fairly won land: The Sinai, the West Bank and Gaza. Everywhere else in the world, territory acquired in self-defense is only returned in the context of a negotiated peace. Israel has never been fully afforded that negotiated peace. Israelis have returned land time and time again when a peaceful settlement was reached. Soon they may run out of land to give away. In the Camp David accords of 1978, Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt in return for a peace treaty. Jordan and Syria have less formal but similar agreements with Israel. Now one issue is whether Israeli Jews that have settled into the West Bank should leave or not be allowed to have natural expansion of their own communities. This should be negotiated between the Israeli Government and the Palestinians. The United States should not interfere in and prevent negotiations by picking winners and losers. This year the United States is picking the loser of Israel. The United States should help broker negotiations and help get all parties to negotiate, but not demand either side take a certain position. Israel has been a longtime ally of the United States, and our interest should be that the sides involved solve this problem without the United States dictating who wins and who loses. And that's just the way it is.