Steven Rothman

Mr. ROTHMAN

Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Chairman, for too long Congress has been our national example of promises made and promises broken. But today's vote is a promise kept. As a freshman, the people of New Jersey's Ninth District sent me here to work on a bipartisan basis to balance the budget, but not at the expense of our children or the environment. I support this budget because it delivers on the very promises I made when I ran for Congress. There are aspects of the plan which I think need more work, but this is a good first step that will put our Nation on the road to fiscal responsibility. From helping preschoolers in Head Start to providing Pell grants to needy college students, this budget agreement invests in education. It expands health coverage to 5 million uninsured American children. It strengthens environmental protection, and it preserves the Medicare trust fund for at least another decade. Mr. Chairman, that is why I am proud to cast my vote in favor of this balanced budget agreement, a budget with a vision, a budget that offers a promise for a better America, a stronger America for all Americans.

Mr. ROTHMAN

Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, today I join with my colleagues in commemorating the 82d anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Along with the Armenian-American community in my district and with people of goodwill throughout the country, Congress today is observing the death of 1.5 million Armenians from the years 1915-1923. As we gather today, many of my constituents over the weekend participated in solemn requiem services held at their respective places of worship in the memory of the martyrs, consecrated a genocide monument in Ridgefield, NJ, held an observance ceremony in front of the Bergen County Court House in Hackensack, NJ, and attended a series of other events commemorating the Armenian genocide. And so let me offer my solidarity with those remembering the Armenian genocide today. And let me also emphasize that we should today not only remember the martyred, but as well, the survivors of the Armenian genocide. Those few survivors of the Armenian genocide are still living today, those who endured the horrors of 1915, are heroes for all time. Today, the people of Armenia and her Diaspora are proudly looking to rebuild their country. From the ashes of despair born of the genocide, and from the ravages of seven decades of Communist rule, Armenians the world over are striving to secure a safe and prosperous future for Armenian and Nagorno-Karabagh. As Armenian-Americans rebuild their homeland, and as they seek to secure an economically prosperous state, founded on firm democratic principles, I will stand by them. Let me conclude my brief remarks today by encouraging the young people of America to never forget the tragedy and lessons of 1915. Because as George Santayana once remarked, ``Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.'' And if no clearer evidence of these prescient words are necessary let us remind one another today that before commencing the Holocaust, Hitler himself stated, ``Who today remembers the Armenians?'' As a Jewish-American and being ever mindful of the Holocaust, I join with my colleagues today in observing the Armenian genocide. And I promise to stand firm against the shameful efforts of those who would rewrite the facts as it pertains to the Armenian genocide.

Mr. ROTHMAN

Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join with my colleagues in paying tribute to Greek Independence Day. Some 61 years ago President Franklin Delano Roosevelt remarked that, ``In the truest sense freedom cannot be bestowed, it must be achieved.'' It is this very achievement, the embrace of liberty by the Greek nation, that we celebrate here today. And in a sense, today we celebrate not only the 176th year of Greek independence, but we honor the ideals upon which independence was secured in 1821. Values like honor, dedication, and perseverance were the call-words in the establishment of an independent Greek state. For the thousands of Greek-Americans living in my congressional district, this day is representative of the determination of the Greek people to secure freedom against all odds. After being under Ottoman rule for four centuries, the Greek people realized their national aspirations by securing their independence in 1821. It was that realization that began a new era for Greece and has resulted in a warm relationship with the United States of America. Today, Greece is a prosperous country and a fully engaged member of NATO and the European Union. And today, in all walks of life, Greek- Americans continue to make remarkable contributions to our country in the arts, humanities, and the areas of sport and commerce. Mr. Speaker, as a strong supporter of issues dear to the Greek- American community, I am proud to recognize Greek Independence Day and I wish to extend on this special day my congratulations to all Greek- Americans and all the citizens of Greece.

Mr. ROTHMAN

Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, during the past 15 years, tuition at 4-year public universities has increased more than 4 times the increase in median household income. If we fail to act now, college will be affordable only for the rich in America. I have cosponsored a bill with the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Eshoo] called the Higher Education Accumulation Program. The bill will help make college affordable for middle and working class families by allowing parents to set up IRA's for their children's higher education. Parents will be able to make tax deductible $5,000 contributions for each of their children for higher education. To deny a child an opportunity for an education is to deny that child a lifetime of opportunities. The President and the Senate majority leader have endorsed this concept, and they have slightly different plans of their own. I ask that Members of the House, on a bipartisan basis, support the Higher Education Accumulation Program, H.R. 53, the HEAP Act, to help make college affordable for working and middle class families in America.

Mr. ROTHMAN

Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Frank Visaggio, who was selected to represent the United States in Taekwon Do's 1997 World Championships. A team of six men and six women will compete against over 30 countries this July in St. Petersburg, Russia. The team competition includes four events: sparring, breaking, patterns, and team patterns. Mr. Visaggio of Seacaucus, NJ, has been training in Taekwon Do for 15 years. He is the New Jersey State director of the International Taekwon Do Association, and is owner and head instructor of the Meadowlands Academy of Martial Arts. Mr. Speaker, I urge you and all of our colleagues to join me in commending Frank Visaggio on all of his worthy accomplishments. I wish Frank and his teammates the best of luck in this summer's competition.

Mr. ROTHMAN

Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join with my colleagues in honoring the African-American community, as we commemorate Black History Month. The fabric that is America owes an important debt of gratitude to the accomplishments and genius of the African-American community. We are, in a very real sense, a whole nation due to the untold contributions of African-Americans in the fields of science, education, politics, commerce, sport, culture, and in so many other fields of endeavor. I am proud to represent thousands of African-Americans in the Ninth Congressional District of New Jersey. From Englewood to Maywood, Jersey City to Teaneck, African-Americans represent the very best that our region of New Jersey has to offer. Hard working and active in the civic life of their respective communities, African-Americans constitute an important part of what makes northern New Jersey such a special place to live. But while prosperity is increasingly being secured by African- Americans in New Jersey and across the United States, we should not forget the recent past. Racism, embodied in so many aspects of American culture years ago, has still not disappeared. The civil rights struggle, which so honorably sought to erase racism, has not ended. And so today, like every day, all Americans, of all backgrounds, need to take a look at ourselves and recommit ourselves to erasing racial prejudice. Mr. Speaker, almost 35 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke to America from Washington, DC. He said, ``I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.'' On this day, February 11, 1997, and every day, let us make Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream our own, and everyday, let us make Martin Luther King, Jr's dream our own, and work toward a nation that can rid itself of racial injustice.