Mike Ross

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. The gentleman makes an excellent point. In fact, I have a list here. I guess it is like David Letterman's top 10 list. It is the top 10 current lenders. These are the countries that the United States of America are borrowing money from, and for the past 6 years, we have literally gone out and borrowed money from foreign central banks, foreign investors to give folks in this country earning over $400,000 a year a tax cut and leaving our children and grandchildren to foot the bill to pay back these foreigners, if you will. But the top 10 current lenders are Japan, $640 billion; China, $321.4 billion; United Kingdom, $179.5 billion; OPEC, imagine that one, $98 billion. The United States of America has borrowed from OPEC to run our government. It is time we learned to live within our means again. Korea, $72.4 billion; Taiwan, $68.9 billion; Caribbean banking centers, $61.7 billion; Hong Kong, $46.6 billion; Germany, $46.5 billion. And are you ready for this? Mexico. Mexico, our Nation has borrowed $40.1 billion from Mexico to fund this reckless spending that we have seen in this Chamber and in this government in the past 6 years. Mr. Speaker, I can assure you, this is every bit as critical to our national security as anything else we have got facing us today because it is a threat to our Nation. It is a threat to our Nation for us to owe this kind of money to so many foreign countries and their central banks and their investors. I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Florida. As you can see, in 2000 we had a surplus, in 2001 we had a surplus, and then in 2002 you can see what happened. And the purple demonstrates that we have been in the red, deficit spending year after year after year, record deficit after record deficit. I think it is important to note that what we are trying to do here is set the stage, explain the mess we are in, and we are not here to simply criticize the Republican leadership of the past 6 years; we are here to offer up commonsense solutions to fix this mess. I think the American people want us to fix it. As members of the Blue Dog Coalition we have tried to spend the last half hour framing how we have gotten to where we are, because a lot of people remember when we did have a balanced budget in this country. We want to get back to those days, and the way we believe we can do it is through the Blue Dog Coalition's 12-point plan for budget reform. Point number one is require a balanced budget. Blue Dogs support a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget every year except in times of war or national emergency. We believe a balanced budget amendment is the only way to ensure fiscal discipline in Congress. Forty-nine States require a balanced budget. Holly Ross requires a balanced budget. And I don't believe it is asking too much and I believe the American people expect it from us to provide them a balanced budget with their tax money and how we run our government here in these United States of America.

Mr. ROSS. If the gentleman would yield. When we talk about PAYGO rules, that is an acronym used on the floor of Congress; but to a lot of the folks of America they probably ask, what is this PAYGO business? It means pay-as-you-go. It was the policy that was in place in this Chamber when we saw the first balanced budget in 40 years, and it went out the window with the Republican leadership of 2001 and we have seen record deficit after record deficit since then. And for 6 years we begged the Republican leadership to listen to us conservative Democrats and work with us to reinstitute this PAYGO rule, and for 6 years it fell on deaf ears. And I am very pleased that one of these 12 points for budget reform, in fact a couple of them, have now been implemented as a policy in the rules of this House under the new Democratic leadership, and I want to thank them for not only listening to us but heeding our call and doing it in the first 24 hours of the 110th Session of Congress under the Democratic leadership, which demonstrates that our message is getting out. People are identifying with our message of restoring fiscal discipline to our national government. But many folks on the Republican side still don't get it, Mr. Speaker. I will never forget when we were down here debating the PAYGO rule, and PAYGO means pay-as-you-go; it means if you have got some new idea for a new program, you have got to show us. And I watched Member after Member on the Republican side get up and say that it is nothing more than a disguise for a tax increase, because if you are going to have new spending, you have got to have more money. They don't get it. They are the party that used to believe in cutting spending, and now they think the only way to pay for a program is raising taxes. Not so, Mr. Speaker. We are talking about paying for programs, paying for ideas that are good for the American people by cutting other programs, cutting the waste out of government. People say, well, there is really waste in the government? Yes, sir, Mr. Speaker. I have got $400 million worth of waste sitting in a cow pasture at the Hope Airport in Hope, AR, in some 8,000 brand-new, fully furnished, manufactured homes that FEMA ordered for Hurricane Katrina victims that never got to those victims. They still are sitting there in a hay meadow at the airport in Hope, AR. That is just one of many examples of waste. That is a $400 million example. It is a symbol of what is wrong with FEMA and what is wrong with this administration. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wilson).

Mr. ROSS. The gentleman from Ohio is exactly right. In fact, that is point number 4 in the Blue Dog's 12-point plan for budget reform: Require agencies to put their fiscal houses in order. Number 3 was put a lid on spending. Number 5: Make Congress tell taxpayers how much they are spending.

Mr. ROSS. I want to thank the gentleman from Florida for helping me go through the first 6 of our 12 points for budget reform that we believe can go a long way toward cleaning up this mess here in Washington. And next week, Mr. Speaker, we will be going through the other six points for budget reform. And the gentleman is right, a rainy day fund makes so much sense. No more of these supplementals, which is another word for skirting the budget and skirting the normal appropriations process. We are kidding ourselves if we don't believe there is going to be some kind of disaster or need for a rainy day fund in America every year. These are 6 of the 12 points that we believe can lay a foundation to return to the days of a balanced budget to restore fiscal discipline and accountability to our government. A lot of people, Mr. Speaker, want to know, what is this Blue Dog Coalition? We are 44 members strong. But what exactly is the Blue Dog Coalition and what exactly do they stand for? And Mr. Speaker, if you have got any comments or concerns for us, you can e-mail us at BlueDog@mail.house.gov. I am pleased to be joined this evening by a real leader of the Blue Dog Coalition from the State of Tennessee, Mr. Lincoln Davis, who in these closing few minutes is going to tell us exactly what the Blue Dog Coalition is all about and what we as fiscally conservative Democrats stand for. I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee.

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for joining us for this Special Order as we talk about the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition's 12-point plan for meaningful budget reform, what we believe can lay a foundation to return us to the days of a balanced budget, to put an end to this reckless spending, to put an end to this deficit spending, and as we discuss our plan for accountability. We are here to offer up commonsense solutions to many of the challenges facing this country today, Mr. Speaker. As I conclude, I would just remind you that the national debt as of today is $8,701,316,295,722. And that debt during the past hour while we have been on the floor of this House has gone up by an estimated $40 million. It is time to restore fiscal discipline to our national government.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this motion to recommit.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I don't really know where to begin. My wife is a pharmacist. We own a family pharmacy back home in Prescott, Arkansas. Just minutes ago she shared with me by telephone that she had to turn her television set off because she has heard so many untruths and misinformation coming from the Republican side of the aisle during this debate here today. But let me be clear about this: A ``yes'' vote for the motion to recommit is a vote for the big drug manufacturers, and a ``no'' vote on the motion to recommit is a vote for America's seniors. Now, today we are trying to correct a wrong that occurred back in 2003. Let us reflect back for a moment. We passed the so-called Medicare part D prescription drug benefit back in 2003, some 500 pages, gave us less than a day to read it and somewhere around 50 or 60, they actually, the Republican leadership actually put language in the bill that says the Federal Government shall be prohibited from negotiating with the big drug manufacturers to bring down the high cost to medicine for America's seniors. That is in the bill, and that is what today we are fixing, and then, to be sure the big drug manufacturers would not have to lower their prices, the Republican leadership back in 2003, they decided that they would spread all 43 million Medicare beneficiaries, over 30 companies, offering more than 1,200 private plans, so no plan and no company would be able to negotiate on behalf of very many seniors. That is what they did. Now we know, Mr. Speaker, now we know why back in 2003 the vote on this occurred at 3:00 in the morning. Now we know why the vote took 3 hours for passage. Today, Mr. Speaker, we are letting the sun shine on our seniors, and on the way we conduct business in this Chamber as we hold the big drug manufacturers accountable and bring down the high cost of medicine for America's seniors. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry) for 2 minutes.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire, how much time do we have remaining?

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I now yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my strong support for raising the federal minimum wage. Today's legislation would increase the existing minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years. The minimum wage has not increased in more than nine years which is the longest period in the history of the law. The real value of the minimum wage has plummeted to its lowest level in 51 years. At the current rate of $5.15 an hour, a full-time minimum wage worker brings home $10,712 a year--nearly $6,000 below the poverty level for a family of three. Increasing the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour would benefit up to 13 million Americans who struggle to raise a family. Last year the state of Arkansas, along with varying other states, realized the need for raising the minimum wage and did so. Now it is time for the Congress to accept this plan and move forward with passage of this important legislation, which can make a real difference in the lives of working families across this country.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Q. Byrum Hurst, who passed away December 4, 2006, in Hot Springs, AR, at the age of 88.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of W.E. Ayers, who passed away December 8, 2006, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, at the age of 76. W.E. Ayers was a pillar of the city of Pine Bluff and the state of Arkansas for decades. Ayers was the former Chairman and CEO of Simmons First National Corporation of Pine Bluff. He joined the organization in 1957 and became Senior Vice President in 1969. Mr. Ayers was then named President of the Bank in 1985 and named Chairman of the Board the following year. A graduate of Louisiana State University, W.E. Ayers also received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Southeast Arkansas College. W.E. Ayers was an active member of Lakeside United Methodist Church where he served as a former trustee and Sunday School teacher. He was a past President of the Arkansas Bankers Association as well as a member of the Kiwanis Club, Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce, Arkansas Arts Council and the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Science Foundation. My deepest condolences go to his wife, Diane Ayers; son and daughter- in-law, Tim and Leigh Ayers of Atlanta, GA; daughter Cathy Zimmerman of Boulder, CO; and to his 5 grandchildren. W.E. Ayers will be greatly missed in Pine Bluff and throughout the state of Arkansas.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening on behalf of the 44 member strong fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition. We are a group of fiscally conservative Democrats that are committed to restoring common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. During the 109th session of Congress, we had 37 members; in the 110th session of Congress, we have grown to 44 members, 44 fiscally conservative Democrats that share my vision of putting America on a path toward fiscal responsibility, putting America on a path toward accountability, and putting America on a path that will restore common sense to our national government. As you walk the Halls of Congress, as you walk the Cannon House Office Building, the Longworth House Office Building, as you walk the Rayburn House Office Building, you will see this poster, Mr. Speaker; and as you see this poster, it will be a symbol that you are walking by an office that houses a Blue Dog member. You will find 44 of these posters in the Halls of Congress to remind the American people and to remind the Members of Congress and to remind all of us as we walk these Halls that our Nation is one that is tragically in debt. The current national debt of these United States of America is $8,690,905,471,722, and actually 43 cents. I just didn't have room to put it on the poster. I ran out of room. And for every man, woman, and child in America, your share of the national debt is $29,005.60. It is what we have coined in the Blue Dog Coalition as the debt tax, D-E-B-T tax. It is one tax that cannot be cut, that cannot be repealed until we get our Nation's fiscal house in order. Mr. Speaker, you might be thinking, Now, didn't President Clinton leave us with a balanced budget, the first one in some 40 years? Didn't we have a balanced budget from 1998 through 2001? Yes, Mr. Speaker, we did. But in the past 6 years, this Republican President and this Republican Congress has given us record budget deficit after record budget deficit. On this chart you will see the four largest deficits ever in our Nation's history. The first rank was 2004 when our Nation wrote $413 billion worth of hot checks. The second largest deficit ever in our Nation's history was in 2003 when our Nation wrote $378 billion in hot checks. In 2005, it was $318 billion. And in 2006, the President actually had a press conference to brag on the fact that he came in under projection and only wrote $296 billion worth of hot checks, the largest deficit year after year after year under this Republican-controlled Congress that has given us the largest debt ever in our Nation's history. As members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, we believe that the American people have given us the majority in this Congress because they want us to do something about it; and, Mr. Speaker, we have a plan. We have a 12-point plan to restore budget discipline and common sense to our national government. Why is this important? It is important because if you think with me, Mr. Speaker, the total national debt from 1789 to 2000 was $5.67 trillion; but by 2010, the total national debt will have increased to $10.88 trillion. That is a doubling, a doubling of the 211-year debt in just 10 years. Interest payments on this debt are one of the fastest growing parts of the Federal budget, and the debt tax, D-E-B-T tax, is one that cannot be repealed. Mr. Speaker, the reason this should matter to every man, woman, and child in America is quite simple: deficits do matter. Deficits reduce economic growth; they burden our children and grandchildren with liabilities; they increase our reliance on foreign lenders who now own 40 percent of our debt. Let me repeat that: foreign lenders now own 40 percent of our debt. Put another way, this administration and this Republican Congress over the past 6 years have borrowed more money from foreign central banks and foreign investors than the previous 42 Presidents combined. It is time to restore some common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. Why? Why does it matter to the working families and seniors to this country? It is quite simple. Our Nation is borrowing some $1 billion a day. We are spending one-half billion dollars each day paying interest on the debt we have already got before we increase it another $1 billion today. And as you can see, the red graph is the increase we spend on your tax money paying interest on the national debt. The blue is how much we spend on education. Look at the difference. The red graph illustrates the amount of your tax money that is going not to pay principle but to pay interest on the national debt. The blue represents how much we are investing in our young people, how much we are spending on education. The green represents how much we are spending on homeland security. Tragically, the dark blue illustrates how much we are spending taking care of our veterans. It is time this country gets its priorities in order, and I believe the American people on November 7 spoke loud and clear in giving us a chance to lead in this Chamber, and we are ready to lead, and we are ready to lead with the Blue Dog Coalition's 12-point plan for budget reform. Mr. Speaker, I mentioned that we have grown to 44 members in the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, and one of those members that has joined our ranks is the gentleman from Ohio, and at this time I would yield to my friend from Ohio, Charlie Wilson, for as much time as he would like to take.

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wilson) for joining us on the floor this evening for the Blue Dog Special Order as we talk about restoring common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. And the gentleman from Ohio, a new member of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, he mentioned that one of the things that we have done already in this 110th Congress under the Democratic leadership is reinstitute the PAYGO rules. That means pay- as-you-go. And on the very first day in the first 24 hours of the 110th session of Congress, we are very pleased as members of the Blue Dog Coalition that the leadership of this House under Democratic control chose to include in their rules package reinstituting the PAYGO rule, because that rule was in place from 1998 through 2001 when we saw a balanced budget in this country. It makes sense to me. You know, 49 States require a balanced budget. Holly Ross requires a balanced budget at the Ross family in Prescott, Arkansas. We own a small business; we are required to balance the books there. And in our opinion, it is not asking our Nation too much to balance its books. And one of the ways that you begin the process of doing that is instituting the PAYGO rule, which means pay-as-you-go. If you have got a wonderful program, then show us what program you are going to cut to pay for it. Now, I got a big kick last week during the debate on this very floor when Republicans jumped up and down opposed to reinstituting the PAYGO rule. When I was a small child growing up, I always heard it was the Democrats that tax and spend, and yet it was the Republicans over the last 6 years that has given us record deficit after record deficit, the largest debt ever in our Nation's history. And last week they said they were opposed, many of them said they were opposed to the PAYGO rule because it meant to pay for a new program raising taxes. They don't get it, Mr. Speaker. It is not about raising taxes; it is about cutting spending. It is about reducing the size of our government. It is about paying as you go. If you want to create a new program, show us which program you are going to cut to pay for it. As members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition we are sick and tired of the games; we are sick and tired of the partisan bickering that goes on at our Nation's Capitol. I don't care if it is a Democrat or Republican idea. All I care about is, is it a commonsense idea? Does it restore accountability and fiscal responsibility and discipline to our Nation's government? At this time I yield to Joe Donnelly, a Member of Indiana, a member of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana, a new member of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, for joining us on the floor this evening as we talk about our plan to restore fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. Mr. Speaker, on November 7, the American people spoke, and they said they wanted a new direction for this country both here at home and abroad. And in speaking, they gave us, as Democrats, a chance to lead in this 110th Congress. And Mr. Speaker, we are ready, willing and able and prepared to do so. And part of the way that we believe we can restore fiscal sanity to our National Government, it took 6 years to create this mess, and we can't fix it overnight, but we have a plan to begin to restore some fiscal discipline to our Nation's Government. And it is what we call the Blue Dog Coalition's 12-point plan for budget reform. And I am pleased to be joined this evening by the gentlewoman from Illinois, Ms. Bean, who is going to join me in talking about some of these 12 points, and I now yield to Ms. Bean.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I think it is very important that we point out that not only the PAYGO rule, which means pay-as-you-go, no more borrowing money from China to fund some project and let our children and grandchildren worry about it, but pay-as-you- go is one of the rules implemented during the first 24 hours of the 110th Congress under this new Democratic leadership. It is very significant because it is one of the 12 points of the Blue Dogs Coalition's plan for budget reform. But also another one of our 12 points that was included in those first 24 hours in the rules package is adding a level of transparency, justifying, if you will, pet projects or earmarks. I think it is very significant that, of these 12 points that you are reading off, two of them we have tried for years to get the Republican leadership to work with us in a bipartisan manner on this. And two of these 12 were included in the first 24 hours of the Democratic-controlled Congress. I think that is very significant, and I want to thank the leadership for including those.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, that reminds me that back when we were voting on the Medicare Part D prescription drug bill, now estimated to cost billions and billions and billions of dollars over the next 10 years, it went to a vote barely a day after the final version of the 500-plus-page bill was made to Members of Congress. We are putting an end to that. We are giving Members of Congress an opportunity to know what they are voting on.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois for sharing with us the Blue Dog Coalition's 12-point plan for budget reform. And if time permits, Mr. Speaker, we will go into more detail on each of these 12 points. And the ones we do not get to tonight, you can expect us back next Tuesday night for this Blue Dog Special Order where we will continue to talk about these 12 points for budget reform because if we are going to clean up the mess in Washington, if we are going to put an end to the deficit spending, if we are going to begin to pay down the debt, we have got to have this 12-point plan in place. You give us this 12-point plan, Mr. Speaker, and we can give you a balanced budget once again in this country. And, Mr. Speaker, if you have any comments, questions, or concerns for us, you can e-mail us at bluedog@mail.house.gov. Again, Mr. Speaker, if you have any comments, questions, or concerns for us, you can e-mail us at bluedog@mail.house.gov. At this time, it gives me great pleasure to yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. ROSS. The gentleman makes an excellent point. You want to talk about something that is critical to our national security, it is this business that over the past 6 years we continue to cut taxes on folks earning over $400,000 a year with money that we borrowed from foreign central banks and foreign investors, and left our children and grandchildren with the bill to pay. The gentleman was ticking some of these off, but if I may, it is kind of like David Letterman and his top 10 list, the top 10 current lenders: Japan, $640.1 billion; China, $321.4 billion; the United Kingdom, $179.5 billion. This is the amount of money the United States of America has borrowed from foreign countries to fund tax cuts in this country for folks earning over $400,000 a year. The voters on November 7 said it is time for a new direction and new priorities in this country, and we are going to give them to the American people. But to continue the list: OPEC, $98 billion, and we wonder why gasoline was approaching $3 a gallon in August; Korea, $72.4 billion; Taiwan, $68.9 billion; the Caribbean banking centers, $61.7 billion; Hong Kong, $46.6 billion; and Germany, $46.5 billion; and to round out the top 10 current lenders to the United States of America, and you are not going to believe this, Mexico, $40.1 billion. This administration over the past 6 years has borrowed more money from foreign central banks and foreign investors than the previous 42 Presidents combined, and that is why we rise tonight as members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition to talk about leading America in a new direction, a direction that will restore fiscal discipline to our government; and the way we achieve that is through our Blue Dog Coalition 12-point plan for budget reform.

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Georgia, a real leader within the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition for joining us this evening on the House floor as we talk about this new direction for America. The American people have spoken, and they have told us that it is time for a change. They have given us Democrats an opportunity to lead them in a new direction. I am proud of what we have accomplished in the first few hours of the 110th Congress. We have instituted the PAYGO rules, the rules that say if you are going to spend money, you have to show us how you are going to pay for it, the rules we had in place when we had a balanced budget in this country from 1998 until 2001. You are seeing us put in place earmark reform, a greater level of transparency and knowing clearly who is asking for the money and where it is going and who is benefiting from it. Second in our Blue Dog Coalition's 12-point plan for budget reform, in the first 24 hours of this new Congress, we are making progress. We have heard the American people. They have given us an opportunity to lead, and we are demonstrating we can do that. In the first 100 legislative hours, we are passing the 9/11 Commission recommendations that were not implemented in the 109th Congress under the Republican leadership. We are raising the minimum wage, which is something I am very excited about. Mr. Speaker, if we are serious about moving people from welfare to work, we have to pay them more than $10,712 a year. That is what the Federal minimum wage in this country represents if you work 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, never get sick and don't take a single day off for vacation. We can do better than that by America's working families, and we will. We will this week, the first full week of the 110th session of Congress. We will pass legislation on the floor this week that tells our government that, yes, it can negotiate on behalf of 40 million seniors with the big drug manufacturers to bring down the high cost of medicine. The American people on November 7 gave us an opportunity to lead. And in these early hours of the 110th Congress, and as members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, we are demonstrating that we are ready to lead and that we are leading America in a new direction. Again, Mr. Speaker, the national debt, $8,690,905,471,722. Let's think about this. $8,690,905,471,722.43. The 43 cents wouldn't fit on the poster. For every man, woman and child in America, to get us out of this mess, everybody in America would have to write a check for $29,005.60. That is why we must restore common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. Mr. Speaker, as you walk the Halls of Congress, you will know when you are walking past the door of a Blue Dog Coalition member because you will see this poster; and, unfortunately, you will see this number change each day. We are going to do our part to hopefully see this number go down as we push for a balanced budget in this country, as we push for the day when we can see a balanced budget in this country, as we push to restore fiscal discipline and common sense to our national government and its budgeting process. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce another new member of the 44 member strong fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, the Congressman from Florida, Mr. Mahoney.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Florida, Mr. Mahoney, for his leadership on these issues and his experience as a business person that he brings to this Congress. I appreciate his perspective and I appreciate his membership in the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition. Mr. Speaker, in the time we have remaining, I want to spend some time talking more about the 12 point plan for budget reform, about our vision to restore fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. Again, Mr. Speaker, if you have any comments, questions or concerns for us, you can e-mail us at bluedog@mail.house.gov. That is bluedog@mail.house.gov. I am delighted to be joined tonight by a number of our 44 member strong, fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition Members. At this time I believe we are going to open it up for a colloquy, and I yield to the gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Donnelly.

Mr. ROSS. I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana for his commitment to putting an end to these record deficits in our Federal Government. The gentleman is absolutely right. I grew up in a small Methodist Church outside of Prescott and Hope, Arkansas, Midway United Methodist Church, and I can remember Sunday after Sunday after Sunday growing up where the preacher would talk about being a good steward, that was always before he passed the plate, and the preacher would talk about being a good steward. Well, the American people have sent us here and had us raise our right hand and put our left hand on the Bible and take the oath of office and pledge, swear to uphold the Constitution, and, yes, be good stewards of the American people's tax money. That is really what this is all about. I think it is very important, the work that we are doing as members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, and trying to be good stewards of the tax money of the people back home and to make sure it is spent wisely and to make sure it is accounted for. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Wilson.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mahoney).

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Florida for that perspective as we discuss something that is very important to our Nation, and that is how we get our fiscal house back in order after 6 years of reckless spending. We believe we have a plan to do it. That plan is now being implemented. In the first 24 hours of the 110th Session of Congress we saw the PAYGO rule implemented, which can give us a balanced budget again. It worked before. It can work again. And we saw transparency, a new level of transparency added to earmark reform. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Bean).