Tim Ryan

Mr. RYAN of Ohio

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay homage to the Right Reverend Monsignor Sylvester Hladky, a humble lifelong servant of the Catholic Byzantine Church, pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church, and permanent papal prelate. Born in 1909 in Brooklyn, NY, Sylvester Hladky knew very early that a life of service was for him. After serving his country for 3 years in the United States Navy, the Monsignor was ordained from Saint Joseph Seminary in Edmonton, AB, Canada in 1936. As a young priest, then- Father Hladky spent his time working in Ukrainian mission churches at Fisher Branch, Poplar Fields, and the Indian reservation areas of Manitoba. Following these assignments, Father Hladky was then assigned to mission churches throughout Ontario, to include Welland, Grimsby, Saint Catharaines, Brantford, Kitchener, Thorold, and Niagara Falls. After serving in the Byzantine Ruthenian Eparchy of Pittsburgh, Father Hladky was made the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church in Struthers, OH. Father Hladky came to Warren, OH, in August 1945, where he was the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church on School Street. The parish grew from 30 to 300 families. After leading a building fund campaign, the parishioners purchased property for the construction of a new church and rectory. On Christmas Day 1950, Father Hladky celebrated the first divine liturgy in the new church. The father dreamt of a parish school where students would receive an academic education, as well as a spiritual one in the Byzantine tradition, and, in 1954, purchased a home to be used as a convent by the Benedictine Sisters who arrived from Lisle, IL, to teach. Construction of a school began, and in 1957, Saints Peter and Paul School opened with 10 classrooms and an auditorium, later adding 16 more classrooms for high school classes. In 1961, on the 25th anniversary of Father Hladky entering the priesthood, he was appointed dean of the Youngstown Deanery. By 1965, he was named a monsignor, and later, in 1975, he was made a right reverend monsignor. Pope John Paul II named him a permanent papal prelate. From 1968 to 1996, Monsignor Hladky also served as president of the Greek Catholic Union Tribunal. The monsignor and his parish were instrumental in helping the Benedictine Sisters of the Byzantine Rite to establish an independent monastery in Warren. In 1990, the parish erected a 46-apartment residence near the church for elderly parishioners. After a short illness, the monsignor passed away on March 7, 2006, at Saint Joseph Health Center in Warren, OH. In the book of Matthew, chapter 16, verse 18, the Lord said to his disciple, Simon, ``and I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not overcome it.'' Just as Simon was the rock upon which the Christian faith grew and flourished, so was Monsignor Hladky the ever-present and ever-faithful rock upon which our homes, communities, and families grew and also flourished. Mahoning Valley citizens of all faiths pray for Monsignor Hladky and his parish, because this faithful and dutiful servant of God was truly a blessing and we are grateful to have had him touch our valley so.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. You know, before I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida, you can't convince me that we can't do something about this. I can't be convinced of this. Proper investment. We can go back, GI Bill, space race, you know, we, as a country, transcontinental railroad, we had a program, we had a plan that we would invest back into the United States of America. And now we know it is not the transcontinental railroad. Now we know it is not the space program, at least to the extent it was. But what is it now? Is it business incubators? Is it math and science graduates? Let's figure this out. Is it high speed rail?

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. As we wrap up, I would suggest that over the course of the next few months, Mr. Speaker, the American people will not get an answer from the leadership on the Republican side about what why the debt limit was increased by $3 trillion, why we are borrowing billions upon billions upon billions and even trillions of dollars from foreign countries, selling off. You will not hear a good answer, reining in spending, the most rapid spending growth during one administration since Franklin Roosevelt. This is the outfit that wanted to have a revolution. Mr. Speaker, www.housedemocrats .gov/30something for those Members. All the charts that were up tonight are on the Web site, www.housedemocrats .gov/30something. Enjoyed it. Go Gators.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Gingrich is saying send up reform, lead, do something; this government cannot function. This is not just us. This is Mr. Gingrich saying the same thing.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. That is the job. That is the job. That is the responsibility that we have here of oversight.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. We need the American people to give us a chance to lead this country. We want it. Put us in, Coach. We will put the PAYGO back into effect. We will rein in the spending that the Republican Congress that they think they can cut taxes, borrow money, and spend at levels unprecedented. And I am sure many of you saw the USA Today yesterday. I am sure you made it past the sports section with the recap of the games and everything. The Federal Government spending is outstripping economic growth at a rate unseen in more than half a century. The Federal Government, quote, is currently spending 20.8 cents of every dollar the economy generates, up from 18.5 cents as one White House budget document shows. It is not our documents, it is White House documents. That is the most rapid growth during one administration since Franklin Roosevelt. Now, what happened to this outfit that came in in 1994 that said they wanted a balanced budget amendment, they wanted to make government smaller, spending it like drunken sailors, get this government under control, make it nimble and efficient and address the needs? With all the technology and ability to communicate in the 21st century, we cannot even respond to a storm we know 5 days in advance is coming. It is ridiculous, and this country deserves better. We should not expect this comedy of errors that we get from FEMA and Halliburton and everybody in Iraq. It is a comedy of errors, and we need to get things straightened up here.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. You cannot do it at home, Ms. Wasserman Schultz.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. We are tired of the rhetoric, Uncle Bill.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. They found the votes to raise the debt limit. Mr. Spratt again offered the 2005 budget resolution, H. Con. Res. 393, rollcall vote number 91, March 25, 2004, right here in black and white. Republicans, how many voted to put spending under control, reign in this Republican Congress? Zero.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. What we have been trying to do over the past so many years consistently and constantly, amendment after amendment after amendment, the Democratic Party has offered and we have it all here, you will be able to go to our Web site and see these charts: In 2006 budget resolution, we offered to put pay as you go, that you are not going to spend any money unless you get it somewhere else or cut it out of a program and pay for it. Democrat, Mr. Spratt, offered that amendment. Zero Republicans voted for that. Rollcall vote number 87 March 17, 2005. 30-Something's aren't making this up.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. They are taking advantage of their power, and it is hurting the country. June 17 of 2003, Mr. Obey tried to increase port security, which is another huge issue we have been trying to do here. $500 million. And we will go through all this. All these charts will be on our Web site, Mr. Speaker, for other Members to access and find out. We have tried consistently to increase funding for port security, and we will pay for it. We have tried to rein in spending. Republican Congress will not let us.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Because time and time again, how many debates have we had on the floor over the past several years? No one on the majority side, Mr. Speaker, has been able to explain to this House or the American people how this is somehow good. Somebody explain to the Speaker of the House and somebody explain to the Congress how increasing the debt limit by $3 trillion is good. Is it good for the economy? Is it good for the next generation? Who is benefiting from this? Nobody, except foreign countries. This is bad. This is bad for the American economy, this is bad for job creation, this ends up raising the burden for the next generation. This is terrible. Since the President has been in, June of 2002 raised the debt limit $450 billion. May of 2003, $984 billion. November of 2004, $800 billion. And get that poster ready, Mr. Meek. March of 2006, $781 billion. $3 trillion debt limit increase.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. I think what we need to do here the last 15 minutes or so that we have, I think we need to tell the Speaker of the House and the other Members what we are going to do when we get in.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. I think the whole thing is that is missing here, I think time and time again, there is one little general theme, and I think the former Speaker sums it all up for us in that same article. He noted that a Congressional watchdog agency recently smuggled a truck carrying nuclear material, and we talked about this last week a few nights, into the country, smuggled a truck carrying nuclear material into the country to test security. This is a direct quote from the former Speaker. ``Why isn't the President pounding the table? Why isn't he sending up 16 reform bills?'' Now, nuclear materials snuck into the country, and there is no one really even talking about it in the Republican House, the Republican Senate or the White House right now. All we are saying is, and we come here every night, sometimes two or three times a week, to basically say there is no leadership in Washington D.C., Mr. Speaker. The Democrats in this House want to step up and take the lead, because, quite frankly, not only us, you couldn't do any worse than this outfit does. We have plans for security, comprehensive plans. We have plans for innovation, plans for job creation, plans for health care. We have an agenda ready to implement for this country, including balancing the budget. But, time and time again, everything is rubber stamped. The bobblehead Congress. ``Yes, Mr. President. Yes, Mr. President. Yes, Mr. President.'' At some point you have to stop and say, hey, wait a minute. The country is going in the wrong direction.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. We have seen tears shed on this floor.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. And it is because the President does not want any oversight, and the Republican Congress says, yes, Mr. President.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. ``They.''

Mr. RYAN of Ohio

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. It is the next President's issue.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Here is the choice, my friend. The American people will have a decision to make. We can either go and keep following President Bush down this unknown path, that I don't even know sometimes if the President knows where we are going as a country, or we can change course and we can go in a different direction than President Bush's direction. Because that direction, as you have seen, has led to more borrowing from foreign interests than the previous 42 Presidents. We are not making this up. That is from the United States Department of the Treasury. And when you look at the interest payments that we have to pay just on the interest, and here is a great example, Mr. Speaker: for the 2007 budget, we will spend about $230 billion just paying the interest on the money that we owe all these other countries. So if China loans us money, they loan us the money and then we send them the interest. So China takes the interest and invests it back into their state-owned companies and wipes out the manufacturing base in the United States. That doesn't seem too smart. That is President Bush's direction. The Democrats want to take the country in another direction. So $230 billion out of the 2007 budget is going to go just for interest. Wasted money. Flush it right down the toilet, `cause it is done. Then what are we going to spend on education? Fifty billion. We have $230 billion on the interest and $50 billion on education. You know, 10 or 15 on homeland security, and a pittance, just a little more than that, on veterans. You know, President Kennedy said: ``To govern is to choose,'' and this is the choice that this President makes. The Bush Congress continues to reaffirm with their rubber stamp time and time and time again. So all we are saying is what we want to do is we want to change direction. I personally would like to stop following the President, because I have seen his track record, and I don't want to follow him. It is just like any leader. You are with them, you want to be with them, but over time they build a record, and this Republican Congress refuses to break free from what the President is doing here. And this is President Bush's Congress, my friend.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Right.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. You are exactly right. Article I, section 1, of the United States Constitution creates this House of Representatives. It does not say we are going to have a king. It does not say we are going to have a President. That all comes later. Article I, section 1, of the Constitution creates this body, and when things get so turned around that this body is rubber stamping everything, this is President Bush's Congress. They have done every single thing that he has asked and everything that is supposed to be up is down statistically, and everything that is supposed to be down is up. Now, since President Bush has been in and President Bush's Congress, they have raised the debt limit by $3 trillion. Basically what happens is the CEO, the President, the Treasury Secretary, they come to Congress; they come to the board of directors and say, hey, we need to go out and borrow more money for the business. So the Congress time and time and time again says, sure, keep going, we will not even ask any questions as to where you are spending it. They raised the debt in June of 2002 by $450 billion; May of 2003 by $984 billion; November of 2004, $800 billion; and just 2 weeks ago, we did it again by several hundreds of billions of dollars. Almost $9 trillion is the limit the United States can go and borrow. As the gentleman from Florida said, we are borrowing it from the Chinese, the Japanese, OPEC countries. Can you imagine, we are going to the oil producing countries to borrow money? Are they not getting enough of our money right now? I think they get plenty of our money, Mr. Speaker. Now, what did the Democrats try to do to stop the insanity? We have a little provision here that was implemented in the early 1990s, and it basically said if you want to spend money, you have got to go find it somewhere. You have either got to raise revenue or you have got to cut spending from another program in order to bring it into balance. It is called pay-as-you-go, just kind of like you do at home.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Bobble heads.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. This is his Congress. They toe his line.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. This is President Bush's Congress.