Steve Stockman

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, the fact that Congress is still debating the legality of partial-birth abortion shows the decline of our Nation's moral and spiritual health. The truth is that this cruel and morbid procedure should end. My hope is that our Nation will soon legally recognize that the unborn must be protected from this immoral procedure. There is widespread consensus on this issue from Members of both parties. Our opposition to partial-birth abortion is rooted as much from our spiritual beliefs as from common sense. This procedure could hardly be more brutal in its execution and deserves to be outlawed. My constituents have overwhelmingly condemned this so-called medical procedure. For example, 24 staff members from the Catholic Diocese of Beaumont, TX, signed a letter urging me to vote in favor of overriding President Clinton's veto of H.R. 1833, the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. I insert this letter into the Record at this time. Diocesan Pastoral Office, Diocese of Beaumont, Beaumont, TX, May 24, 1996. Rep. Steve Stockman, 9th District, Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Rep. Stockman: Our staff here at the Catholic Diocese of Beaumont write to urge you to vote to override President Clinton's veto of HR 1833, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. Signed: Father Michael Jamail, Colleen Vice, Gail Hernandez, Anne Steinman, Nancy Fontenot, Gertrude Morrison, Sandra Borel, Deede Covington, Father Richard de Stefano, Rita Frederick, Carolyn Koch, Rosalind Sanchez, Father James Vanderbilt, Joyce Borque, Mary Cooke, Marilyn Vollmer, Evelyn E. Kummer, Marilyn Price, Karen Gilmer, Father Stephen T. Smithers, Beverly Escamilla, Addie Weems, S. Janice Matthews, Carol M. Duhon.

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to say to the gentleman from California, it is always a joy to hear my good friend from California speak as he speaks from the heart and he speaks the truth. And if there is one thing that the gentleman has taught me, is that speaking the truth does not make you popular, but it is for the record and for the people to hear, and I want to thank my good friend from California.

Mr. STOCKMAN. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. STOCKMAN. Which now we realized we spent more money on busing and we should have been spending it on schools.

Mr. STOCKMAN. That is exactly why I came to the well to day to talk about. Bob, are you getting these little green cards from your constituents? They are put out by the Catholic Church and Mr. Speaker they are putting them in----

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for bringing this bill forward. I would like to take just one quick moment here to try and put a human face on this. I do not know if you can see this, Mr. Speaker, but in Saturday's paper it discusses how the pastor of a church in Galveston, TX, had his church burned down and to this day has not rebuilt his church and to this day they have not found the perpetrators. This was in our district which, quite frankly, has been a very peaceful, harmonious district, and I would like to point out for the record and like to submit this for the Record that this is something that we need to put a human face on. These are people who have lost their church and we do not know why or what is going on in this Nation that has turned its people against churches but, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for offering this bill and I stand fully behind it. Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the chairman for bringing this bill forward and I rise in strong support of H.R. 3525--the Church Arson Prevention Act. It is time we put a human face on the epidemic of church burning. I do not know if you can see this, Mr. Speaker, but last Saturday, the Galveston Daily News ran a story about the destruction of the Island Baptist Church. This little church burned down nearly 2 years ago. The perpetrators of this horrible act have not been found and the church pastor, James Booth, has not yet been able to rebuild his church. I want to submit the story of Pastor Booth, as it appears in the Galveston Daily News, for the Record. Again, it is time we put a human face on the epidemic of church burning. Pastor James Booth is a real person, and members of his congregation are real people. The burning must stop. He and other religious leaders have suffered enough. This bill is necessary to make easier the Federal prosecution of church burners. It is extremely important that the Justice Department pursue church burners diligently. The destruction of churches isn't a black catastrophe, it isn't a white catastrophe, it's a religious catastrophe. These are crimes against people of faith and those who worship. We must do what we can to stop these heinous crimes. I implore my colleagues to support this bill. The citizens of Galveston and Pastor Booth are entitled to justice. All victims of church burners are entitled to justice. This bill should be passed by Congress and signed into law immediately. I want to thank the gentleman for offering this bill and I stand fully behind it. Burned Church Wins Congressman's Support (By Chad Eric Watt and Wes Swift) Galveston.--U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman has asked his colleagues to remember a Galveston church torched by arsonists in 1994. The Island Baptist Church, which was at 9 Mile and Ostermayer roads, burned Dec. 22, 1994. The predominantly white Southern Baptist congregation is rebuilding at 8 Mile and Stewart roads. ``Pastor (James) Booth has not yet been able to rebuild his little church on Galveston Island,'' Stockman said Thursday night on the floor of the House of Representatives. ``He did not receive much attention from the media because when his church burned down, it was not then fashionable to talk about burning churches.'' Stockman and other members of Congress expressed concern in a March 1 letter to the U.S. Attorney General. ``We brought this to Janet Reno several months ago,'' said Cory Birenbaum, a spokesman for Stockman. In the letter, the congressmen asked Reno to direct the Justice Department to help local authorities catch those setting the fires. ``The burning of churches has become a fashionable crime, with news reports possibly contributing to imitative acts of violence,'' the letter states. Governors of Southern states have been invited to the White House next week to discuss strategy for coping with a rash of suspicious fires at predominantly black churches. By early next week, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms hopes to have details of fires at 33 black churches and 23 non-black churches since Jan. 1. Civil rights groups tracking church burnings in the South said they have found few examples of white churches being attacked. ``If white church fires were on the increase, with racism as a reason, we'd be on it in a heartbeat,'' said Angie Lowry of the Montgomery, Ala.-based Southern Poverty Law Center, which studies racial issues. ``I'm not seeing it here in Alabama, and we're not seeing it anywhere else.'' Booth said the church burnings reflect a sickness that crosses ethnic boundaries. ``My feeling is not that these burnings are racially motivated--as it was by anger in general,'' he said ``It's not a race issue. It's the attitude of people in general. It's a very poor condition.'' Booth's wife, Ruth Ann, said she was alerted to the mention of their church by a stranger in Modesto, Calif., who saw Stockman make his statements on cable television. ``We had had troubles with vandalism there,'' Mrs. Booth said. No one has been arrested in connection with the fire. Ruth Ann Booth said fire investigators traced the source of the fire to a closet near the church's front entrance. Empty beer cans were found near the entrance. James Booth said he understands the pain other congregations are going through. ``It's a lot of emotional stress,'' he said. ``To see something that means so much to you like a church go up in flames . . . it's very painful.''

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment a little bit about this resolution. It is quite personal because in my district, they burned down a church, a little church on Galveston Island. Pastor Booth to this day has not been able to rebuilds that church. He did not get much recognition, and he did not get much talked about because it was not fashionable at that point to talk about burning churches. But that church is still struggling to recoup from that terrible burning. Right now Pastor Booth has got the foundation laid, and he is trying to put up the sides of the church. They burnt that church down, that beautiful town of Galveston where the breezes come across and you see the sandy beaches and everything. But right there in that town in which you would think that there would be no hatred, there was hatred. They burnt down the church. For what reason? I do not know. But I ask Members that the people of America as they are watching this debate to pray and hold out their heart towards their saviour and their Christ that they may put an end to this burning, because this is not something that our country should have or should even have to be discussing. In fact, if anything, it is disgusting that we have to talk about this, and I tell my colleagues as a member of First Bethel Church of Houston, I have a deep, abiding faith, and I believe that out of this there will be good that will come of it because I believe the American people, whether Democrat or Republican, they are honest and courageous and have basic faith in principles, in American principles which unite us in this tragedy, and once again I would like to offer up a prayer to Pastor Booth as he rebuilds his church down there in Galveston.

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have a confidential file here that somehow ended up on my desk. I do not know where it came from or how it got here. The President came to Houston a little over a year ago and he had the courage to admit he raised the taxes too much. Mr. Speaker, he is coming again to Texas and Houston, June 21. It is my hope that he will have the courage to apologize for taking these files on individuals and bringing them back to his office. My fear, Mr. Speaker, is that there will be a lot less courage but maybe one day we will see some convictions.

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I would like to speak on behalf of the Weldon amendment. My dear friend and colleague who is in the district right next to mine, the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee], and I are very good friends and we try to work together and ensure, Mr. Chairman, that we have a safe and sound NASA. My dear friend and colleague from Texas made a statement that we are cutting funds from the safety program. I want to reiterate and clarify that we are not doing that. In fact, Mr. Chairman, I am a little bit concerned about the fact that when we offered this amendment to restore the money, the gentlewoman objected. I think what we are trying to do here is to make sure we have a balanced budget and we have a space station. Frankly, my belief is if we do not balance the budget and have a space station, then we will not have a space program. This is a reasonable accommodation on both viewpoints. What we have done is restructured it so that we can fully employ the people of NASA. Mr. Chairman, I have to speak from my heart because my wife currently works there, and I saw the pain and the suffering when our President of the United States cut Space Station Freedom. I went to a party in which they were saying good-bye to Space Station Freedom. And I more than anyone else want to see space station be completed. I want to see NASA whole again. And I have to tell you, Mr. Chairman, this amendment makes NASA whole again, and it protects the people. Mr. Chairman, we have a great concern for the integrity and the people down in our district. They are very hard-working people that have a vision, and that vision of America is a first-class space program. We look around the world, and, Mr. Chairman, as we are looking around the world, we see Japan and we see Russia. Everybody is going into space. But, Mr. Chairman, without this amendment, we are not going to have a space program, because we need to make sure we are responsible to our grandchildren and our children that the budget is balanced so that we can pay for the space program. Mr. Chairman, I come home at night and on weekends, and I meet my wife and she tells me of the passion and love with which people work at NASA. Mr. Chairman, you may not know this, but the engineers that work at NASA could go out in other sectors of this country and get more money, but they are doing it because they love NASA and they love this Nation. They are taking pay cuts. And they took RIF's. That is true. And we want to make sure that it is a sound financial planning. Let me say something to you, Mr. Chairman, when we sit around the table and we discuss our budget, we have to make decisions. We have a fixed income in what we get every time. And this amendment which the gentleman from Florida has offered is the same thing as American families do. They sit around the table and make those hard decisions. We are incorporating the money that was inadvertently taken out and put it back there to ensure the viability of the space program. And I know one day when I grow old and look back and look at my tenure here, Mr. Chairman, serving in this fine institution, I will know we did the right thing by supporting this amendment because what we are doing is we are looking out for the budget and we are looking out for the space program. And we are going to see a great and glorious space program. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman of the committee and also my chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Sensenbrenner, for coming down to the district and telling the folks firsthand just what it means to us in Congress that we are dedicated to restoring those funds. On behalf of the people in my district, Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the gentleman for the consideration of this amendment and also like to say that I give my full support for it, and I am also going to tell my wife that we fought for the people of Texas and also for the people of NASA.

Mr. STOCKMAN. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Chairman, I have only been here a few short months, but I already feel like I know the gentleman from Indiana like a brother. We voted on this so many times now that I am being called an old bull in the Committee on Science. This is something that we apparently do around here as a ritual, but let me tell my colleagues what this is really all about. When I was a child I looked at the TV and I watched us go up in Apollo to the Moon. I believed and saw and realized America was about something greater than I could ever imagine; that was America has a vision for the future. America is a country and a nation seeking out new places. We were founded by a man that had that vision, and we continued throughout, as we looked to the West to develop, to search and look for new solutions, and to go, as they say in ``Star Trek,'' boldly where no one else has ever gone. What we are saying here is if we eliminate space station, we eliminate the vision for America. We will not hear anybody coming up here and saying we will have a new solution. This is what we are going to do. Mr. Chairman, of all the money we spend in Government research, I submit this is the most important thing we do: Create new cures for illnesses and develop new processes to which we can feed the world. We are obligated. We do not have a choice in this. We have to build the space station, because up there in the skies are the solutions to here on Earth. Mr. Chairman, there is no other purpose for the United States in this greatest quest. Right now we look at the movies and the different things across the country and we know that Americans want a space station. We voted on this many times, and I submit to my friends that it is the wisest use of money. In fact, it has been researched that for every dollar we spend in space we get $7 back. That is not an expense, that is an investment. As an accountant, I look and see things differently, and if my wife and I have trouble with our budget, we do not say, ``Honey, let us cut the bonds''; ``Honey, let us cut the investment.'' No, we say let us cut the expense, but do not cut the investments. Space station is an investment in our future. It is an investment in the next generation for work. If we cut research and development, tomorrow's jobs will be in Japan and in Germany because they are continuing their space program. I submit we have to support this not for us, but for the next generation.

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor of H.R. 2723 and H.R. 1972.

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I just want to point out to the gentleman that from what I understand, the Capitol Police knew about the rally for 2 years, and the organizers were not notified until February. They got ahold of us soon thereafter. We were working on the legislation, so we expedited it as quickly as we were notified by the Capitol Police. But from our understanding, the Capitol Police knew about it for 2 years and they did not tell them they had this requirement until February. I agree with what some of what the Members said, in that we would try to obey the process. We will ask also, too, for the record, that the Capitol Police set out policies in advance that are known to the organizers.

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am really shocked. In fact, as you are in Texas right now, 7:15, filling out your taxes, you heard on the House floor tonight that it is radical to allow you to keep your money. Listen to what I am saying. They say it is radical for you to keep your money. Now, I do not know about you, but I find that a radical thought and a little bit shocking that you are so stupid that we need to take your money and bring it up here in Washington and make your State of Texas weaker and make us stronger. I believe in you. They obviously, on the other side, do not. They want to take more of your money. The gentleman from Ohio, very articulate gentleman, said that the unemployment rate in Europe is 12 percent, and so since they are doing what they are doing and the gentleman suggests we should follow them, then the logic says maybe we should make our unemployment rate 12 percent. Let me finish. point of order

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I think it is radical for them to deny you your money as you are going to file your income tax.

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I will address that through the Chair.

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have to tell you your money tonight is going to be spent by Washington, and, Mr. Speaker, I have to tell you that I am going to stand here in the well and say we are going to defend every American's right to keep their money regardless of the demagoguery and to me a very offensive rhetoric on the other side. We believe in the American people, and we think the money does not belong here in Washington but indeed it belongs in your pockets across America, and remember, 12 o'clock, when you are filing that check, they want more of it. Point of Order

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I raise in support of the motion and ask you insert this information into the Record. ``Fetal Death'' or Dangerous Deception? The Effects of Anesthesia During a Partial-Birth Abortion The claim that anesthesia given to a pregnant woman kills her fetus/baby before a partial-birth abortion is performed has ``absolutely no basis in scientific fact,'' according to Dr. Norig Ellison, the president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. It is ``crazy,'' says Dr. David Birnbach, the president-elect of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology. Despite such authoritative statements, this medical misinformation is still being disseminated. Here are a few examples: Abortion Advocates Kate Michelman of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) One of the leading proponents of the ``anesthesia myth' is Kate Michelman, president of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). For example, in an interview on ``Newsmakers,'' KMOX-AM in St. Louis on Nov. 2, 1995, Ms. Michelman said: The other side grossly distorted the procedure. There is no such thing as a `partial-birth'. That's that's a term made up by people like these anti-choice folks that you had on the radio. The fetus--I mean, it is a termination of the fetal life, there's no question about that. And the fetus, is, before the procedure begins, the anesthesia that they give the women already causes the demise of the fetus. That is, it is not true that they're born partially. That is a gross distortion, and it's really a disservice to the public to say this. Dr. Mary Campbell of Planned Parenthood Prior to the November 1, 1995, House vote on the bill, Planned Parenthood circulated to lawmakers a ``fact sheet'' titled, ``H.R. 1833, Medical Questions and Answers,'' which includes this statement: ``Q: When does the fetus die? ``A: The fetus dies of an overdose of anesthesia given to the mother intravenously. A dose is calculated for the mother's weight which is 50 to 100 times the weight of the fetus. The mother gets the anesthesia for each insertion of the dilators, twice a day. This induces brain death in a fetus in a matter of minutes. Fetal demise therefore occurs at the beginning of the procedure while the fetus is still in the womb.'' The Press the new york daily news The fetus is partially removed from the womb, its head collapsed and brain suctioned out so it will fit through the birth canal. The anesthesia given to the woman kills the fetus before the full procedure takes place. But you won't hear that from the anti-abortion extreme. It would have everybody believe the fetus is dragged alive from the womb of a woman just weeks away from birth. Not true. (Editorial, Dec. 15, 1995) usa today ``The fetus dies from an overdose of anesthesia given to its mother.'' the st. louis post-dispatch ``The fetus usually dies from the anesthesia administered to the mother before the procedure begins.'' (News story, Nov. 3, 1995) syndicated columnist ellen goodman Syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman wrote in mid-November that, if one relied on statements by supporters of the bill, ``You wouldn't even know that anesthesia ends the life of such a fetus before it comes down the birth canal.'' The Truth ``Medical experts contend the claim is scientifically unsound and irresponsible, unnecessarily worrying pregnant women who need anesthesia.'' (American Medical News, January 1, 1996) ``[A]nesthesia does not kill an infant if you don't kill the mother.'' (Dr. David Birnbach quoted in American Medical News, January 1, 1996) ``I am deeply concerned, moreover, that widespread publicity . . . may cause pregnant women to delay necessary and perhaps life-saving medical procedures, totally unrelated to the birthing process, due to misinformation regarding the effect of anesthetics on the fetus.'' (Dr. Norig Elisson, Nov. 17, 1995, testimony before Senate Judiciary Committee) ``Drugs administered to the mother, either local anesthesia administered in the paracervical area or sedatives/analgesics administered intramuscularly or intravenously, will provide no-to-little analgesia [relief from pain] to the fetus.'' (Dr. Norig Ellison, November 22, 1995, letter to Senate Judiciary Committee) Statement of Norig Ellison, M.D., President, American Society of Anesthesiologists Chairman Canady, members of the Subcommittee. My name is Norig Ellison, M.D., I am the President of the American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA], a national professional society consisting of over 34,000 anesthesiologists and other scientists engaged or specially interested in the medical practice of anesthesiology. I am also Professor and Vice- Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia and a staff anesthesiologists at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. I appear here today for one purpose, and one purpose only; to take issue with the testimony of James T. McMahon, M.D., before this Subcommittee last June. According to his written testimony, of which I have a copy, Dr. McMahon stated that anesthesia given to the mother as part of dilation and extraction abortion procedure eliminates any pain to the fetus and that a medical coma is induced in the fetus, causing a ``neurological fetal demise'', or--in lay terms-- ``brain death''. I believe this statement to be entirely inaccurate. I am deeply concerned, moreover, that the widespread publicity given to Dr. McMahon's testimony may cause pregnant women to delay necessary, even lifesaving, medical procedures, totally unrelated to the birthing process, due to misinformation regarding the effect of anesthetics on the fetus. Annually over 50,000 pregnant women are anesthetized for such necessary procedures. Although it is certainly true that some general analgesic medications given to the mother will reach the fetus and perhaps provide some pain relief, it is equally true that pregnant women are routinely heavily sedated during the second or third trimester for the performance of a variety of necessary surgical procedures with absolutely no adverse effect on the fetus, let alone death or ``brain death''. In my medical judgment, it would be necssary--in order to achieve ``neurological demise'' of the fetus in a ``partial birth'' abortion--to anesthetize the mother to such a degree as to place her own health in serious jeopardy. As you are aware, Mr. Chairman, I gave the same testimony to a Senate committee 4 months ago. That testimony received wide circulation in anesthesiology circles and to a lesser extent in the lay press. You may be interested in the fact that since my appearance, not one single anesthesiologist or other physician has contacted me to dispute my stated conclusions. Indeed, two eminent obstetric anesthesiologists appear with me today, testifying on their own behalf and not as ASA representatives. I am pleased to note that their testimony reaches the same conclusions that I have expressed. Thank you for your attention. I am happy to respond to your questions.

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, March 12, I was unavoidably detained from the House floor due to the Texas primaries. Had I been present, I would have voted on the following bills: On rollcall vote No. 56, ``aye''; on rollcall vote No. 57, ``aye''; on rollcall vote No. 58, ``aye''; and on rollcall vote No. 59, ``aye.''

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for allowing me this opportunity to speak on behalf of what, in my personal life, has meant more to me than anything else, and that is my faith. As I was growing up and watching throughout my history, I watched Rev. Billy Graham as he portrayed what I think was good in everything in life. And now as we get older and we look and reflect upon our lives, today I have to tell you I still reflect upon Billy Graham. Billy Graham has meant a lot to me personally in influencing my life and my goals, and I cannot think of anybody better that we dedicate this medal to than to Dr. Graham and his wife Ruth. With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that I think this one man has meant more to more people than anyone else in the world. As he goes and travels, he is respected by leaders and government officials and that without Mr. Graham, we would not have, I think, some of the moral principles that we have in this Nation today.

Mr. STOCKMAN

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, we just had a town hall meeting. We had several town hall meetings. I thought after reading the papers, I stated believing, Mr. Speaker, some of those issues and wrongly so. Some of those issues are, we are doing the wrong thing, we are going in the wrong direction. But, Mr. Speaker, let me say something. I went to those town hall meetings. The chairman, the former chairman of the Democrat Party, the country judge there stood up and he said, sir, I have been a Democrat all my life and I stand behind what you are doing; not because it is Republican, not because it is Democrat, because it is the right thing to do. I was amazed as people came forward that knew and understood what we were doing and the knowledge that they had. They said to me, please continue what you are doing, do not stop. Quite frankly, I was astounded. I came away from that wondering whether the people that act as our fourth estate really comprehend that the rebellion that took place was at the grassroots level. Mr. Speaker, we had $1.2 million spent against us, $1.2 million. That is a lot of money. He was going to be the dean of the U.S. House, the dean of the House. Everything was going great. He had been here 42 years, 42 years. You would think that everything, the world was wrapped around his finger; but the people spoke, and the people felt their power for the first time in 42 years and stood up and said, we want change. When change came, they were standing next to me and saying, keep it up, that is what we voted for. But our friends from the fourth estate say, no, no, no, no. We are losing our grip, we are losing what we fought for, what we got for 40 years. Socialism is slipping away, and we hear those cries back in our district, no, it is not what we want, [[Page H 11816]] socialism. We want you to stay the course. I know one thing, we are not going to punt. We are not going to punt. We are going to do exactly what this says. Our good friend, the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. Largent], freshman, signed it. I said, do not drop the ball. Pass the budget. I cannot think, Mr. Speaker, of a greater gift for Christmas than to give our children and our grandchildren a balanced budget. I know that, as you know, we are going to stay the course. We are going to give the best Christmas present of all, a balanced budget.

Mr. STOCKMAN. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield, trying to grasp $1 trillion, think about it, I am trying to grasp $1 trillion. I asked an economics individual one time, I said, how much is $1 trillion? He said $1 trillion was $1 bills laid on top of each other like this going from the Earth to the Moon and back again. That is $1 trillion. Think about that. What kind of a legacy are we leaving? We are talking $5 trillion, five trips to the Moon and back, and yet we are so addicted to spending that we cannot stop. Mr. Speaker, as I was running, somebody said, we had a great hurricane in 1900, in fact, the largest disaster in the United States to this day. Wiped out the whole town of Galveston, killing thousands of people. They built a seawall and on the other part of the seawall, the gentleman said, Steve, he said, we need a seawall. Can you get us Federal dollars? We know that your opponent will get us Federal dollars to build a seawall. I said, I cannot do that. I said, if you want a seawall, you maybe should vote for my opponent. Because see, if I promise you that, I am not spending your money, I am not spending your child's money or even your grandchild's money. I am spending your great-grandchild's money to buy your vote, and I, for one, cannot look in the mirror and say I bought your vote with your great-grandchild's money. That would be morally wrong. So I suggest if you want a future for your great-grandchildren, vote for me. But if you want a lousy bridge or road, vote for my opponent. I suggest to you, future is better, because we owe it to our great-grandchildren to do better and we will do better--$5 trillion.

Mr. STOCKMAN. If the gentleman will yield quickly, I just wanted to point something out. Do you know that if you had one dollar and you wanted to help somebody, and as you may know in this body I was homeless, and you wanted to give it to some organization and you wanted it to be the most effective dollar you could use, you could give that dollar to the Federal Government or you could give it to Red Cross or some private charity, or your church or your synagogue, do you know that the Federal Government takes 80 cents to 90 cents to give to a bureaucrat and only gives 20 cents to the poor? It is the exact opposite in private enterprise. Is that compassion, is that true compassion to give $1 to the Federal Government seeing 89 cents of it wasting and only 10 cents or 20 cents ending up with the poor? [[Page H 11819]]

Mr. STOCKMAN. My wife would like that kind of cuts in her own private life.