Mimi Walters

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Kenneth George Massrey, a dear friend who passed away on Sunday, October 25, 2015, at the age of 66. Ken was a loving husband, father, brother and grandfather. He lived in San Juan Capistrano, California, where he was a successful entrepreneur, an avid sports fan, and a generous contributor to charity. The oldest of five children, Ken was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, and, at the age of six, his family moved to California. Ken received a scholarship to UCLA, where he was a catcher for the Bruins baseball team. He later graduated from Cal State Long Beach. His professional career began at a California video security products firm, and in 1989, Ken launched his own company in Irvine, California, where he served as CEO for 26 years. Ken is survived by his wife, Barbara; his daughters, Katie and Chrissie; his grandson, Griffin; his son-in-law, Ryan Downey; and his four siblings. I am honored to have had the privilege of calling Ken a friend. I have very fond memories of our political discussions, and they were dynamic. He will be deeply missed by all those who knew him, and his memory will live on.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 22. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have had the pleasure of working with Chairman Shuster to put forth a fiscally responsible, long-term bill that will fund our Nation's transportation and infrastructure needs. This bill includes provisions which would make our highway system more efficient, direct more power and flexibility to States and local governments, cut through bureaucratic red tape, and maintain a strong commitment to safety. The importance of our surface transportation system cannot be overstated. It is an integral part of our economic engine, and it is vital to our Nation's movement of goods. In fact, a significant number of consumer goods move through my congressional district, which provides transportation connectivity between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and other cities throughout the region. This bill will ensure the safe and efficient movement of freight throughout southern California and the rest of the country. I am pleased to stand before you today in support of this bill, which will ultimately improve the overall quality of life for all Americans.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 702, legislation that would lift the 40-year-old ban on U.S. oil exports. In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed the ban into law in response to gasoline shortages and the Arab oil embargo. While the ban served a purpose nearly 40 years ago, much has changed since that time. Today we need an energy policy that aligns with our current economic and political climate. The United States is the largest petroleum and natural gas producer in the world. Our self-imposed export ban doesn't make sense and does nothing but hinder economic growth. If the ban is lifted this year, over 57,000 new supply chain jobs would be created in my home State of California by 2018, and nationwide nearly 450,000 new jobs would be created. Having the option to put U.S. crude oil on the world market would benefit Americans. Lifting the ban would create jobs, strengthen the U.S. economy, and help reduce our trade deficit. It would also provide the international marketplace with more options, in turn, limiting the ability of energy commodities to be used as political weapons. It is important to note that this bill doesn't require the U.S. to export crude oil. It simply provides the option needed for barrels to be used in the areas where they are needed most. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 461. This resolution would create a select panel to investigate a number of claims related to Planned Parenthood's activities involving abortion and fetal tissue procurement. Like many Americans, I was horrified by the recent videos which depicted Planned Parenthood employees callously discussing the trafficking and sale of aborted babies' tissues and organs. As a mother of four, I know that nothing is more sacred than the gift of human life, and any organization that puts a price on unborn children must be held accountable. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, I am actively involved in the House investigation examining the atrocities committed by Planned Parenthood. While we are continuing to gather information and determine the exact nature of the organization's actions, one thing is certain. These practices represent a blatant disregard for innocent life, and they must be stopped. By establishing a select panel, we can ensure that we have the proper tools and time needed to uncover the truth, bring accountability to the organization, and justice to the most innocent among us.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. I urge my colleagues to support this measure and to stand with me in the fight to defend innocent human life.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following proclamation: Whereas: September 17, 2015, marks the two hundred twenty-eighth anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Conventions; and Whereas: It is fitting and proper to accord official recognition to this magnificent document and its memorable anniversary; and to the patriotic celebrations which will commemorate the occasion; and Whereas: Public Law 915 guarantees the issuing of a proclamation each year by the President of the United States of America designating September 17 through 23 as Constitution Week; Now, therefore, I, Mimi Walters, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Representative of the 45th Congressional District of the State of California do hereby recognize the week of September 17 through 23 as Constitution Week; And ask our citizens to reaffirm the ideals the Framers of the Constitution had in 1787 by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us through this guardian of our liberties, remembering that lost rights may never be regained.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of Dr. Vicki Ruiz, a distinguished professor of history and Chicano/ Latino studies at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Ruiz is also the president of the American Historical Association, and was most recently named a recipient of the 2014 National Humanities Medal. The National Humanities Medal is awarded to those who have deepened the country's understanding of humanities and broadened citizens' engagement with history, literature, languages, and philosophy. This afternoon, Dr. Ruiz will be one of only 10 honorees from top universities to receive this prestigious award from President Obama. In fact, Dr. Ruiz is the first faculty member of UCI to receive the National Humanities Medal. As the first in her family to earn an advanced degree, Dr. Ruiz began her work at UCI in 2001. In 2008, she was named Dean of Humanities, and currently chairs the Department of Chicano/Latino Studies in the School of Social Sciences. Please join me in recognizing Dr. Ruiz as she receives this prestigious award today at the White House.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in firm opposition to the Iran nuclear deal. This deal represents a direct threat to the United States, Israel, and the world. Recently, I visited Israel and met with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Prime Minister Netanyahu was firm in his warning--this is a very bad deal, and it could result in grave consequences for the world. First, this deal allows Iran to continue to enrich uranium that can be used to develop a nuclear weapon. Second, this deal abandons the President's promise of anytime, anywhere inspections to a process that allows Iran to delay up to 24 days. Third, this agreement would result in the comprehensive lifting of the economic sanctions that have stifled Iran's quest for a nuclear weapon. Bottom line, this deal presents far too many risks for the U.S. and far too many rewards for Iran. When the Ayatollah chants ``death to America,'' he means it, and that should cause serious concern in every American citizen. It is time for America to wake up and understand the danger and threat this deal presents to our national security.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Chairman, this year marks California's fourth consecutive year of the drought. In California alone, over 37 million people are impacted by the drought. The economic cost of the drought is expected to be nearly $3 billion, and almost 19,000 agriculture-related jobs will be lost as a result. Our current drought is not the result of a lack of rain. It is the result of failed policies that have mismanaged critical water resources throughout the West. My colleagues and I in the House come before you today with a solution: the Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015. This vital bill will modernize our water infrastructure into the 21st century and will ensure that California is well equipped to handle future drought crises. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and to stand with me as we work to provide Californians with the water resources they need.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the 21st Century Cures Act. This bill is a bold proposal that would accelerate our scientists' ability to develop lifesaving cures. Our need for action is now. Currently, more than 10,000 known diseases exist in the world; however, we only have treatments for approximately 500. In my district of southern California, 4-year-old Callan Mullins was born with a severe congenital heart defect. He has undergone four open heart surgeries, suffered numerous strokes, been diagnosed with cerebral palsy; and at the age of 3, doctors delivered the heartbreaking news that he had a brain tumor. Callan is a fighter and a survivor, but his parents are still seeking answers and medical breakthroughs to ensure that he can live life to its fullest. The Cures Act would offer hope to the millions of Americans like Callan battling devastating illnesses. I thank Chairman Fred Upton for his tireless work on this bill. I urge my colleagues to stand with me as we pave the way for lifesaving treatments and cures.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2042, the Ratepayer Protection Act. This bill would protect States and families from EPA regulatory overreach and significant spikes in electricity costs. Last June, the EPA proposed a rule for existing power plants known as the clean power plan. This rule would mandate new carbon reduction goals for each State, effectively changing the way electricity is generated, distributed, and consumed in the United States. The economic impact of this rule is very troubling. It could mean increased electricity costs and reduced reliability for consumers. In fact, under the clean power plan, electricity rates would increase by an average of 15 percent in a majority of States. This bill would protect ratepayers and exempt States from complying with the rule until all judicial reviews are complete. It would also allow Governors to opt out of compliance with the rule if there would be a significant impact on states' ratepayers. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan, commonsense bill.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. Mr. Speaker, we have spent considerable time debating the merits of TPA in this body. I want to bring us back to the fundamentals of this debate. I want to talk about why trade is so important to our economy, why trade is a conservative cause, and why trade is so vital to our Nation. Simply put, free trade empowers the individual to make decisions in his or her best interest without undue government influence. Look around at your house or at your car. Without question, there are imported products. Free trade allows you, as an individual, to make the best economic choice for your family. When economic enterprise is free from unnecessary government interference and all enterprise is treated equally, the most competitive actors will rise to the top. That means higher quality products and lower prices, which translates to improved standards of living and economic growth. Opponents of free trade will say we need protectionist measures to maintain certain industries, but that is a flawed argument. Protectionist measures may benefit a few in select industries, but ultimately protectionism is more harmful to the Nation's economic health. Protected industries become inefficient. Consumers are denied choice, and American businesses face retaliatory trade measures overseas. Bottom line, protectionism is an abandonment of the free market in favor of government intervention. I believe that when American businesses and entrepreneurs are placed on an equal playing field, when we eliminate tariffs and protectionist barriers at home and abroad, American businesses can compete and win against any of their foreign competitors. The famed economist Milton Friedman said: Free trade ultimately forces competitors to put up or shut up. Mr. Speaker, let us set the table for free trade. Let us pass TPA. I know American businesses will put up. General Leave

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, on roll call no. 364 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye''.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of trade promotion authority, or TPA, and I would like to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin, Paul Ryan, for his leadership on this issue. TPA, not to be confused with TPP, would put Congress in the driver's seat when it comes to negotiating trade agreements. It would ensure the President is held accountable to Congress and the American people in negotiating all trade deals. TPA, a public document which I have read and is available for the American people to read--in fact, it is right here--would require the President to make public any free trade agreement before it comes to Congress for a vote. Trade is a vital part of our economy. One in five jobs is supported by trade, and 4.7 million jobs depend on trade in California. Right now, American companies cannot compete on a level playing field. Trade barriers make it difficult for the U.S. to sell their goods to the 95 percent of consumers that live overseas. Free trade agreements would eliminate these barriers and put in place fair and strong rules for U.S. companies to compete and win. Furthermore, if Congress fails to pass TPA and set the rules of the global economy, China will. We simply cannot cede our role as the global leader in the 21st century. I urge my colleagues in the House and the American people to rally behind TPA.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, today I wish to honor and celebrate Carl St. Clair's 25th Anniversary as the Music Director at Orange County's Pacific Symphony. Under Carl St. Clair's brilliant leadership, Pacific Symphony has become the largest professional symphony orchestra formed in the past fifty years. Through St. Clair's outstanding vision, sensitivity, and dynamic leadership, Pacific Symphony has developed programming that has bridged different cultures, engaged creative voices, and opened the door of great music for all. St. Clair's artistic vision and standards have generated enthusiastic audiences locally and internationally. In 2006, he led the Symphony on its first European tour--nine cities in three countries playing before capacity houses and receiving extraordinary reviews. His commitment to new music has been demonstrated locally and admired nationally. The Pacific Symphony's American Composers' Festival has celebrated leading composers annually for fifteen years; the Symphony has won two ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, and has released eleven recordings--primarily the music of American composers. St. Clair has produced numerous thematic festivals and fostered the return of professional opera to Orange County. He has also developed continuing programmatic relationships with a number of local universities, including USC, Chapman University, and UC-Irvine. St. Clair is actively involved in both the conception and implementation of Pacific Symphony's education and outreach programs. The orchestra produces more than twenty distinct education and outreach programs--several garnered national attention and are widely replicated. Maestro St. Clair has proclaimed that ``Music is a birthright,'' and has supported that vision with complementary activities that are accessible to the entire community. Through HEARTSTRINGS, the Symphony provides music to more than twenty different agencies that range from homeless shelters and after school youth-mentoring clubs to the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Age Well Senior Services. This is accomplished through individual and small group visits to agency sites as well as providing available tickets for major performances. In total, forty-four percent of the Pacific Symphony's annual audiences heard the orchestra at no cost last season. Finally, in perhaps the greatest salute to Maestro St. Clair's musical leadership, fully one- third of Pacific Symphony musicians (37 in number) have tenures with the orchestra that equal or exceed his twenty-five years. From the highest artistic standards to the breadth of community outreach and service, Carl St. Clair is a vital part of the distinctive quality of life we enjoy in Orange County and Southern California. I thank him for his leadership and for enriching the lives of children and adults throughout the Southern California region, the nation, and the world.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, as we approach Memorial Day, I wish to recognize our servicemembers who have so bravely answered the call to defend our great Nation. As the daughter of a U.S. Marine, I am eternally grateful for the service and sacrifice our troops make, all in the name of freedom. Today, I wish to pay a special tribute to a hero that I have the honor of representing in Congress, Corporal Fred Whitaker, Sr. Corporal Whitaker, a World War II veteran, proudly served our Nation in the combat infantry from 1943 to 1946. He participated in several campaigns, including Saar, Rhineland, Central Europe, and the historic Battle of the Bulge. Corporal Whitaker received numerous awards for his honorable service, including the Distinguished Unit Citation, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the European Theater Medal with four battle stars, and a World War II Victory Medal. I thank him for his sacrifice to our Nation and for the sacrifice all military personnel make to keep our country safe and free. We are forever indebted to this true hero of the Greatest Generation.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2048, the USA FREEDOM Act, of which I am proud to be an original cosponsor. This vital bill will reform our Nation's intelligence-gathering programs to end the bulk collection of data, strengthen Americans' civil liberties, and protect our homeland from those who wish to do us harm. In passing this legislation, we can provide officials with the tools they need to combat terrorist groups, such as ISIL, by closing a current loophole that requires the government to stop tracking foreign terrorists upon their entering the United States. This bill will also provide for the robust oversight of our intelligence agencies by requiring additional reporting standards on how FISA authorities are employed. Furthermore, H.R. 2048 will prevent government overreach and will increase privacy protections by ending the large-scale, indiscriminate collection of data, which includes all records from an entire State, city, or ZIP Code. With section 215 of the PATRIOT Act set to expire soon, it is vital that Congress acts quickly to pass this bipartisan bill so that we can keep our country safe and so that we can work to restore the trust of the American people.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 36, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. This bill will protect women and children by establishing Federal legal protections from unborn babies of 20 weeks. Substantial evidence has shown that children at 20 weeks, or the fifth month of pregnancy, have the capacity to feel pain and, due to modern medicine, are increasingly likely to survive a premature birth. Furthermore, this bill protects the health of mothers when they are at their most vulnerable state. At 20 weeks, a woman is 35 times more likely to die from abortion than she would in the first trimester. After 21 weeks, that risk of death for the mother increases almost one hundredfold. It is fitting that this bill comes before the House floor on National Women's Health Week, a weeklong observance led by the U.S. Department of Health encouraging women to prioritize their health. I am pleased to stand in support of this piece of women's health legislation today. This bill will empower women in their healthcare provisions and protect the lives of the innocent unborn.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Chairman, there is something terribly wrong when the Federal Government is attempting to regulate our Nation's puddles, streams, and ditches. The proposed rule that the Obama administration issued last year would, unfortunately, give the EPA the power to do just that. This rule would redefine the Waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act and significantly increase the Federal Government's jurisdiction over waters never intended for regulation. The blatant power grab and regulatory overreach would not only dismantle a longstanding partnership between the States and the Federal Government, but it would also threaten American jobs, increase the costs of doing business, and heighten the likelihood of costly lawsuits. The Regulatory Integrity Protection Act, of which I am proud to be an original cosponsor, would require the Obama administration to withdraw its proposed rule and replace it with one that considers stakeholders' input and maintains the State-Federal partnership to regulate our waters. I urge my colleagues to support this vital bill.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name from H.R. 707.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, the recent passing of Dr. Jun Chino has left many in his southern California community with heavy hearts, including my family and myself, who were blessed to have had a close personal relationship with him. Dr. Chino was the eldest son in a farming family who were moved from an internment camp during World War II, losing their land in the process. Despite their difficult financial circumstances in the post-war years, Jun managed to obtain a pre-med degree at Stanford and go on to graduate from the university's medical school. Following residency at Los Angeles County USC General Hospital, and having achieved board certification as an orthopedic surgeon, he practiced for 52 years in Orange County. He served in leadership positions on countless medical organizations and was esteemed by his peers for his skills and for dedicating himself to staying on the cutting edge of developments in his field. Dr. Chino is survived by his wife, Kazuko, and his daughter, Lisa. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, which is a bill to repeal and replace the sustainable growth rate. This bill presents an historic opportunity for Congress to end the doc fix and comprehensively reform the Medicare physician payment system once and for all. SGR has been broken for over a decade, and Congress has passed a temporary patch for this law 17 times. The price of putting off a permanent fix has cost the taxpayers almost $170 billion and has masked the insolvency of Medicare. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Mr. Burgess' legislation to repeal SGR would save $900 million over the next decade, compared to freezing payment rates for physician services. After a decade of Congress patching the flawed SGR formula, it is finally time to permanently repeal and replace the system once and for all. I urge my colleagues in the House and in the Senate to pass this bill and finally fix the doc fix.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the House Republican fiscal year 2016 budget resolution, A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America. At a time when our Nation is grappling with over $18 trillion in national debt and an uncertain economic future, now more than ever Washington must learn to live within its means. Washington's spending problem is one that cannot be taken lightly. According to former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, the ``single, biggest threat to our national security'' is our national debt. House Republicans are working to confront this issue head on. In our budget proposal, we seek to tackle Washington's spending addiction by reducing Federal spending by $5.5 trillion and balancing the Federal budget in less than 10 years. This is a sharp contrast to President Obama's budget, which never balances, ever, despite the President's continued insistence on raising taxes. Our budget aims to strengthen vital programs like Medicare and Social Security in a fiscally responsible way so that we can fulfill the promises we have made to our Nation's seniors. One of the Federal Government's top priorities is providing a strong national defense. This budget boosts defense spending above the President's levels so we can ensure a strong, safe, and secure Nation. Furthermore, our proposal repeals ObamaCare in full, including the law's taxes, regulations, and mandates that are crippling hard-working Americans and small businesses nationwide. We also empower patients by repealing the President's Independent Payment Advisory Board, an unelected, unaccountable board of bureaucrats charged with making patient's health care decisions. The Republican budget is a positive step forward for our Nation. It seeks to address our Nation's debt crisis while also supporting the programs that are critical to our national and economic security. I urge my colleagues to support this budget resolution.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, today I wish to recognize NuVision Federal Credit Union, a financial institution based in Orange County, California, for 80 years of outstanding service to their members and for their organization's philanthropic support of the communities in which they operate. I would also like to recognize Roger Ballard, who has provided exemplary leadership as Chief Executive Officer of NuVision Federal Credit Union since 2004. NuVision Federal Credit Union is one of Southern California's leading credit unions with over $1.3 billion in assets and 87,000 members. Headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, NuVision Federal Credit Union was founded in 1935 to serve employees of Douglas Aircraft Company. Additions to the NuVision family have resulted in a diverse group of sponsor companies in their field of membership in industries including aerospace, utilities, municipal, retail, automotive, housing, engineering, and healthcare. NuVision continues to serve aerospace employees from Boeing, employees of Sempra Energy/The Gas Company, and employees of Tesoro. NuVision Federal Credit Union has been very active in giving back to the communities they serve. In fact, NuVision Federal Credit Union employees and members have donated over $75,000 since 2010 to support the Children's Hospitals of Orange County and Los Angeles, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The credit union also participates in numerous philanthropic activities every year such as adopting military families for the holidays, sponsoring toy drives in their branches for Toys for Tots, providing backpacks and school supplies for underprivileged children, and raising money for the victims of natural disasters. As a not-for-profit financial cooperative, NuVision remains proudly owned by the members it serves. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the members and employees of NuVision Federal Credit Union for their strong history of success in the community, and I wish them the best in their future endeavors.

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California

Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following article by Williamson M. Evers, published online on January 13, 2015. One of the most influential books in social science in the last 50 years is economist Albert O. Hirschman's Exit, Voice, and Loyalty. In this pivotal 1970 book, Hirschman discusses how individuals react when services they rely on deteriorate. The basic responses available to us are ``exit'' and ``voice,'' Hirschman points out, where exit means turning to a different provider or leaving the area, and voice means political participation. We tend to think of these responses as stark alternatives. Hirschman, as a social scientist, wanted us to consider the interplay between them. Exit usually has lower costs than voice for the individual. With exit, you can avoid the long slog of politics and simply turn to someone else or move somewhere else. But there is a limiting case: Exit can have high costs when individuals are loyal to institutions--thus the third component in Hirschman's trio of exit, voice, and loyalty. In the 1830s, when Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States, he found Americans intensely loyal to their local schools. Americans saw schools as extensions of their families and neighborhoods. They viewed public schools as akin to voluntarily supported charities and as part of what social scientists today call civil society. Tocqueville described township school committees that were deeply rooted in their local communities. State control of local public education took the form of an annual report sent by the township committee to the state capital. There was no national control. Today, Americans retain much of the sentiment about local schools they had in Tocqueville's day. But, increasingly, parents and taxpayers view the public schools as an unresponsive bureaucracy carrying out edicts from distant capitals. Today, we are dealing with a deteriorating situation in a declining institution, namely widespread ineffective instruction in the public schools. The Common Core State Standards have come to the fore precisely at a time when civically active individuals care much more than they usually do about exit, voice, and loyalty. But the common core has denied voice and tried to block exit. The common core's designers have taken the existing bureaucracy and increased its centralization and uniformity. By creating the common-core content standards behind closed doors, the authors increased the alienation of the public from schools as institutions worthy of loyalty. The general public had no voice in creating or adopting the common core. The other approach in times of a deteriorating public service is offering better exit options. But the common core's proponents have created an almost inescapable national cartel. There has long been a monopoly problem in public education, which was why economist Milton Friedman called for opportunity scholarships (also known as vouchers) to create a powerful exit option. But even in the absence of opportunity scholarships and charter schools, we had some exit options in the past because of competitive federalism, meaning horizontal competition among jurisdictions. Economist Caroline Hoxby studied metropolitan areas with many school districts (like Boston) and metropolitan areas contained within one large district (like Miami or Los Angeles). She found that student performance is better in areas with competing multiple districts, where parents at the same income level can move to another locality, in search of a better education. We have also seen competitive federalism work in education at the interstate level. Back in the 1950s, education in Mississippi and North Carolina performed at the same low level. North Carolina tried a number of educational experiments and moved ahead of Mississippi. Likewise, Massachusetts moved up over the years from mediocre to stellar. The common core's promoters are endeavoring to suppress competitive federalism. The common core's rules and its curriculum guidance are the governing rules of a cartel. The common core's promoters and their federal facilitators wanted a cartel that would override competitive federalism and shut down the curriculum alternatives that federalism would allow. The new common-core-aligned tests, whose development was supported with federal funds, function to police the cartel. All long-lasting cartels must have a mechanism for policing and punishing those seen as shirkers and chiselers, or, in other words, those who want to escape the cartel's strictures or who want increased flexibility so they can succeed. The new leadership of the College Board by David Coleman, one of the common core's chief architects, is being used to corral Catholic schools, other private schools, and home- schooling parents into the cartel. The proponents of the common core have now established a clearinghouse for authorized teaching materials to try to close off any remaining possible avenue of escaping the cartel. What was the rationale for the common core? The name given to the Obama administration's signature school reform effort, the Race to the Top program, promotes the idea that the federal government needs to step in and lead a race. Central to this rhetoric is the idea that state performance standards were already on a downward slide and that, without nationalization, standards would inexorably continue on a ``race to the bottom.'' I would disagree. While providers of public education certainly face the temptation to do what might look like taking the easy way out by letting academic standards decline, there is also countervailing pressure in the direction of higher standards. If state policymakers and education officials let content standards slip, low standards will damage a state's reputation for having a trained workforce. Such a drop in standards will even damage the policymakers' own reputations. In 2007, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute looked empirically at state performance standards over time in a study called ``The Proficiency Illusion.'' The study showed that, while states had a variety of performance standards (as would be expected in a federal system), the supposed ``race to the bottom'' was not happening. The proponents of the common core are wrong in their claims that state performance standards were inevitably on a downward slide. The common core, in fact, provided relief from competitive pressure from other states. Sonny Perdue, the governor of Georgia at the time that the common core was created (the initiative was launched in 2009, and the standards were released in 2010), did not like it when the low-performing students of his state were compared with students in other states with standards different from Georgia's. He became the lead governor in bringing the National Governors Association into the national standards effort. Nationalizing standards and tests eliminated them as differentiated school reform instruments that could be used by states in competition over educational attainment among the states. The common core undermines citizens' exit option and competitive federalism. It was designed to do so. It likewise evades and negates the voice option. But the makers of this malign utopia have forgotten a few things. They forgot that the desire for a voice, the desire for political action, can become particularly intense when people are faced with the prospect of nowhere to exit to. They forgot that hemming in parents and teachers would create a demand for alternatives and escape routes. Alternatives to the national common-core-aligned tests have arisen. States are dropping these national tests. States are also struggling to escape the common-core cartel itself. Parents are opting out of common-core testing. By trying to block exit and voice, the designers and proponents of the Common Core State Standards have caused blowback: A large parent-, teacher-, and community-based movement has arisen to oppose the common core and its national tests.