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House Proceeding 02-13-09 on Feb 13th, 2009 :: 0:33:00 to 0:52:25
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Frank Jr.Pallone

0:29:35 to 0:34:05( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Frank Jr.Pallone

Frank Jr.Pallone

0:32:53 to 0:33:14( Edit History Discussion )

Frank Jr.Pallone: thousands purged in darfur. yet a turkish organization is investigating genocide in israel what a hypocrisy. while the international community works to contain al bashir's government, turkey embraces it. both governments have a long

Frank Jr.Pallone

0:33:15 to 0:33:36( Edit History Discussion )

Frank Jr.Pallone: history of genocide denial. the republic o 25 years to recognize the -- 90 years to recognize the armenian genocide that happened in 1915. it left 1.5 million armenians tortured and displaced yet

Frank Jr.Pallone

0:33:37 to 0:33:57( Edit History Discussion )

Frank Jr.Pallone: turkey can'ts to deny the slaughter of armenians, instead launching an absurd investigation into israel. if turkey and its n.g.o.'s want to take a stand against genocide they should not point the finger at israel. nor should they be threatening israel with comments like this he said that al la will sooner

Frank Jr.Pallone

0:33:58 to 0:34:06( Edit History Discussion )

Frank Jr.Pallone: or later punish those who transgress the rights of innocents. if turkey wants to move closer to the west, it should practice

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:34:07 to 0:34:27( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: it on its own history and help to end the genocide in darfur. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: mr. mccotter from michigan. the speaker recognizes you for five minutes.

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:34:28 to 0:34:49( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: mr. mccotter: i know the chamber is empty, the voting is over, but as regards the stimulus bill in front of us today, i had a request from greg who lives in milford, in my district, if i could read a part of his letter to me regarding that bill. dear congressman mccotter, i spoke with you on friday

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:34:50 to 0:35:10( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: morning. i couldn't get out everything i wanted to say because of my frustration. i would love to talk before congress and the senate, i would like to talk to them about the deplorable, reprehensible and egregious waste they are considering with our tax dollars. i'm sorry this is long. but i want them to see what i see. and i want to ask them a few

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:35:11 to 0:35:33( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: questions. you see, i just lost my job. a company i worked for is eliminating 700 sales positions nationwide. about 15 will be affected in michigan. i would like to ask the congress and senate if they know what it's like to sit at the dinner table and tell your 11-year-old daughter that she can't get a school yearbook because we need

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:35:34 to 0:35:54( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: the money to buy groceries. do they know what it's like to see the tears in your wife's eyes when you tell her the conference call you were just on eliminated your position? do they know what it feels like to tell your father-in-law that the daughter i married and promised to provide for, that you just lost your job? do they know what it feels like to return the shirt you just

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:35:55 to 0:36:16( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: bought for work on clearance because you really needed new shirts and now you don't even have a job? do they know that when i told my 7-year-old son we had just had to make cuts and he responded, can we still have our doughnut on sunday morning before church, that's all he said he wanted, i had to tell him we'd try our best?

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:36:17 to 0:36:38( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: do they know we've made sacrifices but you haven't? do they know what it's like to speak with someone who was in tears over losing their job because they think they'll lose their house? how about the always upbeat guy who sounded depressed that he could lose his house because he had just lost his job? do they know what it's like to have another co-worker lose

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:36:39 to 0:37:00( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: their job and they're worried that their spouse's job could be next? do they now how fearful it is to turn your heat down to 59 degrees at night and 65 during the day? do they know about the guy i just met whose entire company just took 20% pay cuts so they wouldn't have to lay off employees? congressman mccotter, why

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:37:01 to 0:37:21( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: doesn't the senate have the guts to reject the pork barrel spending provisions of this bill and start over? why doesn't everybody out there get off their ivory tower, pet projects, put them behd them and do what we need you to do? and gregg finished, the wteful spending they are considering is unconscionable to me. what jobs in the u.s. does that

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:37:22 to 0:37:42( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: create? earlier today we heard the speaker ask members of this body to rember the people at home and feel their hand upon theirs as they cast their vote upon this bill. i did not need to feel that hand upon mine. i felt their pain in my heart because i saw it every day in our michigan neighborhood, our michigan community.

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:37:43 to 0:38:04( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: and the reality was that the bill before us is a trillion mistake that will harm working families like gregg's, deprive them of hope and damage our already recessed economy. so before today's vote, i called gregg and i talked to him. he was as set in his position as he was when he wrote me this letter and gregg thanked me for

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:38:05 to 0:38:25( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: voting against it. and the fundamental reason was this, i live in michigan, i live with people who are suffering and they send me here to work for them to try to make things better. and when i go home after a vote to my wife and children, i go home to the people who are

Thaddeus G. McCotter

0:38:26 to 0:38:35( Edit History Discussion )

Thaddeus G. McCotter: suffering as well and i will have to look them in the eye and tell them whether this trilon-dollar bill helped them or not. and as good as -- god as my

David Dreier

0:38:36 to 0:38:56( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: witness, i will at least be able to tell them the truth, that it will not and i will tell them we will keep trying until we do right by them. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: mr. poe of texas. >> mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to take the time of mr. poe.

David Dreier

0:38:57 to 0:39:20( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman from california has five minutes. >> thank you very much, mr. speaker. following up on the very thoughtful remarks of my friend, mr. mctter, i'd like to y that we all have instance after instance of individuals who have been suffering greatly. i this morning as we opened this

David Dreier

0:39:21 to 0:39:43( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: debate talked about a great tragedy, that being the fact that a man called my office saying that his young son's best friend had just informed him that his father had committed suicide. that's clearly the most painful story you can hear of the impact of what we're feeling now with this economic down turn.

David Dreier

0:39:44 to 0:40:04( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: it has been absolutely devastating. friends who've lost their homes, lost their jobs, lost their savings, we are dealing with what obviously is a very, very difficult time. that's the reason that there is such passion on this debate. now i quoted earlier during the

David Dreier

0:40:05 to 0:40:26( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: debate the words of henry morgenthau who was the secretary of the treasury under franklin roosevelt, who in 1939, 1939, after having gone through years of the new deal, said the following before the house ways and means committee in testimony. he said, we have tried spending money, we're spending more than we have ever spent and it does

David Dreier

0:40:27 to 0:40:47( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: not work. i say after eight years of this roosevelt administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started and an enormous debt to boot. now, mr. speaker, that is the reason that we feel that we can't just say no, we know that that is not the panacea that many people believe it is and

David Dreier

0:40:48 to 0:41:08( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: instead we need to focus on what works. and instance after instance, mr. speaker, has shown what does work. in 1961,resident john f. kennedy and this underscores this great quest for bipartisanship, delivered a speech to the economic club of new york, actually it was a year

David Dreier

0:41:09 to 0:41:29( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: later, in 1962. and in that speech he said, to increase demand and lift the economy the federal government's most useful role is not to rush into a program of excessive increases in public expenditures, but to expand the

David Dreier

0:41:30 to 0:41:50( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: incentives and opportunities for private expenditures. now those are the words, mr. speaker, of democratic president john f. kennedy in the early 1960's. he had just brought about broad, across-the-board marginal rate reduction. and let me tell what that brought about, too. it brought about an increase in the flow of revenues to the

David Dreier

0:41:51 to 0:42:11( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: federal treasury. in fact, the top income tax rate was cut from 90% to 70% and revenues to the federal government increased by 62%. it actually grew revenues to the treasury by reducing those rates. also at that same period of time, tax collections from the

David Dreier

0:42:12 to 0:42:33( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: top bracket, those in the top bracket, grew by 57%. meaning those who had marginal rate reduction at the top end actually paid more in taxes because of the economic growth and that was juxtaposed to tax collections all the way across thboard from the kennedy tax cuts, which only grew revenues by 11%. and then, mr. speaker, i was

David Dreier

0:42:34 to 0:42:55( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: very privileged to come here following the 1980 election and we had the last serious economic downturn that we faced as a nation. nearly three decades ago. and ronald reagan pursued the same policies that were pursued by john f. kennedy. he brought about sweeping

David Dreier

0:42:56 to 0:43:16( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: marginal rate reduction and, mr. speaker, that grew the flow of revenues to the treasury -- federal treasury, nearly doubling that flow ofevenues. and the share of tax payments by the top 10%, again, those -- the top 10% of wage earners in this country grew from 48% to moe than 57%.

David Dreier

0:43:17 to 0:43:37( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: that means those in the top 10% of income levels actually had an increase of nearly 10 percentage points, nearly 10 percentage points, in the flow of revenues that came in from the federal treasury. or actually they were paying more in taxes, from 48% to 57%,

David Dreier

0:43:38 to 0:43:58( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: while the share that was borne by the top 1%, the very rich, grew even more dramatically, 17% to nearly 28%. thus the flow of tax payments that came from those people who were the very richest in this country. and that's why, mr. speaker, we're arguinthat the enomic

David Dreier

0:43:59 to 0:44:19( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: stimulus working group that was put together by leader boehner and chaired by our distinguished whip, mr. cantor, used these models of proven examples, not the failed policies that were pointed to by secretary morgenthau in 1939, but the success following the 1961 cut and the 1981 cut.

David Dreier

0:44:20 to 0:44:25( Edit History Discussion )

David Dreier: that's why we're not simply saying no, mr. speaker. we're saying, let's put a positive economic growth package

Carolyn B. Maloney

0:44:26 to 0:44:48( Edit History Discussion )

Carolyn B. Maloney: together. we're going to continue to fight on behalf of that. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady from new york, mrs. maloney, is recognized for five minutes. mrs. maloney: thank you very much, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today we took a historic step toward economic

Carolyn B. Maloney

0:44:49 to 0:45:12( Edit History Discussion )

Carolyn B. Maloney: recovery and four financial jinalts took another important step in announcing that they will impose a moratorium on mortgage foreclosures. in response to a request from congress during hearings chaired by chairman frank, citigroup, morgan stanley, j.p. morgan and

Carolyn B. Maloney

0:45:13 to 0:45:34( Edit History Discussion )

Carolyn B. Maloney: bank of america today announced plans to suspend foreclosures for the next few weeks or until the president's new plan is in place. this action, these actions create breathing space to allow the new administration to develop and the private sector

Carolyn B. Maloney

0:45:35 to 0:45:56( Edit History Discussion )

Carolyn B. Maloney: to implement a new plan to reduce foreclosures and to help americans stay in their homes. we cannot solve our economic crisis until we solve our housing crisis and lders of our financial sector have the ability and responsibility to help lead our recovery.

Carolyn B. Maloney

0:45:57 to 0:46:17( Edit History Discussion )

Carolyn B. Maloney: as a representative from the state of new york, i applaud these new york financial institutions for being the first to step forward and take up this challenge. and i urge all other mortgage institutions to follow their

Carolyn B. Maloney

0:46:18 to 0:46:38( Edit History Discussion )

Carolyn B. Maloney: example, to take similar steps to help americans stay in their home. mr. speaker, i would also like to really underscore the importance of the vote, the historic vote that we had a chance to vote on today, and i cast a ballot to help create

Carolyn B. Maloney

0:46:39 to 0:47:00( Edit History Discussion )

Carolyn B. Maloney: .5 -- 3.5 million new jobs, give tax credits to 95% of working americans. this was a chance to begin to move our country forward, by investing in and modernizing our health and education systems and we can do it in a way that is accountable and transparent, as the legislation required.

Carolyn B. Maloney

0:47:01 to 0:47:22( Edit History Discussion )

Carolyn B. Maloney: and as i noted, the private sector is also playing a crucial and important role. if we work together we can put america back to work. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: mr.

Carolyn B. Maloney

0:47:23 to 0:47:36( Edit History Discussion )

Carolyn B. Maloney: jones from north carolina. ms. kaptur from ohio. mr. paul from texas. mr. schiff from california.

0:47:37 to 0:47:57( Edit History Discussion )

mr. cassky from louisiana -- mr. cassidy from louisiana. mr. holt from new jersey. mr. shock from illinois. mr. brown -- mr. schock from illinois. mr. broun from georgia. ms. foxx from north carolina. mr. fleming from louisiana. >> mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to speak

K. Michael Conaway

0:47:58 to 0:48:18( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the chair recognizes the gentleman for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i appreciate the indulgence this afternoon. earlier this afternoon, this house passed the single largest spending bill that has ever come across the work activity of this body. there was tepid applause on the

K. Michael Conaway

0:48:19 to 0:48:39( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: other side of the aisle for the passage of this bill. i think in recognition that none of us really know that it will work. most of us on our side of the aisle don't believe it will work, believe it was the wrong issue to do, the wrong way to address a very serious issue. americans all across this country are suffering. people losing their jobs, losing their homes, struggling to make

K. Michael Conaway

0:48:40 to 0:49:00( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: ends meet. all the things that go on during a recession, these are serious times. my colleagues have been up here all day stating over and over the lack of consideration given to our ideas on how we could have made this better.

K. Michael Conaway

0:49:01 to 0:49:21( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: the overall lack of consideration, considering the substantial size of this particular bill that was given over the last two weeks, you hate to use a phrase that's been worn out, but rush to judgment comes to mind, the activity that went on. this house voted earlier this week to -- it was a unanimous vote which doesn't happen except

K. Michael Conaway

0:49:22 to 0:49:42( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: on post office namings, a unanimous vote that we would have 48 hours to look at this bill, that our constituents would have 48 hours to look at this bill, that america would have a chance to see what we were v and that was unanimous. and, mr. speaker, it's totally when things come to the house, that's one of the wonderful things about being speaker, and it is great to be speaker.

K. Michael Conaway

0:49:43 to 0:50:03( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: but i'm disappointed that you didn't honor the wishes, the unanimous wishes of 403 of us, that thought we needed 48 hours to look at this bill. the real losers in this bill and there are lots of losers, are our future children. future generations of americans, who will be forev saddled with the debt that's

K. Michael Conaway

0:50:04 to 0:50:24( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: going to be borrowed to pay for this bill. tucked away in the corner of one of these bills is an increase in the debt limit to 2 tril never get paid back. i had an interesting exchange with a young fifth grade for the fredericksburg, texas, last october who asked me the thingle -- single best questio

K. Michael Conaway

0:50:25 to 0:50:45( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: i've ever been asked in a town hall meeting. he asked me, what's the plan to pay off the national debt. i was rocked back on my heels because i'd never been asked anything that straightforward. i said, there's no plan to pay off the debt. in order to pay debt off, you have to run a surplus th

K. Michael Conaway

0:50:46 to 0:51:06( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: federal government rarely runs a surplus, certainly never to the tune of 2 trillion so future generations will be paying interest not only on this 00 billion, but also on the 2 trillion we've accumulated for the rest of their lives and the lives of their children, and the lives of their children.

K. Michael Conaway

0:51:07 to 0:51:27( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: it is a sad day for the taxpayers, future generations of taxpayers that my generation, the one ahead of me and the one behind me have -- believe in our core that it is an appropriate way to address problems we're having by taking money we haven't earned, that's not yet even been earned by our grandkids and working on oblems we need to solve that

K. Michael Conaway

0:51:28 to 0:51:49( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: are important to us. if the problems are important enough to spend money on them we ought to be spending our own money on them not future generations of americans'. i appreciate the time, i wanted to express how disappointed i am in the action of the house today in passing a monster of a bill that does not address the

K. Michael Conaway

0:51:50 to 0:52:12( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: jobs it was supposed to, that spends more money and is a legacy, generates higher spending on an annual year after year basis because of some of the floors we've put under these programs that we couldn't afford before we did this and can't afford on a go-forward basis as well. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: thank you, we will resume and finish

K. Michael Conaway

0:52:13 to 0:52:26( Edit History Discussion )

K. Michael Conaway: the five-minute requests. ms. Foxx from north carolina. mr. fleming in -- from louisiana.

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