On the recordFebruary 10, 2011
Mr. Speaker, rural Arizona is under attack from overregulation, out-of-control spending, and government redtape. The small businesses that power my district can no longer compete. I just wrapped up a weeklong tour of my district, and one thing was clear: The Federal Government is in the way and inhibiting my district from creating jobs. Government agencies have over-regulated our businesses out of existence. Take for example the Schultz Pass Fire in Coconino County. Last year, a 12-year-old girl, Shaelyn Wilson, lost her life because of the government's inability to use our forest resources in a commonsense fashion. As a further insult, this manmade, bureaucrat-dictated disaster resulted in a fire that could have been prevented, and now we, the American taxpayer, will be forced to pay for it for the next 50 to 100 years. Enough is enough. A bureaucrat in Washington, D.C., should not dictate decisions that are best left to local communities that have to suffer the tragic consequences of government's actions.
