On the recordFebruary 3, 2010
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Chairman, when I first came to Congress in 1993, we had computers but we did not have Internet. In fact, if it wasn't for Al Gore maybe we still wouldn't have it. I don't need to bring that up. But you know, the reality is most of us, and my friend Mr. Gordon will remember, did not have cell phones. And then I remember there was a discussion that I had with one Member about, ``You know, I don't think it is fair for the taxpayers to pay for your cell phone. I think it is unnecessary.'' And I remember when I got a cell phone I wanted to have a 912 area code, because I didn't want the folks back home to think I went Washington if I had the 202 area code. But now in essence everybody has a mobile phone, as they do Internet. I remember Stacy Hall, our receptionist, who was the IT person since she was the youngest in the office. She was probably 22, a UGA graduate. She got this thing called the Internet, and she started planning her weekends with her friends. Now, there were about five other 21-, 22-year-old kids on the Hill who knew what email was. So they started swapping. And then I remember eventually she told our scheduler about, ``You know, maybe you could use this like to schedule the Congressman.'' What a radical idea. And before you know it, 5 or 6 years down the road, everybody was addicted to it. And then I remember 9/11, not many of us had a BlackBerry.
