as a West Point graduate, a former active duty officer and a current reservist, the time is right to tell our young men and women in the armed forces that we support them. That is our mission today, a united front. However, our mission…

But my concern comes from my background as being a former Army officer and now a reservist and having friends and colleagues who are in the uniformed services of our country, and in this book that I have had a chance to start going through…

I thank my colleagues, and I think my colleague from Arizona brings up a good point that the public needs to remember, defining the surplus and then the difference between our goal of giving a small amount of money back to the taxpayers…

most Americans do not think it is extremist to want to reduce the size and power of the Federal Government. In fact after 40 years of Democratic control in which the Federal Government got bigger and bigger, more costly, more out of touch…

on August 25 Edwardsville American Legion Post 199 not only went into the history books by winning the American Legion World Series in Las Vegas, but they beat the 5,300 to 1 odds which were against them. During their remarkable run to the…

The Baltic countries, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, over the centuries have been occupied, terrorized and vilified. At the hands of the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, these countries were illegally annexed under the…

Harris has been a true friend and fellow Illinoisan, and I will miss him. There is some benefit to being a new Member of Congress, and that is getting a chance to meet some of the great personalities of this Republic. And I include Harris…

I am proud to be from Illinois and the 20th district. Today I want to mention three reasons why. The first integrated school in the Nation is about to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. The addition of Hamilton School in…

I rise today to honor Mr. Tony Moceri, who is to have the new Boilermakers Local 363 building in Belleville, Illinois, named in his honor. Tony became a proud member of Local Boilermakers Lodge 363 in 1942. During his career, he served as…

according to my colleagues, Republicans want to waste the budget surplus on tax cuts. But let us take a closer look. The President announced in his State of the Union Address that every penny of the surplus is to be dedicated to saving…

in these troubled times, many good things by good people are still being done. As a Cardinals' fan and an Illinoisan, I salute the exploits of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. They have raced up the hill of baseball history with honor and…

there have been numerous discussions on God's ability to forgive sin. All sin. Forgiveness through Christ is complete. Absolute. However, the bible is replete with the consequences of forgiven sin. Follow the children of Israel as they…

we recently marked the first year anniversary of the Taxpayer Relief Act, the first major tax reduction since the Reagan tax cuts of the 1980s. Let us face it, there would have been no tax cut at all were it not for a Republican Congress…

today I rise in tribute to Illinois VFW Man of the Year, and Collinsville native, Joe Berg. Mr. Berg was selected from nearly 100,000 Illinois Veterans of Foreign Wars to be named the 1997-98 Man of the Year and has been a dedicated leader…

this West Point graduate salutes my friend and classmate, Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd Miles, who took command of the First Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment on July 21, 1998. Lloyd was originally appointed battalion commander 2 years ago…

I want to recognize Vergil Fletcher, who spent 32 years teaching young people important life lessons, the value of hard work and fair play. He began an outstanding career coaching basketball in 1946 at Collinsville High School. Coach…

Mrs. Margaret Barnett has a distinction no other woman in Illinois has. She was the first female high school band director in Illinois. Mrs. Barnett studied piano and received her Bachelor's Degree from Shurtleff College in 1930. She…

our armed forces are based on honor and discipline. These principles lead to trust and accountability on the battlefield, a situation which the majority of civilians will never have to face in their lifetimes. Yet Defense Secretary Cohen…

it is time to remind the American people what the Republican agenda is for the remainder of the 105th Congress. First, let us recall that last summer this Congress passed an historic balanced budget agreement that contained tax cuts for…

it is an honor to announce that my home church, Holy Cross Lutheran, in Collinsville, Illinois, is celebrating its sesquicentennial, 150 years of laboring for the Lord. Our theme for the celebration is Celebrate, Reflect, Focus. Holy Cross…

it is hard for this West Pointer to say, ``Go Air Force,'' but today I must. Yesterday, the voters of New Mexico's First District chose Heather Wilson, an Air Force Academy grad, to replace our friend and departed colleague, Steve Schiff…

after 18 successful years with the Edwardsville High School Tigers, Coach Tom Pile is retiring from coaching baseball. He has never won fewer than 20 games in a season, and his teams have made five State tournament appearances. In 1994 he…

our President said to D.C. schoolchildren, ``Tough luck.'' We do not get to hear a liberal say that very often, but the President's veto of D.C.'s scholarship bill last month is an in-your-face slap at D.C. parents and D.C. children. ``Too…

as we continue to debate campaign finance reform some of my colleagues continue to press for free air time. Some of the legislation we will be considering requires broadcasters to sell time to candidates at 50 percent below the already…

there they go again. The Clinton administration is again attempting to force nationalized tests upon our schoolchildren. Unfortunately the President believes that our students must spend more precious class time taking nationalized tests…