The Public Record
Part of the reason we are respected by all of the parties in Europe is because we are a reluctant leader. We are not there because we want to gain any particular territory or any particular political influence in the Balkans. It is only…
In terms of what really happened in Yugoslavia when communism collapsed, when the whole country sort of was torn apart, we need to understand that the real precursor, in my opinion, having seen this now, to the ethnic unrest that then…
I think most of us, and I certainly speak for myself, went to Bosnia with a bad attitude about the entire mission. Those of us who had a little bit of a history lesson in that particular region of the world were aware that they have been…
back home we say a deal is a deal and a bargain is a bargain. A farmer back in Minnesota described our deficit dilemma best when he said the problem is not that we are not sending enough money into Washington; the problem is that…
I proudly rise today to pay tribute to a sturdy Irishman, a fine farmer, a distinguished lawyer, a committed naval officer, a devoted family man, a solid churchman who has served the farmers and ranchers of America, the United States House…
Ronald Reagan said, we all have the right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say we are in a time when there are no heroes just do not now where to look. We can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. Others, a handful of…
a lot of our friends on the left today and in the past several weeks have been talking about campaign finance reform. I wonder if any of them sees the great irony in the administration's sense of curiosity. On the one hand, White House…
last week President Clinton told the voters of Virginia, the ones who supported repealing the car tax, that they were selfish. Well, excuse me, Mr. President, but maybe you have forgotten what the Declaration of Independence says. It says…
experts tell us that the bumblebee should not be able to fly. They tell us that the bee's body is too heavy and its wings are too small. Washington experts, with similar assuredness, told us that the budget could not be balanced…
It is hard to get excited about improving rich suburban schools. However, for poor children trapped, the case is moral rather than merely educational. These kids attend schools which cannot protect them, much less teach them. To require…
It is against the House rules to question the motives of other Members. But in the last several days, we heard our Democratic colleagues saying that the reason we want to pass A-Plus accounts is to harm public education. Does anybody…
It is time for a complete overhaul of the Tax Code and the IRS, which have become overly burdensome and unfair. A lot of so-called experts told us we could not reform welfare, we could not slow the rate of Washington spending, we could not…
I join my colleague today, the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Nick Lampson, and congratulate Texas law enforcement agents for identifying a prime suspect in the kidnapping and murder of young Laura Smither, but I also share his frustration that…
I think sometimes we need to remind people how well we are actually doing. ... when we passed our original 7-year balanced budget plan, we said that in fiscal year 1996 we would spend $1586 billion. Does anybody know how much we actually…
I know that this chart is too small for people to see, but if people want to contact my office, I will certainly be happy to send them a copy, but it says that for the last 20 years, the 20 years from 1975 until 1995, on average, for every…
So if the gentleman's numbers are correct, in fiscal year 1997, we took in over $110 billion more than we expected and we spent over $22 billion less. Now, here is the question. Here is the question for anybody who happens to be listening…
The Republican Congress spent $26 billion less than we said we were going to spend. But that is just part of the good news. That at a time when revenues actually increased by $20 billion more than we expected. Now, that is good news. I…
We said we were going to spend $1586 billion, but this Congress actually spent $1560 billion.
I was a member of the Minnesota State Legislature when we passed an early version of the Wetterling Act in 1991. In 1994 Congress recognized the importance of this idea, and required all States to register the addresses of convicted…
I find it fascinating to listen to some of the discussion over the last several weeks about education, and I think those who have been watching on C-SPAN see the real differences between Republicans and Democrats. The Democrats invariably…
President Clinton has just returned from a 3-week vacation on Martha's Vineyard. We all hope the President got some well-deserved rest, but in case he did not get a chance to pick up a paper or watch the news, here is some of what he…
I hope my mom is not watching because I will get a paddling when I get home as a result. But it is an important point. Not only did it benefit you, but more importantly it benefited a lot of your friends, seeing that the punishment was…
The gentleman is really talking about the miracle of the marketplace, in allowing innovation and in effect some competition to exist. What he is saying is if Minnesota's plan works as well as some think it will, other States will copy it…
That is an excellent point, and one of the other points that our Governor made today is that for too long, in terms of education, we have been so concerned with process, and we have not really been concerned with outcomes. The good news, I…
Sad story. And the problem is, we are graduating kids or kids are dropping out of high school; and whether we like to admit it or not, they will face a much more competitive marketplace out there for their skills. And if we have high…
Politicians like Gilbert Gutknecht
