Harold Volkmer

Will Rogers always had a down home way of making light of politics and particularly Members of Congress. Mr. Rogers held no punches for either party saying of the Democratic party, ``you've got to be an optimist to be a Democrat, and…

this bill builds in for States and local governments not to do anything, to let the Federal Government come in and tell you to do it, and then they are going to give you all the money. So why should you? The cities, local governments, the…

You are talking about Reaganomics now. Reagan's first budget and the second budget, way back in 1981-82, zeroed out, zeroed it out. Oh, yes, yes, go look at it, go look at it. I well remember it because I know what it would have done. What…

Either way, I just say that if we get an independent counsel, I will be feeling a heck of a lot better about it all. Now, the other thing I want to talk about, and I think it is another thing that again comes back to our Speaker, but this…

I doubt very much if I vote for some of that, especially if I go back to letting the senior citizens work and still draw their Social Security. Not a bad idea. But I will tell you why, the reason the gentleman from New York and the…

Well, I doubt very much if you are only going to cut Medicare expenses for people over $100,000, even though I might agree with that----

I might answer as far as, and I did not want to discuss the unfunded mandate bill. I had not planned to do that today. But my comment to that is that if the bill had been worked, what I call worked properly, and time had been spent on it…

At this time I still say that I guess the proof will be in the pudding when we see the budget as proposed by the majority in the future. I understand, and perhaps the gentleman from New York can correct me; is it going to be two budgets…

Your taxes will go up. That is the same thing I want to talk about very briefly: When you all talk about in the rules that you are going to make a change, make it three-fifths before you can raise taxes. That is what I kept hearing over…

Surely, in just a moment. Now, this is just another way by the back door. Where did this idea come from? This idea came from a guy named Greenspan, yes, Chairman Greenspan. He is the one giving the idea. It would save about $200 billion…

I also would like to inquire of the gentleman, there have been published reports, and I can't remember whether it was last night or this morning on one of the television stations, the honorable gentleman from Iowa who is chairman of the…

And that would be all if those people would pay their full share of Medicare part B. That would be a little better. I still do not see cutting the rest from the poor and the elderly, especially my students. You know, I think one of the…

Now that we have the ethics committee and a formal complaint can be filed, I hope it will be done. And wait a minute though, we have got another little problem, because those of us who see how the ethics committee is structured with the…

what I understand from all this debate and the Towns amendment and also the one that preceded it by the gentleman from Mississippi especially is that it appears to me that this legislation, although well-intended, and having a good goal…

There have been none whatsoever. And, therefore, we do not have any idea of the possible impact except for those who are proponents of the legislation, what it may actually do.

So what we are saying is that the Federal Government should pay for what other people, whether it is private industry, whether it is communities, should pay to do what they should have done anyway, what they should have done on their own…

But as far as those people who are working with it day in and day out and have done so for years, there has been no input whatsoever?

I want to take the time very briefly to commend the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Moran] for his input into this type of legislation for these good many past years. The gentleman is recognized as a former mayor of Alexandria, who did an…

I am disappointed that the gentleman that just spoke has left, because I for one am a strong supporter of a constitutional amendment for a balanced budget and have always done that. I have voted on it repeatedly. I have signed discharge…

Yes. This leads me to the question of exactly who does the Speaker work for? Is it the American people or his New York publishing house?

Quite a few, but they are going to vote for the Stenholm provision, the Stenholm balanced budget amendment, and that is the one that we support.

I have never come here with the idea that Harold Volkmer would ever become rich because he is a Member of Congress. And I think it is improper for any Member to get outside income, to become rich because of his position in this House. We…

Well, I would much rather have 70 percent open rules than 70 percent closed rules. I have always said that. I agree with the gentleman that Members, all Members, have been sent here to be able to participate in the debate on the…

I will admit that when it goes into the conference, the Democrats who are on the conference committee, those few, may have an opportunity to make some changes in the bill, but, remember, it is only the bill that passed this House and the…

Yes, and others. And so I recognize, and I think the gentleman recognizes, that there are opportunities and times when there would be restrictions on amendments. Now at other times there may not be that restriction, but sometimes there are…