Cass Ballenger

I hope that my colleagues were able to see the NBC news story last night featuring Davis-Bacon as part of an ongoing series on 'The Fleecing of America.' For those who missed the story, I am submitting a copy of the transcript for the…

the Davis-Bacon Act has long outlived any usefulness that it may have had. The rationale for the act has never been very persuasive, but it remains law, adding millions to Federal construction costs. Last night, NBC news highlighted the…

the Democrats have detailed their own Medicare plan, best referred to as the Fred Astaire of Medicare. Light on its feet and even lighter on its details, the Democrats' plan dances around the hard decisions of the Medicare crisis in search…

Democrats have accused Republicans of giving tax breaks to the rich. This is a blatant diversionary tactic. The Democrats have no plan to save Medicare. Rather than working to protect Medicare from bankruptcy, they would rather sling mud…

Congress is under increasing pressure to balance the budget. The taxpayers are demanding that Government be more efficient and held accountable for the expenditure of their hard-earned tax dollars. The Davis-Bacon Act is the perfect…

the Washington political machine seems often to operate under shades of truth, as if the difference between truth and fabrication cannot be seen. This rule has never been more evident than in the President's recent comments about our…

In my opinion, this issue is fairly simple. The Federal Government should not engage in the business of encouraging a specific type of investment which jeopardizes pensions of Americans. Economically targeted investments, or ETI's are…

as I spent August back home with family and neighbors, I had time to reflect upon why I am here. It's easy to get caught up in inside-the-beltway activities and small battles and forget why our constituents sent us here. I will tell…

this fall is about a promise and a choice. The promise is to balance the budget. The choice is whether or not we keep our word. How many Members of this body, from both sides of the aisle, campaigned on a promise of fighting for a balanced…

I guess we all know by now that the Clinton administration has made a lot of zigs and zags and 180-degree turns. Now they are doing their famous ``now you see it, now you don't'' on OSHA reform. Two months ago President Clinton made quite…

despite all their pious concern over Medicare, Democrats have chosen a path that most definitely will render Medicare bankrupt by the year 2002. Democrats have chosen the path of denial. They deny the existence of this report by three of…

what do Robert Reich, Donna Shalala, and Robert Rubin have in common? (a) They are all Democrats (b) They are all members of President Clinton's cabinet (c) They all predict that the Medicare Trust Fund will go bankrupt by the year 2002…

I'd like to first praise the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman] on his fine leadership in producing a bill that reduces our foreign aid spending in a responsible manner. The collapse of the Soviet empire has eradicated the threat of…

H.R. 1561--the American Overseas Interests Act--is the first major step toward reshaping and reorganizing our foreign policy operations since the cold war. It begins by recognizing that--with the end of the long, twilight struggle--we no…

last month I went back to my district and returned to a place far different from Washington. In my district, there are families who work hard and play by the rules. And, they are careful not to spend more than they take in. If they do not…

Yesterday Attorney General Janet Reno recommended appointing an independent special counsel to investigate the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Henry Cisneros. It seems that Secretary Cisneros may have lied to the FBI during his…

I rise in support of the DeLay amendment. In spite of what the opposition says, no one ever died of ergonomics. Today we have the opportunity to say no to the runaway Federal regulators. Earlier this year, in a bipartisan vote, the House…

freedom and responsibility. These are two of the most important goals of our welfare programs, and right now, these are the two goals we have not achieved. For over 3 years the Federal Government has thrown more and more money into…

I rise in favor of H.R. 7. Mr. Chairman, the results from the November 8 elections demonstrate the American voter's overall dissatisfaction with Congress. Recognizing this concern, many of us signed the Contract With America, to clearly…

I hope the American people listening note the contrast between what the Democrats are talking--trivial, mean- spirited nonsense--and what we are talking about--the important issues facing America. It is a pity that they have nothing…

as Republicans worked to pass an unfunded mandate reform bill last week, President Clinton worked to pass another unfunded mandate on our private sector. Maybe I missed something, but I thought the election of last November was about…

the one book that the Democrats are real scared of is the Contract With America. This book is No. 3 on the New York Times best seller list. It is so popular because it is the change the American people have been waiting for. It is the…

the biggest bankruptcy in the world today is not occurring in Orange County or even in Mexico, but on the minority side of the aisle right here in this Chamber. With their petty parliamentary pranks, the Democrats are driving themselves…

yesterday I received a call from a very angry constituent who had the unfortunate experience of watching yesterday's House proceedings. His message to me was simply: ``Quit your bickering and get on with it.'' Mr. Speaker, my constituent…

What are the real issues facing Americans today? Nonexisting payments for book deals or House historians who are on the job for 1 day? I do not think they really care about that. Americans are concerned about the economy. They are…