Scott Garrett

earlier we heard from the other side of the aisle that President Kennedy once said: ``To govern is to choose.'' Well, so it is, and we have seen how the Democrat majority of this House has decided to choose when it comes to the issue of…

Indeed it is a great philosophical discussion to point out the disparity between the two parties. The Democrat Party, which is now in control of the House and the Senate, we can see from their actions during the past 11 months that they…

I was in my office earlier this evening when you began your remarks, and I have heard you on the floor on numerous occasions speaking to medical topics. I had the opportunity to read a number of your articles that you have written. I would…

I appreciate that, and just a couple of them, Addressing America's Health Care Challenge, with that and what you've talked about here, as I put the expression, you step back for a moment and look at the bigger picture, which is what I'm…

The very definition of a middle-class entitlement, which, as Bill Clinton would say, is the next step to go to socialized, government-run health care, well, the very definition of a middle-class entitlement can be seen in what the…

SCHIP. It has another meaning as Republicans initially created it, but we see what the Democrats have morphed it into. SCHIP now stands for Socialized Clinton-style Hillarycare for Illegals and their Parents. That wraps it all right up…

You know, we would not need that wall under the Democrat philosophy, because we already have a law that says no illegals may come into this country illegally. If that is all it takes is just to say they can't do it and it won't happen, you…

The definition of a middle-class benefit or entitlement is one that goes to the middle class of America. The definition, I guess, of a program for the indigent would be a program that is aimed for those who are making less than the…

Just a point that comes to mind. One of the issues that we will be dealing with this week is SCHIP. There is a piece of legislation you wouldn't think would be prone to earmarks. If you listen to the other side, they would tell you, hey…

I should point out that the dependency and the loss of freedom is not only for the individual, it is for the State, too. What CHIP does is create an incentive for States to add more people onto the program since there is a 3 to 1 ratio as…

Well, New Jersey, as you may know, has not gone up to the 400. New York is, I think, the only State that as of current law, not the bill just approved by the House, under current law, New York has attempted to go up to 400 percent. New…

Just one point on this issue of freedom and the opportunities that come from it and therefore the incentives that also lead to it. We spoke just a moment ago with regard to the 1996 welfare reform package. Back when that was done, one…

Mr. Speaker, as I sit here, and here we are in October, the question that always first comes to my mind is 10 months into the 110th Congress under now the new Democratic control, and what has that 10 months wrought: the largest tax…

I want to begin by just complimenting one, two, three people. First of all, compliment Dr. Gingrey for having this session here on the floor tonight to bring this very important subject once again to the well so that we can have this…

The SCHIP program, of course, is intended to benefit the low-income and the indigent children. The question is how is this being funded? You had correctly stated it is going to be funded by a cigarette tax. You generalized the statement…

That is absolutely consistent with my recollection. Another aspect of it was at the time that the master plan as you described it at that time was to be more, was to be broader than what eventually transpired, and that was to include the…

None of these things, as good as all these ideas are, are going to happen unless the majority party, the Democrat Party, Speaker Pelosi agrees they are actually the right thing to do and are willing to move the legislation. Your bill that…

I have stood on this floor several times now speaking about the negative impact that NCLB, No Child Left Behind, has had on our children's education and, consequently, on our children's future as well. Tonight I will speak continuously…

the majority party ascended to power with a promise that they would make this Congress the most open and ethical Congress ever. Most open and ethical indeed. Perhaps the majority party should have said something like, We will be open and…

What happened was the Rules Committee decided to not allow the amendment to come to the floor. So at the end of the day, we have a bill where the rich are still being subsidized by the poor. Substance was altered by the stifling of debate…

I would just conclude by concurring with the gentleman from Georgia on this. Although we are in the minority here, this is not an issue for the minority; this is for half of America. And it doesn't matter whether the Americans watching…

Anytime we stifle debate, and that is what occurred when the Democrats did this, they alter substance. What we were trying to do with an amendment that went through committee and we worked on with the chairman's staff, an amendment that…

I think that the seminal answer to your question of what was in the minds, if you will, of the Founding Fathers when they created the Electoral College was if they wanted the electors to have freedom to make that decision so it was their…

And the gentleman from Utah made a passing reference to the 17th amendment earlier on, and then I will yield back to the gentleman from Iowa. But just to illuminate on that point, originally the Founding Fathers of course intended that the…

That is exactly the case. I presented this amendment in committee and presented it and discussed it in committee. At that time, we entered into a colloquy in committee and the chairman said that perhaps we could work through this because…