Emerson Etheridge

I remember when we went out to South Dakota and through Iowa and how tough it was when it was dry. I will always remember with my good friend, Jerry Moran, we flew into Kansas last year to do a hearing on the ag bill. Lo and behold, when…

I am. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I do. And it is one of those things where, as I said earlier, it didn't start this year. It really started last year, as you remember. We had a dry winter, then a late frost that hurt the spring…

You know, not being able to water our lawn, wash your car, take a long shower is an inconvenience; but if you're a farmer and you don't have the water for your crops, it's catastrophic. Because you not only have an opportunity to lose your…

I believe that immigration law is and should be the responsibility of Federal border and Customs officials, and not delegated to the States and local authorities who are already burdened with protecting their communities. I, therefore, do…

I support this bill to cut interest rates in half for our students. As the first member of my family to graduate from college, I know firsthand that affordable access to higher education is the key to the American dream for working…

I am going to vote for H.R. 5253 because I think it is a good bill and a timely bill. What took so long? Last September, Representative Bart Stupak, Representative Stephanie Herseth, and I drafted H.R. 3936, the Free Act, which would…

Absolutely. The gentleman is right on target. I saw that this weekend firsthand and I am sure others have as they have been there. This is important that we share this with our colleagues and folks tonight so they will understand that…

Here is my question. If I keep building this big enough, pretty soon the bankers are going say to me, ``Mr. Etheridge, if you can't pay some of the principal, we're going to have to sit down and work out a plan for you.'' Normally, people…

Let me ask this question as if I am sitting at my kitchen table and I get my credit card. In effect, I am paying only the interest on that credit card month after month. That is what we are doing. We are not paying any on the principal. I…

This is an issue that deserves the attention of every Member of this Congress, and it deserves the attention of the administration. [...] I am sorry to say that when that child is born he will inherit the largest debt and his generation of…

I think they will add a great deal to the ticket, and I thank the gentleman for his comments and leadership. As we said earlier, this thing of elections is really about the future. It is about our hopes, it is about our dreams. It is about…

John Edwards is a man of distinction, of dedication, and of determination. He has been distinct in all that he has undertaken. Distinguished personally, professionally, and politically. In everything that he has tackled, he has gone at it…

I consider that a high privilege because I got to work with wonderful young folks like you every day. ... You will finish the work that others have started. And always remember that. I think it is good to remember that there are new ideas…

Did he not also promise during the campaign when he came in office to protect Social Security and not invade it?

Along that line, Mr. Speaker, as we were talking about our volunteers, we have a bill in, as the gentleman well knows because he is a cosponsor of it and which I introduced, to provide a benefit. This fireman that lost his life in Franklin…

I want to express again my appreciation to our friends in North Carolina at the Emergency Management. I was there on Wednesday evening late, and again Thursday morning for the briefings, and I would encourage my colleagues in the Congress…

I was very disappointed as I went through that document last week, the energy plan the President put forward. It was light on efficiency and conservation and heavy on drilling. We all know we are going to need more capacity. There is no…

I want to talk a little bit for a few minutes about the ever-increasing cost of energy, because certainly we need a long-term policy. Certainly we need to do all those things. But energy is a lot like eating. One can talk about it in the…

It is an investment in our future, and an investment in the future of this country because the dollar investment today will return rich dividends in years to come. One of the challenges we face not only of having the dollars to develop the…

When we think of that, there are a lot of ways we can help, the Federal Government, the Congress. Too many times I hear people say, well, that is not Congress' responsibility. The fact is that Congress has a heavy responsibility, and we…

Reclaiming my time, this gives me an opportunity to really talk about the heart of the issue. We have those extra students in trailers or in closets or wherever, and most cases we do not increase the size of the cafeteria where children…

I would remind our colleagues and those who are listening this evening that Social Security has been with us now since the 1930s. There have been those who have talked about its demise ever since and some who have tried to make sure it was…

As we work together with our colleagues to make sure that, not only is character education integrated and a part of our curriculum in the future, but all of these issues of education continue to be at the top of our agenda. Because if we…

I have never had a child nor an administrator nor a teacher ask me whether the money came from the Federal, State, or local. They just knew they did not have enough. Even in some of the nicer schools we go into, and it is true in my State…