On the recordOctober 25, 2011
Mr. Speaker, just this past week, the country of Turkey, an ally of ours, experienced a devastating earthquake. Nearly 400 people, they believe, have died, and there's been great damage to the countryside. We've seen these disasters now in Japan and South America and other places. We've seen them in our country, too. We had problems last year. Who comes to the aid of the people in Turkey whom we look out for as well and are concerned about? First responders, policemen, and firepeople. My city of Memphis, Tennessee, lies on the New Madrid fault, the most likely place in our country to have a major earthquake. When that event occurs, I want to have adequate policemen and firemen there to help our citizens. We can have them with the Jobs Act, have them this year when we don't know whether it will occur or not. First responders are so important to the future of America, and passing the Jobs Act will guarantee that we will have security when a natural disaster occurs. We need to keep policemen and firemen employed. ____________________
