Mark Gordon: “let me just first say I do not want to offend anyone personally here today, and this is not a personal argument. It is…”

“let me just first say I do not want to offend anyone personally here today, and this is not a personal argument. It is just that because I know the Republicans here just like myself work hard, they care about their country and they go home most every weekend like I do. I want to go home again this weekend. I will meet somebody else with tears in their eyes saying I have lost my job, help me. We have a chance to help them today. Why in the world can we not have an open rule, bring every idea, Democrat, Republican, Independent, before us and try to create more and better jobs? I am going to vote against this rule so that we can have an open debate and bring more and better jobs to this country. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remaining time. Let me close by again urging all my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this rule. The Committee on Rules used to be a tool to manage debate. It is now used as a weapon to stifle debate. There is no excuse whatsoever why the gentleman from California's (Mr. Honda) amendment was not made in order, and no one on the other side has been able to even defend the omission of the gentleman from California's (Mr. Honda) amendment. Yesterday, when Democrats balked at an amendment to the Head Start reauthorization bill that would allow religious institutions to discriminate, the other side, the Republicans, said, no, well, let the House work its will; that is what the House of Representatives is there for.…”