S10802 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 8, 2008 

I have come to rely on her knowledge 

and expertise in the areas of small 

business lending, banking, and women’s business issues. She is a thoughtful member of the Committee’s staff 

who could be relied upon for her ideas 

on how to strengthen legislation to 

benefit our Nation’s small business 

owners. Just this year, Linda played a 

pivotal role in helping me develop legislation to alleviate the small business 

credit crunch and provide oversight 

over small business lenders. When Congress reconvenes next year, I will push 

to see that the Small Business Lending 

Oversight and Program Performance 

Improvement Act and the 10 Steps for 

a Main Street Economic Recovery Act 

are enacted into law. 

The consummate professional, Linda 

was always well prepared for committee hearings, markups and 

roundtables. She consistently provided 

me with detailed materials that clearly 

explained complex situations and offered proactive and comprehensive solutions to problems regarding small 

business lending, access to credit, and 

women’s business concerns. Linda’s 

ability to build and maintain relationships with constituents, issue experts, 

and staff from other Members’ offices 

has served me and the committee well. 

In all her years on the Small Business 

Committee, Linda has been a passionate advocate for small businesses 

and their owners. Her eagerness to 

make a difference in people’s lives is 

nothing short of commendable. 

After her tenure here in Washington, 

Linda is leaving the Senate to pursue a 

cause dear to her heart. Soon, she will 

be heading to Iraq to work as a business development specialist with one of 

the State Department’s provincial reconstruction teams, or PRTs. PRTs are 

vital to our mission in Iraq, as they are 

made up of experts who advise the U.S. 

military and local Iraqi government on 

a wide array of issues, including economic and business development. 

Linda’s work with the PRT will continue her pursuit of serving others, and 

will help win the hearts and minds of 

Iraqis in need of this vital aid. 

Linda Le is a person of remarkable 

strength and selflessness. And to make 

her story all the more compelling, her 

husband Hung, a communications officer in the U.S. Army National Guard, 

recently deployed to Afghanistan to 

serve our country in the war on terror. 

Clearly, the word ‘‘service’’ has a profound meaning in Linda’s household. I 

speak for my entire staff when I say we 

will keep Linda and her husband in our 

thoughts and prayers during their time 

overseas, and we wish Linda safe travels and much success in her new and incredible endeavor. 

While I am sad to see Linda leave, I 

am excited for her bright future. She 

has used her talents to the fullest extent here in the Senate, and I am confident that she will continue to excel in 

everything she does. Thank you, Linda, 

for your dedicated service to your 

country, and best wishes as you begin 

an extraordinary new chapter in your 

life. 

f 

IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH 

ENERGY PRICES 

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, in midJune, I asked Idahoans to share with 

me how high energy prices are affecting their lives, and they responded by 

the hundreds. The stories, numbering 

well over 1,200, are heartbreaking and 

touching. While energy prices have 

dropped in recent weeks, the concerns 

expressed remain very relevant. To respect the efforts of those who took the 

opportunity to share their thoughts, I 

am submitting every e-mail sent to me 

through an address set up specifically 

for this purpose to the CONGRESSIONAL

RECORD. This is not an issue that will 

be easily resolved, but it is one that deserves immediate and serious attention, and Idahoans deserve to be heard. 

Their stories not only detail their 

struggles to meet everyday expenses, 

but also have suggestions and recommendations as to what Congress can 

do now to tackle this problem and find 

solutions that last beyond today. I ask 

unanimous consent to have today’s letters printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

Thank you for listening to us. Please increase domestic oil production now. If it 

takes 10 years before we see the oil, then do 

it for the children. Also, please expand nuclear energy research and production. 

VIRGINIA, Rexburg. 

The price of gasoline has impacted our 

family budget. How much? I do not know, 

the price of gasoline continues to rise so 

quickly it is hard to see the whole impact. A 

few of the things we need to do are the following: More R&D dollars spent by the government for alternate energy sources; More 

nuclear plants are need across the nation; 

More plants to process the oil into gasoline 

are needed; More taxes on the oil companies, 

too. 

KEVIN, Rupert. 

Yes, we would like to see us drilling for 

fuel in our own country, exploring all options of new sources and conservation. It is 

hypocritical to not drill for our own fuel because of the environment and then buy from 

other (not so friendly!!) countries. We are a 

small business. We are working on a lower 

profit margin due to the high prices. We are 

trying to keep from raising our prices for as 

long as we can. We are taking steps to minimize our driving. That only goes so far. We 

support your idea Senator Crapo. Thank you 

for not signing on to that energy/environment bill. 

SANDRA. 

What a bunch of nonsense this is when 

America supports the Middle East so they 

can build indoor ski areas, palm tree islands 

out of sand for the mega-wealthy in the 

ocean and cut off the heads of Christians and 

Americans on television while we have 

enough gas and oil for all of America and 

more right under our noses. 

What are you, our representatives, thinking? You are all out of control—you speak 

but you do not act, you type great things, 

ask for money to support your habit of power 

seeking at the top, being in the limelight, 

etc. and you continue to let American go further down in the eyes of the world—not to 

mention being abhorred by American citizens. 

There is no respect for the office of the 

President, whom the press refer to as ‘‘Mr. 

Bush or just Bush’’ not President Bush. 

You want our story—we are older American citizens, 63 and 65 years of age. We were 

born in World War II. We lived through 

Korea. We hid under our desks and against 

walls in elementary school in fear of the 

bomb which now our grandchildren have to 

fear. We lost our husbands, brothers and 

friends for nothing in Vietnam for a corrupt 

President’s wife to continue to have her 

trucking companies pay huge dividends into 

their Texas ranch and still cannot say for 

sure just who killed President Kennedy. 

Desert Storm was a joke—what did we accomplish there—in and out and did not finish 

the job. 911 wasn’t funny but we still cannot 

decide how to handle the ‘‘bad boys’’ that 

blew up our world that horrible day. We are 

being told that it is just another day in the 

life of people elsewhere—are we supposed to 

accept that and just move on? 

And now ‘‘The Changling’’ wants to disarm 

Americans and create a global government— 

look out for your job—it may be gone sooner 

than you think. The Program People are 

winning. We are now disrespected around the 

world. 

Now we refuse to win in America for real 

tax-paying Americans, with citizenship, that 

have earned the American dream and are 

courting the illegal people in the country 

while spitting in my face. My husband just 

turned 66 and 10 months. Whoopee! He may 

now have a ‘‘reduced’’ amount of Social Security because he needs it now—not 6 years 

from now when it may not even be available. 

Here’s the breakdown: 

The Social Security he paid into for 48 

years will give him approximately $1650 dollars a month (Rent/Utilities/Insurance/Gas/ 

Food/Medical—probably not enough); 

The Medicare system which he also paid 

into for years charges him $93.10 a month to 

continue to be a part of that system he 

should have earned by now and is broken at 

best; 

A Medicare Supplement, which you have to 

have to get decent medical care, costs $125+ 

a month added to the $93.10. 

A Prescription Supplement runs another 

$25+ dollars added to the $93.10 and the $125 

and we still use $4.00 WalMart for generics 

when possible; 

And, we still have no dental, no vision, no 

disability, no long term care and no respect 

as doctors continue to refuse new patients on 

Medicare only. 

And don’t tell us that Socialized Medicine 

is any better—have a brain tumor in Canada 

or France or Denmark and wait 6–9 months 

for the MRI that has to be done in the coffin 

because you, my friend, died of brain cancer 

that was operable 6–9 months ago. 

We have no debt other than our house and 

one small car payment. We now have to plan 

one day a week for errands. We calculate the 

difference between buying groceries at the 

closer grocery store with the cost of gas 

versus the savings we might get at the super 

WalMart. We chose a new doctor closer to 

the house. We do not go to the dentist twice 

a year for cleaning and preventative any 

more. We have not seen the eye doctor in 

over a year and a half—the old glasses will 

have to do for a while more. 

And we still have a business in home and 

work 40+ hours a week so the government 

can take back some of the Medicare money 

they spent on doctor visits and tax 85 percent of the Social Security we earned. 

What a bunch of nonsense, Mr. Crapo! You 

people need to get a grip and start acting 


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December 8, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S10803 

like you care as much about Americans as 

you do a bunch of thieving, illegal criminals 

that are robbing us blind and bringing down 

America. Go get our gas, throw out the 

illegals, bring down our taxes, put the prisoners that deserve it to work and use the 

death penalty for the rest of them that cost 

this country billions of dollar feeding, clothing, housing, educating and medicating when 

you let small children go without all of the 

above and live on the streets. 

You, our government are killing our country—America is coming to an end as we 

know it—will it be a better place with the 

‘‘changlings’’ taking over—I seriously doubt 

it—I even seriously doubt that you will read 

this far because the truth of the situation in 

America is something our government, elected representatives of the people—do not 

want to hear. 

Want to talk—I’m all for it. 

MARLEE. 

This note is to urge you to vote to resolve 

the issue of high fuel costs and the impact it 

is having on the economy. Please consider 

off shore drilling, increasing the fuel refining 

capacities as well as research on viable energy resources. Perhaps legislators should 

study the impact of legislation before implementation, such as the effects on the economy regarding use of corn for alternative energy. Corn is used in almost all food items as 

well as in animal feed . . . There goes food 

costs through the trickle-down theory. Question: do legislators have ‘‘think tanks’’ they 

can use before passing legislation that effects us all in such a massive way? And, why 

are we not using them? 

We are semi-retired and live about twenty 

miles from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Being on a 

mostly fixed income, high energy costs have 

certainly caused us to decrease our shopping 

trips, and to buy only those necessities. 

Monies we have saved for retirement, we now 

have to spend. 

Why is it that 14 percent of the population 

can prevent off shore drilling? It appears 

that if the U.S. is not going to use this energy, other countries will. I guess it is a case 

of ‘‘the squeeky wheel gets the grease;’’ the 

rest of us are too busy trying to make a living to lobby. 

I understand that there has been an auto 

carbuerator available for years that would 

increase mileage tremendously. What has 

happened to this? 

Incentives for conservation are great . . . 

And effective as it has a favorable consequence for the pocketbook. 

We are all for expanding nuclear energy 

. . . But only if there is a way to rid the 

world of its byproduct. 

Regards, 

DOUG and STEVANNA, Athol. 

I appreciate the fact that you are asking 

for personal stories which helps connect voters to legislation that affects them. 

My husband and I are your typical American family. We are both young, happy, own 

our home, have two dogs and two cats. We 

are blessed to have this life. We live in Boise, 

Idaho, where I work and my husband commutes to Mountain Home Air Force Base 

every day. He spends two hours a day commuting, 40 hours a month driving back and 

forth between Boise and Mountain Home. 

This, combined with an 8–12 hour workday, 

means he is home very little. 

We have been together for three years and 

every year he has deployed to Iraq. We have 

not complained about his frequent visits or 

the minimal compensation that we receive 

for his leave, because we both understand 

that it is necessary and important for him to 

go. But what hurts our family the most is 

that we are having difficulty affording the 

gasoline for him to go to work when he’s 

home. We have a fuel efficient vehicle that 

we are paying the loan on monthly and the 

gas for commuting is the equivalent of a second car payment a month. 

I am ashamed that our country is so reactive, that we were not prepared to accommodate new forms of energy that could have 

spared families and businesses from straining their financial means because of gasoline. I am requesting as a citizen, faithful 

voter and consumer that Congress take the 

steps necessary to implement a cleaner, 

more efficient and renewable form of energy 

to sustain our economy. 

KRISTIN. 

I was very excited to receive your email 

and learn of the chance to tell our story of 

struggle with the outrageous gasoline prices. 

My husband and I live near the Hunt Relocation Monument in Jerome County. I know 

you have visited that site, so you are aware 

how far we are from the nearest towns (about 

20 miles). 

My husband is a school teacher. We have 

five children at home. I have gone back to 

school to get my teaching certificate so I can 

contribute to our income, because we cannot 

make ends meet on a school teacher’s salary. 

With the rising costs of gasoline, we are 

spending $700 to $800 a month just on gasoline, which is a quarter of our take home income every month! We still have a house 

payment, bills and the rising cost of groceries to deal with on top of that. If things 

keep going like this, we will lose our home. 

We are rapidly going through our savings 

just to have the bare necessities. 

I urge and implore you and our government leaders to please explore the option of 

opening up our own oil fields, building refineries, whatever it takes to end our dependence on foreign oil. 

JIM and JANEIL, Jerome. 

We are surviving just fine and will continue to do so. We have cut back on driving 

to places we would go this time of year and 

do think about short trips. Is this trip necessary? 

I am upset with Congress and their lack of 

foresight in producing energy in this country. You have made it impossible for oil 

companies to drill in areas that could 

produce energy now and in the future. And 

you continually want to blame ‘‘big oil’’ for 

high prices. I do not. And you spend money 

that we do not have. How did you vote on the 

recent farm bill? 

Abolish the code and go to a flat tax, ten 

percent, with no deductions of any sort. And 

quit spending! 

NEIL. 

Thank you for fighting for us, we are getting pinched hard with the increased price 

for gas. 

Our family story is not as dramatic as 

some I am sure you will receive, but it is a 

picture of Middle America. I work for the 

Federal Government and have an excellent 

job for the Orofino area. My wife sells real 

estate, (need I say more about her recent 

lack of income). We have two daughters both 

in high school looking toward possible medical careers. We have been saving for their 

college education, but with this recent double whammy of housing market crash and 

high gas prices it looks like we might have 

to discontinue our savings plan contributions to buy gas to get to work. 

(I feel like a whiner when compared to the 

financial crisis some ‘‘on the edge’’ families 

must be facing). 

A web site http://www.american 

solutions.com/ has a petition going around to 

drill here in the U.S. I have read a lot of the 

site and signed the petition as have many 

others I know. I read some of the recommended solutions and debunked myths in 

the solutions forum; I suggest you or staff 

have a look for some possible answers. 

Thank you again. 

PAUL and KATHY, Orofino. 

My family and I live in S.E. Idaho. We have 

been extremely affected by the high gas 

prices that have occurred. I will not let my 

wife drive anywhere unless it is absolutely 

necessary. She does the grocery shopping 

and I have got her to only go once every 1 or 

2 weeks. The problem with that is that she 

needs to get out for a ’break’, and I won’t 

even let her do that. 

I feel we in the USA should do everything 

we can to increase domestic oil production, 

expand nuclear energy research, find other, 

cheaper fuels, and conserve as much as possible. 

BOB. 

Our family has made efficiency a priority 

on our automobile travel. There are rarely 

‘‘one-stop’’ trips being made. Our daughter’s, 

age 12 and 9, are stuck making less plans 

that require a car trip and when we arrange 

play dates or outings we try to coordinate 

carpooling with other parents, to share the 

load. We have decided to keep our vacation 

local and will camp in McCall this summer, 

instead of the previously plan RV trip to the 

East Coast. I have been a full-time housewife 

for 9 years. Recently, my husband and I have 

discussed me going back to work to help supplement the cost of food, goods and fuel. 

When and if I do consider re-entering the 

work force, I will look for work close to 

home. We are also considering the purchase 

of a more fuel efficient vehicle. 

All of the little things add up and where 

expenses are concerned I am sure we are like 

most families who are doing their best to 

economize while the cost of goods and fuel 

are rising. 

Please do to whatever you can to aide in 

the softening of this economic down turn 

that we are feeling in Southwestern Idaho. 

Please help to educate the general public on 

the issues surrounding fuel use and alternatives. Perhaps, by informing and educating the citizens, we will be able to make 

better choices on the vehicles we purchase. I 

think the public deserves honest explanations for what the root cause is on the increase of the cost of fuel. Is it the war in 

Iraq? Is it our relations with the Middle 

East? Does the housing down-turn have an 

effect on the dollar value, which in turn 

changes the ‘‘value’’ of oil? I would love to 

have the knowledge to explain this to my 

children, however, the media doesn’t inform 

us with facts . . . and I think that is what we 

need. 

Good luck with your endeavor. Thank you 

for inviting the Idaho citizens to be included 

in your collective effort to change and improve our fuel crisis. 

LISA, Eagle. 

I will write about the impacts being felt by 

my wife and I and send it to you later. For 

now, I am forwarding this ‘‘Joe American’’ 

site I hope you and your staff will take time 

to watch. This man is making more sense 

than anyone I have heard from Federal, 

State, or local leadership. http:// 

www.youtube..com/watch?v=ZPch2k63uj4. 

Thank you for the work you are doing. I do 

hope you will find some ideas in the above 

listed site that will help you to work more 

effectively. 

Sincerely, 

ORVILLE, Idaho Falls. 

Start drilling in our own country, especially Alaska. Forget about the polar bears— 


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S10804 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 8, 2008 

relief has got to come the consumers way. 

This is all political and the oil companies 

are gouging this country—make them accountable and they should be fined and monies returned to the citizens of this country. 

LINDA. 

I travel about 140 miles two to three times 

a week and need to fill up on the third trip 

each time. Each fill up costs close to $40.00. 

I think the U.S. should spend more on nuclear power as well as wind and solar power. 

We should also start looking for oil on our 

own soil including all of Alaska and off 

shore. Thank you Senator Crapo for all you 

are doing for us here in Idaho. 

f 

DOYLE, Arco. 

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS 

TRIBUTE TO LAVENIA MCCOY 

∑ Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, when 

Lavenia McCoy arrived in Bayfield in 

1939 as new teacher, she also went to 

the library to volunteer. She has 

served that library continuously: from 

the small space behind the post office, 

to the town hall on the east side of the 

post office, to the entire 1100-squarefoot building at the corner of Mill and 

Pearl Streets, to the new 8200-squarefoot library on the north side of town. 

Lavenia McCoy was the first person 

in Bayfield to catalog books by the 

Dewey Decimal System, a change for 

the alphabetical order by author’s last 

name of the 500 or so books. She began 

serving on the Library Board in 1948, at 

the behest of Betty Stock, as secretary. About 35 years later, Lavenia 

McCoy became treasurer, including 

keeping the library’s financial records; 

she did that until 2006. By then the 

budget had increased from pennies for 

overdue fees to several million dollars, 

the staff from all volunteer to six paid 

librarians, the circulation from a few 

shelves of books to 20,000 volumes, and 

the financial records from ledger to 

computer. Always she encouraged folks 

to use their library. 

Lavenia McCoy is a lifelong library 

user, and she is one who is willing to do 

the work in order to enjoy the privilege. In 2005, the Library Board named 

its new library ‘‘Lavenia McCoy Public 

Library’’ in recognition of her contribution. I wanted to take a moment 

to congratulate her and her service.

f 

∑ 

TRIBUTE TO BRAD SCOTT 

∑ Mr. BOND. Mr President, today I recognize and pay tribute to a good friend 

and longtime colleague in public service: Brad Scott. 

I have known Brad for more than 20 

years, first as a dedicated and effective 

employee, and later as a visionary Government administrator. 

On January 9, 2009, he will step down 

from his post as a regional administrator of the General Service Administration after 8 years of innovative and 

dedicated service. 

We sometimes joke that the term 

‘‘Government efficiency’’ is an 

oxymoron, but not when Brad is in 

charge. He can make things happen. At 

a time when political concerns seem to 

dominate much of the landscape, Brad 

has worked across the aisle to get 

things done by focusing on the common 

good and doing what is best for Missouri and the Heartland Region. 

We all know that in the Federal bureaucracy, it is much harder to complete a project than to derail it or to do 

nothing at all. Red tape is an all-tooreal phenomenon. But since Brad came 

to the GSA in 2001, he has not stopped 

building. 

In 2001, he brought a set of successful 

business policies to a GSA region that 

was suffering from underutilized space 

and low return on investment. He also 

worked hard to build consensus between local communities, the private 

sector and Government on large-scale 

projects. He was able to revitalize 

blighted areas in many of our largest 

cities by constructing or renovating 

iconic buildings that now enhance local 

economic development. He also permanently strengthened these local communities by creating and maintaining 

jobs. 

Brad’s accomplishments are too numerous to name. Several of his major 

contributions include: the construction 

of First IRS Center in Kansas City, 

new Federal courthouses in Cape 

Girardeau and Jefferson City, and the 

conversion of the Old St. Louis Post 

Office into a heavily utilized State 

building. 

Brad’s long list of accomplishments 

speaks to his vision, dedication, and 

uncanny ability to guide key development projects through the bureaucratic maze. 

Losing Brad Scott as Regional GSA 

Administrator will be a real blow to 

Missouri but the State has been fortunate to have him in that role for so 

many years. I know that he will continue to be an active participant in 

issues facing Missouri and the region 

just as he has always been. 

Brad, thank you for your service and 

I look forward to many more good 

things to come.

f 

∑ 

IDAHO BARLEY COMMISSION 20TH 

ANNIVERSARY 

∑ Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, it is an 

honor for me to recognize the 20th anniversary of the Idaho Barley Commission, IBC, this year. Barley is grown in 

almost every county in Idaho, and 

Idaho ranks second in the Nation in 

barley production. The IBC has been 

working for growers for two decades, 

providing current trends, information 

and educational opportunities to those 

in the barley industry and representing 

the concerns and needs of barley growers to policymakers in Idaho and here 

in Washington. 

The IBC plays an integral role in fostering markets at home and abroad in 

Taiwan and Japan and is currently developing malting barley markets in 

Mexico, Peru, and Colombia and 

through the U.S. Grain Council. It 

helps ensure that growers’ voices are 

heard in issues like Federal farm policy, Federal malt barley crop insurance, pesticide regulations and irrigation. The IBC is working with the University of Idaho to establish farm business management schools and provides 

services to growers that include helping farmers optimize herbicide usage, 

boost yields, and cut irrigation costs. 

The IBC supports research on barley 

breeding, pest management, and extension nurseries. 

The IBC has a successful history of 

working in conjunction with the National Barley Growers Association, the 

National Barley Foods Council, the 

U.S. Grains Council, and the Idaho 

Grain Growers Association. This important collaboration helps keep elected officials informed about their members’ needs, policies that work, and 

those in need of improvement. This 

partnership has been invaluable to me 

as I continue to work with IBC to address the needs of an important part of 

Idaho’s agriculture economy. 

Congratulations to the IBC on 20 

years of support for one of Idaho’s most 

widespread commodities. A healthy 

barley industry keeps Idaho thriving 

and contributes to our Nation’s economy and food security.

f 

∑ 

MESSAGES FROM THE PRESIDENT 

Messages from the President of the 

United States were communicated to 

the Senate by Mrs. Neiman, one of his 

secretaries. 

f 

EXECUTIVE MESSAGES REFERRED 

As in executive session the Presiding 

Officer laid before the Senate messages 

from the President of the United 

States submitting sundry nominations 

which were referred to the appropriate 

committees. 

(The nominations received today are 

printed at the end of the Senate proceedings.) 

f 

MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE 

RECEIVED DURING RECESS 

ENROLLED BILL SIGNED 

Under the authority of the order of 

the Senate of January 4, 2008, the Secretary of the Senate, on November 21, 

2008, during the recess of the Senate, 

received a message from the House of 

Representatives announcing that the 

Speaker had signed the following enrolled bill: 

H.R. 2040. An act to require the Secretary 

of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the semicentennial of the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

Under the authority of the order of 

the Senate of January 4, 2008, the enrolled bill was signed on November 24, 

2008, by the President pro tempore (Mr. 

BYRD). 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with SENATE