EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS

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Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor.

January 7, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E25 

HONORING LT. BENJAMIN BERGER 

HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN 

OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to my very good friend, 

Lieutenant Benjamin Berger, a veteran of the 

U.S. Navy. In honor of his courage, initiative 

and devotion to duty, he was awarded the following decorations: Silver Star for heroism 

during the Normandy invasion, and the Presidential Unit Citation. On April 16, 2008, Lt. 

Berger was bestowed the title of ‘‘Chevalier’’ 

of the Legion of Honor by the President of the 

French Republic. 

Born in Chicago, Illinois in June 1920, Ben 

graduated from Sullivan High School and obtained his degree from Loyola University. After 

working part time for the U.S. Postal Service, 

he was inducted into the U.S. Navy as an officer in December 1942. Following basic training in Chicago, he was shipped off as a communications officer to the U.S. Amphibious 

Force, 3rd Division and participated in the invasions of North Africa and Sicily. 

In December 1943, he was assigned to 

England and trained as a fire control officer in 

support of the U.S. Rangers. On June 6, 

1944, he landed at Vierille with the Army 

Ranger 2nd and 5th Battalions in one of DDay’s most dangerous assignments. Lt. 

Berger organized critical naval gunfire control 

support not only for his unit, but also for another unit whose leadership had been disrupted during the landing chaos. His actions 

contributed to a successful assault on the important enemy gun emplacements above the 

cliffs at Point du Hoc and later the towns of 

Isigny and Grandcamp. Benjamin was separated from the U.S. Navy at Norfolk, Virginia in 

October 1945. 

Ben married his first wife, Florine Perlman, 

in December 1941 and they had two children, 

Elise and Stephan. He retired from his position 

as Operations District Manager in Southern 

California for Thrifty Drug Stores in 1981. He 

married his current wife Rae Polland, who is 

a lovely vivacious lady, served as senior intern 

in my district office. They were married in 

June 2002, and now reside in Valley Village, 

California near their extended family. 

Madam Speaker and distinguished colleagues, I ask you to join me in saluting Lieutenant Benjamin Berger for his impressive military career and dedicated service to the 

United States of America. 

THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY 

THROUGH RESPONSIBLE HOMEOWNERSHIP ACT AND THE COMMONSENSE AUTO RECOVERY 

(CAR) ACT 

HON. DAVID DREIER OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. DREIER. Madam Speaker, today I have 

introduced a trio of bills that focus on my top 

legislative priority for the coming year: getting 

our economy growing again. The centerpiece 

of this plan is the Fair and Simple Tax (FAST) 

Act. I introduced this legislation in the previous 

Congress, and it remains my long-term goal 

for economic revitalization. The FAST Act 

would dramatically simplify and reduce the tax 

burden on Americans. By creating a simple, 

one-page tax form that retains the child credit 

and all major deductions, like mortgage interest, it would make the annual tax filing nightmare far more manageable. It would also implement a host of additional tax reforms, such 

as reducing the tax on capital gains and corporate income, permanently extending the 

R&D credit, and creating new incentives for 

long-term financial planning. 

Implementing the FAST Act, however, is a 

long-term goal. As we work toward comprehensive reform, we must also pursue more 

immediate and targeted solutions to jumpstart 

our economy. That’s why I introduced two additional pro-growth bills—aimed at the housing 

industry and the auto industry. 

The Economic Recovery Through Responsible Homeownership Act would create new 

tax incentives for responsible home purchases. Those who make a down payment of 

5, 10 or 15 percent will get a tax credit of 

$2000, $5000 or $10,000 respectively. The 

housing crisis is at the root of our economic 

crisis. We need to encourage new purchases 

to stabilize the market, stop the free-fall in 

prices and restore the communities that have 

been plagued by foreclosures. But because irresponsible homeownership and predatory 

lending are partly to blame for the crisis in the 

first place, only a plan that rewards responsible action will succeed. This bill accomplishes both objectives. 

I have also introduced the Commonsense 

Auto Recovery (CAR) Act to provide a boost 

to our ailing auto industry, without resorting to 

another bailout. The CAR Act draws on the 

same principle as my housing bill and creates 

a tax credit for car purchases, equal to the 

amount of the sales tax on the purchase. Any 

individual or small business owner is eligible 

for the credit. This is an important component 

of my pro-growth plan because the auto industry touches so many parts of our economy and 

workforce. The manufacturers, dealers, autoparts makers and financers—many of whom 

are small businesses—are all a part of the 

broad-based auto industry that has weakened 

considerably in this economy. Thousands of 

jobs have already been lost, and thousands 

more are threatened. An effective and sustainable way to boost the industry is to encourage 

Americans to get back to their local car dealerships. 

Addressing the immediate challenges of the 

weak housing and auto industries will provide 

a quick boost to our economy. These are critical short-term steps that must be taken. In the 

long run, we must act on the need for fundamental reform of our tax code to reduce the 

burden on families and businesses and simplify the tax-filing process. We cannot restore 

our economy without both a short-term and 

long-term view. I believe that this package of 

tax bills is a comprehensive approach to getting our economy back on a path of growth 

and I look forward to working with my colleagues in a bipartisan way to achieve this 

goal. 

f 

THE GREEN SCHOOLS ACT OF 2009 

HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, I am proud to 

stand here today to introduce legislation with 

Congressman CHRISTOPHER CARNEY (D-PA) 

which will provide healthier and more productive environments for students. 

As energy prices soar and state budgets 

shrink, schools around the country need more 

assistance than ever to keep afloat. Congress 

can provide a commonsense way to help 

schools achieve fiscal sustainability by helping 

them to reach energy sustainability through 

energy efficient and other green improvements. 

According to the independent U.S. Green 

Buildings Council which established a nationally recognized green school certification program, the LEED rating system, green schools 

on average save $100,000 per year. This is 

enough to hire two new teachers, buy 500 

new computers or purchase 5,000 new textbooks. In fact, if all new school construction or 

school renovations went green, energy savings alone would total $20 billion over the next 

10 years. 

Green schools also provide better environments for our children, improving student 

achievement and health. Students at LEED 

certified schools perform 20 percent better on 

reading tests and 24 percent better on math 

tests than the average student. There are 

nearly 40 percent fewer asthma occurrences 

at green schools, contributing to the decreased number of sick days students experience. 

Providing green school improvements are 

extremely cost effective. Construction costs on 

average less than $3 per square foot more to 

build, yet saves roughly $12 per square foot in 

energy and water savings. 

Some schools are already investing in green 

school technology to take advantage of all the 

benefits it provides. I am proud that a school 


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