November 20, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2319 

said Crawford Clarkson, a former Parker 

campaign chairman. ‘‘He was a sterling individual; an absolutely incorruptible politician.’’ 

f 

URGING THE NEW PRESIDENT TO 

SUPPORT THE BIPARTISAN SAFE 

COMMISSION ACT 

HON. FRANK R. WOLF OF VIRGINIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, November 20, 2008 

Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I have never 

been more concerned about the short- and 

long-term budget shortfalls we face as a Nation. These issues must be addressed simultaneously in a bipartisan way. 

I share with our colleagues the letter I sent 

today to President-elect Barack Obama, urging him to adopt the SAFE Commission process as a way to provide a path toward a safe 

and secure economy for generations—a renaissance for America. 

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

WASHINGTON, DC, NOVEMBER 20, 2008. 

Hon. BARACK OBAMA, 

Office of the President-elect, 

Chicago, IL. 

DEAR PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA: As you prepare to take the oath of office as the 44th 

president of the United States, I want to 

congratulate you on your historic election, 

which has reminded the nation that America 

is indeed a land of boundless opportunity. 

I write today because you face enormous 

challenges of change in building an administration in a time of economic turmoil and financial crisis for the American people. As 

syndicated columnist Robert Samuelson recently wrote, ‘‘The great project of the next 

president is to improve the economy’s stability without subverting its vitality.’’ 

Recent congressional action aimed at shoring up the nation’s financial system and restoring the flow of credit to help folks keep 

their homes or small businesses, get student 

loans or car loans, and protect the value in 

their retirement accounts I believe addresses 

only a symptom of a far greater financial 

crisis on the horizon. I voted for the financial rescue plan because I believed that immediate action was critical to restore confidence and stability in the Nation’s financial system. I remain deeply concerned, however, not only by the debt burden nearing $11 

trillion, but also by the mounting deficit 

spending, predicted to reach $1 trillion this 

fiscal year alone. 

You are inheriting not only a short-term 

deficit and debt problem, but a looming longterm crisis former Comptroller General 

David Walker has characterized as ‘‘a financial tsunami that could swamp our ship of 

state.’’ Mr. Walker, of course, is referring to 

the current $53 trillion in unfunded obligations promised through Medicare, Social Security, and other entitlement programs 

which have skyrocketed from about onethird of the federal budget in 1965 to nearly 

two-thirds today. As if that amount were not 

difficult enough to comprehend, it is expected that when the new total is released in 

mid-December, it is likely to be over $56 trillion. That means in just a year, spurred by 

soaring health care costs and retiring baby 

boomers, our Nation’s unfunded commitments have jumped another $3 trillion. It’s 

noteworthy that the obligation of Medicare 

alone is 50 times the $700 billion rescue bill. 

I believe both short- and long-term budget 

shortfalls must be addressed simultaneously. 

Yet I fear this daunting task is only part of 

the immense challenges of change our nation 

faces. I also continue to be alarmed that 

America is losing its competitive edge in the 

world economy. Once bustling U.S. cities and 

towns that were home to industrial and manufacturing bases are shuttered and crumbling. 

On a drive across the old cast iron bridge 

linking downtown Trenton, New Jersey, with 

Morrisville, Pennsylvania, you will read the 

outdated slogan etched in rusted letters, 

‘‘Trenton Makes, the World Takes.’’ There 

was a time when Trenton made the steel 

used for the world’s longest suspension 

bridges, its cars, and farm tools. But Trenton, like so many other U.S. centers of domestic manufacturing, today is a shell of its 

past. The slogan today could be, ‘‘The World 

Makes and America Takes.’’ 

And it’s not only America’s competitive 

edge that is dulling. The United States has 

always been the world’s innovation leader, 

but we graduate half the number of physicists that we did in 1956—before Sputnik 

spurred America’s last ‘‘great awakening’’ in 

science and engineering. I worry that the National Science Foundation reported that in 

2004 China and India graduated 950,000 engineers compared to a meager 70,000 in the 

United States, and one-third to a half of 

those we graduate with science and engineering degrees are foreign students, and most 

will return to their home countries rather 

than applying their skills in the U.S. I worry 

that U.S. patents are down. I worry that our 

companies are spending more on tort litigation than on research and development. 

How will we remain competitive, how will 

we rebuild our manufacturing base, how will 

our children compete in the global marketplace with the tsunami of mandatory spending obligations coming closer to our shores 

and the national debt racing past $10 trillion? As the rate of mandatory spending 

grows, discretionary spending used to meet 

the needs and challenges of future generations shrinks. What will we tell our children 

when we can’t afford to pay for a first-class 

education? Where will we find the money to 

rebuild the nation’s infrastructure and 

transportation systems? What hope do we 

provide for American families touched by 

health care concerns and battling devastating diseases when we don’t have funds 

for medical research to find cures for cancer, 

Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and autism? Not 

only is this unacceptable, I believe it raises 

serious moral questions. Is it right for one 

generation to live very well knowing that its 

debts are being passed on to its children and 

grandchildren? 

Routinely increasing the amount of money 

the government can borrow without taking 

any action to stem the country’s growing 

debt has been standard operating procedure 

in Congress. But the storm warning signs 

have been posted. Standard and Poor’s Investment Service has projected that the U.S. 

could lose its triple-A bond rating as early as 

2012, while Moody’s delays its projection to 

2018. It’s hard to believe that the United 

States of America could be such a poor investment risk that it is poised to lose its 

gold standard rating. 

As our nation’s financial outlook erodes, 

we also are mortgaging the economic opportunity of future generations to countries 

like China and Saudi Arabia, two of the largest holders of U.S. debt. You may have seen 

The Washington Post report earlier this 

week that China now owns nearly $1 out of 

every $10 in U.S. public debt. Are we willing 

to allow China—a country that persecutes 

its own people because of their faith—or 

Saudi Arabia—which breeds the kind of radical ideology that led to the terrorist attacks on our country—to own what generations of Americans have worked so hard to 

build for their children and grandchildren? 

This is the same China linked to 

cybersecurity attacks on the computer systems in congressional offices and committees, in federal agencies and even at the 

White House. 

How do we respond to these challenges of 

change? Where do we start? I bring to your 

attention one plan already in place. It has 

attracted the support of 111 bipartisan members of the House of Representatives and 

newspapers and think tanks across the political spectrum. I believe it is an idea upon 

which you can build with bold, courageous 

and bipartisan leadership. 

Democrat Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee 

and I have teamed to offer legislation to create a national bipartisan commission to review the totality of our nation’s financial future—entitlement spending, other federal 

spending and tax policy. This proposal differs 

significantly from other blue ribbon-type 

panels, however, because it has teeth and 

mandates action, similar to the base closing 

commission. After spending several months 

holding town hall meetings across the country, gathering comments and explaining the 

depths of America’s current unsustainable financial problems, the commission will report back to Congress. The legislation requires Congress to vote up or down on the 

commission’s recommended plan of action. 

The proposal is called the SAFE Commission—Securing America’s Future Economy— 

and a companion effort has gained traction 

in the Senate. 

While we have been encouraged with the 

support generated by the SAFE proposal, I 

have been disappointed that Congress continues to languish in the political divide 

while the financial tsunami edges closer. In 

1968 songwriter Paul Simon wrote ‘‘The 

Boxer.’’ You may recall its refrain: ‘‘Man 

hears what he wants to hear and disregards 

the rest.’’ That could describe Congress’s reaction, or lack thereof, to the financial crisis 

staring America square in the face. The 

American people deserve to know the truth, 

not just what we think they want to hear. 

Your former colleague Senate Budget 

Chairman Kent Conrad, sponsor of the SAFE 

Commission idea in the Senate, said that he 

supported your candidacy because you are 

‘‘somebody that reaches out to bring people 

together to get results,’’ noting that ‘‘nobody is more responsible for that than the 

president of the United States. It starts at 

the top.’’ 

America is facing extraordinary challenges 

that call for extraordinary action. I worry 

about the future for my five children and 13 

grandchildren and your two young children 

if we do not act now to make certain that 

America continues to be a land of boundless 

opportunity. I believe the SAFE concept can 

provide the outline of a plan that you as 

president could embrace in the 111th Congress which convenes in January. Enactment 

of the legislation setting up the commission 

during the first session next year would ensure a vote on the commission’s recommendations during the second session in 

2010. Your active support of the SAFE Commission effort in Congress would signal the 

critical immediacy of attacking this problem 

head on in the only way I believe it will be 

solved—by working together in a bipartisan 

way. 

America is yearning for bipartisanship. 

With your leadership in reaching across the 

aisle of Congress to bring people together, I 

believe we can start down the path that will 

lead to a renaissance in America and ensure 

that the essential goodness of the United 

States endures. 


smartinez on PROD1PC64 with REMARKS
E2320 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks November 20, 2008 

I would be pleased to speak with you about 

the SAFE Commission plan, and I wish you 

Godspeed as you begin your presidency. 

Sincerely, 

FRANK R. WOLF, 

f 

Member of Congress. 

EARMARK DECLARATION 

HON. DAVID DAVIS OF TENNESSEE

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, November 20, 2008 

Mr. DAVID DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam 

Speaker, pursuant to the Republican leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting 

the following information for publication in the 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD regarding earmarks I 

received as part of H.R. 2638, the ‘‘Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act of 2008.’’ 

The following project I requested was included in the legislation considered on the 

floor of the House: 

Bill Number: H.R. 2638. 

Account: Research Development Defense 

Wide, Industrial Preparedness. 

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Seaman 

Corporation. 

Address of Requesting Entity: 1000 Venture 

Boulevard, Wooster, OH 44691. 

Description of Request: I received an earmark in the amount of $1,600,000 to continue 

a research and development project to develop a more reliable collapsible storage tank 

that will be utilized by our military for fuel and 

water distribution. Research and development 

will occur in Seaman facilities in Ohio and in 

Bristol, TN. 

In recent years, the tanks being used by our 

military have consistently underperformed, and 

the Defense Logistics Agency is working with 

Seaman to develop fabrication technologies 

that will improve the performance capabilities 

of the tanks being produced. The money appropriated for this project will be utilized by: 

(1) identifying the manufacturing processes to 

ensure long-term performance that meets and/ 

or exceeds current military application requirements, (2) establishing quality assurance procedures to ensure extended life performance 

dependability, and (3) providing field validation 

testing. 

f 

IN RECOGNITION OF JEFFERSON 

UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TRUSTEE JEAN BRINK 

HON. JACKIE SPEIER OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, November 20, 2008 

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, an era is 

coming to an end in the Jefferson Union High 

School District. Jean Brink, first elected in 

1988, is retiring as a Trustee after 20 years of 

productive and selfless service. 

Like so many in public service, Jean first got 

involved as an active and concerned parent. 

Her two children, Adam and Laura, attended 

the District’s Oceana High School, where Jean 

quickly became as well-known as her son and 

daughter. 

In five straight elections, the voters of the 

Jefferson Union High School District returned 

Jean to office, relying on her level head, passionate commitment to education and keen 

understanding of the School District’s greater 

role in the community. 

Madam Speaker, Jean is the kind of public 

servant that we could all take a lesson from. 

While overseeing the modernization of district 

schools and facilities and working for the passage of two bond measures, Jean remained 

vigilant against waste and abuse and always 

kept a watchful eye on the taxpayers’ hardearned money. 

Jean Brink earned the title ‘‘Trustee’’ because ‘‘trust’’ is what Jean is all about. As a 

board member, she guided the District through 

difficult economic times while always making 

sure that the needs of students were foremost 

on the minds of administrators. While committed to the basics, she understood that high 

school is one of the last times that many students have a chance to participate in artistic 

endeavors. She has been a strong supporter 

of art, music and drama programs, not just by 

providing financial and administrative support, 

but by attending nearly every band concert, 

school play and art show produced in the district for the last 20 years. Madam Speaker, a 

generation of students benefitted from Jean 

Brink’s service. We will miss her, but she has 

certainly earned her retirement. Jean can now 

spend more time on her other interests, including swimming and volunteering for such 

worthwhile projects as the Oceana Natatorium’s ceramic mural and the Pacifica School 

Volunteers. 

We all know how much time public office 

takes away from one’s family. I want to thank 

Jean’s supportive husband, John Brink for 

loaning his talented and remarkable wife to 

the community. Son and daughter-in-law John 

and Kristin Brink and daughter and son-in-law 

Laura and Doug Ritenour will, no doubt, love 

having more time with Jean, but I have a feeling the person who will benefit most from 

Jean’s newfound free time is her precious and 

adorable granddaughter, Serena Ritenour. 

f 

HONORING JUNE W. BUTTERFIELD 

HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO OF WEST VIRGINIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, November 20, 2008 

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today 

to honor June W. Butterfield, who is the recipient of the 2008 Experience Works Prime Time 

Award for Outstanding Older Workers. 

Experience Works strives to improve the 

lives of older people through employment and 

community service. 2008 marks the eleventh 

year Experience Works is leading this national, yearlong initiative that recognizes remarkable individuals 65 and older who continue to make valuable contributions in the 

workplace. 

This year’s recipient from the state of West 

Virginia is June W. Butterfield, an office manager for the West Virginia Board of Risk and 

Insurance Management in Charleston. Working since she was 18, June started in the private sector but has been a government employee in one form or another for the past 38 

years. The constant challenges and opportunities to become more efficient are what keep 

June so motivated. Her co-workers recognize 

this effort and praise her positive attitude in 

the office. A former competitive runner, June 

is a big advocate of staying healthy and encourages her colleagues to stay fit. She encourages all older people to keep working, 

saying ‘‘it keeps you young.’’ 

It is an honor to represent this outstanding 

woman who serves as a strong leader and excellent role model for older women in her community. Congratulations to June W. Butterfield 

as the recipient of the 2008 Experience Works 

Prime Time Award for Outstanding Older 

Workers. 

f 

HONORING THE LIFE OF DARWIN 

WIEKAMP OF MISHAWAKA, INDIANA 

HON. JOE DONNELLY OF INDIANA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, November 20, 2008 

Mr. DONNELLY. Madam Speaker, today I 

rise to honor the life of Darwin Wiekamp, a 

hard-working businessman and lifelong community philanthropist. Mr. Wiekamp died at his 

home in Mishawaka, Indiana on the morning 

of November 13, 2008 at the age of 94. 

In 1936, 22-year old Wiekamp married his 

wife of 72 years, Dorothy. His business career 

as an area banker began a few years later in 

1945, when he and a friend founded the Owners Discount Corporation in Elkhart, Indiana 

with a vision to serve customers who were ignored by other banks. Their corporation specialized in small loans for cars and new businesses. 

For the next several years, Wiekamp implemented aggressive lending programs to his 

less fortunate community members, and in 

1966 Owners Discount purchased West End 

State Bank of Mishawaka. Wiekamp’s bank 

continued to grow enormously, changing 

names several times, until it finally became 

National City Bank. By the time Wiekamp retired, his initial $64,000 capital had turned into 

a financial corporation that today is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. His ceaseless hard 

work, willingness to take risks, and dedication 

to serving his community are qualities that 

every businessman should strive to emulate. 

As a philanthropist in our community, 

Wiekamp led campaigns to raise money for 

public television, St. Joseph Hospital, and the 

South Bend Center for the Homeless. His financial generosity also helped support 

healthcare and the arts in the form of the 

Schwartz-Weikamp Clinic in Mishawaka and 

an auditorium at the Center for History. With 

the help of nine other community businessmen, Wiekamp also organized and founded 

Mishawaka Futures Industrial Park, which 

today is home to twenty small businesses and 

hundreds of jobs. 

Friends and fellow businessmen remember 

Wiekamp as ‘‘enormously generous in the 

community,’’ ‘‘a great guy with a good sense 

of humor,’’ and a ‘‘tough competitor and good 

golfer.’’ But what Wiekamp will be most remembered for is his commitment to educational causes and community development. 

He and Dorothy helped fund Wiekamp Hall at 

Indiana University South Bend, the primary 

classroom building on campus, housing five 

computer labs, a language lab, sixteen classrooms, faculty and administrative offices, and 

a 150-seat lecture hall. They also helped finance the IUSB art gallery and more than thirty scholarships for students at the school. 


smartinez on PROD1PC64 with REMARKS