S336 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 13, 2009 

The government isn’t going to help out 

long-term if they go after the gas and oil 

companies. Okay, maybe their profits seem a 

bit high in light of what everybody else is 

going through, but ultimately, conservation 

will affect the market and they’ll have to 

turn down the prices. Government can subsidize mass transit and price it so that it’s 

the economic choice. Government can reward conservation. Incentives for auto manufacturers to produce energy conscious vehicles will inspire research and could result in 

some little guy creating the next great automotive company, one whose main focus is 

energy conservation. We can change the 

ethos that drives our American reliance on 

petrochemicals. We must change the ethos, 

for the good of our planet and the social 

structures that it supports. 

That is my story. Thanks for asking, Senator Crapo. 

MIRIAM I. LYNGHOLM, Moscow. 

Thank you for your proactive email on a 

critical issue. I am usually the one emailing 

you (along with Larry Craig, and Bill Sali) 

about whatever issue it is that I feel needs 

attention . . . line the still porous Southern 

border!! My husband and I have not done our 

usual weekly lunch out and our pizza night. 

I find, if I am lacking something for a recipe, 

I just do without it. Before the insanity of 

the current pump prices, I would just hop in 

the car and head to the store to get the missing item. That usually interpreted itself to a 

minimum $20.00 purchase, because you always see something to just ‘‘pick up while I 

am there’’. But, no more. I find I incorporate 

as many errands in one trip as possible. I am 

definitely driving less, eating out less, and 

shopping less, even at the grocery. 

Do I like this? Not one bit, especially when 

it is as unnecessary as it is. We have resources in this country that have not even 

been explored. Drill off the Atlantic. I have 

lived on the Florida Gulf coast. I know what 

a spill does, but the technology and safe 

guards are far superior to what they used to 

be! Move the limit out a bit, then explore. 

How about the shale available in Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado? I do not advocate destroying beautiful places at all. There are 

ways to return the earth to its previous 

state. We don’t ‘‘scalp’’ the forest anymore 

with clear cutting. We have learned forest 

management. The same can be true of retrieving the oil from shale. Why then, does it 

take 2 years just to get the air permit to 

start up in those states? We won a world war 

in just twice that time. Surely, we can push 

paper faster in this crisis. Our economy is 

being crippled . . . one family at a time. 

I hope you will vote to start exploring/ 

drilling at a sensible distance off our shores 

. . . but START! The other issue is the free 

reign of the futures/commodity speculators 

and their part in all of these inflated prices. 

This has not happened before on this type of 

scale. Wasn’t there some regulation in place 

that was done away with in the late 1990s 

that opened the way for this pillaging that is 

happening today? I implore you to take 

measures to stop these people who are inflating these prices and lining their pockets at 

the pain of others. 

Thank you for writing and for your vigilance on the border (even though nothing is 

happening), and the gas price issues. 

VIRGINIA CARTER, Boise. 

Should be an easy one for your office to 

track. Follow a bbl of oil from AK, MT, WY, 

ND, SD, PA, TX or CA from the wellhead to 

the service station. You may not be able to 

publish what you come up with. . . 

RODGER COLGAN. 

I read with sadness your email on the poor 

plight of us Amercians being consumed by 

rising Energy prices. Your aim at getting 

more exploration for energy reserves misses 

the entire problem. 

The problem is not that Gas prices, have 

gone up. Nor have housing prices or food 

prices increased. 

You are looking at the symptom of a much 

bigger problem. What has changed is that 

the value of the dollar has decreased. As 

pegged by the price of gold, silver and the 

eruo the dollar is worth less than it was in 

2000. At that time gold was about $250 per 

ounce, the Euro was $.92 and Silver was 

somewhere around $5.00. Today Gold is near 

$900, Silver around $17 and the euro is around 

$1.55. 

So Gas should be about $5.76. Given that 

the price of gold has gone up over 3 times 

and so has silver. 

The problem Senator is that the value of 

the Dollar or more accurately that Federal 

Reserve Token that most Americans refer to 

as the Dollar has declined. 

It has declined because of the overprinting 

by the Federal Reserve who at Congresses request asks them to print more so they can 

borrow these fictitious dollars and pay back 

the private bankers called the Federal Reserve at an amazing profit. 

When you measure gas prices and food 

prices against real money as defined by our 

constitution, i.e. Gold and Silver, gas in real 

terms is about a $1.60 in 2000 terms. 

One could argue that the price of Gold has 

also gone up in price but that is missing the 

point. Money as defined is a store of labor. A 

dollar as defined by our constitution is 25.8 

grains of gold. You cannot inflate or deflate 

gold or silver. They are what they are. 

Sound. The Federal Reserve Tokens most 

Americans refer to as dollars, on the other 

hand is printed as fast or as slow as the government who borrows it. The Federal Reserve then charges interest on something 

that has been created out of thin air. What a 

business that has got to be. That is why the 

founders established a sound currency 

backed by gold. In 1913 Congress fell for a 

scheme to take the people’s money. In 1929 

Roosevelt created a banking holiday to convince the people that taking sound money 

from them would save the country. The people obviously confused by the recent events 

and nearly 20 years of advertising by the 

Federal Reserve Banksters were convinced 

that they should give up good money for 

worthless paper currency. 

Let me give you an analogy most Americans might understand. Let us assume you 

are playing monopoly. We will give you a 

special player’s piece let us call it the pig. 

The pig is playing like all the other players, 

however you, as the pig get to the coveted 

piece of real estate called Boardwalk. On realizing that you don’t have enough money to 

buy Boardwalk you simply take some from 

the bank (Federal Reserve) and buy it. Now 

the other players (THE People of the U.S.) 

that you are playing with do not see you do 

this. However, after many more rolls of dice 

you seem to never run short of money. You 

simply go to the Federal Reserve and grab 

some more monopoly money. Now other 

players cannot seem to keep up. Their 

money is worthless. IN fact you have so 

much you simply bid up the price of anything you want to buy. This of course creates 

a huge disadvantage but you don’t care you 

are the Pig, er government. Now the bank is 

asking for you to begin making those huge 

interest payments so now rather than the 

other players getting $200 when they pass go 

you pass a new rule and the other players get 

a bill for $200. Doesn’t seem fair does it? Well 

that is what you and the other congressmen 

have been doing for the last 90+ years. 

So here we are today with Congress borrowing paper currency or debt instruments 

that the Federal Reserve gets to charge the 

people interest on. This Business by the 

banksters is something for nothing Banking 

Scam. 

Real Money, Gold and Silver, does not 

change over time. It is sound, it is fair and 

when this country was founded some 230 

years ago it changed an economy that was in 

the shambles to one of stability. 

Today what does change is how many dollars Congress borrows to fund the occupation 

in Iraq, Afghanistan and the other 700 bases 

we have around the world. 

The only real solution to this is to go back 

to a Gold Standard, and abolish the Federal 

Reserve, which is neither Federal nor are 

there any reserves. This private banking system, coupled with you and congresses overspending is what has put our economy in a 

tailspin that is much like the created disaster of 1929 and 1979. 

Now the world no longer wants our debt 

and since we have no real money to pay it 

back with. The solution is to get back to a 

gold backed currency that the world can respect and trust. 

It is nice that you congressmen and women 

point fingers as to the symptoms of the problem but you need to be pointing the fingers 

at yourselves who have allowed the problem. 

You have allowed President Bush and Dick 

Cheney, to run amuk with a blank check 

book spending money on a war that was 

never approved by the spineless Congress. 

You can pass all the laws and resolutions 

you wish but they are just window dressing. 

Until we get sound money and Congress 

takes responsibility for allowing Dick Cheney to run the white house then we will continue to see our wealth erode. 

My hope is that you pull all the troops 

home, shut down all the bases and put this 

country on a sound money system by eliminating the Federal Reserve. Until you stop 

printing and spending Federal Reserve Tokens on guns and butter the dollar will continue its free fall until the people’s wealth 

has been confiscated by the over printing of 

the currency. 

May God bless you Congressman if you 

stand up to this charade created so long ago. 

For our country to survive you must take a 

stand. 

If you don’t take a stand, if no one stands 

up for the values our founders instituted so 

long ago, then I fear that our country will 

become just like other 3rd world countries 

whose governments have stolen the people 

blind with fiat currencies like what we have 

here in the United States. 

Good Luck. 

DAVID DEHAAS. 

Like you or any other politician in DC 

really cares about the common folk who sent 

them there. You all could have set forth 

changes to allow more exploration and development of our own oil/gas in such areas as 

off the coasts and in ANWR but you didn’t. 

So I ask you again why bother acting like 

you care, you don’t pay for gas in your car or 

try to buy fuel to run your farm or truck. 

f 

ALBERT MORRISON, Ammon. 

EXECUTIVE AND OTHER 

COMMUNICATIONS 

The following communications were 

laid before the Senate, together with 

accompanying papers, reports, and documents, and were referred as indicated: 

EC–435. A communication from the Chief 

Financial Officer, Department of Housing 

and Urban Development, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report relative to the Department’s competitive sourcing efforts during 


smartinez on PROD1PC64 with SENATE
January 13, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S337 

fiscal year 2008; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 

EC–436. A communication from the Under 

Secretary for Industry and Security, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant 

to law, a report relative to the imposition of 

foreign policy controls on reexports to Iran 

and exports and reexports to certain parties 

pursuant to Executive Order 13382; to the 

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 

Affairs. 

EC–437. A communication from the Legal 

Information Assistant, Office of Thrift Supervision, Department of the Treasury, 

transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of 

a rule entitled ‘‘Minimum Capital Ratios; 

Capital Adequacy Guidelines; Capital Maintenance; Capital: Deduction of Goodwill Net 

of Associated Deferred Tax Liability’’ 

(RIN1550–AC22) received in the Office of the 

President of the Senate on January 11, 2009; 

to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

Urban Affairs. 

EC–438. A communication from the Associate General Counsel for Legislation and 

Regulations, Office of Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 

transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of 

a rule entitled ‘‘Consolidated Returns; Intercompany Obligations’’ (RIN1545–BA11) received in the Office of the President of the 

Senate on January 11, 2009; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 

EC–439. A communication from the Associate General Counsel for Legislation and 

Regulations, Office of Housing, Department 

of Housing and Urban Development, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule 

entitled ‘‘Standards for Mortgagor’s Investment in Mortgaged Property: Compliance 

With Court Order Vacating Final Rule’’ 

(RIN2502–AI52) received in the Office of the 

President of the Senate on January 11, 2009; 

to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

Urban Affairs. 

EC–440. A communication from the Assistant to the Board of Governors of the Federal 

Reserve System, transmitting, pursuant to 

law, the report of a rule entitled ‘‘Minimum 

Capital Ratios; Capital Adequacy Guidelines; 

Capital Maintenance; Capital: Deduction of 

Goodwill Net of Associated Deferred Tax Liability’’ (Docket No. R–1329) received in the 

Office of the President of the Senate on January 9, 2009; to the Committee on Banking, 

Housing, and Urban Affairs. 

EC–441. A communication from the Acting 

Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, 

Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the 

Interior, transmitting, pursuant to law, the 

report of a rule entitled ‘‘Reclamation Rural 

Water Supply Program’’ (RIN1006–AA54) received in the Office of the President of the 

Senate on January 11, 2009; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 

EC–442. A communication from the Chief 

Financial Officer, Federal Mediation and 

Conciliation Service, transmitting, pursuant 

to law, a report relative to financial integrity for fiscal year 2008; to the Committee on 

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 

EC–443. A communication from the Secretary, American Battle Monuments Commission, transmitting, pursuant to law, the 

Commission’s annual report for fiscal year 

2008; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 

EC–444. A communication from the Director, National Gallery of Art, transmitting, 

pursuant to law, an annual report relative to 

the Gallery’s competitive sourcing activities 

during fiscal year 2008; to the Committee on 

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 

EC–445. A communication from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting, pursuant to law, the Department’s Performance 

and Accountability Report for fiscal year 

2008; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 

EC–446. A communication from the Under 

Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a violation of the Antideficiency Act that occurred within the U.S. Southern Command, 

and has been assigned case number 08–05; to 

the Committee on Appropriations. 

EC–447. A communication from the Attorney of the Office of Assistant General Counsel for Legislation and Regulatory Law, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy, transmitting, 

pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled 

‘‘Energy Conservation Program for Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Energy Conservation Standards for Commercial IceCream Freezers; Self-Contained Commercial 

Refrigerators, Commercial Freezers, and 

Commercial Refrigerator-Freezers Without 

Doors; and Remote Condensing Commercial 

Refrigerators, Commercial Freezers, and 

Commercial Refrigerator-Freezers’’ 

(RIN1904–AB59) received in the Office of the 

President of the Senate on January 12, 2009; 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 

f 

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS AND 

JOINT RESOLUTIONS 

The following bills and joint resolutions were introduced, read the first 

and second times by unanimous consent, and referred as indicated: 

By Mr. HATCH: 

S. 215. A bill to authorize the Boy Scouts of 

America to exchange certain land in the 

State of Utah acquired under the Recreation 

and Public Purposes Act; to the Committee 

on Energy and Natural Resources. 

By Mr. HATCH: 

S. 216. A bill to authorize the Secretary of 

the Interior to conduct a special resource 

study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating Estate Grange and 

other sites related to Alexander Hamilton’s 

life on the island of St. Croix in the United 

States Virgin Islands as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes; 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 

By Mr. HATCH: 

S. 217. A bill to amend the National Trails 

System Act to require the Secretary of the 

Interior to update the feasibility and suitability studies of four national historic 

trails, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 

By Mr. HATCH: 

S. 218. A bill to require the Secretary of 

the Interior to convey certain Bureau of 

Land Management land to Park City, Utah, 

and for other purposes; to the Committee on 

Energy and Natural Resources. 

By Mr. HATCH: 

S. 219. A bill to provide for the sale of approximately 25 acres of public land to the 

Turnabout Ranch, Escalante, Utah, at fair 

market value; to the Committee on Energy 

and Natural Resources. 

By Mr. GRASSLEY: 

S. 220. A bill to amend title 28, United 

States Code, to provide an Inspector General 

for the judicial branch, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary. 

By Mr. NELSON of Florida: 

S. 221. A bill to amend the Commodity Exchange Act to require energy commodities to 

be traded only on regulated markets, and for 

other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. 

By Mr. FEINGOLD: 

S. 222. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the national 

limitation on qualified energy conservation 

bonds and to clarify that certain programs 

constitute a qualified conservation purpose, 

and for other purposes; to the Committee on 

Finance. 

By Mr. FEINGOLD: 

S. 223. A bill to amend the Farm Security 

and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to further 

the adoption of technologies developed by 

the Department of Agriculture, to encourage 

small business partnerships in the development of energy through biorefineries, and for 

other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. 

By Ms. STABENOW (for herself and 

Mr. BROWN): 

S. 224. A bill to promote economic recovery 

through green jobs and infrastructure, and 

for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 

By Mr. BAYH (for himself, Mr. HATCH, 

Mrs. LINCOLN, Mr. KERRY, Mr. LUGAR, 

Mr. KENNEDY, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. 

BENNETT, and Mr. VOINOVICH): 

S. 225. A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to establish programs to 

improve the quality, performance, and delivery of pediatric care; to the Committee on 

Finance. 

By Mr. TESTER (for himself and Mr. 

BAUCUS): 

S. 226. A bill to designate the Department 

of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in 

Havre, Montana, as the Merril Lundman Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient 

Clinic; to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. 

By Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mrs. 

CLINTON, Ms. MIKULSKI, and Mr. 

SCHUMER): 

S. 227. A bill to establish the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, 

New York, and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in 

Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, 

Maryland, and for other purposes; to the 

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 

By Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself and 

Mr. AKAKA): 

S. 228. A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to permit States, at their 

option, to require certain individuals to 

present satisfactory documentary evidence 

of proof of citizenship or nationality for purposes of eligibility for Medicaid, and for 

other purposes; to the Committee on Finance. 

By Mrs. BOXER: 

S. 229. A bill to empower women in Afghanistan, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Foreign Relations. 

By Mrs. BOXER: 

S. 230. A bill to express United States foreign policy with respect to, and to strengthen United States advocacy on behalf of, individuals persecuted and denied their rights in 

foreign countries on account of gender, and 

for other purposes; to the Committee on Foreign Relations. 

By Mr. VITTER (for himself, Mr. 

DEMINT, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. BARRASSO, 

Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. ENZI, and Mr. 

BROWNBACK): 

S.J. Res. 5. A joint resolution relating to 

the disapproval of obligations under the 

Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 

2008; placed on the calendar, pursuant to P.L. 

110–343, sec. 115(e)(2). 

f 

SUBMISSION OF CONCURRENT AND 

SENATE RESOLUTIONS 

The following concurrent resolutions 

and Senate resolutions were read, and 

referred (or acted upon), as indicated: 

By Mr. NELSON of Florida (for himself 

and Mr. MARTINEZ): 


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