Congressional Record UNUM

E PLURIBUS

United States

of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 111th

 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION

b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m.

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

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H327 

Vol. 155 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2009 No. 9 

House of Representatives 

The House met at 10 a.m. 

The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. 

Coughlin, offered the following prayer: 

Lord, with the ancient scripture, You 

advise the Members of Congress today. 

Wisdom from the book of Sirach may 

address personal values as well as national economics. 

‘‘Good and evil, life and death, poverty and wealth are all from the Lord. 

‘‘Wisdom and understanding, the 

knowledge of human affairs, the depths 

of love, and the path of virtue all come 

from the Lord. 

‘‘Error and vacuous darkness were 

formed in the sinner from the day of 

birth; and evil grows as the evildoer 

ages. 

‘‘But the Lord’s gift remains with the 

just; blessing brings continual success. 

‘‘Someone may become rich through 

a miser’s life, and this is all he has as 

off-counted reward.’’ 

When he says, ‘‘I can rest now; I need 

only feast on my possessions,’’ he does 

not know how long it will be till he 

dies and leaves everything to others. 

My child, hold fast to your duty; 

busy yourself with it. Grow in age and 

wisdom, doing your task. Admire not 

how sinners live, but trust in the Lord 

and wait for His light. Amen. 

f 

THE JOURNAL 

The SPEAKER. The Chair has examined the Journal of the last day’s proceedings and announces to the House 

her approval thereof. 

Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved. 

f 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 

The SPEAKER. Will the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. KAPTUR) come 

forward and lead the House in the 

Pledge of Allegiance. 

Ms. KAPTUR led the Pledge of Allegiance as follows: 

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the 

United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, 

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 

f 

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER 

The SPEAKER. The Chair will entertain up to five 1-minutes on each side 

of the aisle. 

f 

THE HUMANITARIAN DISASTER IN 

GAZA 

(Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) 

Mr. KUCINICH. The attack on the 

U.N. headquarters in Gaza is further 

proof that a post legal era in world affairs has taken shape where law and 

moral principles are irrelevant—where 

might makes right, where retribution 

and vengeance, even against innocent 

children, fails to shake us from moral 

lethargy or political paralysis. Collected punishment is a proportionate 

use of force. Using U.S. planes, helicopters and ammunitions to attack a 

wounded, starved and thirsty population of mostly children trapped in a 

box called ‘‘Gaza’’ has become acceptable, perhaps because we’ve already accepted the deaths of over 1 million innocent civilians in Iraq in a war based 

on lies. 

There is a way out. We must ask 

those who were given our armaments 

for defense to stop the aggression and 

the blockade and the occupation and 

reconnect with the high sentiments 

that rallied their own suffering, wounded people of a nation generations ago. 

When we recognize the humanitarian 

disaster in Gaza, when we come to 

grips with the reality of suffering on 

both sides, we may yet find a way to 

save ourselves. 

‘‘BANK ROBBERY?’’ 

(Mr. POE of Texas asked and was 

given permission to address the House 

for 1 minute.) 

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, oh, 

how things have changed. Time was, 

when you borrowed money from a 

bank, the bank wanted to know what 

the money was going to be used for, 

and you were required to fill out a 

bunch of forms to receive that money. 

Now the big banks have shown up, 

wanting $350 billion from the taxpayer. 

They won’t tell us what they will use 

the money for, and they haven’t filled 

out any paperwork to justify receiving 

more taxpayer money. You see, they 

don’t want the same standards they require on borrowers to be applied to 

them when they want money. 

It used to be the bad guys robbed the 

banks. Now it appears that the banks 

are the bad guys by putting a financial 

gun to the people, saying, ‘‘Give us the 

loot or you’re all going to die economically.’’ 

It’s like bank robbery in reverse. It 

seems like the big banking boys’ gang 

is robbing the people. We call all of 

this nonsense a bailout, but bailouts 

have not helped stimulate the economy. Why don’t we just say, ‘‘No’’? No 

more money to special interest groups. 

No more taxpayer money will be spent 

without accountability. No more 

spending money we don’t have. We cannot spend, borrow and tax our way out 

of this economic calamity. 

And that’s just the way it is. 

f 

THE SECOND ROUND OF THE 

BAILOUT MISTAKE 

(Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute.) 

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the second half of the Wall Street bailout is 

being jammed at this House today— 

again, with a cursory review by the 

committees that should be meeting 


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