macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1994-05-04
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. well. it is the people that kill and not the guns. I think it is time in America we start holding the people responsible. Banning guns. any kind of guns. will not do anything to curb crime. What it will do is promote a bigger black market for weapons. Most crimes committed with guns are committed with illegal guns. anyway. So. in effect. this law that we are talking about will not do anything. it is just another BandAid from Washington. DC. to try- to fake out the Nation and take the spotlight right off the criminal. I tell you. guns are not doing the shooting. Let us an the real cause. and that is the criminals. Government ought to concentrate on locking up the criminal. not imposing criminal penalties on lawabiding citizens. Gun bans have a long history of failure. They do not reduce crime. crime deterrence lies not in .gun control but in the enforcement of laws that are already on the books. I know there is a crime problem in America. everyone of us does. We will not. any of us. say there is not a real problem. Until we hold the criminal. not society or guns. responsible. the crime rate is going -to continue to go up. Until we pass a real anticrime bill. we have notgotten to the crux of the problem.
Date: 1994-05-11
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. we have heard today that Mr.. ROSTEKOWSm wants to raise our taxes some more. We have heard about an Oklahoma election where we won because this administration is pushing taxes and morespending when in fact we are taking money away from our senior citizens between the ages of 65 and 69 who continue to work. We cannot even let them earn more than a mere $11.000 this year. It is sad that our country has come to the point Where we punish people for working hard. Taxes in America are high enough without taxing away another 33 percent of the working seniors income. Some seniors even have an effective tax rate of 89percent after last years tax bill. Let me repeat: 89 percent. I ask how long could you survive with an 89 percent tax rate? I ask you to join the gentleman from Illinois . my good friend and colleague who has introduced a discharge petition today -to pass the Older Americans Freedom to Work Act.
Date: 1994-05-26
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank my colleague from Dallas. who is on the seventh floor. I do not want to slide down a fire rail with her. but I think the point has to be made that the largest disparity is in the number of elevators in each House building per number of Members. The Rayburn has 30 elevators for 168 Members. the Cannon has 14 elevators for 140 Members. and for nearly 140 Members in the Longworth Building there are 10 elevators. I think that is a good case for voting against this amendment.
Date: 1994-06-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I think he has a number of documents of transactions both in and out of the dollars of which there is no trail.
Date: 1994-06-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

That is right. Let me make another point that I think is really important. As a member of the Banking Committee I think it is incumbent upon this Congress. -all of us. to be sure that we do not waste taxpayer dollars. and part of the taxpayer dollars that were lost in the savings and loan debacle that we had across this country were directly attributable to Mr. Lassiter and his company which was formed. He came to Little Rock in the 1970s and formed his company in 1983. About that time the Governor formed the .Arkansas Development Finance Authority. which is tantamount to a way to create money without control. The Governor appoints the board. He has the right to approve or disapprove every bond issue. no regulator. no legislative oversight. It is essentially there to create money. The dollars were put in. they flowed through the Lassiter company. as evidenced by the trade agreements that the gentleman has there. They went to S&Ls which are now defunct. The taxpayers are picking up the bill. In my view. the Committee on Banking. Finance and Urban Affairs has a responsibility of oversight on the RTC. which we have been denied hearings on. And we have a right to find out what happened to our taxpayer dollars. We have a right to protect the peoples interest. I think that -that is the -best argument for hearings that I know of.
Date: 1994-06-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

At the same time. and I am sure the gentleman did hear the majority leader tell us that we would have hearings. To date I know of none. I know that every committee* hearing in the Banking Committee has been postponed to date. We are not doing any activity in the full committee because as I understand it. they are afraid of what questions might be asked. I think that it is high time that we had hearings. that the House lived up to the vote that the gentleman spoke of. and we have a hearing in the Banking Committee. or with a special committee. it does not matter to me. But the Banking Committee does have purview over S&Ls and these matters. and they are directly responsible for protecting the peoples interests.
Date: 1994-06-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I think he ripped off. if I may. if you would yield. I think Lasater ripped off the people out at Angel Fire. too. You keep hearing that mentioned. I happen to own some property out there. and I know that. out in New Mexico. It is in default. and the guy just sucked money out of it by a large stroke. Im not sure it was not part of this whole arrangement.
Date: 1994-06-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Can I interrupt the gentleman? I would like to also point out that Patsy Thomasson was one of the three people who went into Fosters quarters or investigated that office right after that death. and I noticed that there has still been no comment from her. so she will not talk about Foster. she will not talk about Lasater. even though she is the person who was directly associated with him from the beginning to the end. and she apparently will not talk to anybody about what. is going on in the White House today
Date: 1994-06-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I would like to start with: What does Patsy Thomasson know about the illegal bond trading that was going on at Lasater when she was in control as an officer responsible for signing off on the daily trades? I arm sure she must have noticed any account that traded $20 million in a single day. I wonder if we should not know what role she. played and if any of these were illegal transactions.
Date: 1994-06-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Yes. sir. And. secondly. Lasater was convicted of drug possession and drug trafficking and sentenced to 2/2 years in prison in 1985. I wonder why thenGovernor Clinton pardoned Lasater after he only served 6 months of that sentence?
Date: 1994-06-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

An other question we ought to ask is think Patsy Thomasson was executiv( director of the Arkansas Democrati( Party from about 1992 to 1993. and dur ing that time she also headed Lasater: Phoenix Group. I wonder what finan cial contributions were made and hou those employees receive cash bonuse: from Phoenix and where those dollar. came from. And I wonder if Pats Thomasson would fully disclose her in come tax records and any continuinf financial relationships she might hav with Laster.
Date: 1994-06-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Yes. i has to be added the Phoenix Group i now under investigation by the Securi ties and Exchange Commission for in sider trading involving Don Tyson c Tyson Foods and Arctic Alaska Fish eries. and I wonder what she know about that.
Date: 1994-06-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me just add with that I think that adds just more fuel to the fire. we need open hearings. It does not matter whether it is Banking. Small Business. House Administration. Ethics. or Judiciary. somewhere we need.to put this out in the open and get to the bottom of it.
Date: 1994-06-14
Speaker: JOHN MYERS (republican)
Chamber: H

for his work on this bill on behalf of the citizens of California and the citizens of the Nation. This bill funds vital water projects in my district in southern California. and throughout California. Included. in the bill is $66 million for the Santa Ana River flood control project. This appropriation represents -the continuation of a projectwhich is vital insurance against catastrophic loss of life and property should a major flood hit the region. I am also pleased that the committee chose to fund the successful oceanside sand bypass at $1.5 million. These funds. which were not included in President Clintons fiscal year 1995 budget request. will be used to pump sand from the floor of Oceanside Harbor onto beaches to mitigate beach erosion. and save the taxpayers money. Finally. the bill contains $600.000 tofund a beach erosion study in San Diego County. I truly appreciate the chairman and ranking members attention to the needs of my constituents and look forward to working with them on future bills. Finally. I would like to urge my colleagues to defeat the Swett and Byrne amendments. They represent an abrogation of our longterm energy strategy established by the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
Date: 1994-06-21
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. article I of the Constitution gives Congress the right and obligation to conduct oversight of the executive branch. But. in the case of the Whitewater investigation we. have found an abuse of power when one political party controls both the White House and the Congress. The actions of the majority. the agencies. and the administration raise many questions. most important. whether they have compromised their independence or obstructed justice. But. beyond the stories of a coverup. where is the enforcement mechanism for congressional oversight when political concerns obstruct the Nations business? The Democrat leaders in this House are still interfering with the regulatory and legislative process. We requested hearings in the Banking Committee and the Banking Committee chairman denied them. We all know the Banking Committee has legislative jurisdiction over Madison Savings with respect to abuse of federally insured deposits. plans to merge all Federal banking agencies. agency contracting procedures. and institutional record keeping. just to name a few. RTC oversight hearings were canceled. We can only assume the chairman feared inquiries on Madison Savings. Questions on Madison would not have been out of line. that is the job of the Banking Committee. The. RTC. a historically mismanaged agency that just received $18.3 billion in new funding. is now three oversight hearings behind. Three hearings required by law. Clearly political protection was more important than taxpayer dollars in this decision. In addition. Madam Speaker. the ranking minority member. Mr. LEACH. has made many requests of OTS and the RTC for documents that he has a right to. But. they refused to disclose documents again after the chairman directed them not to respond to Mr. LEACHs requests. Finally. the House has agreed to hold hearings. but on limited topics. The Madison Savings oversight. which is the foremost concern of the Banking Committee is not an approved topic for the hearings. And once again the process is being held upby the chairman. who yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with the topics that have been decided upon. This will once again delay hearings on Whitewater. It is clearly a stalla cover up. Our oath of office should be our guide. America has to come first. not Republicans. not Democrats. not Independents. nor any other party. Congress should hold full disclosure hearings on Whitewater and RTC oversight hearings. not only to answer questions about the President and Madison savings. but to ensure the integrity of the Congress and fulfill our responsibility to the American people.
Date: 1994-06-24
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the Presidents own competitiveness council reported tq Congress last week that with � regard to healthcare reform "Ultimately it is the worker who pays for most of the healthcare system. through lower wages and lower quality healthcare. All Americans should be concerned about bearing the burden of healthcare reform. If Congress imposes employer mandates. quality of care will decrease.. wages will be lower. and there will be less jobs due to layoffs to pay for the mandates. Small business owners from all over the country have. said employer mandates mean weaker businesses and fewer jobs. We have a choicewe can ruin the American economy so that people can pay more for lessor we can pass responsible reforms that preserve our superb health care system and keep. Americas small businesses strong.
Date: 1994-06-28
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. this week Congress will be voting on space station funding. Are we going to abandon Americas future. or will we continue a legacy of leading the world into space? Does this Congress have the same courage and foresight that our predecessors had to bring us the growth. prosperity. prestige. and quality of life that Americans now enjoy. unprecedented and unmatched anywhere in the world. We have a great investment in our space program. We cant just trash one of our societys greatest achievements. Achievements in space have inspired our children to excellence. But now. we are in danger of having an entire generation grow into adulthood without turning the dream of stepping out of the bounds of Earths gravity into reality. An entire generation or more. think of it. We all know the space programs contributions have touched all aspects of our modern life. New technologies. new products. new jobs. and economic growth have been a direct result of our space program. It has contributed to timely and accurate breast cancer detection. highly advanced air and water filters. improved engine lubricants. lightweight composites. hightechnology lasers robotics. and even improved shock absorption in athletic shoes. Our achievements in space have also contributed to Americas stature in the world.. No other nation on earth can even come close to matching our accomplishments. And now with strong partners in Russia. Europe. and Japan. we have the knowledge. the resources. and the ability to reach our next goal in spacecompletion on the space station. Budget cutting is the only argument that space station opponents have. I want my colleagues to reach back in time to a previous Congress courage and look to the future in the same manner. And it is with that awareness that I urge everyone to make the tough choice. a visionary choice like the one made 25 years ago that put American astronauts on the MooD. It is for our kids. it is for our America. It is the right time. It is the right choice. to fully support continued funding for the space station program. It is an investment in Americas future. It is the future of planet Earth.
Date: 1994-07-14
Speaker: BOB MICHEL (republican)
Chamber: H

whose bill. H.R. 493. this substitute is based on. It was he who extended this veto concept and expedited process into the area of special interest tax breaks. and I think that is a very valuable contribution. And let me hasten to add this is a bipartisan substitute. It got the votes of 33 Democrats last year and I hope it will get even more today. I am especially grateful to the leadership of JIM COOPER. JIMMY HAYES. GARY CONDIT. and BILLY TAUZIN for sponsoring this amendment. On our side we again have the strong leadership on the lineitem veto from three outstanding freshmen: MIKE CASTLE. PETER BLUTE. and JACK QUINN. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote for this only true lineitem veto we will have before us this year. Lets start to do things right around here and give the President special authority in partnership with the Congress to curb wasteful spending. Vote "yes" on the Solomon lineitem veto substitute.
Date: 1994-07-19
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. this morning I want to talk about some friends of mine. -Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Buzz Aldrin and I went through flying school together and fought in Korea together We were fighter pilots together. Twentyfive years ago tomorrow. Neil Armstrong and my friend Buzz walked on -the Moon. Among their footprints and the American flag is a plaque stating "We came in peace for all mankind." If left undisturbed by man. the scene will. remain entirely as they left it for many thousands of years. My hope is that we allow it to remain for history undisturbed. Our research and space. programs have been. destructively reduced. so I come to the well today to � speak of that yesterday. the Moon landing. and all the tomorrows ahead of us. We owe the fine men and women 6f the Apollo program. both in space and on the ground. our thanks. Counting Apollo 11. there were six Apollo missions to the Moon until 1972. No other nation has returned since then. Twentyfive years have passed since that first space walk. An entire generation has grown to adulthood without knowing space travel. What many of you accept as part of your consciousness being an eyewitness to such a moment as I was. this generation can have no experiential feeling for. So you Jizly 19. 1994 might ask me if it is really so important to have been a part of that particular moment in time. My answer is a resounding yes. But. you see. I missed it. When Aldrin and Armstrong were flying to the Moon. I was sitting in the Hanoi Hilton prisoner ofwarcamp in Vietnam. I not only missed all of the Moon missions but I thought the Russians had gotten there first because that is what the Vietnamese told us. Buzz said he waved to me as he flew over Vietnam. In 6 years. you miss an enormous amount of shared reality and freedom that your contemporaries take for granted. So I firmly believe that it is imperative we impart the facts as well as the feelings to this latest generation. I hope July 20. 1969. will be remembered as a day when courage overcame fear of the unknown. when confidence replaced doubt. when insurmountable odds became a challenge. when humankind reached beyond the bounds of reality. not just to touch the unknown but to embrace it. You see. mankind is at its best when confronted with tough challenges. I would like to be able to tell my grandchildren that when we faced tough choices and long odds. we looked into an uncertain future with the same courage that the Apollo astronauts had. That we decided bold ventures and glorious undertakings were to be found not on the fields of battle but inside microscopic worlds and out there among the stars. So take a little time tomorrow to remember Apollo 11 and Michael Collins. Neil Armstrong. and Buzz Aldrin and to thank them for more than just the mission. America owes them a great deal.
Date: 1994-07-19
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentleman from Michigan for yielding this time to me. You all are too kind. Mr. Speaker. besides what the gentlewoman from New Jersey was talking about earlier on WIC. I think that the child who has the ability to pay for lunches. there is absolutely no justification to provide free meals to those kids. The way this reads is that if 30 percent of the school children are receiving free meals. the whole school gets free meals. meaning that we provide free meals to everyone. paid for by the Government. Any time you accommodate a group universally whether they need it or not. it is socialism. I do not think this House wants to support that kind of a thing even though it is in an authorization bill and you say it is not going to be appropriated. I think it Is time we started authorizing what we really intend.
Date: 1994-07-19
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of the Walker motion to instruct the House conferees to accept the Senate language included in H.R. 820 that allows regulatory flexibility to Americas small businesses. Everyday I see how new Government regulations are breaking the back of Americas small businesses. Countless individuals have come before the Small Business and the Science. Space. and Technology Committees to explain the devastating effects that these regulations have on them. And. whenever I go home to Dallas I am constantly asked when will Government allow hardiforking Americans to pursue the dreams without having to worry about what roadblocks their Government will put up next. I want to remind Members how important small businesses are to Americas economy. These businesses provide oyer 80 percent of Americas work force. But. because the Government insists on intervening and imposing costly and burdensome regulations they put these businesses at risk of failing and therefore eliminating jobs for Americans. This is why I support the Walker motion to instruct conferees. What we want to do with this is simply protect the backbone of our economy which- is. vital to Americas future. The motion to instruct simply enforces a previous law and gives it an enforcement mechanism. The easiest way to explain this provision is that it would minimize the impact of regulations that disproportionately affect small businesses. Congress by adopting this provisign. would require Federal agencies to study the impact of the regulations they enforce and to minimize the impact they have on small businesses. Its most important provision is judicial review. It is time to force regulatory agencies to be held accountable for the regulations they implement on small businesses. Even the Vice Presidents National Performance Review concludes that judicial review is necessary. And if Members need more reassurance they should ask the NFIB. who represent over 600.000 small businesses. They strongly support this measure and then they can ask the 252 Members that have signed on to a bill that accomplishes this same goal. Let us give small businesses and their owners a break from the heavy hand of the Government. Lets for once do something to help the economy grow instead of doing something to stifle it. Vote for the Walker motion to instruct conferees. 0] 1420
Date: 1994-07-22
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. if I may inquire of the distinguished majority leader. I believe the rules indicate that in a joint session Tuesday. all committee action stops. Is that true?
Date: 1994-07-22
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Does that mean that the Whitewater hear.ings. socalled. in the Committee on Banking. Finance and Urban Development would stop as well?
Date: 1994-07-22
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. if the gentleman will yield. I would hope we would not adjourn. I would hope that we would be able to make up the lost time. I am sure that is the objective. to put everything out in the open.
Date: 1994-07-26
Speaker: W ALLOP (republican)
Chamber: S

Madam "President. I hope that I am correct .in understanding the committees attitude toward this. Ni ort every single piece .of -property that -the Tark Service boada. and .every single :0iece of propefty tha:t the Department tif Fish and Wildlife Service holds is important .to Fish and Wildlife or to the Park aystem. But one Ibing is certain. If we do nat begin to find the means b~y which we restore Ittegrity to these great services. fthe .great blessing that Americans :th~in k wil be thair inher itance will be damaged -beyondrepair. This is just a tiny start. Madam President. I -y eld The floor.