macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1997-03-06
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. you cant be a beacon if your light dont shine. You cant have your cake and eat it too. You cant teach an old dog new tricks. What we have here is a failure to communicate. Show me the money. When the Lord closes a door. somewhere he opens a window. All I ever learned. I learned in kindergarten. There he goes again. Wheres the beef? Just say no. Life is like a box of chocolates. Spare the rod. spoil the child. Over 69 billion served. Elvis lives. To be or not to be. I Mr. Speaker. by now you are probably wondering what all these annoying cliches and catch phrases have in common. It is simple. They all pertain to the Clinton fiscal year 1998 budget. Mr. Speaker. the President should send Congress a real balanced budget. Waste not. want not.
Date: 1997-03-06
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I also rise to speak on the topic of excessive taxation. Tuesday of this week the first attempt of the 105th Congress to pass a balanced budget amendment fell short by only one pathetic vote. The failure to pass this amendment was of great disappointment not only to me and my family but to most Members of Congress and to approximately 80 percent of the American people who have repeatedly and consistently asked Cdngress to protect the futures of their children by the passage of a balanced budget amendment. Now yesterdays setback is temporary. I assure you of that. We must and we will continue to push for a balanced budget amendment for the American taxpayer. But for now it is essential that we remember just whose hardearned dollars provide for the budget. the same budget that we hope will one day be balanced. It is the retired school teacher in Cincinnati OH. small businessmen in Atlanta. GA or. closer to my home. the farmer in Lamar. CO. They are the ones who sacrifice a greater and growing portion of their strenuous effort. hard work .and time away from their families in order to pay more and more cash only to be squandered here in Washington. DC. year after year after.year. Mr. Speaker. it is high time that we focused on strategies to allow these honest. hardworking producers to keep more of what they earn for themselves and for their families. They deserve a break from excessive and punitive taxation such as the capital gains tax and the inheritance tax. Mr. Speaker. these taxes do nothing more than betray the very characteristics that Americans stand for: accomplishment. success. honesty. opportunity. and optimism. but most especially responsibility. Mr. Speaker. these are the core American values upon which our budget and Tax Code should be built. not the waste. duplicity. despair and stupidity that our Government heaps upon taxpayers every day. Now. since the President and his party seem to have the upper hand in their zeal to kill a balanced budget. let us agree at least that the dead hand of capital gains taxes and the tax on inheritance be lifted from the worn backs of American families. Let us free the productive instincts of a Nation. unleash its creativity and competitiveness. restore the value of thrift. and preserve families and their businesses. Mr. Speaker. I am just a new Member of Congress. but the people of Colorado did not send me here to make friends with the alligators. They expect me to help drain the swamp. and providing relief from capital gains taxes and death taxes are two important ways to help Americans rise above the muck and mire of oppressive taxation. On this topic I intend to be most persistent and to speak here often.
Date: 1997-03-11
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I like those last remarks. Mr. Speaker. I am outraged. also. at the Presidents lack of leadership in protecting our borders from the invasion of Mexican drug lords. An article in the Dallas Morning News yesterday illustrated the national disaster we now have on the Texas border. Our ranchers. their families. live in constant fear. Their cattle and dogs are being killed by the drug guys. Their houses are being robbed. Recently a Border Patrol guard was gunned down by drug smugglers. These Americans live in a virtual war zone with no relief in sight. Eight months ago our drug czar stood in Texas and announced swift action must be taken. Congress responded by authorizing 1.000 new drug agents in each of the next 5 years. Guess what? Our President only actually implemented 500. It is time for this President to stop paying lip service to a problem that demands attention now. No one in America should be held hostage in their own house. We protect the borders around the world. It is time we started protecting our own.
Date: 1997-03-11
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to amend sections of the Department of Energy Organization Act that are obsolete or inconsistent with other statutes and to repeal a related section of the Federal Energy Administration Act of
Date: 1997-03-11
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. H.R. 649 is a very straightforward measure and simply seeks to eliminate some of the unnecessary duplication that we have now within the DOE. Currently. DOE is subject to two different Standards for public notification and response to public comment. One set exists in the governmentwide Administrative Procedure Act and a separate set exists in the DOE organizational act. Likewise. DOEs advisory committees are subject to a separate and more restrictive public participation than required of other Federal agencies. This measure would simply put DOE on the same par with other Federal agencies for public notice and response to comments. DOE would )e fully subject to the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act for advisory committees. This change simply allows DOE greater flexibility in closing off advisory committees to the public.. fully consistent with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. During my time in Congress. I have been a very strong supporter of public participation in the political process. H.R. 649 will in no way diminish the ability of the public to participate in DOEs decisionmaking process. and will relieve some of DOEs administrative burden in complying with two different sets of standards. I would especially like to thank the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Power. and fellow sponsor of this bill. the gentleman from Texas . for working with me in a very cooperative mood. We will have many more chances to work together in such a bipartisan effort and spirit as we move on. H.R. 649 is supported by the Department of Energy. It is a bipartisan bill. and is a good. commonsense piece of legislation. I would recommend its adoption by the whole House. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 1997-03-11
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 649. the bill just passed and to insert extraneous material.
Date: 1997-03-11
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to extend the deadline under the Federal Power Act for the construction of a hydroelectric project located in the State of Washington. and for other purposes.
Date: 1997-03-11
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. under section 13 of the Federal Power Act. hydro project construction must begin within 4 years of the issuance of a license. If construction has not begun by that time. the FERC cannot extend the deadline and must terminate that license. H.R. 651 and another bill we are going to be considering very shortly. H.R. 652. provide for up to three additional 2year extensions of the construction deadline if the sponsor pursues the commencement of construction in good faith and with due diligence. Mr. Speaker. these types of bills have not been controversial in the past. The bills do not change the license requirement in any way and do not change environmental standards. but merely extend the statutory deadline for commencement of construction. There is a need to act now. since the construction deadlines for these projects will soon expire. If Congress does not act. FERC will terminate the license. the project sponsors will lose many of the dollars they have invested in the projects. and communities will lose the prospect of significant job creation and added revenues. H.R. 651 will authorize FERC to extend the deadline for the construction on the Calligan Creek project. a 5megawatt project in King County. Washington. for up to 6 additional years. There is a reason to act quickly. since the construction deadline expires on May 13. 1997. FERC has no objection to H.R. 651. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. Mr. Speaker..I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 1997-03-11
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I yield suqV time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington. RICK WHITE. who is the sponsor of the bill.
Date: 1997-03-11
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 651 and to insert extraneous material on the bill.
Date: 1997-03-11
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. H.R. 652. similar to H.R. 651. would authorize FERC to extend the deadline for the construction of the Hancock Creek Project. a 6megawatt project in King County. WA. for up to three additional 2year periods. According to the projects sponsor. construction has not commenced for the lack of a power purchase agreement. There is a reason for the subcommittee to act as the construction deadline expires on June 21 of 1997. FERC has no objection to this bill. H.R. 652. and I would urge support for the bill. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 1997-03-11
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill. H.R. 652. and to insert extraneous material.
Date: 1997-03-13
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. if we needed proof that the President is really a taxandspend liberal just look at this headline in the Washington Times: Clinton Proposes Tolls on Interstates. The Clinton administration has proposed that the Federal Government do away with a 40year restriction on States charging tolls on Federal highways. The White House claims this is a modest proposal. but it appears that the bridge .to the 21st century has a toll booth on it. Mr. Speaker. the American people do not need another tax. Over half of the family income goes to taxes at all levels. and to suggest that American families need. to pay more taxes �or the highways that they have already paid for is too much. The President says he wants to balance the budget. but he has submitted a budget that does not balance. He says he wants tax relief. but he just announced a new tax increase. Mr. Speaker. the President should go back to the drawing board and start with a real balanced budget. one without a tax increase on hardworking Americans.
Date: 1997-04-08
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I agree with the audience. I am outraged though. Today. every day. it is a new story about this President using taxpayer dollars. using the White House and now using classified national security information to raise money for his own reelection campaign. Todays Washington Post reveals that the White House actually gave top secret information to the Democrat National Committee. When I was in the military. if someone failed to safeguard classified information. they were relieved from duty and courtmartialed. Maybe it is time to relieve this President from his duties and courtmartial him. The White House has put the lives of CIA officers in jeopardy and endangered every American by compromising our national security for Clintons own political gain. America wants. needs. and deserves to have a leader who protects this Nation instead of exploiting it.
Date: 1997-04-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. there has been a lot of talk lately about Federal judges abusing their power. Federal judges have been ignoring the will of the people by overturning elections and legislating from the bench. Judge Thelton Henderson did just that last year when he disregarded the will of 5 million California voters. He issued an injunction prohibiting the enactment of Californias Proposition 209. which passed with 54 percent of the vote in November of 1994. Yesterday a 3judge appeals panel voted 30 to overturn Hendersons ruling and allow the enactment of Proposition 209. The panel said. and I quote. "A system which permits one judge to block with the stroke of a pen what over four million State residents voted to enact as law tests the integrity of our constitutional democracy." I agree and applaud an allAmerica panel. 3judge panel. for having the integrity to remind. colleagues that they are there to interpret the law and not create it.
Date: 1997-04-10
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I have an apology to make this morning. I need to apologize because I at the moment can only think of 10 good reasons why Congress must absolutely pass a tax cut. No. 1. I promised my constituents that I would. No. 2. I am not satisfied with the current economic growth rate. No. 3. cutting taxes will take power away from Washington and put more power into the hands of workers. No. 4. fundamentally I believe that people know better how to spend their own money than do politicians in Washington. No. 5. the current tax burden is 39 percent of income for an average family. and it is way too high. No. 6. I do not think it is fair that workers should have to hand over almost onethird or more of their income to the Government that wastes it on failed social programs. No. 7. higher takehome pay means workers will not have to work as much overtime. which means that workers will have more free time. No. 8. more workers will be able to take a vacation this year. and No. 9. more Americans will be able to start paying off those credit card debts. and No. 10. it is the right thing to do.
Date: 1997-04-10
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H

a member of the floor talk about this issue. I have the Committee on Ways and Means. feeling that they have never put them-
Date: 1997-04-10
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. selves in the shoes of a physician or a Speaker. I thank the gentleman from family dealing with a terminally ill paVirginia for yielding me the time. tient. This bill has no definitions in it Today we are dealixig with one of the for what suicide is or what is assisting most serious matters that could come a suicide. Yet doctors are continually before this Congress. It is unbelievable faced with the problem of a patient to me that anybody would want to who wants to die for a variety of reaspend any kind of tax money on this. sons. but it is literally an issue of life and First of all. Medicare does not give death. parity to the funding for psychiatric The question is whether or not Fed- services to counsel them out of it so eral tax dollars should be used to pay that is the first way in which this is a for assisted suicide and euthanasia and hypocritical bill. If we are really seriwhether Federal facilities like veterans ous. we would deal with the mental hospitals. for example. are to be In the health funding for Medicare. business of providing euthanasia as though it were just another type of 0 1100 medical treatment. But if someone wants to die and says On March 18. the Committee on Ways to the doctor. "I would like you not to and Means Subcommittee on Health fa- do anything and just give me pain vorably reported this bill to the full medication." now. is that assisting committee by voice vote. Under nor- somebody in committing suicide. if mal circumstances. the full committee they are lying in bed and saying. they would meet to consider the bill. How- do not want hydration. they do not ever. in order to expedite consideration want to have intravenous feedings. just of this extremely important legisla- give them some pain medication? tion. the Committee on Ways and We all know. if we do a little study. Means agreed to send the bill straight that Demerol or morphine depresses to the floor. respirations and. ultimately. the physiThis bill bars Medicare. Medicaid. cian is depressing respirations and military and Federal employee plans leading to death. Now. is that assisting from paying doctors to help terminal someone at a time when they want to ill patients to end their lives. The leg- die? islation does not affect the withholding Well. this bill is very unclear. The of medical treatment or services and problem with this bill. it is very simdoes not address the ethical or legal is- pleminded. .It is simply. as my colsues surrounding assisted suicide. It league from Texas says. driven by a poll. when we ask people are they for physicianassisted suicide. Nobody on this floor is for physicianassisted suicide. none of us. not even me. But this is not any help in that debate. What we should be talking about is living wills and what real definitions we want to put in here if we want to try and make it so people can actually have the assistance of the medical profession while they choose to end thei life. We have to be very careful in what we write. I am going to vote against it.
Date: 1997-04-10
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. on rollcall No. 75. I was unavoidably detained and consequently missed the occasion to have my vote recorded. Had I been present. I would have voted "aye."
Date: 1997-04-10
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman very much for yielding to me. I went back into the 1913 Tax Code and. as the gentleman from Louisiana knows. we pulled that out. That was the first time that we really had an income tax where you had to file. It was three pages. One was your withholding. One was your deductions. and the other was how you paid. your taxes. Now. as people will see when we go to Boston Harbor. we have better than 8.000 pages of Tax Codes. regulations. rules. laws. et cetera. that if you take your taxes to 10 or 15 different CPAs. they will all come out with a new number on what you owe the Federal Government or what you are going to get back. I think it is time that we finally have decided that this is wrong for the American people. One of the most intrusive taxes that we have is the inheritance tax. We are planning to get rid of inheritance taxes. capital gains taxes. gift taxes. all excise taxes. unless they are tied to a trust fund. and replace it with a very simple consumption tax.
Date: 1997-04-10
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. it is very. difficult to try andgo through this entire subject matter over just a period of 5 minues. I am going to yield shortly to the gentleman from Louisiana. I can recall that the 1986 tax bill was first started as a flat tax. Now. a flat tax. if we adhere to it. is better than what we have but it is not the final answer. Why do we not take away the power of taxation from the Federal Government and from Congress and give it to the American people and let them decide on how they are goingto pay their taxation? I think this is the correct way to go and the right way to go. . That flat tax. started back in 1985. turned out to be a Christmas tree by 1986. in which we passed that final bill. which I was very. very proud to have voted against. Mr. Speaker. I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.
Date: 1997-04-10
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H

of- Colorado. Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman very much. and he has been an instrumental part in this whole debate. And as we move on. if we gO to the American people and we say to them in town meetings. or any kind of a meeting. that we want to abolish the IRS. we want to take the IRS and eliminate it and to transfer over the power of taxation to them. the American people in this country. they love it. And they should love it because we are eliminating April 15. We are eliminating keeping all those records and receipts and everything else that we have to do to try to substantiate the fact that we are following the law.
Date: 1997-04-10
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Reclaiming my time. Mr. Speaker. I would just say that the people have to understand. and the one thing that the gentleman from Louisiana and I have been doing is being on numerous talk shows. radio shows. TV shows over the last year. and the one thing I always say to the American public. to our lis.teners. is they should just imagine their last paycheck and think about the amount of money that the Federal Government withheld and that they can now put that in their pocket. They can save it. they can consume with it or whatever they wish. That is the key. We are taking this power of taxation away from the Federal Government and giving it to the American people.
Date: 1997-04-15
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. it is April 15. tax day. and I rise to speak about a grave matter. The American farmer. the owners of small businesses. the freedomloving Americans across the land want to abolish one of the most offensive taxes of all. That is right. I am talking about the inheritance tax or the death tax as it has come to be known. Mr. Speaker. let me be clear about what our policy ought to be. No taxation without respiration. The injustice of this tax. a tax that strikes at the hearts of the bond between generations. cannot be denied. It is offensive to the American ideal. This tax is a scandal among thousands in our Tax Code and. an outrage against the living and a crime against the departed. Mr. Speaker. what kind of sinister motives lie behind this tax? Who could conceive of such a scheme that assures that the Federal Government has more of a claim on our lifes work than the family we have left behind? I say death to the death tax. The tax man cometh already once. may the tax man cometh no more.
Date: 1997-04-15
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. from 1982 to 1993. the Democrats in Congress voted to increase the taxes of hardworking Americans by $666 billion. This new revenue was not put toward the debt or used to eliminate the deficit. Instead it was used to increase the size and scope of GovernmenZ. History has shown us that every time Congress increases taxes. they also increase spending. I believe that it is one more reason why the American people should demand that Congress abolish the IRS. I think the agency is out of control. What the tax limitation amendment will do is provide a safeguard for taxpayers and no longer be simple and easy for Congress to increase taxes. It is a winwin for the American taxpayer. Not only will they get a smaller. more efficient government. but protection from higher taxes. I think the Speaker agrees with me that something must be done. I think that of the browsing that has been going on. the Speaker probably does not know that 1.500 IRS agents were caught browsing from fiscal year 1994 to 1995. and only 23 of them were tried. The rest were either given a slap on the wrist or counseled. What does counseling mean? I do not know. We ought to demand accountability not only from the IRS. but from the judges in Boston who ruled it was OK as long as they did not use it maliciously. Mr. Speaker. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote with us today. Give Americans the assurance of trust they deserve from their Government.