E840 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks May 13, 1998 Pacific and Credit Mobilier stock scandals in been. Fourth, we need to prohibit travel for against boys his own age and finished last. the 1800s to more recently the Keating Five, Members and staff funded by groups with di- He was so happy. Watching him made me feel Koreagate, and Abscam affairs. rect interest in legislation before Congress. so much joy in my heart. I was so proud that BENEFITS Fifth, we need better disclosure of when lob- he tried his best. Yet despite these concerns I believe that byists have played a major role in drafting Matthew has been a special gift to me and there is still a legitimate and important role legislation Congress is considering. Clearly my family. He has taught me to be patient for lobbyists and special interests to play in the public has a right to know that. Sixth, and understanding to people with special our system of government, and that the because Members are much more likely to be needs. He has also taught me never to give public’s perception of their influence is often contacted by special interest groups rep- up trying to reach my goals. If he has the exaggerated. resenting the better-off, we need to recognize courage to do it, then I do too. As the founding fathers recognized, special that bias and make a special effort to ensure I admire and love Matthew Arthur interests have their drawbacks but they also that all people in our society, including the Linksey, Jr. He is my brother, my best play an Important role in informing legisla- less well-off, still have a voice in the deci- friend, and my ‘‘Real Life Hero’’ forever. tors of the concerns of major segments of the sions being made. Finally, all of us need to f population. Advocacy groups can inform focus more on what’s good for the country as Congress of the ways legislation impacts a whole and less on what’s good for each of A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO JOSEPH their members, provide extensive informa- us as individuals. At the end of the day, we HEYMAN ON HIS APPOINTMENT tion on upcoming issues, and help focus the are all Americans. TO ATTEND THE UNITED STATES public’s attention on important issues. This CONCLUSION MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST flow of information between government and The proliferation of special interest groups POINT, NEW YORK the governed enhances what Jefferson called may in some ways be worrisome, but it is an the ‘‘dialogue of democracy’’. I’ve found that integral part of our system of government. the most effective lobbyists are those provid- As Madison noted, a free society nurtures po- HON. PAUL E. GILLMOR ing reliable information to Members and litically active groups. They may not always OF OHIO staff. Lobbyists understand that trust is act in the way that some of us might like IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES their most precious asset. and they may be prone to excesses, but they Wednesday, May 13, 1998 Special interests don’t somehow just rep- are still an important force in our system of resent ‘‘the bad guys’’. Almost every Amer- representative democracy. Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ican is represented by them in some way and pay special tribute to a truly outstanding young has benefitted from their work. Lobbyists f work, for example, for the continuation of man from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District, the home mortgage interested deduction, for HONORING MADALYN AND Joseph L. Heyman. Joe has recently accepted expanded medical research, for protecting MATTHEW LINSKEY his appointment to attend the United States our lakes and rivers, for improving inter- Military Academy at West Point, New York. state highways, for maintaining the student HON. NEWT GINGRICH Joe, who is from Grand Rapids, Ohio, has loan program, and for protecting religious OF GEORGIA distinguished himself as an outstanding stu- freedom. Advocacy groups have helped pass IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES dent and a fine student-athlete while attending legislation ranging from key civil rights pro- Ostego High School. tections to the deficit reduction package Wednesday, May 13, 1998 During his career at Ostego High School, that has finally balanced the federal budget. Hoosiers benefit directly from the lobbyists Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, it is with great Joe excelled academically by achieving a per- representing the interests of the State of In- pride that I submit to the CONGRESSIONAL fect grade point average of 4.00, which ranks diana and local cities and towns in Washing- RECORD the following essay, ``Honoring Our him first in his class of 132 students. In addi- ton. Heroes,'' written by Madalyn Linksey, an eight tion, Joe has been active in the National It is true that lobbyists sometimes get year old constituent of mine who attends Honor Society and was named a National through Congress measures that help only a Kincaid Elementary. Madalyn speaks elo- Merit Scholar Semifinalist. few at the expense of the broader public. But quently about the love and inspiration she and On the fields of competition, Joe has proven the ease by which special interests can ma- himself to be a talented and gifted student-ath- nipulate the system and push things through her family receive on a daily basis from her is exaggerated by the public. First, while ten year old autistic brother, Matthew. I was lete through his performances in both varsity Members do pay attention to what advocacy privileged to be able to read Madalyn's essay football and varsity track. Joe has also been groups say, they also pay very close atten- at the April 25 Atlanta Investment Conference, active in government and community service tion to the broad interests of their constitu- the proceeds of which benefit the Friends of organizations. He has served on the Ostego ents. The bottom line for Members is that if Autism. Through his enormous personal High School Student Council, and is currently they ignore the wishes of their constituents, strength, Matthew reminds us all that with de- working on his Eagle Scout Award with the they simply won’t get re-elected. Second, termination, courage, and love, we can over- Boy Scouts of America. special interest groups have proliferated so Mr. Speaker, I am confident that Joe will be much in recent years that they often cancel come the most onerous of burdens to live a each other out. For example, in the area of productive and fruitful life. I am proud to rep- very successful at West Point, and in all of his health policy one or two groups used to resent Matthew and Madalyn. future endeavors. I would urge my colleagues dominate, but now there are 750 health ‘‘HONORING OUR HEROES’’ to stand and join me in paying tribute to Jo- groups alone. Third, the founding fathers I would like to tell you about my real hero. seph Heyman, and in wishing him all the best specifically set up our government with nu- He is my brother, Matthew Arthur Linskey, as he prepares for the United States Military merous obstacles for special interests trying Jr. He is ten years old. Academy. to push through legislation. With its com- My brother was born with a disability f plex rules and maze of procedural hurdles, called autism. He is mentally challenged and Congress was designed to slow things down sees the world through a troubled and con- LENAWEE COUNTY POLICE and allow all sides a chance to be heard. fused mind. He lives in a world that none of OFFICERS MEMORIAL WHAT’S NEEDED us can imagine. Somehow he finds a way to Special interest groups have a mixed im- survive. pact on our political system. We shouldn’t Adults and children sometimes stare and HON. NICK SMITH simply condemn them, but we do need to make fun of him because they don’t under- OF MICHIGAN rein in some of the excesses and address le- stand his strange behavior. I’m sure that it IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES gitimate concerns. hurts his feelings but he shows a lot of cour- Wednesday, May 13, 1998 Various steps are needed. First, we need to age and tries to go on with his life. pass campaign finance reform to curb the in- He is very caring and compassionate to me Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, law creasing reliance of lawmakers on money when I am sad or angry about something enforcement officers work daily in communities from special interests. Second, the House in even though I know he does not understand. across the Nation, assisting individuals in the recent years has basically banned gifts from Matthew is persistent when trying to learn pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness; lobbyists. Although some people are unhappy how to do simple tasks. He is very brave Law enforcement officers are, most often, with the change, we need to keep tough gift when he has to do things that his mind tells the first contact individuals have with their rep- restrictions in place. Third, Congress passed him to be afraid of. improved lobbying disclosure in 1995 to get a This past summer after many years of resentatives of government, and they perform better handle on who is lobbying and what swim lessons, Matthew competed in his first the duties and responsibilities of that important they are doing. That was important, but we race. It was in our neighborhood on the sum- liaison role with wisdom and compassion; need to closely monitor the law to make sure mer swim team. We were swimming against Law enforcement officers are expected to it is not easily avoided, as past reforms have another neighborhood team. Matthew swam perform duties above and beyond those of the