Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 112 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 112 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 157 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2011 No. 167 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was overseas, George Cohan’s song ‘‘Over have that memorial for them, to allow called to order by the Speaker pro tem- There.’’ And they wouldn’t come back it to be constructed. pore (Mr. FITZPATRICK). until it was over ‘‘over there.’’ There is one memorial in Kansas City f The war started. He tried to join the for the World War I doughboys, but we Marines; they wouldn’t take him be- need one here also on the Mall. And it’s DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO cause he was not 18. He tried different important that we honor these great TEMPORE recruiters. He finally found an Army Americans because they are the vet- The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- recruiter. He says he just told the re- erans that we honor, that we appre- fore the House the following commu- cruiter a whopper—that he was 21. The ciate, and that we should not forget, nication from the Speaker: recruiter took him, swore him in; and although all of them, including the WASHINGTON, DC, the fastest way he could get to Europe loan survivor, Frank Buckles, Jr., has November 3, 2011. and get into action was to drive an am- died. So I hope this House will join me I hereby appoint the Honorable MICHAEL G. bulance. This is a photograph of Frank and the gentleman from Missouri, FITZPATRICK to act as Speaker pro tempore Buckles, Jr., when he served in the EMANUEL CLEAVER, in passing legisla- on this day. great World War I. tion to authorize this memorial for JOHN A. BOEHNER, After that war was over with, he those World War I doughboys. Speaker of the House of Representatives. came back home, although 116,000 Veterans Day is approaching. We are f Americans did not come back home. approaching the 100th anniversary of MORNING-HOUR DEBATE Four million of them served in World the great World War I. We should re- War I. Frank Buckles, Jr., joined up as member them, and we can do this by The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- a seaman on a merchant ship. He was erecting and allowing a memorial to be ant to the order of the House of Janu- in the Philippines when World War II constructed on the Mall. The veterans ary 5, 2011, the Chair will now recog- started, and he was captured by the are the greatest that we have. We nize Members from lists submitted by Japanese and held in a prisoner of war should remember every one of them, the majority and minority leaders for camp for 31⁄2 years. He was rescued, those that served and came home, morning-hour debate. came back home to America, went to those that served and did not come The Chair will alternate recognition his farm in West Virginia, and he home, and those that are serving and between the parties, with each party worked on the farm until he was 109 representing us today. limited to 1 hour and each Member years old. And that’s just the way it is. other than the majority and minority Frank Buckles, Jr., died this year at f leaders and the minority whip limited the age of 110. He was the last sur- to 5 minutes each, but in no event shall viving doughboy from America that THE WAR AGAINST SPORTS FANS debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. served in the great World War I. This is The SPEAKER pro tempore. The f a photograph taken shortly before his Chair recognizes the gentleman from death this year. Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 min- LONE SURVIVOR OF THE Frank Buckles, Jr., the loan survivor utes. DOUGHBOYS of World War I, a veteran of that great Mr. BLUMENAUER. There is a The SPEAKER pro tempore. The war, came back home. And his wish be- drama being played out in the divorce Chair recognizes the gentleman from fore he died, Mr. Speaker, was that we and bankruptcy court with the Texas (Mr. POE) for 5 minutes. would have a permanent memorial for McCourt family and the Los Angeles Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as we all who served in World War I on the Dodgers. It’s another chapter in the approach Veterans Day, the day we Mall. You see, we have a memorial for sad war against fans, the very people honor those who served and came back Vietnam veterans, we have a memorial who make these multibillion-dollar en- home, I want to talk about a very spe- for the Korean veterans, the World War terprises possible in the first place. cial veteran. II veterans. There is a small memorial It’s an all-too-familiar refrain. No Frank Buckles, Jr., when he was 16 for the D.C. troops that served in World city is exempt from the threat of bank- years of age—some say 15—during the War I, but there’s no memorial on the ruptcy or being held hostage by an beginning of the great World War I, Mall for all of the doughboys like owner threatening to move if their de- wanted to join the military and go Frank Buckles, Jr., that served. And mands are not met. No one, that is, ex- overseas. Remember they sang that they have all died, Mr. Speaker. And cept the fans of the team that is argu- song, those doughboys, when they went it’s our job, it’s important for us to ably the most successful franchise in 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. H7259 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:38 Nov 04, 2011 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A03NO7.000 H03NOPT1 pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H7260 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE November 3, 2011 professional sports, the current Super came a billionaire based on his Yankee spent and what our government’s true Bowl champions, currently unde- empire and his ability to further enrich liabilities are. That is why I’m intro- feated—and maybe the strongest team himself as a result, in part, of the con- ducing the bipartisan Truth in Govern- in the NFL this year—the Green Bay struction of a brand new Yankee Sta- ment Accounting Act, H.R. 3332. Packers. dium that not only cost an astronom- To protect private-sector share- Packer fans will tell you they’re ical sum for the taxpayers of New holders, the Federal Government re- unique: little Green Bay, Wisconsin, York, but further inflated the value of quires each publicly traded company to with only 104,000 people, a metropoli- his ownership of the Yankees. file periodic GAAP financial state- tan area of less than a third of a mil- ments that are independently audited b 1010 lion, the smallest sports media market and that accurately reflect the com- in the United States, but arguably the There have been critical appraisals pany’s true financial condition. By most successful franchise. that have suggested that it would have contrast, the Federal Government’s Green Bay is special perhaps for an- been cheaper for New York to simply own accounting practices substantially other reason: it’s the only franchise in buy the New York Yankees outright for conceal and confuse the Federal Gov- all of Major League sports that doesn’t the value of the team than submit to ernment’s true financial condition, es- have to worry about some billionaire the outrageous demands from pecially with respect to long-term un- egomaniac running the franchise into Steinbrenner to keep them there. funded liabilities and year-over-year the ground or being tired of it and sell- Well, the gravy train is fueled by an- spending. ing it off to another city, or just the other source of revenue; not only hav- To protect taxpayers as much as the community being held hostage by ob- ing communities and fans over a bar- private-sector shareholders, the Fed- scene demands for even more revenue, rel, but they have an antitrust exemp- eral Government should similarly re- more sacrifice from fans and the com- tion that enables them to negotiate lu- quire each Federal agency to file peri- munity. crative television contracts worth bil- odic GAAP financial statements that You know, that’s been the fate. lions of dollars. For instance, the cur- are independently audited and that ac- About one city a year since 1950 has rent NFL contract worth $3 billion a curately reflect the agency’s true fi- had a franchise change, and many oth- year to go with the $6 billion that has nancial condition. The Truth in Gov- ers have had the screws put to them. been pried out of locals for stadium ernment Accounting Act would require But the Green Bay Packers, are owned deals and parking. the Federal Government to do so, to by 112,158 shareholders. Each share- Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my col- make the resulting Federal Govern- holder is given voting rights in the leagues to look at legislation Congress- ment financial statements easily avail- franchise, and no shareholder can hold woman HAHN and I will be introducing able online, and to require zero-base- a controlling stake in the company.