<<

July 16, 2003 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H6999 under the control of the British Crown with a first-round 5 months around. We were told that in 2001. We and be continually denied their basic later. were told it again in 2002, and we were human rights. Roy is widely considered the best told it again this year. As I have said Mr. Speaker, I call on Prime Minister pound-for-pound boxer of this era. He from this floor many times, I hope Blair to announce in his speech here became the first boxer in over a cen- Members are right, and I hope I get to tomorrow a specific date when elec- tury to win both a world eat the biggest plate of crow in town, tions will be held in Northern Ireland. title and a world heavyweight title. and I see some colleagues on the floor He must indicate to this body his sup- Roy is one of the world’s best tonight that would love to serve it up port for bringing democracy and home ring technicians by finding ways to to me. But that is not what I am here rule to the people of Northern Ireland. beat his opponents who are often big- tonight about. Finger-pointing does I also call on him to again begin the ger than he is. He attributes much of not do any good, and it darn sure is not process of putting the Good Friday Ac- his success in the ring to watching going to do our grandchildren any cords back together. Prime Minister tapes and finding his opponents’ weak- good. Blair must use his leadership to bring nesses and then exploiting them. It is time for us to start looking at all of the parties back to the table and On March 1, 2003, he squared off what can we do to turn this around begin discussing ways to reinstate the against the WBA champion, John Ruis, other than talk about platitudes. We Belfast Assembly. who had a 50-pound weight advantage keep hearing if we just reduce spend- Finally, I hope Prime Minister Blair over him. He won the title from Ruis, ing. And the chairman of the Com- will use this opportunity to address proving that only one fighter, Roy mittee on the Budget said in his pres- several of the concerns that I have Jones, Jr., can make history and over- entation today, if we just control raised on this floor several times in the come such an enormous disadvantage. spending. Well, let me remind Members past. Mr. Blair must address the issue Roy has always given back to his we are at war. We are at war on the of policing and military presence in the communities through mentoring of homeland front, we are at war in Iraq North. For people to feel safe and se- amateur boxers, encouraging locals to in which we are losing a soldier or two cure, they must be assured that there get involved with African American or three every day. The cost of that is a police force that is representative community issues through his music, war is estimated at $4 billion per of the local population. and his vast philanthropic work. Roy month. At no time in the history since Mr. Blair should enact the Patten has not forgotten his roots and always 1812 of this country have we ever gone Commission’s recommendation on po- shows the pride of his hometown when to war and not had a sacrifice de- lice reform. The North must provide its he thrusts his arms in the air and manded of those of us fortunate enough citizens with a full, fair, and just re- screams ‘‘Pensacola’’ after each vic- to stay back home. But this time some form of their police service. And the tory in the ring. way we are looking at it differently. I police service of Northern Ireland must Roy is constantly distinguishing guess it is not going to change because be representative of all ethnic, reli- himself with achievements that are un- the minority party cannot change the gious, and political groups in Northern matched by any boxer in history. direction that we are going. Ireland. Northwest Florida is recognizing this I suppose that we can continue to Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues in great man by designating July 19, 2003, talk about the deficit. We can continue this body will join me in urging Prime as Roy Jones, Jr., day. to explain it. No matter how Members Minister Blair tomorrow to imme- And on behalf of the United States attempt to describe it, in the last 2 diately address many of the human Congress, I would like to recognize this years we borrowed a trillion dollars. In rights concerns in Northern Ireland. It very special person, Roy Jones, Jr., for the next 2 years, we will borrow in ex- is time we bring true electoral democ- the example he has set in the sports cess of $1.2 trillion. That is trillion. racy to the people of Northern Ireland. world, in his country, and in northwest When we consider it took us over 200 f Florida. I offer my sincere thanks for years to borrow the first trillion dol- all that he has done for northwest lars, that should mean something to PAYING TRIBUTE TO ROY JONES, Florida and the United States of Amer- somebody. JR. ica. OMB Director Mitch Daniels has left, The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a f but where has he been over the last previous order of the House, the gen- year or two? Usually OMB directors FEDERAL DEBT AND THE DEFICIT tleman from Florida (Mr. MILLER) is come up and proudly defend the eco- recognized for 5 minutes. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a nomic game plan we are under, but Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, previous order of the House, the gen- that is not to happen. I rise today to recognize the achieve- tleman from Texas (Mr. STENHOLM) is The economy has lost 2.5 million jobs ments of one of my constituents, the recognized for 5 minutes. and employment has increased from 4.1 ’s heavy- Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I to 6.4 percent. The number of workers weight champion of the world, Roy come to the floor tonight to talk about unemployed for more than 6 months Jones, Jr. something that apparently no one else has tripled to 2 million. That is where Roy began his rise to greatness when wants to talk about: the Federal debt we are. Yet there is a curious silence of he was awarded the Silver Medal in the and the deficit. We are about to see what are we going to do about it, or 1988 Olympics and was voted the out- record deficits, nothing like this coun- does it not matter? Do deficits not standing boxer of the Games. Roy has try has ever seen. This year $615 billion matter? since compiled a record of 48 wins and we will borrow. Next year, $639 billion I have been told that now so many 1 loss with 38 of his wins being by we will borrow. times. I have been here too long. Dur- over the period of his ca- The mid-session review just came ing the 25 years that I have been here, reer. Roy Jones, Jr., earned his first out. The Office of Management and I remember standing with my friends title by beating IBF middleweight Budget tends to explain it away that it on the other side of the aisle decrying champion Bernard Hopkins in 1993. He is really not the largest that has ever deficits. I remember voting five or six quickly moved up to the super middle- been before as a percent of GDP; it is times in the last 3 years to lock up the weight division and dominated the less. But every time the deficit has Social Security surplus and not touch by beating been larger in the past, the Congress it because that is money that is re- in 1994. and the President have come in with a served for the baby boomers about to Roy’s next move to the super light proposal of how to do something about begin retiring in 2011. The same folks heavyweight division produced even it. This time for some strange reason that voted for locking it up today, just more success by winning the no one on the majority side chooses to curious silence, or having some plati- boxing champion 1997, talk about what we are going to do to tude, do not bother. WBA 1998, and IBF titles in 1999. His reduce the deficit. I remember when we passed the bal- only loss was due to a disqualification We will hear that the tax cuts are in anced budget constitutional amend- to Montel Griffin, which he avenged place and that will turn the economy ment, which was one of the happiest

VerDate Jan 31 2003 05:10 Jul 17, 2003 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00129 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K16JY7.190 H16PT1