H10982 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE November 7, 2003 DEMOCRACY BUILDING manufacturing sector of our economy, jobless claims dropped to a 21⁄2-year (Mr. SNYDER asked and was given which is important to so many States, low, further signifying the success of permission to address the House for 1 including my home State of Michigan, the Republican tax relief championed minute and to revise and extend his re- appears to be turning around with a by President George W. Bush. This fol- marks.) vengeance. lows last week’s historic news that the Mr. SNYDER. Mr. Speaker, Stephen October’s indices showed manufac- economy is growing at the highest rate Kinzer, in his book, ‘‘All the Shah’s turing expanding more rapidly than at in nearly 20 years, as the GDP grew by Men,’’ describes the events of the over- any time since January of 2000. The re- 7.2 percent in the last quarter. Last week was the fourth straight throw of the Iranian Government in port also showed new orders for manu- week in which jobless claims were 1953 in a coup staged by the United factured goods, the key to future below 400,000, as claims dropped to States and the British. President Tru- growth, are at their highest levels 348,000. In headlines across America man did not support overthrowing the since 1999. Overall construction spend- ing has reached its highest level ever. today, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan government of Prime Minister Greenspan said of the decrease in job- Mossadeq. In this picture taken in 1951 Existing home sales are at record highs. And, of course, this morning we less claims, that ‘‘the odds increasingly here in Washington, D.C., you can see favor a revival in job creation.’’ As his relationship with Mossadeq, who he got the greatest news of all: unemploy- ment fell in October and the economy Democrats continue to try to talk respected as a nationalist. However, down the economy, the news of the re- the Eisenhower government came in, created 126,000 new jobs. Every American should be happy. covery is just too clear to ignore: President Eisenhower supported the 126,000 new jobs in October were an- coup, and the government was over- The Bush tax cuts are working; the economy is on the rise. But what is the nounced this morning. thrown in 1953. Republican policies of tax relief, fis- I thought of these events on hearing response to all this good news from my friends on the other side of the aisle? cal discipline, corporate account- the President’s speech yesterday call- ability, and national defense to protect ing for the spread of democracy in the More pessimism. More gloom and doom. Mr. Speaker, I am beginning to American families from terrorists have Middle East. Stephen Kinzer in his restored our Nation’s confidence and interviews with Iranians asked them in wonder if they view good economic news as good news at all. promoted a healthy business environ- the past what they had thought of ment. American overtures talking about de- f In conclusion, God bless our troops. mocracy in Iran, and their response DISABLED VETERANS TAX f was we had a democracy, but you (Mr. DEFAZIO asked and was given Americans overthrew it. THE ECONOMY permission to address the House for 1 We all support democracy and demo- (Mr. KINGSTON asked and was given minute and to revise and extend his re- cratic ideals, but when it comes to re- permission to address the House for 1 marks.) making societies, Mr. Speaker, we minute and to revise and extend his re- Mr. DEFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, the dis- marks.) should approach this with humility, re- abled veterans tax: more than one-half alism, and a sense of history. Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, the million disabled veterans, career mili- economy is turning around: a 7.2 per- f tary, have their disability benefits off- cent growth last quarter in the gross LT. COLONEL WEST SHOULD BE set dollar for dollar against their re- domestic product, the largest since GIVEN MEDAL, NOT COURT tirement. What does that mean? It Ronald Reagan cut taxes in 1984. The MARTIALED means a retired master sergeant, 100 jobless claims have fallen. More people percent disabled, is taxed at a rate of 50 are working than ever before. Produc- (Mr. DUNCAN asked and was given percent. permission to address the House for 1 tivity has increased. Tax cuts work. Now, the President rushed through Why do they work? Because the more minute and to revise and extend his re- relief for millionaires who had to pay a marks.) money a worker has in his pocket, the tax of 35 percent on the dividends they more money he is going to spend. When Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, this com- clipped off their stocks, and this House ing Monday, Lt. Colonel Allan West is he goes out and buys more clothes, accommodated that, but he says there tires, or hamburgers, small businesses scheduled to face an article 32 hearing is no money to help out those disabled to see if he should be court martialed. react by expanding their inventory. veterans. We cannot afford, the Presi- When they do that, they also hire more Colonel West is accused of threat- dent says, to offset or reduce that tax ening an Iraqi prisoner. According to employees. When more people have or eliminate that unfair tax on our dis- jobs, more people are working, more news reports, Colonel West shot his abled veterans. handgun into a firing barrel and also people pay taxes, and less people are Well, that is pretty strange when we dependent on government welfare fired it near this prisoner. He did not can do that for millionaires and bil- harm the prisoner in any way, but he checks. lionaires; but somehow, as Veterans’ Tax cuts work. The best solutions are apparently scared him into giving in- Day comes upon us, we can only give a always seen in the private sector and formation that foiled an attack on tiny bit of relief phased in over 10 years not in government. I hope the next American soldiers. to some of these veterans who are sub- time when we have an opportunity to If these news reports are accurate, jected to this outrageous tax, despite make these tax cuts permanent that Colonel West saved many American the fact that almost every Member of we can get the Democrats, particularly lives. This is a man who has served the House is a sponsor of a bill to to- those in the other body, to join us in honorably for almost 20 years in the tally repeal it. But they are afraid to making these tax cuts a permanent United States Army. He should not be put their names from the Republican part of our Tax Code. court martialed. He should be given a side on a petition to force that bill to f medal for saving American lives. the floor of the House. f Sign the petition. Have the guts to CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1588, deliver for your veterans. NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZA- ECONOMIC GROWTH TION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2004 f (Mrs. MILLER of Michigan asked and Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direc- REPUBLICAN TAX RELIEF SPURS was given permission to address the tion of the Committee on Rules, I call JOB CREATION House for 1 minute and to revise and up House Resolution 437 and ask for its extend her remarks.) (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina immediate consideration. Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. asked and was given permission to ad- The Clerk read the resolution, as fol- Speaker, if we needed any more proof dress the House for 1 minute and to re- lows: of an improving economy following vise and extend his remarks.) H. RES. 437 last week’s outstanding economic Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Resolved, That upon adoption of this reso- growth figures, we just got it. The Speaker, yesterday we learned that lution it shall be in order to consider the VerDate jul 14 2003 01:09 Nov 09, 2003 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K07NO7.003 H07PT1 November 7, 2003 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H10983 conference report to accompany the bill America’s all-volunteer armed services erans Administration beginning Janu- (H.R. 1588) to authorize appropriations for and the families that support them. ary 1, 2004. Over the next 10 years, this fiscal year 2004 for military activities of the The pay raise will cut the pay gap be- bill will provide concurrent receipt to Department of Defense, for military con- tween military and civilian jobs from more veterans than have ever been cov- struction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe per- 6.4 to 5.5 percent. This will be the fifth ered by current law. Our veterans have sonnel strengths for such fiscal year for the consecutive year that pay raises have given deeply and heroically, and it is Armed Forces, and for other purposes. All exceeded that of the private sector. only fair we recognize their service. points of order against the conference report For our active soldiers, the conferees So let us pass this rule and pass the and against its consideration are waived. increased the rates of special pay for underlying defense authorization con- The conference report shall be considered as those subject to hostile fire and immi- ference report. At the end of the day, read. nent danger worldwide from $150 a we will be making our homeland safer, The SPEAKER pro tempore.