economy. this is a win-win situation. economists estimate $1 billion investment in water infrastructure will create 28,500 local jobs. you cannot in any manner, shape or form produce any other job plan that's going to do what this can do because these are our needs, these need to be done because things are only going to get worse. that pipe which i showed you before is not going to cleanse itself, it has led that pipe and many other pipes like it to this situation, of people being airlifted. in terms of rescue workers have to go to a particular community and of course vehicles that have been raised in the air because the explosion of our water mains. 28,500 jobs in one year.

this is bipartisan legislation, both sides of the aisle have signed onto this. it could put americans in every state to work, within 120 days of the enactment. . let's stop talking about what needs to get done and let's actually get this done. there are huge economic benefits that come with water and waste water infrastructure projects. in fact, a recent study found that every $1 billion invested in water, wastewater infrastructure creates 27,000 new jobs with average annual earnings of more than $50,000. each $1 billion invested

generates approximately $82.4 million in state and local tax revenue at a time when states and localities need it most. this chart shows how construction dollars ripple through local communities, right here. an estimated 20,000 to 26,669 jobs can result from a national investment of $1 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure, everything from construction to real estate to resail, management of companies and enterprises, to private house holds and maintenance and repair. this chart shows how these construction dollars ripple through our entire community. let's face it. this unemployment situation that we are in today, 40% of those

jobs will never return. 40% of those jobs that have been lost, get this, are people who are out of work more than six to eight months. they will not return to those jobs. we need to invest with the private community in order to do things that must be done that communities cannot afford. we found that every billion dollars invested in these projects creates jobs in 325 other industries, and they're listed. i urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to take action to support this legislation, to push the passage for measures that will empower american workers, provide them with opportunities. eligible and essential public health and environmental projects approved for 2010 are

waiting for funding, are waiting for private and public investment. we can leverage at a very short, very small amount of money. and the resulting jobs are important. in california, 285,000 jobs can be created. in illinois, 183,950 jobs. in new jersey, 1.8 billion will mean 153,000 jobs on projects that are needed in every state that we go over. this is the case. 60 different organizations support this legislation. from engineers to water works associations, to equipment manufacturers, catter pillar, coca-cola, design institute of america, 60 different organizations support this bipartisan legislation that will create jobs and not a lot of hot air.

we have a lot of hot air in washington. mr. boccieri, i thank you for bringing us together tonight. america needs job jobs. i have presented an idea i hope will be accepted and i hope that america can go back to work. our people need jobs and jobs that will be needed and are needed so we don't have to make work. remember school, make work, keep the kids busy. these are things that we need. we understand this. we don't look at it, because these water works, whether they're sewers, whether they're water, watersheds are all mostly under the ground. it's not a sexy thing to talk about, but i have presented to the house a way to put people to work. these jobs need to be done. and the private and public sector must be brought together. and with that, i yield back and thank you for allowing me to

share in this important evening. mr. boccieri: the gentleman from new jersey has a number of years, has some very good ideas that we have got to look very seriously about putting our country back to work. for long-term investments -- and you know, i have said that we have got to be the producers of wealth, just not the movers of wealth. and we have got to bid things here. in 1950, over half the jobs in our country were in manufacturing. today, one out of 10 of our jobs are in manufacturing. some of that has been because of the fact that we have gained in productivity and gained in efficiency, but we have outsourced many of our jobs in ohio, pennsylvania, illinois, we have seen those manufacturing jobs go overseas. that great trade imbalance is very troubling to me.

we have a trade imbalance with china, $280 billion every year. a trade imbalance with oil-producing countries because they send $330 billion of oil to the united states. those accounts for the huge imbalances that our country has ever known in terms of our trade policy. 95% of the market is outside the united states. ohio is leading the nation. and some of our local municipalities have begun to start exporting their goods overseas creating their own trade relationships. we need more help from the federal government so states like ohio, virginia, new jersey and pennsylvania can help make those needed investments into our local communities. we have to be the producers of wealth. we have to build things again in this country. it's not only a matter of our

economic security, but a matter of our national security. that is why it is strategic that the american recovery and reinvestment act invests in our people, in our country and our future. and we also lay the groundwork for future prosperity by investing in energy. energy is a key component of our nation's economy, a key component. but it is very troubling when we import 66% of our oil from overseas, 40% from the middle east. and we see that the largest user of energy in our country is our nation's military. the department of defense is the largest user of energy in our country. it is very key not only to our economic interests but our national security interests that we move away from our dependence on foreign oil and invest and create jobs here that cannot be outsourced and we make sure that we put our people back to work. that's why it's so important that we make these needed

investments. i have to say that according to a deputy director of the national employment law center, 14.9 million jobless americans have been out of work an average of 30 weeks, the highest level since the government began keeping those records in the 1950's, the highest record. we have some on the other side who are suggesting that we shouldn't have extended unemployment benefits. and i even heard some who had the audacity to say we shouldn't be giving them government taxpayer money because they don't want to work. are you kidding me? we have millions of people out of work in this country who are now just being called back to work. in fact, some of my friends on the other side had voted against an extension of unemployment benefits that would have helped 11,600 citizens of ohio who are struggling to put bread on their tables for their families. to me, we have to invest in our

people. if we can expend $1 trillion on war, we can spend money to invest in our people and our country and put americans back to work. i yield some time before we close today, mr. speaker, to a good friend of mine from virginia, a gentleman who has a passion and vigor to take on a challenge of our country. congressman perriello. mr. perriello: thank you to my friend from ohio. i appreciate that. where have we come and where do we have to go? the present statistics and the history books will make clear that we have prevented a depression and that's no small feat. but i'm not satisfied until we see robust economic growth. we should be willing to look back and say here is an opportunity where we were going off a cliff into a depression and we said no, not on our

watch. we will make sure that that he depression is prevented. but i'm not satisfied until we see the job creation back on main street. we need to shift that focus to that job creation on main street. and these ideas are not republican or democrat ideas. these are ideas about putting people back to work. i know in virginia and you know in ohio, we are on the cusp. we have an opportunity to start building again. americans are ready to do it. small businesses are ready to do it. and union fortunately, we aren't going to see the housing starts, but we know we can build things. we can build our infrastructure and retrofit our existing building stock. we have had a tool-belt recession annette it is time to see growth in the tool-belt sector. the fact is, we must rebuild

america's competitive advantage and we must rebuild it one community at a time, one congressmen wealth at a time, one country, rebuilding our competitive advantage and putting people back to work. we have a chance to do that. now the gentleman, the gentlemen on the other side of this building, down in the senate, they may be through this recession. the media elites may be through. middle-class america are not through it. we have prevented the worse from happening. but we won't be satisfied. we will rebuild that competitive advantage and need to do it in time of the summer construction season. i appreciate what you have done to keep that focus on jobs, jobs, jobs in ohio and around this country. we must be focused on jobs and do it with the urgency that does not miss the construction season ahead. mr. boccieri: we have seen

almost a flip from a 6% job loss when we began the 111th congress in january of 2009 to a nearly 6% job growth, job growth in our gross domestic product. but we know, we know that this is not about the g.d.p., but about the j.o.b.'s and we have to put people back to work. some of the things we have done for our small businesses to help struggling small businesses stay open, the net operating loss carryback and extended tax credits for renewable energy production, because as my col etion know, the cheapest energy is the energy we never use and small businesses can save by weatherizing homes and businesses and that's what's going to save money. we saw we were going to give bonus depreciation which extends to businesses buying equipment, such as computers to speed up

depreciation through 2009. that is helping small businesses to write off losses to help folks get back to work. this is an opportunity. we have made a down payment on america's future. mr. perriello: they are going to come in research and development and need the strong universities and strong infrastructure. year ago, we made a down payment that is starting to pay off and the kind of rebounding we are starting to see. we cannot take our foot off the gas. this is the time. americans are ready to build. and again, this shouldn't be a partisan idea. we all have construction companies in our districts. we all have roads, bridges, water and sewer systems in our districts. we have small businesses that help supply that construction sector. we must see that this can be a chance to come together and understand the urgency of this moment. we have made that down payment. now it's time to start seeing that growth and we are going to

do that by saying yes to america's future and saying yes to america's competitive advantage. there are many in the top of this country who stopped bleesk that america can manufacture, grow things, that it can be strong enough. america's middle class is still strong. if we invest in them, they will outcompete every country on earth. we can outcompete the rest of the world but only if we invest in workforce development and we understand that two out of three new jobs in this country come from small business. instead of bailing out the biggest businesses. it's time to reward the small businesses, the engine of innovation and growth, civic leaders in our community, that's what our agenda needs to be about. we must push that forward. get america growing again.

. >> we have got to invest in our country and our way of life. as that commercial says on the airwaves, is this going to be the great recession or the recession that makes us great. i believe we can do this. we work together and support our people. if we can spend $1 trillion on war, we can invest in our people and do the things that will set us on the track toward prosperity. we're starting to see glimmers of light and glimmers of hope that people once again will be on a path to prosperity. i want to thank the gentleman from virginia because he believes that our greatest days are still yet to come. we will be stronger, we will be more robust and we'll be smarter on how we handle these future downturns. this is the time that we cannot let go away from us. we have got to invest in our people and our country and

that's why i am so proud of my gentleman from virginia who stands with me, saying that we will again be the producers of wealth, not just the movers of wealth. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentleman from missouri, mr. akin is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. akin: thank you, mr. speaker. it's a pleasure to join you here once again as we get a chance to take a look at special orders and also i'm joined tonight by some of my distinguished colleagues. we're going to be looking once again at a subject that has really absorbed the attentions of americans now for almost nine months, the question of health care. it is still before us.

and today was a little bit of a unique day for meame because the president came to my district in the st. louis area, and he wanted to deliver speeches and tell everybody that he they should vote for the health care bill. he and i have a difference of opinion on the bill. i think his opinion is that if people just know more about this bill, they'll like it. my opinion is, is the more we've looked at it, the more that people have taken a look at it publicly, the uglier they think it gets and the more they hate it. unfortunately, the polling data seems to be on my side and the more you look at the bill me more -- the more it seems to have problems with it. we have joining us distinguished colleagues from all over the country. we have two doctors and an attorney and just, i think, a businessman and an engineer. it almost sounds like the start of some sort of joke but this isn't a joke, unfortunately.

this is a very serious subject indeed. so i'm going to recognize dr. brown from georgia, a gentleman who has spent a lifetime practicing medicine, and then got elected congress, and now he's trying to straighten things out, i'm going to have him followed by dr. fleming as well. dr. broun, thank you for joining us, let's talk a little bit about this health care bill. mr. broun: thank you, mr. akin. you've been a stalwart friend in this fight to try to stop the government overtaking the health care system. i, as a medical doctor, have been fighting for my patients, for their economic well being, for years. i wanted to come tonight and bring up a few things. in the "wall street journal" yesterday, there was an editorial written, co-authored by scott rasmussen, the famous pollster. the title is, why obama can't move the health care numbers. one of the lines in here right

at the end is basically giving the bottom line, it says, most voters believe the current plan will harm the economy, they're right about that. cost more than projected, absolutely. raise the cost of care. without any shadow of doubt. and will lead to higher middle class taxes. that is just undoubtedly a fact. the american people get it. and one thing that the american people do get is that it's going to cost millions of americans their job if this is put into place. and i thank you for bringing this forward tonight so we could talk about jobs and health care and i'm looking forward to this discussion as we go along. mr. akin: i appreciate you bringing that up. i'm just thinking, picture yourself, instead of being a doctor, as being a salesman, you're giving an assignment you're supposed to go out and sell something. say you're the president and your job is to go out and make this case. we have three huge entitlements

that are destroying the solvency of our country. one is medicare, one is medicaid, both medical things, and the goth is run -- the government is running these things and they're desthroig economy, they're out of control, they're spending so much money. your assignment is to go out and tell people we need to have the government take over the rest of the medical -- you can be a good salesman, but it's hard to make that case. we've got it missed up in this area, give us the whole thing. dr. fleming, please. mr. fleming: i want to thank the gentleman again, virtually every week he has this hour to talk about weighty issues such as health care. today the big question, why all the increases in private insurance rates? there are several reasons, but the main reason is that private insurance premiums help

subsidize medicare and medicaid. why? medicare and medicaid underpays the providers, the gap is getting larger, and so providers have to make it up in order to survive in business on the private insurance which has haothingouhear fromak pelosi or the president. he blames -- he wants to demonize the insurance company. as a physician, i'm no big friend of the insurance companies, but fair is fair. if we're going to fix this problem and we've got to start in my within, -- in my opinion, by looking at cost savings, we're going to have to be real about, and realistic about where the real costs are coming from and again, you're right, half of medicine today is under government control and that is the part that's bankrupting the system. mr. akin: i think what i'm hearing you say is that as much as you want to knock the insurance companies, the fact

that people have insurance and the insurance pays claims, in a way, they're the ones that are helping to balance out the cost of health care because medicare and medicaid are underpaying the actual cost of what it takes? mr. fleming: absolutely. mr. akin: i'd like to ask -- i'm going to my good friend from texas, too, mr. gohmert, but sometimes we get into the weeds a little too much. say you get way up on an airplane and take a look at the health care question, what someone told me is, look at health care in america as two parts. the front end is the medical service we provide to the people who are sick in america. they said, that's the best health care anywhere in the world. if you're a millionaire sheik from bahrain, you want to come here to get that health care. we have the best health care in terms of provider. what the problem is, is how we've we pay for it has gotten messed up. i think that's a little bit to your question. my good friend from texas,

congressman gohmert. mr. gohmert: looking at the chart you have there with the quote about reconciliation, it brings us back to what is being discussed, the reporters all out here in the hall, been there for much of the night, they've started going away, apparently they're thinking there's not going to be any agreement. what people need to understand what is being pushed here, called reconciliation, what a misnomer, reconcile? that's not what happens. the senate has passed a bill and they're not going to get 60 votes to do a new bill, so they're trying to push the house into passing exactly what the senate did, but we got fine, upstanding pro-lifers like bart stupak and a dozen others, and they say, if you are going to have a bill that pries tax money out of the hands of people from people who

believe with all the their heart, as i do, that that's immoral, to kill unborn children, and you're going to take their money and use it to do that, then we can't vote for this bill. so what we hear being discussed is, well, if you will just vote for the senate bill that allows the government to take away taxpayers' money and use it for abortions, then we may be able to get you an amendment to come back -- it has to be signed into law, has to become law before you can amend it, but we may be able to amend that to then put in the stupak language that prevents tax dollars from being used for abortions. but the thing our colleagues have to understand, please don't get roped into that. the speaker knows how the process works. but if it becomes law, and the

bill provides for the funding of abortion, you may or may not get the amendment passed. it may pass through the house, but then the senate has to pass it and there's no way anyone in the house can guarantee what the senate will do. and then the people who -- everybody, well-intentioned, no intention to deceive, but anyway, the bottom line is, they end up not getting what they're promised, not because of deception, it just doesn't happen. but i have to yield back to my friend. mr. akin: i'd like to run over to our good friend from pennsylvania, congressman thompson, and just wanted to get your perspective on what you're sea seing because it's been almost nine months and people have been looking more and more into the details of the bill, the more they see it, the more they don't like it, yet the majority seems they're just determined, they got the pedal to the metal, got the

battleship at ramming speed, they're going to try to drive this thing through, what's your impression about where we are? mr. thompson: i thank my good friend from missouri for providing the leadership for this evening. the american people, i'm proud of the american people. on this issue, and during this past 15 months, they've really done, i think they fulfilled the responsibility that our founders intended. our founders have to be smiling right now. the american people have woken up and they're paying attention, they're engaging on this issue. when it comes to health care, i think that the large majority of americans share the same perspective that i do. it's a perspective i developed as a health care professional. i started out as a therapist over, what, 30 years ago, and for 28 years, managed, was a health care manager, licenses and nursing administrator, worked in all areas of health care and nonprofit community health care and the four

principles i've lived my professional life bying the same four principles that have guided me in my role as working for the people as a member of congress, and it's the same principles i see the people agreeing with when it comes to health care, they want to improve our health care system, not throw it out, not create some government-run system, they're -- my principles are always leading my life, i think they're important in this debate. let's make sure we do what we can to lower the cost of health care for all americans. the bill that's coming at us at light speed from the senate raises costs for most americans. it doesn't address real costs, real reduction of cost. the second principle for me is increasing access. improving quality. and making sure that we strengthen our decision-making relationship between the physician and the patient. we don't need the government or bureaucrat making those decisions. the bill that's coming at us,

in particular, i just talk about one aspect, start at that last principle of strengthening the decision making relationship wean the patient and physician, this bill creates a health care czar. this czar is going to have the ability to impose not just health care prices and controls but, you know, the czar is going to dictate what kind of benefits we should get and not get and you know, we'll be just as my good friend from texas was talking about, we'll wind up paying for procedures such as abortions, something that we would never use or that we certainly, based on my faith, would be very much in objection to. so that type of imposition of a czar making decisions, inserting themselves between the patient and physician, is just absolutely wrong. mr. akin: i appreciate your perspective on that. i bet you that's got to, even after all these months, has got to bother those of you who are