mr. sherman. i want to go back to governor patrick because i know that in response to mr. waxman you are basically talking about how more quality care improving coverage and quality care actually lowers costs and i believe that if you cover more people you give quality care that ultimately save the system more money and at the risk of being critical of the republicans i'm going to be any way. i just think it's ironic because if you go back a few years you have people like governor romney who were advocates for the universal coverage because it saved money in the long run. i remember when the second george bush was president he was a big advocate for expanding community health centers and now we see the republicans in cutting and even diaz that gave more money to the states to read the was a big thing with the republicans. >> back in 2003, long before the democrats were even doing it. now we see all of these -- now we see the opposite. we see republicans backtracking and say they don't support these efforts to expand coverage and provide the community health centers with fu

mr. sherman. i actually had a number of questions on the permitting today which i will submit and look for an answer in writing because i think that it's the most pressing issue right now actually has to do with the door right. i'm surprised to see mr. marchi's crafts, and i would agree the burn rate -- we don't want to approach was all so we are in jeopardy birding for all of our natural resources. but i think that the chart suggests norway -- if you believe norway and mexico are larger than the united states, that would actually be a factor. or if we only had 2% of the world's oil reserves. is that is actually what i wanted to ask a number of questions on and first of all, mr. whitney specifically let me start with the president's statement last week was even if we tap every single resource available to us we can't the state the facts according to the president we only control 2% of the leal but we consume over a quarter. some people are talking about kunkel versus actually what are the reserves

mr. sherman, you're recognized for five minutes. >> i thank the chair lady. i also thank my colleague from los angeles for letting me ask questions first. i think it's in the national interest that we have people insured. you can do this by mandates or subsidies or federal involvement. or you can sit back and watch them be uninsured. the reason that we want to see them insured is apparent to those who are soft hearted. when the disaster happens, you hate to see people uninsured. no one has ever accused me of being soft hearted. but if you're hard hearted, every time we have a major disaster, we have an extraordinary or supplemental appropriation that comes right out of the federal budget, increases the deficit. and so it is in the government's interest to make sure people are insured. that being said, we're here to talk about flood insurance. i represent a desert. i look forward to seeing how this program can be expanded or used as a model for earthquake insurance. i represent, for example, north ridge. so i'm anxious to see this program work effectively and

mr. sherman -- mr. chairman, let's get together and work on this. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. hastings: i say to my friend and colleague, sign me up. at this time, mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield four minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from florida, the ranking member of the railroad subcommittee, and my classmate, we came here together, ms. brown. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is reck used -- recognized for four minutes. ms. brown: thank you, mr. speaker, and thank you, classmate, for giving me four minutes. i rise to speak on the rule. i would like to begin by discussing the importance of re-authorizing the surface transportation bill. it's been a long time since we had a bill, since 2005, in fact, i cannot overemphasize the importance of completing this bill as soon as possible. not only to reveal -- renew our nation's infrastructure but the desperately kneed jobs it will create. trpping projects are a national economic development tool. the department of transportation has indicated for every $1 bil

mr. sherman, which we will get some answers. >> have been like to ask unanimous consent to that my letter be included in the record. >> madam secretary, on the question of libya, i think one of the important resources could be libyan americans for their input. one lady and has testified is here this morning. samantha power in the administration had some observations. some of these had to do with would be did not do in bosnia and in terms of jamming radio stations. i carried legislation on doing this, but we cannot get it through until the bombing started. i think if we look at the lesson in rwanda, one of the lessons is that when a dictator is telling people to kill his own people and there is an opportunity, especially given the fact that he is jamming anyway, why do not put the assets up to take care of that? in any way, it is a information more. i just wanted your response to that. i wish just going to ask you briefly in terms of another problem on the african continent that your very bothwell barrera of wit -- very well aware of with the lra. he exists to pillage. he grabs children's

mr. sherman. i actually had a number of questions on the permitting today which i will submit and look for an answer in writing because i think that it's the most pressing issue right now actually has to do with the door right. i'm surprised to see mr. marchi's crafts, and i would agree the burn rate -- we don't want to approach was all so we are in jeopardy birding for all of our natural resources. but i think that the chart suggests norway -- if you believe norway and mexico are larger than the united states, that would actually be a factor. or if we only had 2% of the world's oil reserves. is that is actually what i wanted to ask a number of questions on and first of all, mr. whitney specifically let me start with the president's statement last week was even if we tap every single resource available to us we can't the state the facts according to the president we only control 2% of the leal but we consume over a quarter. some people are talking about kunkel versus actually what are the reserves

mr. sherman. >> i know not all my cleags agree but the economy is a patient in critical condition and the traditional medicine ises are not available. fiscal policy is is politically over and i don't think you can lower short-term interest rates. so the fact is, you have come up with a new and inventive medicine at a time when the easy thing to do for you would have been to walk away from the patient and say, well, everything that can't be -- that can be done has been done by the feds. you've shown courage, you've shown innovation and i hope this new experimental medicine of yours works. my colleague asked about municipal bonds, i want to focus on state borrowing. the rule is, states can't go bankrupt. people invest in state bonds with that as the rule, the assumption and there's some politicians talking about allowing states to go bankrupt and the states don't want the bondholders to lose money, it's just they hate the public employee unions so much they've lost sight of the reason we don't let states to go bankrupt, to encourage people to lend money to states. what effect would it have

mr. sherman.i actually had a number of questions on the permitting today which i will submit and look for an answer in writing because i think that it's the most pressing issue right now actually has to do with the door right. i'm surprised to see mr. marchi's crafts, and i would agree the burn rate -- we don't want to approach was all so we are in jeopardy birding for all of our natural resources. but i think that the chart suggests norway -- if you believe norway and mexico are larger than the united states, that would actually be a factor. or if we only had 2% of the world's oil reserves. is that is actually what i wanted to ask a number of questions on and first of all, mr. whitney specifically let me start with the president's statement last week was even if we tap every single resource available to us we can't the state the facts according to the president we only control 2% of the leal but we consume over a quarter. some people are talking about kunkel versus actually what are the reserves.

. >> malcolm sherman, albany, new york. i'd like to ask mr. woolsey if he can recommend something that he's written that summarizes this article. i presume that the tapes of this session will also be available, but i've heard a lot that i would like to muddle over. >> i've have sent to here it to the organization a set of articles and they can go on a website and anybody can look at them that wants. that's fine. let me suggest by way of books one very good one is by my friend aluft and annie korrin turns oil into salt. this was annie's idea. it's an analogy between salt and the 20th century and oil as he can strategic commodities that a huge amount of life depended on. salt was the only way it to preserve food of any kind, and the only way to preserve meat into the the 20 theth century. when the electric grids came at the beginning of 20th century and made refrigeration and freezing possible, within a few years electricity destroyed salt as a strategic sxhcommodity. it didn't destroy salt. it's still used. salt was -- salary word comes from sa