the president to report annually the total united states cash in kind contributions to the united nations system. each fiscal year by every united states agency or department. this amendment only applies for the next two calendar years. fiscal years, however. last year american taxpayers crbts contributed $5 billion to the united nations, making the united states the largest member donor to that institution. seeing the amount of american investment and the influence the united nations has on world opinion and world advance, it's important how manies -- americans know how their money is being spent and it's not subsidizing activities which hurt american security, values or our national interests. the amendment i'm sponsoring today would make this requirement for the president to submit to congress a report of u.s. cash in kind contributions or u.s. cash and in kind contributions to the united nations and u.n. affiliated agencies each fiscal year. the funding would be reported on u.s.a. spend -- usaspending.gov and this amendment would expire after two years. without the report, americans would be

national parks would be cut by $485 million. includes $403 million reduction from the president's request of the 395 units of the national park system. as an example, yosemite, $3.6 million, reduction is the equivalent of closing 75 national park units. many visitors would find closed national parks when they vacation or on educational trips, reducing the entire tourism industry and harming the economy of many communities and cities. rejects $1.2 billion for programs that received bipartisan support by cutting $721 million out of indian health care programs. this proposal would deny critically needed services to thousands of native americans. more than two million native americans would be denied inpatient and outpatient services and 4,000 cancer screenings would be eliminated. takes $90 million out of the indian education program leaving indian children without education programs. reduces overall funding for firefighting at a time when we are facing another dangerous wildfire season. many small fires would escape initial attack leaving more large wildfires that harm watersheds and cost far more money in recovery costs. cuts 1,700 f

united nations should be granted the power to standardize national laws and procedures with member states of regional organizations. mr. koh feels that the u.s. should establish a national firearms control system in a register of manufacturers, traders, importers and exporters of guns to comply with international obligations. this regulatory regime would allow the united nations members, such as cuba and venezuela and north korea and iran to have a say in what type of gun regulations are imposed on american citizens. this is not constitutional government in america. taken to their logical conclusion -- and i'm continuing the heritage quote here -- mr. koh's ideas could lead to a national database of all firearm owners as well as the use of international law to force the u.s. to pass laws to find out who owns guns. all who care about freedom should read his speech. senators need to think long and hard about whether koh's extreme views on international gun control are appropriate for america. let me just cover a couple of other things. this one about the iraq war. mr. koh published a commentary in the hartford current on october 20, 2002, entitled "a better way to deal with iraq." here's just an

this is normal and understanding because different nations have different cultures, values, and legal systems. the united states should be independent to pursue its own individual choices expressed through the american people, through their elected officials, to reach the fullest and richest expression of our exceptionalism as a nation. the american ideal of law is objectivity in deciding the case before the court. that case being sufficient for the day. this is unusual. most countries are not so restrained. to a much greater degree, foreign judges see themselves as policy-makers. in afghanistan -- in pakistan recently, the chief judge there was setting all kinds of policy in afghanistan. i thought it was most unusual. surely nothing like that would happen here, because we have a different heritage. and i would suggest that for an ambitis or strong-willed american judge, such freedom to search around the world to identify arguments that might be helpful in allowing them to reach a result they might like to reach would be a great temptation. it is a siren call that ought not to be followed, and great judg

needed information about the insurance marketplace to washington and to any national systemic regulator and would give the united states a single voice with which to speak on international insurance policy and trade matters. we believe a comprehensive approach to federal financial services modernization would not be complete unless it also includes a broader, federal insurance presence that encompasses federal charting for insurers. this would ensure robust or consistent regulatory oversight. strong consumer protections and a healthy competitive insurance industry. we have been carefully considering the notion of systemic risk regulation. as an initial matter, we are mindful that the determination as to whether a company is systemically important does not necessarily depend upon its size or industry, but rather to the extent to which its financial condition is potentially so interrelated with other institutions that its failure could cause widespread and substantial economic harm extending beyond those stakeholders who would assume the risk. for example, any unregulated holding company with a strong credit ratin

system. the effort to achieve that kind of massive change and consolidation would take many years to implement. and as the experience in the united kingdom demonstrates, it would be no guarantee that our nation's economy would be shielded from systemic risk even after such a consolidation were implemented. under the legislation that i've introduced, a financial stability council would be the primary entity responsible for detecting systemic risk and taking action to protect against that risk. well, i'm pleased that the president has chosen the council of regulators model as well, i differ with his proposal to have the secretary of treasury serve as the head of the council. instead i believe that the council's chairman should be independent of any of the regulatory agencies that are serving on the council and that it's important that that chairman devote his or her full energies to that role and not have other important responsibility. it is also important that that individual be subject to congressional oversight, be presidentially appointed and senate confirmed. i do believe, however, that the president made the right choice in not assigning this role to the federal reserve. and that's a mode

he believes that the united states should -- and i quote again - -- "establish a national firearms control system and a register of manufacturers, traders, importers and exporters of guns" to comply with international obligations. this would allow u.n. members such as cuba and venezuela and north korea and iran to have a say in what type of gun regulations are imposed on american citizens. as dean of the yale law school, mr. koh was a leader in another effort that i think is troublesome. it was an effort to deprive students of the freedom to listen to military recruiters who wanted to explain on campus the benefits of a career in our military services. we all, every one of us in this body, frequently express our gratitude to the people in the united states military services who protect us, who put themselves in danger in order to protect the very freedoms we're talking about here. and yet as dean of the law school, he would not allow the recruiters for these military institutions to come on to campus, and yet he would protect students' freedom to listen to antiwar speakers on campus. but yale clo

of national security if we know -- and we have intelligence capability -- that a north korean ship is carrying technology or weapons or systems that could endanger the national security of the united states of america, then we should board those ships. >> host: let me ask you about another foreign policy issue. this morning "the new york times" say the news from afghanistan is grim, they're talking about the failing forces from within the country and saying that the taliban must be confronted head on to turn around the war. ordinary afghans must begin to trust their own

present to the e.d., you then aren't on the same record system when you move over to the inpatient unit. that's because we do not have a sort of nationally agreed upon platform for how systems communicate to each other. hospitals say to themselves, i've got one really good system for the emergency rooms, i want to buy this other really good system for inpatient care. we need national standards that say to any hospital or physicians office that's buying into a records office, you can be guaranteed you're getting a system that presents you with the data and tools you need and will be able to communicate with everybody else. in fact, there's no way we're going to spend that stimulus money without some national standards to guarantee that that happens. but as a sort of preview as to how politicized and how politically charged this debate can become, when we were debating that portion of the stimulus bill which really is common sense, investment in information technology, something there should be no reason why republicans and democrats should disagree on, i don't want to put words in mr. burgess' mouth, but he comes down to this floor, repub

commanding general the national guard bureau having worked very closely knowing that relationship we have a very strong mutual aid system under e-mack. we leveraged with the national guard so units rotate in and out we have capability we identify in other states. there are a lot of work done within the tags such as joint operation center training that they are ready to go. i think it's a good team. it's a key component of our national defense strategy. but most importantly, they are the first of those assets available to governors on that governor's authority and that governors can request from other state governors additional guard units as part of their authority in managing a disaster. as far as the reserve component there's actually some requirements that have been provided to post-katrina reform act for fema to build and take our existing structures to build a more responsible force and provide more training and capabilities within our reserve force. and so we are looking at that. as far as a standing reserve, that would be something i'd like to further research but i think there are some elements of that that we're already seeing some of our programs where we're not creati

united nations. we have no doubt that always opting for the coming good, i always pursuing our common design, this will serve as the load star for all of our systems in order to be able to achieve the objectives of the better world. in our own defense and of future generations, the united nations -- starting with the organization of the american states, the organization of people of the caribbean, many of whom are good friends of honduras. the organizations of the country's of all southern america who have expressed their voices unanimously condemning the barbarity that a small group of people have sought to inflict upon our country. the rio group in return, which brings together all at american countries, yet today adopted the same resolution -- yesterday adopted the same resolution. countries affiliated through the central american bloc of countries, salvador, costa rica, panama -- at a significant meeting served the country. they to eductive this resolution condemning, rejecting, and calling for respect for the democratic decisions taken in honduras. they too have come to the floor for the organization of central american and caribbean countrie

national guard bureau having worked very closely with mike knowing that relationship. we have a very strong statewide state system. we leverage that with the national guard so that as units rotate in and out, we have capability. we have eertteds states. there is a lot of work done within the tags to make sure that things such as joint operation training, they're ready to go. so i think it's a good team. it's a key component of our national defense strategy but most importantly they are the first of those assets available to governors and that governor's authority. and those governors can request from other state governors additional guard units as part of

the national guard bureau having worked closely on that relationship, and again, we have a very strong statewide mutual aid system under pnac and we leverage that with national guard so as the unit's rotate in and out we have capability to identify other states and in addition to that there is a lot of work done to make sure that things such as joint operation center are ready to go and support each other and i think it is a good team and it is a key component of the national defense strategy but most important they are the first of the assets available to the governors on the authority and those governors can request from other state governors additional guard units as part of their authority managing a disaster. as far as the reserve component there's actually requirements provided post-katrina emergency reform act. for fema the bill building more response and training capabilities within our reserve force and so we are looking at that as far as a standing reserve, that would be something i would like to further research by the there are elements of that we are already seeing in the programs where we are not creating such a formal reserve process but to building community emerge

assurant hell supports the principle that everyone in the united states deserts affordable healthcare and we see reform of the nation's healthcare system as a shared responsibility between doctors, consumers, health insurance and policymakers. the collectively can deliver effective solutions to provide coverage for all americans. that is why assurant health we will continue to participate in efforts to reform and improve healthcare in america. thank you. >> thank you mr. hamm. mr. collins, your opening statement please sir. >> good morning members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to testify today. my name is richard collins, i and the ceo of golden rule insurance company. we are business that sells health insurance policies to individuals and their families. colgan roose the offering this at coverage for over 60 years. we seek to offer innovative and affordable products to meet the diverts healthcare and financial needs of our customers. in our current healthcare delivery system, the individual insurance market operates primarily for families who do not have access to group insurance or government benefit programs. we hav

system. the british were upset when that took place. there, they wanted to nationalize it. that was a major issue. they have collided with the united states. one, there was massive uprising in tehran and iran which led the shah to leave the country and go to rome. he was scared and basically took off and left. it was a possible uprising. u.s.'s concern was at the time of the doctrine -- around the iron curtain. the green belt they used to call it at some point, to basically any advances the soviet union might want to make into iran. iran is an extremely important geo political nation. that is something at the time the u.s. was interested in protecting and preserving. the interests collided with one another. there was a british cia-hatched coup that was hatched that brought back the shah. host: in a speech made yesterday, he talk abouts brittain. since the revolution, it might be the source for the leader when the government faces its greatest crisis in 30 years. why don't we hear more about this relationship between iran and great britain? guest: i'm going to say for those listening that were born in that culture. there has been a

that relationship and again, we have a very strong statewide mutually system and we leverage that national guard so that as the unit's rotate in and out we have capability and identify with other states and in addition there's a lot of work done within the tax to make sure things such as joint operation center training are ready to go and support each other so i think is a good team and it is a key component of the national defense strategy but best important they are the first of the assets on the governor's authority and those governors can request from other state governors additional guard units as part of their authority managing a disaster. as far as the reserve component there's actually requirements that have been provided in the reformat for the bill and take existing structures and build more professional response force and provide more training capabilities within our reserve force and so we are looking at that. as far as a standing reserve, that would be something i would like to further research plan think there are elements of that we are seeing in some of the programs where we are not creating so much

see the national forest there which he saved for the national forest service, which is our only rainforest in our entire protection system in united states. it's home to rare pottery and parrots. it is a spectacular part if you can go to puerto rico to see the rain forest. i would go to these places, meet the local superintendent or ranger oil martin and interview them and get local documentation as well. this is the nerve center for what i would consider roosevelt's wilderness america. >> we're standing in the roosevelt room in the center. behind us is a photograph, a big photograph above the fireplace. >> if that is the roosevelt with the naturalist john meer in 1903. roosevelt became president in 1901 because mckinley was assassinated. the gets sworn in in buffalo. this isn't going to teach politics similar to a kenley company doesn't guarantee creates a could -- he said he would have politics similar to president mckinley, but he did not. he began a radical conservation project. in 1903 he wanted almost all with john boroughs. then he went to the grand canyon. and when to the north woods -- redwoods of northern california. the

examiner this week, breast cancer rates in europe under nationalized health care systems are significantly higher than they are here in the united states. iewmpian women are much more -- european women are much more likely to have breast cancer than are american women. currently the united states leads the world in treating breast cancer. women in the united states with breast cancer have a 14% better chance of survival than those in europe. the mortality is 52% higher in germany and 88% higher in the united kingdom. this is not something that we should want to imewe late. there are -- emulate. numerous studies have documented the poor patient outcomes under the medicaid program relative to those in private plans. medicaid patients were 50% more likely to die after coronary bypass surgery than patients with private coverage or medicare. the other problems with the bill that the distinguished senator from massachusetts has proposed -- again, i credit him with the first one to lay out a plan. we have not seen one from any other source. the fact of the matter is the kennedy bill is not paid for. we don't know how much additional bo

united nations and other international bodies. i would invite my fellow americans to get involved in the system. if one does not get involved in the system, we will not go the right way. and i will say, in our country's history, it has always been the intervention of the american people at the right moment that kept us on the right track. it wasn't allowing special interests, like is so evident in this cap and trade legislation that will be voted on later on this week, to let them right the legislation, let them control what sounds like a benevolent sounding legislation which will wreak havoc. they want to control us and change our lifestyle. don't let them control us and take away our democratic rights. with that said, i offer the rest of my statement for the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. rohrabacher: and unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. rohrabacher: anything else you want me to say. the speaker pro tempore: fro what purpose the the gentlewoman from from maine rise? ms. pingree: i send two privileged rep

two wars and the collapse of a banking system and an emergency in the united states of america to get us back on track and to change the direction of this nation. now what we're dealing with in this bill and the reason we need to bring it to the floor and act, not delay, not delay like we saw last week, with members circling the well, changing their votes, time and time again, or presenting amendments where they add a million, subtract a million to have an amendment. mr. dreier: will the gentleman yield? mr. perlmutter: i will not. i will close. we are here because this is one of our most important responsibilities and that is to protect this country from terrorist attacks, foreign and domestic and to ensure our borders are secure. that's the purpose of the homeland security appropriations bill. the bill, at $42.6 billion is slightly above last year's level, but it helps with coast guard work border violence work maritime safety, environmental protection, assistance for the t.s.a. as people come and go through our airports, as well as cybersecurity. there are funds in the bill for fema, for flood map modernization and for rebuilding of the gul

the united states spends more money denying people coverage because of our fractured insurance system than some nations pay and health care in total. by having this reform that makes clear that pre-existing conditions -- you will not be jerry picking -- that is another area of savings. those are three very specific things part of the work we are doing and how that will make a difference for you and your members. host: mary on the republican line from hancock county, ky. caller: good morning, c-span. thank you very much. i wish you had a 24/7 program on this, you guys letting people colin and stuff like that. i'm a chronic pain patients -- i'm not good mornings, but, sir, i don't know -- we do not in this country want socialism in medication. i do not want somebody telling me how i could do what, when i can do what and where i can do it. i have pre-existing condition, i have -- i am taken care of, my husband is also a union man and he is not a democrat. guest: it is not a requirement. caller: if you all want to help pay for health care, pay for your own in the congress and let the president pay for is a

go to see the national forest which he saved for the national forest service, which is our only rainforest in our entire protection system in the united states and it's home to a rare puerto rican parrot. it's a spectacular park if you can go to puerto rico and see the rainforest there. but i would go to these places, meet the local superintendent or ranger or warden, what have you and interviewed them and also get local documentation, too. but this is the nerve center for what i consider roosevelt's grid of america. >> we're standing in the roosevelt room of the center. when you look up behind you, there is a picture, photograph, large photograph above the fire-place, who is in that photo? >> that's theodore roosevelt with the great naturalist john muir in 1903. roosevelt becomes president in 1901 because mckinley was assassinated. he is sworn in this buffalo. he keeps policies similar to mckinley. he doesn't. two months as president, t.r. starts this aggressive conservation program because he had created the first game boon and -- he created the first wild life protection for big game group. he was a member of the audubon society an

capita health care spending in the united states is 53% higher here than that of any other nation in the world, and we're the only nation in the world whose insurance system doesn't one. so in other words, we're paying at least half again as much at least as any other country in the world per person, yet millions of americans don't have -- tens of millions of americans don't have health insurance and the outcomes, life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal mortality, immunization rates, we're not among the world leaders in any of those categories. interestingly, madam president, the only place we are a world leader is life expectancy at 65. if you get to be 65 in this country, the chances that you will live a longer, healthier life is greater than in almost any other country in the world. in ohio, $3.5 billion is spent each year by and on behalf of the uninsured for health care that meets about half their needs. that's no bargain. for the first time in a long time, we're on the verge of meaningful health care reform that will make a difference in the lives of americans who have for too long put up with less than they deserve when it comes to health care.

national debt. this should not be recycled through the financial system. this should be repaid to the taxpayer, by reducing the debt of the united states. this is the only reasonable way to approach this. this would be a strong signal for the american taxpayer, to show that this administration is serious, but this would be a tremendously strong signal for the world markets, that we were willing to take the money and pay down the debt, this would also follow the proposal of the original bill, and this said that after the financial system was stabilized, any money that is coming in should be used to reduce the deficit and the debt of the united states. this should not be used for new ventures in the private sector, automobile companies or auto insurance companies, this should simply be used to reduce the debt. i hope that they will do this because this what be a good sign, the world markets are becoming suspicious of the debt as we have seen in the number of instances, the cost of the tenure bill, and also the fact that the chinese leadership in the financial area has expressed concern about the debt of the united states. and this

and trade proposal is really a $846 billion national energy tax that will hit nearly every american. moving into a cap and trade system will place the united states' economy at a distinct disadvantage, because it would place significant costs on every american business, farmer, manufacturer and american families. this bill will raise electric bills across the country by hindering the development of traditional energy sources while also ironically limiting the development of renewable energy. coal provides the majority of electricity generation in this country and this bill will effectively stop coal-fired power plants being built in the united states at a time when one new coal-fired electric generating plant is being built a week in china. they will use it to power the growth in their economy, taking jobs away from the united states and putting the same co-2 gas into the atmosphere that we are passing this legislation to try and stop in this country. it makes no sense. nuclear power is the second largest source of electricity generation and largest source of co-2-free energy which is ignored by this bill, notwithstanding the fact that it

nation, our health care outcomes lag behind many other countries. we get poor value for what we spend. according to the world health organization, the united states ranks 37th -- 37th in terms of health system performance and we are far behind many other countries in terms of such important indices as infant mortality, life expectancy and preventible deaths. in other words, we're spending huge amounts of money, but what we are getting for that investment does not compare well to many other countries that spend a lot less than we do. as the health care debate heats up near washington, we, as a nation, have got to answer two fundamental questions. first, should all americans be entitled to health care as a right and not a privilege, which is the way every other major country treats health care and the way we respond to such other basic needs as education, police, and fire protection? 100 or more years ago this country decided every young person, regardless of income, is going to get a primary and secondary education because that is the right thing to do and good for the country. but unlike every other major industrialized nation we have not come to that same conclusion that health care is a r

united states. political rhetoric has drowned out reason and reality. the criminal justice system handles dangerous criminals. it does so safely and effectively. we are the most powerful nation on earth, we have tried very dangerous people in our courts, holding very dangerous people in our jails and prisons. we tried terrorists of all stripes. think of timothy mcveigh. as senator gramm, on this committee, said recently, "the idea that we cannot find a place to house 250 detainee's within the united states is not rational. we have spent billions of dollars on these facilities. we can do that. prolonged detention, military commissions, both of which are being discussed. i expect that the attorney general, president obama, will face the commitment to value and the dedication to security that you have shown so far. i trust that you will work with us define the rights illusions -- to find the right solutions to these problems. last week's tragic events at the holocaust museum, together with other recent incidents made all too clear that the violence motivated by hatred brains a serious problem. across the political spectrum, we have once again introduced a bill to take important

colombia entered the united states duty free under our most favored nation tariff rates and various preference programs, such as the andean trade preference act and the generalized system for preferences. however, more than 97% of u.s. exports to colombia are subject to duties that range from 14% to 50%. once the agreement is approved, over 80% of u.s. consumer and industrial exports to colombia will enter duty free. so for each day congress does not approve the colombia free trade agreement -- colombia free trade deal, u.s. exporters pay $2 million in unnecessary tariffs. mr. president, let me just review very briefly the events of the past two years to understand the current state of affairs. on may 10 of 2007, democrats and republicans agreed to a framework that modifies future trade agreements to include provisions improving labor and environmental standards in order to move the peru, colombia, and south korean free trade agreements. after the peru trade promotion agreement was signed into law in december of 2007, democrats broke the deal with us in order to extract more concessions. this time they said that in exchange for passing the colombia free trade agreement

united states, france, and other countries are included. things have changed. it is the nature of the system. responsibility or accountability, is the real threat. not of the nation's right or sovereign right to technology. it has never been that. of course, the regime, as capable as they seem to be in twisting every word and act to make it like a national cry, do not tell people of iran that day, the regime, is responsible for us havinlost that right, and only them. as far as the military usage of that, it would be in total violation of our own signature to the treaty. in principle, i would end by saying that there is no question, in my view, that a democratic iran and a nation committed to peace need not pursue weapons of mass destruction. i cannot envisage in my own mind, if i were there today, as an iranian, i would feel safer if everybody around us at their own set of nuclear weapons pointing at each other. that is not a safe environment. under any circumstance. i do not buy that argument. but don't forget, last and not least, that most of the regime of's rhetoric in the last few years -- the regime's rhetoric and the last few years, and perhaps longer before

last in major industrial nations on the health systems performance which ranks the number of deaths that could be prevented before age 75 through effective healthcare. last, the united states ranked last. some analysts estimate that as much as 30% of our spending is for ineffective redundant or inappropriate care. that's care that does nothing to improve the health of americans. our system leaves nearly 50 million americans without health insurance, 25 million more with inadequate coverage and most bankruptciess in america are related to medical costs. our system needs reform. if we fail to act, healthcare spending will account for 20% of our economy in 10 years. put it another way, 45% of a family's budget will be spent for healthcare premiums. raising -- rising healthcare costs will swap federal and state budgets, businesses and american families alike. if we continue to spend at this rate it's only fair that we ask ourselves, what are we getting for our money and what are we not getting for it? it's time for americans and their doctors to use the world's most advanced science so that the most personal healthcare decisions can be made with access to the best avail

the free enterprise system is the way to fix it and win the triple play this american century, we can improve the national security of the united states, we can create jobs, and we can clean up the air. madam speaker, i say we come together and get that done after we stop cap and trade. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: mr. akin of missouri. mr. akin: thank you, madam chair. i rise to address the house for five minutes. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. akin: thank you. madam speaker, i rise today to congratulate the winner the of the 2009 keystone center leadership award for leadership in industry, mr. hugh grant, chairman, president, and c.e.o. of monsanto corporation. keystone awardees have contributed to society in ways that respect the -- reflect the spirit and mission of the keystone center and demonstrated a history of achievement with a strong sense of vision, of proven ability to motivate others, dedication to teamwork and consensus in the drive and ability to initiate fundamental and long-term positive change. i commend mr. grant's exemplary leadership and t

nations to defend themselves. all tcc countries who have expressed this desire for systems this demonstrates their commitments to regional security and upper ability with each other and with the united states. air -- the maritime security has been eight -- become a salient issue. as with terrorism, piracy is a problem that has serious implications. it should be of particular concern of any nation that depends on the seas for their commerce. last year, combined maritime forces base in bahrain established a security patrol to keep shipping lanes safe. i encourage you to participate in this important mission. given the vast coastal areas that we are talking about, more than 1 million square miles, there are limits to patrolling alone. more must be done. members of the international community must work together to pursue an detour piracy under the security council resolution passed late last year. companies and ships must be more vigilant about staying in traffic corridors and should consider about increasing their security personnel. gulf nations

nation in the korean war by serving in the united states army. when his service ended dove began what became a legacy of leadership in our free enterprise system and service to his community. he returned to work and eventually owned his own clothing business. he gave back to his small west texas community by shaping the live of younger men as the order of de malay dad and long time boy scout leader. he then moved to my hometown of dallas, texas, where he began a long career and corporate group insurance management. after that he set his sights heward on the pine trees and lakes of east texas and began a fire and casualty insurance business in henderson county. as a business owner he helpedp countless members of his community achieve their american dream. and he took great pride in his community, his record of service today is still unmatched in east texas. he served as the cedar creek chamber of commerce president. he helped establish the cedar creek library. he was a charter million of the library'ser board of directors, and he and his wife worked tirelessly to support and grow that library. he led the can i juanies club and was -- kiwanis club.

pandemic in the united states and say to yourself, what if either mother nature or a terrorist alters a virus out there and it is communicable? do we have a national disease surveillance system to pick it up, whether it is mother nature or a terrorist? if we have the system, do we have the capability to do the research and development, and manufacture the antidote or vaccine. and if we have a surveillance system and the ability to manufacture the antidote or vaccine, do we have a distribution system? the years after anthrax, we see the pandemic right now. the greatest concern i have is that we spent a lot of time when we should have worried about nuclear-weapons and fissile material, radiological. from an intellectual point of view, i am even more concerned about biological weapons. host: tom ridge served as the homeland security secretary for the first bush had been attrition. the and then joins us from his mobile, california. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. mr. rich, i would like to get back to the conversation on the impact of mexico and their increasing violence and all that we hear and read about concerning the mexican mafia and all the

national childhood vacksine injury act of 19 -- vaccine injury act of 1986, $783,000. salaries and expenses, antitrust division, $163,170,000. salaries and expenses, united states attorneys, $1,934,3,000. united states trustees system fund. salaries and expenses, foreign claims settlement commission, $2,117,000. fees and expenses of witnesses, $168,300,000. salaries and expenses, commune relations service, $11,479,000. assets forfeiture fund $29,900,000. united states marshal services, salaries and expenses, $1,038, 388,000. construction, $14 million. national security division, salaries and expenses, $87,938,000. intraagency law enforcement -- interagency crime and drug enforcement, $528,569,000. federal bureau of investigations, salaries and expenses, $7,718,741. construction, $132,796,000. drug enforcement administration, salaries and expenses, $2,019,682. bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives, salaries and expenses, $1,105,772. -- $1,105,772,000. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? mr. roe: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 25 printed in the congressional record offered by mr. roe of tenne

national security policy. recent debate has focused on keeping all guantanamo detainees out of the united states. i believe in that debate, political rhetoric has drowned out reason and reality. our criminal justice system handles extremely dangerous criminals. more than a few terrorists, and does so safely and effectively. we are the most powerful nation on earth. we ought to be able to handle the worst of criminals. we have tried very dangerous people in our courts, which hold dangerous people in our jails and prisons. in my own state of vermont and throughout the nation, we have tried terrorists of all stripes in our federal court system. think of oklahoma city bomber timothy mcveigh, shake omar and others to planned the 1993 world trade center bombings. senator graham said recently, " the idea we cannot find a place to securely house 250-plus detainees within the united states is not rational." we have spent billions of dollars on high-security facilities. we can do that. our key facilities are being discussed by the administration, carrying with them the risk of abuse. i suspect that you and president obama will face these issues with the same commitment to our constitution, laws, and values, and t

national importance and protect the rights of those seeking redress terrorist courts system. more than 50 years have passed since the supreme court recognized the state secrets privilege in the united states forces reynolds. internet time congress has never legislated to place reasonable restraints on the use of a privilege or to provide standards or guidelines to increasingly confused and divided federal courts. congress's silence on this critical issue as become all the more troubling in recent years as we have seen state secrets privilege mutate for me, evidentiary rule designed protect national security secrets into an alternative form of immunity use more and more often to shield the government and its agents from accountability for systematic violations of the constitution and the stations lossbert of the aclu has been involved in a series of high-profile cases which the government has invoked the privilege in response to allegations of grave government misconduct. not simply to block access to specific information alleged to be sicker but to dismiss lawsuits in their entirety at the outset. this is happening cases involving rendition and torture, warrantless surveillance and

united nations reported that the global market for environmental technologies could double to $2.74 trillion by 2020 from the $1.37 trillion today because of growth in areas like energy efficient technologies, sustainable transport systems, and water supply and efficiencies markets. this is a very important amendment. again i think it is essential to the development and deployment of these new technologies and i urge its adoption. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from illinois. mr. kirk: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kirk: mr. chairman, on may 19 the united nations framework convention on climate change released a draft negotiating text. the draft in part calls for the removal of, quote, barriers to development and transfer of technologies from developed to developing countries arising from intellectual property rights protection, including compulsory licensing for specific patented technologies. the american people need to know that those were code words like compulsory licensing and technology transfer that really mean allowing other countries to steal the american patents, copyrights, and trademarks for anything related to climate change, efficiency, or e

system is broken and that it needs to be reformed. the united states, we spend over $2 trillion on health care each year, nearly twice as much as every other developed nation the amount that we spend on health care is growing at unsustainable rates. spending on health care the way we are right now is going to bankrupt our country if we do not act now. middle class families have born the brunt of this disturbing trend. every year they see their premiums rise with no end in sight. over the past nine years, premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance have more than doubled. american families report spending more on health care than on housing or food. when we talk about small businesses, health care costs are choking our small businesses. i know a lot of small business owners. they want to do right by their employees and their employees' families by offering them affordable health insurance, but they are also struggling with skyrocketing health care costs. due to these ballooning costs, we've seen the percentages of small businesses offering coverage drop from 68% in 2000 to 59% in 2007. in one national survey, nearly three-quarters of small businesses d

united states and get breast cancer, your chances in survival in five years or 98%. in great britain, the chances of survival within five years are only 78%. the problem is, in those nationalized health-care system, a bureaucrat it's in the decisionmaking process between you and your doctor. there should not be anybody in that process between you and your doctor. that should be between the two of you. we can cover all americans. they say 47 million. that is greatly mac -- greatly exaggerated. the real number is around 11 million, people who do not have the coverage they need in the united states. we can cover all americans if we do it taking the principles of the market. we do not have a free market system in health care in the united states. the person receiving care is not responsible for paying for the care. there is no association, so people do not shop. there is no marketplace out there. a couple of years ago, safeway's healthcare was out of control. it was going up 10% a year. when the company sees that happening, they had to do something. they figured out if they focus on four conditions, they thought they could somewhat control their health-care costs. it worked much better than ever bel

system risk regulator can make relations for corrective regulatory action, including the national insurance commissioner. the activities of the insurance companies, an affiliate of an insurance company like aig financial products unit or any product or service of an insurance company would have serious adverse effects on financial conditions or stability. we can recommend an activity practice product work service must be restricted or prohibited. where a functional regulator refuses to take action, the systemic risk regulator would seek approval to override the functional regulator by a coordinating council established in the bill that consists of the current members of the president's working group on capital market, plus the federal banking regulators, the federal insurance commissioner and three state financial regulators from the three sectors, insurance, banking and security. finally, the systemic risk regulator determines if it is systemically significant, it determines whether the company should be nationally regulated. i believe all financial activity including that of insurance companies should be subject to review by systemic risk regulators, some suggest the insurance industry does not pose a systemic ri

nation's healthcare system and raise questions and discuss with the federal government might be doing about it was when the secretary of state hillary clinton was then associated with the president of the united states william clinton and he formed a commission that she headed, and they spent considerable time and energy reviewing where we should go with their healthcare system. once the product was developed itself, i think many a message was sent to the congress that we would be well served by reflecting upon-- that package, out there for long enough that essentially the people got a chance to understand what was in it and they didn't want it very much. they send messages back to us that were very clear and rather direct. they said first, that the chairman suggested that i believe your statement suggested people want first to be able to keep what they have and above and beyond that, that they want to ensure that they maintain choices as the go forward with such a package. i do not know what a government single-payer system might lead us to come up but a lot could be learned by also not just looking at the hillary clinton commission, but some of that which john maynard keynes might have taug

nation. what's a public auction, with the government run program look like in the united states? it looks like medicare part deal that has a 97% market share and crounse everything else out of the system. there are high-quality reports that would give evidence to 110 to 120 billion americans being crowded out of their private personal insurance if the government isn't in place. some get to the american polity of medicine is any mandate either individual or employe year and the reason for that is not just because it is a mandate which is a bad idea in the first place but it's because when congress mandates something wittman dates is the definition of health coverage, health insurance. what would qualify as health insurance and again we see from the house bill all of the dynamic things out there in the marketplace like savings accounts and medical savings accounts and deductible catastrophic plans, all of those will not only be on available they will be illegal and that's why a mandate would be for american medicine and finally ceding the definition of quality of the federal government through the healthy choice administration or the comparative effectiveness research council. whatever

united states. all the various elements that now are shaping this very powerful system. so you can look at that if you want more information. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009]