Authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to Designate the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home in Hope, Arkansas, as a National Histor
AUTHORIZING THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO DESIGNATE THE PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON BIRTHPLACE HOME IN HOPE, ARKANSAS, AS A NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE -- (House of Representatives - March 08, 2006)
Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Ross and Chairman Pombo. Congressman Ross for introducing the bill, and then Chairman Pombo for getting it to the floor.
I rise in strong support of this bill. The reason that I do, before I was elected to Congress I had never been to Washington, D.C, and I came up here, I can still remember the excitement of seeing all the structures and things; and then now, as my constituents come up, taking them around, showing them the different areas, the different things of history that we preserved.
Preserving Presidential birthplaces is very, very important. It is something that we need to do. We need to do a much better job, I think, in this country of preserving structures like this in general that are so important, that tell the story of America.
One of the things that I really enjoy doing is going out to schools and I visit with the kids. I was on the school board for 7 years, and I sit down and visit with them, and one of the main reasons I am there is I want them to understand that a guy like me that was on the school board, had a small business, was on the school board, grew up very much like they did, in western Arkansas, that the sky is the limit, that they can work hard and basically achieve anything they want.
Bill Clinton is truly an example of that. And certainly as they go through the structure that we are trying to preserve, I think it really shows that a young guy that grew up as much of America is growing up, maybe at some times maybe a little bit worse than much of America is growing up, but growing up in humble circumstances, having a dream, able to achieve the governorship of Arkansas, and then go on to become the most powerful man in the world. I think it is a great story. I think it is one that kids will be able to relate to and certainly show that, again, if they step forward that the sky is the limit.
As Mike said, this has great support from the State of Arkansas, great support from our congressional delegation, and then also from our Governor, Governor Huckabee, that we would like to do what President Clinton did in the future, also from Hope, and he was very, very supportive as the letter indicates.
Again, I speak in strong support of this bill and I urge its adoption.
http://thomas.loc.gov/