Republican Freshman Congressional Report

Mr. WALBERG. I thank the gentleman from California, and I thank him for his good words and bringing us really to perspective what is going on here.

I wish I could have joined you on the trip to ANWR as well as to Golden, Colorado and seen what you saw up close and personal. But, frankly, I felt it was more important at that time to look for the pictures you would bring back and hear the testimony that you and other good colleagues and friends of mine would bring back, but for me personally to stay back in Michigan, a State that at present is a one-State recession, that has the highest unemployment rate in the Nation, sadly, that was at one time the greatest manufacturing State, and, more importantly, was the motor capital not only of the United States but of the world, a place called Detroit, Motown, Motor City, all of the above, that established the pattern for what transportation was all about and, I contend, still is; and yet is frustrated by a government system, both in the State and here, with the leadership in Congress, Madam Speaker, that will not do what is necessary to allow us to continue to not only keep our faith to our people, not only keep our position as the greatest Nation on this earth in every area, including transportation, but rather at this point in time is willing to say that the process of saving this planet as our Speaker intends to do involves a Democrat energy plan which was stated very clearly.

And I bring this with some comedy as we look at the picture, and yet it is a stark, painful reality that this plan will not work. And that plan is what? Drive small cars and wait for the wind. If we do that, as the title of an old movie said, it will be Gone With the Wind.

We need to do something, Madam Speaker, now for the people of this great country, for my great State of Michigan, and all of those concerned to produce energy that deals with the reality of what this country needs.

I am tired of living in a State right now where our Governor says with great pride that she rides her bicycle to work to the State capitol from her Governor's residence every day with her escort of security people following her on their bicycles as well. The motor capital of the world with a Governor riding a bicycle. Now if that was for conservation purposes, fine, I support that. For purposes of austerity, I support that. But promoting this because of necessity? I can't accept that.

This morning I sat on the floor of the House and I looked up. And I looked up to the highest point of this Chamber directly above the Speaker's rostrum, Madam Speaker, and I see engraved there in a stone-carved monument to us this statement. It is a statement by Daniel Webster, and I read from the paper because I can see it better in front of me right now. But Daniel Webster said this many, many years ago: Let us develop the resources of our land.

How up-to-date is that? Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also in our day, in our generation, fellow colleagues, freshmen, Republicans, standing here for the defense of our great country, Daniel Webster said, and see whether we also in our day and our generation may not perform something worthy to be remembered.

I submit to you that that is what we are doing, standing here tonight.

Under an adjournment resolution that will take place sometime in the next 24, 48 hours, sending us home, most likely as it appears without doing anything to give an opportunity for my Governor to get in her flex fuel hybrid Tahoe again, if she determines so, to go to her residence.

Well, we can jest about that. I could talk about a lot of statistics. But tonight, while you were in ANWR, I had the privilege of, on five occasions in my district, South Central Michigan, going to various gas stations and pumping gas into constituents' vehicles as they would allow me. I would simply say, ``Hi, I'm Congressman Tim Walberg. If you will share with me your ideas and concerns on energy and the price at the pump, I would be glad to pump your gas while you tell me your stories.'' I came away with plenty of stories. I came away with plenty of pictures.

Just Monday afternoon in Battle Creek, Michigan, a mother, single parent, one child, came to the pump with a small mini van. She left it running. And when I questioned her about that, she says, ``I'm afraid it won't start if I turn it off.'' She said, ``I'd be glad to talk to you.'' And I said, ``How much do you want me to fill it?'' And she said, ``$11.'' That's just a little over 2 gallons.

She began to tell me her story of how she is working two jobs, and the gas that she was putting into her vehicle that day would get her through 2 days of work and her transportation to each of those jobs and back. Those are stories that talk of reality.

Another story that I wrote down came from a lady who said, ``Because I'm a truck driver and the high price of fuel has damaged the economy so badly, my employer started limiting the miles given to older, higher paid drivers such as myself. My income last year dropped a full 30 percent. Then I was injured on the job and denied workers' comp. I finally began receiving my disability payments after 4 months. During those 4 months, however, I was scraping up every cent available to pay for LP gas to heat my trailer home. Because I spent every available cent on heating fuel, food, and electricity, I could not pay the taxes on my paid-for home. I am now in default, and my home will be forfeited in October for back taxes.''

This is reality that we are talking about here. It is not simply price at the pump; it is lifestyle, it is living conditions. It is keeping a home that is paid for.

``I can't afford a cheaper vehicle,'' she said. ``I can't afford to repair the one vehicle here that would get a few more miles per gallon than the old F-150. I'm a careful shopper, but the rising price of groceries is also directly related to the energy crisis.''

Let me read one last story that was told to me. This was by a wife from Jackson, Michigan whose husband was in sales, which ultimately diminished and ultimately was lost because of the fuel prices.

She makes a number of points, but in the last point she says, ``At approximately $175 per week in gas costs, we can no longer afford to send our children to Catholic school. That was a choice, yes, but a choice made specifically for our children's interests. They cannot go to camp, they cannot have the braces which they need. The money I would have put aside for college is now being spent on gas. We cannot tithe to our church, nor can we donate to the myriad of other charities we routinely helped. Every decision is weighed based upon''--and get this again. ``Every decision is weighed based upon the extreme cost of leaving the driveway.''

Now those are life stories. Those are stories that make an impact upon me as a congressman representing South Central Michigan, the Seventh District of Michigan.

These are stories that go way beyond the political partisan haggling that goes on here, that goes beyond even making jokes about a plan that will not work, cannot work, and isn't going to be allowed to work to drive small cars and wait for the wind.

Daniel Webster said this, again: ``Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also in our day and generation may not perform something worthy to be remembered.''

I submit to you, my colleagues tonight and, Madam Speaker, that that is what we are attempting to do here and now; not to produce something that we will be remembered about, but something worthy to be remembered, that we fought for, this great country, the resources that allowed us to be blessed, that allowed us to expand our capabilities and allowed us to bless other nations all over this globe because we used our resources, we built up our land and powers, and we have done something worthy to be remembered.

I thank you for the opportunity. I look forward to sharing in the banter back and forth about reality tonight. But I think that would be beyond the facts and figures that I could put forth, probably the most important thing I can start with tonight, and I yield back my time.

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