House Proceeding 05-13-09 on May 13th, 2009 :: 0:22:20 to 0:29:05
Total video length: 2 hours 22 minutes Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

Note: MetaVid video transcripts may contain inaccuracies, help us build a more perfect archive

Views:192 Duration: 0:06:45 Discussion

Previous speech:

Next speech:

0:22:16 to 0:22:37( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: it makes great sense. it's something that should achieve support on both sides of the aisle. i would urge a yes vote and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. happy at this time to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from texas, mr. culberson. the chair: the gentleman from texas is recognized.

0:22:20 to 0:29:05( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John Abney Culberson

0:22:38 to 0:22:58( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: ms. mccollum: thank you, mr. speaker, and thank you, mr. mckeon. i'd like to from a new extension on my house but cannot afford it. all of us as individual americans in our private life and business life live within our means. as the gentleman from tennessee said, our local and state governments must operate within balanced budget requirements.

0:22:59 to 0:23:20( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: they must live within their means, they don't build facilities or operate programs that they cannot afford to pay for. and the federal government is at a pivotal moment in the history of this nation. this new leadership in congress, the new liberal leadership here in the congress, our new present, has, as mr. mckeon

0:23:21 to 0:23:42( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: said, said so well, take ever over and nationalized huge segments of the banking industry, the automobile industry, the insurance industry, the mortgage industry and here today this leadership has presented to congress, the nation, for the first time, the federal government's going to get into the school construction business. at a time of record debt, of

0:23:43 to 0:24:03( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: recordeficit, at a time when the nation must focus on its fundamental financial security we are stepping into an area where the federal government has never really gone before. the bill, section 1, reading from the bill, mr. speaker, page 5, grants thunderstorm title shall be for the purpose of

0:24:04 to 0:24:24( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: modernizing, renovating or repairing public school if a ilts is. based on their need -- facilities. based on their need. absolutely noble purpose but we cannot afford it. page 10, section 103, allowable

0:24:25 to 0:24:47( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: uses of funds. a local education agency receiving a grant under this title shall use the grant for modernization, renovation or repair of public school facilities. and a long list repairing, replacing, installing roofs, walls, plumbing systems, etc. this is a bottomless pit. ross perot's famous phrase, that giant sucking sound, we're going to hear a giant sucking sound out of the united states

0:24:48 to 0:25:08( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: treasury, paying for and you the -- an you utterly endless repairs and construction of local school buildings while we could use this $30 billion just in southeast texas. in eight years medicare is exhausted. let me let that sink in. in 96 months, the trustees of

0:25:09 to 0:25:29( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: the social security and medicare system just reported yesterday that medicare is exhausted, mr. speaker, in 96 months. this is an urgent, critical emergency. the united states of america needs to follow dave ramsey's advice and live on a little beans and rice. focus on fundamentals.

0:25:30 to 0:25:50( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: this stuff isn't complicated. we are in this magnificent chamber, surrounded by the civilized -- the civilized world and i look here at a portrait of my hero, thomas jefferson, and george mason, my hero mr. jefferson liked to say that if you apply core constitutional principles, the not will always -- knot will always untie

0:25:51 to 0:26:11( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: itself. here today congress needs to focus on the fundamentals and keeping america on a path to financial security and solvency, the not complicated. let us follow mr. jefferson's wisdom, follow the constitution and the separation of powers and let limit the federal government to those functions set out in the constitution and at a time of critical financial emergenc

0:26:12 to 0:26:33( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: when literally medicare payments will stop in 96 months, let's focus on the fundamentals, america. congress needs to quit spending money, no new taxes, no new debt, no new spending, and save our children from being buried in a mountain of debt that they cannot pay. this is a noble purpose, but we cannot afford it anymore than i

0:26:34 to 0:26:56( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: can afford to build an extension on my house. i cannot borrow money to pay off borrowed money. and that's what this bill -- what this congress, what this liberal leadership has been doing since january when we all got sworn in, spent more money in less time than any congress in history, and i'm not playing favorites. i voted against $2.3 trillion of

0:26:57 to 0:27:19( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: new spding i've voted against under this bunch. this cannot be sustained. we are living on borrowed money. these treasury bonds are being bought by foreign investors and foreign national sovereign wealth funds that our kids are going to have to repay. this isn'tomplicated. let's get back to the fundamentals, as mr. jefferson said. the knot will alys untie

0:27:20 to 0:27:40( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: itself if we will only follow the constitution. there's nowhere in the constitution where it's authorized for the federal government to get into the business of school construction. this will literally become a bottomless pit, mr. speaker, and i'm, as every member of this congress is committed to making sure our local schools are well built and maintained and our kids have a safe environment

0:27:41 to 0:28:02( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: that's a gd place for them to get an education, but let that be done by the local and state governments who are best suited to do it. who know the needs -- needs better than everybody else and who will pay as they go and let us in congress follow dave ramseys a advise and -- advice and live on a lile beans and rice and don't spend money we don't have, mr. speaker, and let's just stick with the

0:28:03 to 0:28:25( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: fundamentals that these great men and women left for us, this great nation, this great treasure, this great trust we all have, let's not destroy the financial solvency of this nation by continuing to expand the power and scope of the federal government in the areas it was never intended at a time of critical financial emergency

0:28:26 to 0:28:46( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: when a mere 96 months from now medicare payments run out. we can do something about it but it takes action today. to make sure that our kids don't inherit a debt they cannot afford to repay. i'm proud to join my colleague, mr. mckeon, and the republican

0:28:47 to 0:29:06( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: -- excuse me -- conservative side of the minority. we need to focus on no new debt, no new taxes. i am going to quit saying republican or democrat. it's being fiscall conservative and responsible. i am proud to join the fiscally conservative members of the minority who are ready to lead this nation back in solvency in