[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 137 (Tuesday, September 27, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             CONTRACT WITH AMERICA IS A CONTRACT ON AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
February 11, 1994, and June 10, 1994, the gentleman from West Virginia 
[Mr. Wise] is recognized during morning business for 4 minutes.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, they are here, out on the Capitol steps, first 
to sign the contract, then to pick up the cash at a gala fund raising 
dinner tonight here in Washington. Candidates, Republican candidates, 
coming to sign a contract with their leadership in Washington about 
what they will do if they are here next year. I guess we just see it 
differently. My contract is with my constituents at home, not with 
anybody's leadership here in Washington. I do not come to Washington to 
find out what to do. I ask West Virginians who tell me what they want 
done and send someone to Washington to do it.
  What about this contract? Let us look at it. One will have trouble 
reading the fine print, there is not much there, but even read the big 
print. More tax cuts for the wealthy, more promised spending cuts 
without details of where they are. More defense spending. The same 
thing we heard in 1981--you cut taxes but increase spending and then 
wonder why you have got a $4.5 trillion deficit. If you liked Reagan 
supply side economics, you will love this riverboat gamble.
  What are the results? Projected deficits as high as $1 trillion over 
5 years. How do you make those up? There is only one way. Savage cuts 
in Social Security, Medicare, veterans programs, crime fighting, 
education.
  Mr. Speaker, this is not a contract for America. This sort of hit job 
on America's middle class is a contract on America. It is a kneecap 
operation. But even if working families do not benefit with this 
contract, there is one group that does, the candidates out there on the 
steps, because tonight after signing the contract they go over to the 
hotel, have a gala fund raising dinner and pick up their campaign 
checks. That has been promised to them.
  So, Mr. Speaker, come to Washington, sign the contract, pick up the 
check. It may be democracy to some, coming to Washington to sign a 
contract. Others of us, Mr. Speaker, prefer going home for constituent 
contact.
  While Congress is about ready to wrap up, I would like to report, Mr. 
Speaker, on another matter, on the regional airport that is being 
looked at in West Virginia. The reason we are looking at this is we are 
talking about jobs. The first feasibility study, the first two 
feasibility studies, actually, showed there could be the possibility of 
1,000 additional jobs created as a result of building this airport. 
Those are not jobs connected to working on the airport, they are 
connected to private sector operations that would spring up around the 
airport. The challenge from the Charleston business community to me has 
always been, ``Wise, we don't want to give up our 10-minute drive to 
Yeager Airport, but if you can show us that there are jobs that result, 
serious significant economic development, then it's something we will 
consider.''
  That is a fair challenge, Mr. Speaker. That is why I worked to get an 
Economic Development Administration grant for a feasibility study that 
is now underway that will measure the economic impact of any kind of 
regional airport. We look at it because the manufacturing industry is 
becoming increasingly customized, needing on-time delivery. Can a 
regional airport make a difference? Look at the Spartanburg airport, 
for instance, in which now we see a BMW plant that has been located 
adjacent to it. One of the reasons is because of that modern airport. 
The problem is that none of West Virginia's three airports in the area, 
Parkersburg, Huntington, or Charleston can expand. Yeager Airport has 2 
acres available and that is under protected airspace.
  So, Mr. Speaker, right now no decision has been made on a regional 
airport, no funding is being sought. We are still in the exploratory 
stage. But I think that the possibility of job creation is something 
that mandates that we take this chance. It is the last chance we are 
going to have to look at it. The possibility of job creation directs 
that we perform these studies. It will probably be 18 months before any 
results are known and before anybody is in a position to make any 
decisions, but it is certainly going to be an important decision for 
West Virginia.

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