[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H3854-H3855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        THE NEED FOR TERM LIMITS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Dornan] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DORNAN. Mr. Speaker, I thought the remarks of the gentleman from 
Michigan [Mr. Smith] on term limits were excellent.
  I am not a convert on this. I came to this Congress in 1976 and 
declared in January of 1976 to campaign all that year. And in my 
declaration of candidacy remarks on January 27, 1976, one of the 
principal things I mentioned was the importance of term limits.
  I had gotten out of the Air Force at 24 years of age and hoped to be 
a younger Member of Congress in my 30's to serve, at that time, I 
thought 10 years was a good figure, and leave.
  I watched the person in my congressional district never get on what 
we would consider a middle level committee, let alone one of the 
serious committees like Ways and Means or Appropriations, Armed 
Services, Foreign Affairs, Judiciary. Just wasted 18 years, burned him 
up, did nothing. But he was tall, handsome and the son of a multi-
multimillionaire and wasted 18 years doing nothing, accomplishing 
nothing.
  But he had the money to defend his seat and voting as a moderate 
Republican which staved off any challenge from the left in the general 
election, it was basically a Republican seat, and always having the 
money to block a conservative challenger or even a radical activist 
moderate who might want to do something with the seat.
  So I have been for term limits all of my adult life. And I hope, 
although the odds are diminishing, that we are going to pass it. I hope 
that our Speaker is right, and that Newt Gingrich says Congress after 
Congress, if we leave this place in the majority control of the GOP for 
the next several Congresses, we will get it passed sooner or later.


                     roman catholic representatives

  Mr. DORNAN. Mr. Speaker, what I have come to the floor to talk about 
is something very uncomfortable. I think it is a very good reason for 
term limits and the end of careerism, and that is that people of my 
Christian denomination come to this House, Roman Catholics so enamored 
with hanging on to this $133,600 a year job that they will waffle on 
moral issues of principle, sell their souls almost literally, reject
 the admonition in the Scripture, ``What does it profit a man to gain 
the world or a lousy seat in the House or the Senate and endanger his 
soul.''

  They come here and reject Mother Teresa's words about the importance 
of abortion as a terrible blight upon civilization, one that can 
literally cause the decline of civilization around the world, and is.
  They reject the teaching of the Pope in Rome and the new encyclical 
coming out the day after tomorrow called Evangelium Vitae, the gospel 
of life. The hammer is coming down from the boss in Rome for those who 
are loyal to the teaching authority of the church.
  Members in this House and Senate will make light of abortion. They 
will go against every single bishop, no matter how flaky or liberal a 
bishop on the left might be. There is not a single bishop, 300-plus in 
the United States, who wavers on what Vatican Council Number II called 
an unspeakable crime, what the church carefully delineates as 
intrinsically, inherently evil. They will waffle all over the place on 
this issue. Others will stay steadfast even if it jeopardizes their 
seat election after election.
  That is why I am going to put in the Record tonight the list of all 
of the Catholics by name in this House and then do no follow-up on it, 
probably not. But ask everyone who is proud enough of his faith to put 
Catholic in their biographies and all of our major directories here to 
tell the press they are a Catholic.
  If they are proud enough to do that, then they have an opportunity 
before we have our first abortion vote in this chamber or in the U.S. 
Senate to come home to renew themselves, to think about that little boy 
or girl they were at their First Communion, to think about their 
Confirmation when they became a soldier for Jesus Christ, to put their 
soul first, to put not giving a bad example to young people all across 
this country first, and to come home on that first vote.
  We know how difficult it is in this Chamber and the other when you 
vote against your conscience and you have flipped, flipped out morally 
and voted against the teaching of your church. We know how difficult it 
is to flop back. Nobody wants to be a flip-flopper.
  [[Page H3855]] But I would say here it is a new day, a new Congress. 
The GOP is in control, at least for another year and 7 months. Come 
home. Vote with Mother Teresa. Recognize abortion for the intrinsic 
evil and the unspeakable crime that it is. And you are going to feel 
good because careerism has made cowards out of at least a third of 
Catholics in this House and out of the majority of Catholics in the 
other body.
  The figures are there. We are at an all-time high: 128 in the House, 
21 in the Senate; 74 Democrats, 54 Republicans in this Chamber.
  I repeat for the fifth time, come home before we have that vote in 
the next 2 months. And, with that, Mr. Speaker, I submit the list of 
all those proud enough to call themselves Roman Catholics in their 
biography for the official record.
  The list referred to follows:

                [From the Southern Cross, Feb. 9, 1995]

    Total Catholics in Congress Sets Record; More GOP Catholics, Too

                          (By Patricia Zapor)

       Washington.--At a record 149, there are seven more 
     Catholics in the 104th Congress than two years ago, and a 
     greater percentage of them are Republican than in previous 
     sessions.
       According to Congressional Quarterly, Catholics constitute 
     the largest single denomination, as they have for decades, 
     although Protestants dominate as a group with 344.
       The Senate has 21 Catholics, the House 128--a shift since 
     1992 from the 23 Catholic senators and 119 Catholic members 
     of the House when the 103rd Congress began
       Of this session's Catholics, nine senators and 54 members 
     of the House are in the GOP, the most Catholic Republicans 
     ever in Congress.
       The next-largest single denomination is Baptist, with 67. 
     There are 62 Methodists, 56 Presbyterians, 49 Episcopalians, 
     20 Lutherans and 14 Mormons, according to biographical 
     questionnaires compiled by Congressional Quarterly. Another 
     three senators and three representatives belong to Eastern 
     Christian churches, including Greek and Eastern Orthodox.
       The remainder of members listing Christian churches were in 
     an assortment of denominations including Christian Scientist, 
     Seventh-day Adventists, Unitarian and Church of Christ.
       Thirty-four members are Jewish and seven were listed as 
     ``unspecified or other.''
       By state and party affiliation, the Catholic members of the 
     104th Congress are:


                                 Senate

       Alaska: Frank H. Murkowski (R).
       Connecticut: Christopher J. Dodd (D).
       Delaware: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D).
       Florida: Connie Mack (R).
       Illinois: Carol Moseley-Braun (D).
       Iowa: Tom Harkin (D).
       Louisiana: John B. Breaux (D).
       Maryland: Barbara A. Mikulski (D).
       Massachusetts: Edward M. Kennedy (D) and John Kerry (D).
       New Hampshire: Robert C. Smith (R).
       New Mexico: Pete V. Domenici (R).
       New York: Alfonse M. D'Amato (R), Daniel Patrick Moynihan 
     (D).
       Ohio: Mike DeWine (R).
       Oklahoma: Don Nickles (R).
       Pennsylvania: Rick Santorum (R).
       South Dakota: Tom Daschle (D), and Larry Pressler (R).
       Vermont: Patrick J. Leahy (D).
       Washington: Patty Murray (D).


                        house of representatives

       Alabama: Sonny Callahan (R).
       Arizona: Ed Pastor (D).
       California: Bill Baker (R); Xavier Becerra (D); Brian P. 
     Bilbray (R); Sonny Bono (R); Christopher Cox (R); Robert K. 
     Dornan (R); Anna G. Eshoo (D); Matthew G. Martinez (D); 
     George Miller (D); Nancy Pelosi (D); Richard W. Pombo (R); 
     George P. Radanovich (R); Lucille Roybal-Allard (D); Ed Royce 
     (R); Andrea Seastrand (R).
       Colorado: Scott McInnis (R); Dan Schaefer (R).
       Connecticut: Rosa DeLauro (D); Barbara B. Kennelly (D).
       Delaware: Michael N. Castle (R).
       Florida: Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R); Mark Foley (R); Pete 
     Peterson (D); Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R); E. Clay Shaw Jr. (R).
       Georgia: Cynthia A. McKinney (D).
       Guam: Robert Anacletus Underwood (D).
       Illinois: Jerry F. Costello (D); Richard J. Durbin (D); 
     Lane Evans (D); Michael Patrick Flanagan (R); Luis V. 
     Gutierrez (D); Henry J. Hyde (R); Ray LaHood (R); William O. 
     Lipinski (D).
       Indiana: Andrew Jacobs Jr. (D); Tim Roemer (D); Peter J. 
     Visclosky (D).
       Iowa: Greg Ganske (R); Jim Ross Lightfoot (R).
       Kentucky: Jim Bunning (R).
       Louisiana: W.J. ``Billy'' Tauzin (D).
       Maine: John Baldacci (D); James B. Longley Jr., (R).
       Maryland: Constance A. Morella (R).
       Massachusetts: Peter I. Blute (R); Joseph P. Kennedy II 
     (D); Edward J. Markey (D); Martin T. Meehan (D); Joe Moakley 
     (D); Richard E. Neal (D); Martin T. Meehan (D); Joe Moakley 
     (D); Richard E. Neal (D); Peter G. Torkildsen (R).
       Michigan: James A. Barcia (D); David E. Bonior (D); Dave 
     Camp (R); John D. Dingell (D); Dale E. Kildee (D); Joe 
     Knollenberg (R); Bart Stupak (D).
       Minnesota: Gil Gutnecht (R); William P. Luther (D); James 
     L. Oberstar (D); Bruce F. Vento (D).
       Mississippi: Gene Taylor (D).
       Missouri: William L. Clay (D); Pat Danner (D); Karen 
     McCarthy (D); Harold L. Volkmer (D).
       Montana: Pat Williams (D).
       Nevada: Barbara F. Vucanovich (D).
       New Jersey: Frank A. LoBiondo (R); Bill Martini (R); Robart 
     Menendez (D); Frank Pallone Jr. (D); Christopher H. Smith 
     (R).
       New Mexico: Bill Richardson (D); Joe Skeen (R).
       New York: Sherwood Boehlert (R); Michael P. Forbes (R); 
     Maurice D. Hinchey (D); Peter T. King (R); John J. LaFalce 
     (D); Rick A Lazio (R); Thomas J. Manton (D); John M. McHugh 
     (R); Michael R. McNulty (D); Susan Molinair (R); Bill Paxon 
     (R); Jack Quinn (R); Charles B. Rangel (D); Jose E. Serrano 
     (D); Nydia M. Velazquez (D); James T. Walsh (R).
       North Carolina: Walter B. Jones Jr. (R).
       Ohio: John A. Boehner (R); Steve Chabot (R); Marcy Kaptur 
     (D); Bob Ney (R); James A. Traficant Jr. (D).
       Oregon: Peter A. DeFazio (D).
       Pennsylvania: Robert A. Borski (D); William J. Coyne (D); 
     Mike Doyle (D); Phil English (R); Thomas M. Foglietta (D); 
     Tim Holden (D); Paul E. Kanjorski (D); Frank Mascara (D); 
     Joseph M. McDade (R); Paul McHale (D); John P. Murtha (D).
       Puerto Rico: Carlos Romero-Barcelo (D).
       Rhode Island: Patrick J. Kennedy (D); Jack Reed (D).
       Texas: Bill Archer (R); E. ``Kika'' de la Garza (D); Henry 
     B. Gonzalez (D); Frank Tejeda (D).
       Virginia: Thomas J. Bliley Jr. (R); James P. Moran Jr. (D).
       Washington: Richard ``Doc'' Hastings (R).
       Wisconsin: Thomas M. Barrett, (D); Gerald D. Kleczka (D); 
     Scott L. Klug (R); David R. Obey (D); Toby Roth (R).


                          religion on the hill

       Affiliations for members of the 104th Congress: 344 
     Protestant, 149 Catholic, 34 Jewish, 6 Orthodox, and 7 Other.
       Source: Congressoinal Quarterly.

       

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