[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 6, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H1722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED CONGRESS MAKING GOALS IN EDUCATION AND HEALTH
CARE UNATTAINABLE
(Mr. GEJDENSON asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, as I have been meeting in my district
with working people and men and women who run small businesses, the two
needs that turn out to be the most prevalent are the needs of a good
education and training for the workers and good health care for all of
them as well. Both of these goals are fast becoming unattainable. By
the action of the Republican-controlled Congress it will be more
difficult in the next year for kids to go to college, to get training
and education. It is becoming more and more difficult between HMO's and
the inaction, the lack of action, by the Federal Government in health
care. Small businesses cannot afford to buy health care even for their
top managers, as the price of these programs continue to climb and the
benefits continue to shrink. HMO's are endangering people's health and
survival in the way many of them are being managed, and what we are
doing is we are crippling the future of this country unless we are
ready to make sure that our workers are the best trained and the best
educated in the world.
We compete globally. The reality is there are a billion-two Chinese
and Indians, another billion, that are going to compete with us. Unless
we are well trained we are going to lose the economic battle. The
decisions made here will determine who will win and who will lose.
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