[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 86 (Thursday, June 19, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H4077-H4078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REGULATION OF SMALL BUSINESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from South Dakota [Mr. Thune] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to keep in discussion we have 
had this evening with respect to regulation. I was sitting in the 
Committee on Agriculture this morning and we had a number of folks 
testifying in front of our committee, and it had to do with an issue 
which is very important in my home State of South Dakota.
  We have a tremendous natural resource known as the Black Hills. And 
interestingly enough, we talk about the heavy hand of Government 
regulation, as I was listening to the testimony this morning, in 31 
cases, the last 31 times, there has been a proposed timber sale in the 
Black Hills; 31 times that has been appealed.
  In every case it has ended up as being a long, protracted fight. In 
fact, we had what is known as a blow-down in April,

[[Page H4078]]

a blizzard, that knocked a lot of trees down. Those trees cannot even 
be harvested until October because that has been appealed. And we think 
about the hard working men and women in America who are trying to make 
a living and eke out a livelihood from the natural resource industries 
that are very prevalent in western South Dakota and the way that the 
Government is constantly getting in the way.
  I think we have to recognize, and one of the questions that was posed 
this morning, is what can we do? One of the things that came up 
repeatedly is, dealing in the area, of course, of regulation, what we 
can do to streamline the appeal process, but, secondly, what can we do 
in terms of tax policy to make it possible for some of these family 
owned small businesses to be passed on from one generation to the next.
  I think the fundamental question here is, who is for the average 
American, who is going to stand up to big government, who is going to 
make sure that government lives within its means, who is for smaller 
government, for protecting the average American from the heavy hand of 
government regulation? And I think the answer is very clearly that 
those are the things that we as Republicans have been talking about for 
a very long time. Those are the things that many of us came here to do.
  I think in the context of this balanced budget, this tax relief 
package that is in the process of being discussed, we have an 
opportunity to reinforce the most deeply held values and traditions 
that we have in America.
  We look at the importance, the way we believe in hard work and thrift 
and family, self-sufficiency and saving for the next generation and 
freedom, but also in responsibility. And to enjoy freedom, we have got 
to accept responsibility. I think many of the things that are included 
in this tax package reinforce those most deeply held values and 
traditions that the average American possesses.
  That is why I believe that the things that we are about and the 
things that we came here to do, and granted we are getting a lot of 
cooperation, because I think the message is prevailing out there and 
people are coming to the conclusion that we need to reduce the size of 
the Federal Government, that we need to, for the first time in 30 
years, get serious about balancing the budget and to bring tax relief 
to working men and women in this country.
  There is going to be a lot of discussion over the next several days, 
I think, about what the vote is going to be and who is going to be in 
favor of it and who is not. I would simply say, I hope that we have a 
wide base of support for this package.
  Now, a lot of people are going to want to have the dessert and get 
the tax relief and not vote for the vegetables. People always want to 
have their dessert without having to eat the vegetables.
  We have the opportunity to do both, and we have to do both because we 
have to be about the important work of balancing the budget. We can do 
that and also bring tax relief in the context of the bill that we are 
going to be voting on in the course of the next several days.
  So as we look at this whole context of debate this evening about the 
cost of Government, and the gentleman from Colorado I think pointed 
out, July 3rd, by the time we factor in not only tax but also the cost 
of Government regulations, what I heard this morning repeatedly and 
what I hear from the people in my State, who are small business people, 
who are family farmers, who are average working men and women in 
America, these are the people who are going to benefit from this tax 
relief package.
  So I hope that we can put aside all the discussion about the division 
and erecting barriers between rich and poor, between this group of 
people and this group of people, and get about the business of 
improving the quality of life for all Americans. That is very much the 
direction in which we are headed.
  I am more than happy to join with my colleagues who are here this 
evening to address this subject and then to get after the work, and 
that is lessening the regulation, the heavy hand of Government.
  There is a guy etched on Mt. Rushmore in my State of South Dakota 
named Teddy Roosevelt, who I think understood the difference between 
the heavy hand of Government that stifles competition and the light 
touch that ensures it. I have heard repeated examples this morning of 
the heavy hand that stifles competition and stifles the spirit of free 
enterprise, the thing that has driven and made this country great, has 
made it the model, the envy of the world all over the world.
  I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Pappas].
  Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I want to make a brief comment. We have here with us tonight a couple 
of the pages, they do a great job, and many others who are working here 
with them over the summer. I think of them and the future that they 
have. And if we are able to enact this balanced budget plan when they 
enter the work force, there will be a future that we deserve to provide 
for them.

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