[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2514-E2515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              THANKSGIVING

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 1999

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, three hundred and seventy-eight years ago, 
Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford ``sent four men fowling, so 
they might in a special manner rejoice together after they had gathered 
the fruit of their labor.'' This event marked the first official 
Thanksgiving celebration in the New World.
  Indeed, the colonists had much to be thankful for that winter of 
1621. Following a long and treacherous journey across the Atlantic, 
they landed on a bleak New England coast and endured a year marked by 
hardship and hunger in which half of the 101 original Mayflower 
passengers died. Finally blessed with bountiful harvest and warm 
shelter however, the Pilgrims paused to give thanks to God for their 
divine good fortune and salvation.
  The idea of developing a special day to give thanks for one's 
prosperity did not originate with the Pilgrims--in fact such practices 
date back to Greek and Roman times. But that first Thanksgiving, in 
what would later become America, marked the beginning of a new nation, 
and new form of government, that would forever change the world.
  Americans in 1999 have much to be thankful for too. Prepared to begin 
a promising new Millennium, our great nation is the strongest, freest, 
and most prosperous in history. Though we have plenty of hard work 
ahead of us, Americans also have much for which to be thankful and 
proud.
  We should be thankful for the strength and security of our nation. 
After years of woeful neglect and dangerous budgetary cuts, Congress is 
once again committed to properly and adequately funding a military 
structure and national security strategy worthy of our great nation. 
Only through demonstrated military strength--and the unequivocal to 
employ it, if necessary--will we have ability to ensure lasting peace 
and the protection of liberty at home and abroad, well into the next 
Millennium.
  We should be thankful too for our prosperous and growing economy. 
Currently boasting the longest peacetime expansion in our nation's 
history, and by far the strongest of any nation in the world, our 
economy seems unstoppable. Consumer spending is up, while unemployment 
rates are down. Small business and corporate sector productivity, 
personal income, and sales of new homes are all on the rise. The stock 
market, and the percentage of Americans investing in it, have both 
grown exponentially over just the past five years.
  This success is owning mostly to the sound and responsible fiscal 
policies of the Republican-led Congress. After four decades of wasteful 
government spending, rising taxes, and mounting federal debt, Congress 
reversed the cycle of unaccountable big government and balanced the 
budget, cut taxes, paid down the debt, and created budget surpluses as 
far as the eye can see--all while protecting the Social Security Trust 
Fund. Our commitment to continued fiscal responsibility will ensure our 
ability to foster such economic prosperity well into the next century.
  Families this year can be thankful for an unprecedented level of 
personal freedom, security, and opportunity in their lives. Historic 
welfare reform legislation passed in 1996 has liberated millions of 
parents previously trapped in a devastating cycle of government 
dependence, allowing them to better care for themselves and their 
families. Americans now have better access to affordable, high quality 
health care than anytime in history. And legislation recently passed 
will help to strengthen Medicare, increase health care access for 
seniors and children, and give more flexibility to the providers who 
care for them.
  This year on Thanksgiving, as our nation prepares to enter a 
promising new Millennium, stronger and more prosperous than ever in 
history, we would do well to say a special word of thanks this 
Thanksgiving--to God and to the courageous immigrants at Plymouth who 
made it all possible.

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