[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 42 (Tuesday, April 16, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H1295-H1296]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  PHILIP E. RUPPE POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1374) to designate the facility of the 
United States Postal Service located at 600 Calumet Street in Lake 
Linden, Michigan, as the ``Philip E. Ruppe Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1374

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. PHILIP E. RUPPE POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 600 Calumet Street in Lake Linden, 
     Michigan, shall be known and designated as the ``Philip E. 
     Ruppe Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the Philip E. Ruppe Post Office Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Davis) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann 
Davis).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  H.R. 1374, introduced by the distinguished gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Stupak), designates the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 600 Calumet Street in Lake Linden, Michigan, as the 
Philip E. Ruppe Post Office Building.
  Mr. Speaker, Philip Ruppe was first elected to the United States 
House of Representatives from Michigan's Upper Peninsula in 1966 and 
served with distinction until 1979. Prior to his congressional service, 
Mr. Ruppe served in the United States Navy during the Korean War.
  Mr. Ruppe, with his long family history in Michigan, has contributed 
to his community as an active civic leader and respected businessman. 
He brought this leadership and concern from northern Michigan to the 
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee and the Interior and Insular 
Affairs Committee where he served as the ranking member.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of H.R. 1374.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Government Reform, I am 
pleased to join with my colleague, the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. 
Jo Ann Davis) in consideration of H.R. 1374, legislation naming a 
postal facility after former Congressman Philip E. Ruppe. H.R. 1374 was 
introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) on April 3, 
2001. This bill enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the entire 
Michigan delegation.
  Mr. Ruppe represented northern Michigan from 1967 until 1979. During 
his tenure in Congress, Mr. Ruppe served on the Merchant Marine and 
Fisheries and Interior and Insular Affairs Committees, always dedicated 
to improving the quality of life for his constituents back home.
  An active member of his community and noted businessman, he will long 
be remembered for his service to this House as well as service to the 
people of northern Michigan.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Stupak), the sponsor of this legislation.
  Mr. STUPAK. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer H.R. 1374, to designate the United 
States Post Office in Lake Linden, Michigan, as the Philip E. Ruppe 
Post Office Building.
  Mr. Ruppe, as has been noted, became a Member of the United States 
House of Representatives on January 3, 1967, and served until January 
3, 1979. Phil Ruppe was born in Laurium, Michigan, on September 29, 
1926, where his family has lived since the 1870s.
  Mr. Ruppe married the former Loret Miller and she went on to serve as 
director of the Peace Corps and Ambassador to Norway. Phil and Loret 
taught their daughters the intrinsic value of public service. 
Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, Loret Ruppe passed away in 1996.
  Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Phil Ruppe was a community leader and 
businessman in the Keewanaw Peninsula located in Michigan's Upper 
Peninsula. Besides serving this country as a legislator, Phil Ruppe 
served his country as a lieutenant in the United States Navy during the 
Korean conflict.
  While in Congress, Mr. Ruppe was devoted to the concerns of the 
people of northern Michigan and was a member, as has been noted, of the 
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee and the Interior and Insular 
Affairs Committee. One of his legislative achievements included 
establishing the Father Marquette National Memorial near St. Ignace, 
Michigan. Mr. Ruppe was devoted to constituent and economic development 
in northern Michigan. He was actually the first Congressman 
representing this northern Michigan district to have district offices, 
demonstrating his focus on local concerns. Mr. Ruppe was well respected 
by all Members of Congress.
  Before Mr. Ruppe retired, former Member Sonny Montgomery best 
summarized Phil Ruppe when he said, and I quote, ``I have always been 
impressed with Phil's intense interest and dedication to his 
legislative committees. He has never failed to be an effective member 
and contribute to the deliberation of the Interior and Insular Affairs 
Committee and the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.''
  Mr. Speaker, a fitting tribute to Phil Ruppe's service to northern 
Michigan would be naming the Lake Linden Post Office after Phil Ruppe. 
I would like to thank the chairman of the Committee on Government 
Reform the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) and the ranking member, 
the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) for moving this legislation. 
I would like to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and also 
the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) for moving forth the 
legislation on the floor.
  I ask my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such 
time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross).
  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1374, to designate a 
post office in Lake Linden, Michigan, as the Philip E. Ruppe Post 
Office Building. I am always satisfied when we honor a former 
colleague.
  However, we should also be working to protect the Social Security 
trust fund from being raided. As we debate H.R. 1374, a good bill that 
will benefit hundreds or maybe thousands of Americans, we should also 
think about the millions of Americans who currently survive only on a 
Social Security income, like my 91-year-old grandmother back home in 
Prescott, Arkansas, who lives from Social Security check to Social 
Security check. Do they not deserve to live their latter years with 
dignity?
  If we continue to pass fiscally irresponsible legislation that raids 
the Social Security trust fund, when will it be before their benefits 
are cut? Sometime between 2011 and 2016, we are going to have more 
people earning Social Security benefits than paying into the Social 
Security system. Everyone agrees that by 2041, Social Security as we 
know it today is broke.
  My grandparents left an America a little bit better than they found 
for my parents. And my parents left us a little bit better country than 
they found for us. I think we owe it to our children and our 
grandchildren to ensure that we live the kind of life and make the kind 
of decisions, the kind of responsible decisions, sometimes difficult as 
they may be, but we must do those

[[Page H1296]]

things to ensure that we leave this country just a little bit better 
off than we found it for our kids and our grandkids.
  What about the millions of baby boomers who will soon retire? Again, 
between 2011 and 2016 we will have more people earning Social Security 
benefits than those paying into the system. By 2041, Social Security as 
we know it today is broke. And guess what? That is assuming that the 
trillion dollars plus that has been borrowed from the Social Security 
system, with no provision on how it ever gets paid back, is paid back 
by 2041.
  It is time that we stop raiding the Social Security trust fund. That 
is why the first bill I filed as a Member of Congress was a bill to 
tell the politicians in Washington to keep their hands off the Social 
Security and Medicare trust fund.
  I hope that when those retirees who go to the Philip E. Ruppe Post 
Office expecting to pick up a Social Security check in a few years, I 
hope they are not left with an empty promise. I hope they have a Social 
Security check in their post office building just as our seniors do 
today, a check that many of them live on from paycheck to paycheck.
  Let us pass this bill, but let us quit raiding the Social Security 
trust fund
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the dean of the 
Congressional Black Caucus.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the ranking member, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) would allow me some time, because I 
knew Phil Ruppe and worked with him. He was a real gentleman, a 
collegial Member of Congress. We worked on many projects together. I 
also wanted to raise the memory of his wife, Loret Ruppe, who was a 
former head of the Peace Corps and an Ambassador to Norway as well. I 
do not think it has ever been done before, but if ever there was a case 
for naming this Federal facility after both a husband and wife, this 
would be it. Unfortunately, she is deceased but those of us who 
remember this great couple from Michigan will remember and think very 
highly of the very appropriate memorialization of a building in their 
honor.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to thank the gentleman from Michigan 
for his fond memories of Mr. Ruppe and the fact that we are naming this 
postal facility for him.
  People often wonder why it is that you are naming Federal buildings 
and why you are naming post offices and how important is this. Well, it 
is important because people who have made America, who have made 
America strong, ought to in fact be remembered.
  One of the things that has made America strong is the fact that we 
have always been able to rely upon some assistance in our old age. We 
have always known, after we passed the legislation, that when it came 
to a certain period of time, you could look forward to having some 
help, you could know that you had a Social Security check coming. You 
could just rely upon it and know that it was there.
  I would hope that as we name these post offices in memory of 
Americans who have made great contributions, that we also keep in mind 
that we need to keep the tradition of Social Security being available 
alive, well and healthy.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this worthy measure honoring one of 
our former colleagues.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pence). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1374.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas 
and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________