[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1939]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING MR. CHARLES BARNES, OF IDAHO, FOR HIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO 
                          THE PEOPLE OF IDAHO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 29, 2006

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give a speech I have long 
dreaded but knew would one day come. It is a speech many of us in this 
body have had to deliver from time-to-time--one that none of us likes 
to give but one that is entirely necessary and right.
  The speech I am talking about is one that announces the retirement of 
a trusted staffer and ally, someone who has worked with me since my 
election to Congress and served the people of Idaho's Second 
Congressional District with distinction, class, and a sincerity matched 
by none.
  That staffer is a gentleman named Charley Barnes. Charley has worked 
in my Twin Falls office for the past 8 years handling all of my 
agriculture outreach efforts and working day-in and day-out with the 
farmers and ranchers of Idaho to make sure their Government is 
effectively serving them.
  When I first got to Washington, I was immediately awarded a seat on 
the House Agriculture Committee. While this assignment was a great 
honor and of immense importance to the people of my district, it was 
not an assignment that played to my greatest expertise. So I knew from 
the start that I was going to need exceptional staff to guide me 
through my duties on the committee and the re-write of the farm bill. 
And thank god I had Charley Barnes by my side to help me out.
  I am proud of the farm bill we produced in 2002 and believe it has 
been perhaps the best farm bill this Congress has ever written. While I 
can't claim that Charley wrote the farm bill, he provided advice and 
counsel to me that was critical to my work as a member of the 
committee.
  But Charley's service to the Second District went well beyond the re-
write of the farm bill or preparing me for a few committee hearings.
  When the farmers of Idaho's Second Congressional District were 
devastated by drought and disease, Charley was there to lend a helping 
hand and push his own boss to support disaster assistance payments that 
kept farmers out of bankruptcy and the economy of small, rural towns 
alive.
  When the Federal Government mistakenly sprayed a product called OUST 
on private land, killing the sugar beets, wheat, and potatoes of Idaho 
farmers, Charley was there to witness the damage, organize the Idaho 
congressional delegation, and push the BLM and USDA to compensate 
farmers for their loss. Idaho's farmers are still fighting this battle, 
but they have a great friend and advocate in Charley Barnes.
  When the USDA tried to penalize Idaho's sugar farmers for their 
wrongful participation in a program for which they were told they 
qualified, Charley was there to argue against punishing these farmers. 
Charley made an impassioned defense of these producers, and in the end, 
Charley was proven right. USDA relented and Idaho's sugar farmers saw 
firsthand the value of a forceful advocate like Charley Barnes.
  And when a farmer in my district is facing an appeal before the USDA 
over an issue where the farmer believes he had done nothing wrong, more 
often than not that farmer will see Charley Barnes attend that appeal, 
offer words of encouragement, and stand beside them for the duration of 
the hearing.
  Charley Barnes doesn't see his work in my office as just another job. 
He sees his role in my office as an advocate for agriculture, an 
advocate for farmers and ranchers, an advocate for rural communities, 
and most importantly, an advocate for rural families.
  Charley Barnes isn't just a congressional staffer, he's a farmer, a 
businessman, a husband, a father, and a very good friend.
  Everyone who has ever met Charley Barnes is better off for having 
known him. The people of the Second District are better off for having 
been served by Charley Barnes. And I am a better Congressman today than 
I was 8 years ago because I had the good sense to hire, and learn from, 
Charley Barnes.
  I know I speak for everyone in my office when I say that we are going 
to miss Charley's day-to-day presence in the office. But this is not 
goodbye, because we are going to be calling on Charley from time-to-
time for some good advice, some constructive criticism, and a nudge in 
the right direction.
  As he settles into retirement, and a well-deserved break from the 
daily grind of a long and distinguished career, I wish Charley well in 
all of his future endeavors and offer my sincere gratitude for all his 
hard work, great advice, and dedication to the people of Idaho.

                          ____________________