[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 16, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H8144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        AMERICA DESERVES BETTER

  (Mr. FORBES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, every day on the floor and across America 
today, we are hearing people talk about being bipartisan. They come to 
the floor when they have drafted a bill improperly or they have ethics 
charges against them, and they plead with us with tears almost that we 
need to be bipartisan.
  But when it comes to one of the most significant issues facing 
America today, energy, they don't want to be bipartisan.
  Mr. Speaker, it is one thing to cut the microphone and the lights off 
against Republicans; but what this bill does is cut it off against 
scientists and engineers and analysts who will never have an 
opportunity to analyze this bill and tell America what it does because 
it was filed last night and we will vote on it today.
  When they do, this is what they are going to tell Virginians. They 
are going to tell Virginians that it pulled away the revenues that they 
could have gotten from oil drilling. They will tell Virginians that it 
has increased their electricity bills enormously, and it puts $18 
billion more taxes across America.
  But that is okay because off the camera they are going to put their 
arm around us and say don't worry about it because this bill will never 
become law because it is just designed to give us cover in the 
election.
  Mr. Speaker, America deserves better.

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