[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 3, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     A DREAM TURNS INTO A NIGHTMARE

  (Mr. LEE of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. LEE of New York. Madam Speaker, last week I received an e-mail 
from a constituent, Lori Adams, who runs the Silver Lake Country Market 
in Perry, New York. Her e-mail reads, ``I thought owning a business 
would be a dream, but it feels more like a nightmare. I keep thinking 
we are gaining ground only to slide back. I've had to make tough 
choices to stay open. When I hear about the stimulus and the bailouts 
for people who made bad choices, I feel even more defeated. When is 
Washington going to realize it's the small businesses that are on the 
front-line of this crisis?''
  This is an example of the countless messages I have received over the 
past weeks from families and small business owners struggling to 
survive and outraged by how Washington continues to spend their money 
without restraint. For every dollar this so-called ``stimulus'' devotes 
to tax relief for small businesses, Washington gets to keep $6 to 
create new government programs.
  We need a timely, fiscally responsible plan that helps small 
businesses innovate, creates good paying jobs and grows the economy for 
our families, not adding to an already bloated Federal Government.

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