[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 189 (Monday, December 14, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H14849]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            FINANCIAL REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I could not resist coming to 
you and speaking to you about my experience when we passed the 
financial reform bill last Friday.
  You know, Wall Street has provided an unparalleled life-style for 
Americans. The speculation and the brilliance and genius of futures and 
credit default swaps and derivatives have provided us with a life-style 
where every bride can have a diamond ring and every handsome groom can 
have a gold band. We can have two cars, one a gas-guzzling SUV, lobster 
dinners, McMansions, Madam Speaker, with six bedrooms, five fireplaces, 
4\1/2\ baths but, of course, not enough closet space for all the shoes 
and designer clothes that we have.
  Last fall, all of this balloon spending came to a crash. And it was 
amazing to me, Madam Speaker, that when we tried to rein in Wall Street 
and some of the speculation, that there was tremendous resistance from 
both parties with developing a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, 
putting together an assessment from all of these ``too big to fail'' 
companies to pay for an orderly dissolution of the mess that they 
created. I can tell you, Madam Speaker, it was amazing to me.
  This bill that we passed, for those who have asked the question, what 
is government for, this bill demonstrates better than anything that I 
have seen what the purpose of government is, and that is to regulate 
unfettered greed and avarice that can bring our country and, indeed, 
the world to financial brink.

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