[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 16, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H1453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1300
                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. COHEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) was 
indeed correct. It's going to be a historic vote of 100 years that 
started with Teddy Roosevelt, who talked about the need for health care 
in this country. And that debate was continued by Richard Nixon, and it 
was also advocated by Howard Baker. It's been bipartisan for 100 years 
that we need health care reform in this country. And it's never been 
more critical than now, when it's eating up our Federal budget, our 
individuals' budgets, and hurting us economically.
  But beyond that, we need a compassionate and responsible government, 
and we have a President who is compassionate, responsible, and trying, 
like Nelson Mandela, to reach out to his former enemies and have 
bipartisanship. And he's had none of it, but he continues to try. And 
we need to support this President, support our country, preserve our 
economy, and provide health care like every other industrialized nation 
in this world does, and make America among the leaders and not the 
followers.

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