[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 16, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H1460-H1461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. HASTINGS of Florida asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, following me will probably be 
as many as 40 or more of my colleagues on the other side. Many of them 
will use terms like ``ramming,'' and ``the American people.'' I don't 
know what part of discussing a matter for the greater portion of the 
last 14 months that people do not understand.
  I also get a little tired of hearing my colleagues talk about 
socialism. And I would ask the American people if socialism, as you 
understand it, is so bad when government acts than perhaps it is. Some 
of my colleagues believe we should eliminate Medicare. Let's eliminate 
Medicaid. Let's eliminate the Social Security safety net. Let's 
eliminate the Centers for Disease Control. Let's eliminate the National 
Institutes of Health. All of these are government-run programs.
  In the greatest country in the world, it is morally wrong for 
millions of our fellow Americans to not have affordable, portable 
health care. We all should be willing to share in order to help the 
least of us.

[[Page H1461]]



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