[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 18836]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            TENNESSEE'S ECONOMY AND HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, virtually every day John Kerry and his 
campaign are telling America that our best days are not ahead, that our 
economy is not growing, and that President Bush has not waged a tough 
war on terrorism. Fortunately, most Americans, as we hear when we are 
out in our districts, as we see in the polls, most Americans are seeing 
through Candidate Kerry's empty rhetoric.
  For the past several months, our economy has shown strong growth. I 
have here with me tonight an article from the National Tennessean. It 
is headlined ``Nashville area added 11,308 in fiscal year 2003-2004.'' 
The article notes that these 11,308 jobs are five times last year's 
total. Mr. Kerry may not want people to know, but this is an indication 
of real economic growth and what is happening out there in the 
heartland.
  No matter what John Kerry or CBS might tell us, President Bush and 
this Congress are making the right decisions for our economy and for 
the war on terrorism.
  Another subject that has been getting a great deal of attention from 
the left is health care, specifically the Health Savings Accounts that 
were created last year by this body. And for months Kerry and the 
Democrats have been calling choice, flexibility, and ownership in 
health care a bad idea. But they are absolutely wrong. The Health 
Savings Accounts are all about giving the consumer power over their 
health coverage, over health decisions, and over those precious health 
care dollars.
  Republicans do not favor a one-size-fits-all universal health care 
system. We understand what a one-size-fits-all system does. We know 
that that would mean universally poor care that leaves consumers 
basically with no power and no rights in the management of their own 
health coverage and their own health decisions.
  Outside the Beltway, people are excited about Health Savings 
Accounts, personal health accounts. This editorial from the National 
Business Journal is titled ``Health Savings Plans Can Help Business.'' 
This recognizes that small businesses will be able to offer health care 
to employees in a way that reduces paperwork and empowers the employee. 
As the editorial states: ``This is part of an ownership society,'' 
something that we are hearing the President talk about daily. An 
ownership society. What this means is more health care coverage, more 
options, more power for consumers in those personal health accounts, 
and we think that that is a very good idea.
  In another article that I have, this time from the Memphis Business 
Journal, the other end of my district, it has said that the new health 
care items, this is what is ``getting the enthusiasm,'' is the health 
savings accounts. And why? Because they function like a health care 
IRA, giving consumers ownership over a tax-free account. What a great 
idea.
  Mr. Speaker, regardless of what Candidate Kerry and the liberal left 
would tell us, it is clear that Americans are increasingly aware of 
what President Bush and the Congress have done to reinvigorate our 
economy, to expand health care options, and to win the war on terror. 
Faced with the horrific attacks on America, a trillion dollar hit to 
our economy, and a preexisting recession, the Bush administration and 
this Republican Congress have made significant strides in the right 
direction. And that is something we are looking forward to continuing 
in the year ahead.

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