[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 21051-21052]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           ARE WE BETTER OFF

  (Ms. BERKLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, are we better off today than we were 4 
years ago? If you live in Nevada, the answer is no. The number of 
Nevadans living in poverty has increased by 11,000. The family income 
in Nevada has dropped by $1,511; 82,000 Nevadans lost their health 
insurance. There are now 400,000 Nevadans who live every day without 
health insurance. They pray they do not get sick. Those who are lucky 
enough to have health insurance saw their premiums go up by an average 
of 3,229. What working family can afford that?

[[Page 21052]]

  Gas prices in Nevada are the highest in the Nation; 26,717 Nevadans 
filed bankruptcy in 2003. That is a 48 percent increase since Bush 
became President. Nevada has the strongest economy in the United 
States. So if people are suffering in the State of Nevada, can you just 
imagine what is going on in the rest of the country.
  After 4 years it is time for new leadership in the White House who 
will fight for all Nevadans and who will fight for you.

                          ____________________