[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 26905]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               IS THIS A TIME TO PLANT OR A TIME TO REAP

  (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, the Book of Ecclesiastes says, To 
everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven, 
a time to plant, a time to reap.
  Many years ago, people in States across America planted the seeds of 
single payer health care. Those seeds have sprouted and borne fruit 
where powerful State citizens' movements exist to create not-for-profit 
health care. This led to passage of an amendment to the health care 
bill which protected the rights of States to pursue single payer. 
Unfortunately, that amendment was taken out of the bill and we must try 
to get it into the conference report.
  While the State health care movement is strong, the national single 
payer movement is still growing. It has resulted in the Conyers bill, 
H.R. 676, Medicare for All. The bill has 87 cosponsors, a significant 
number, but nowhere near enough to bring the bill to the floor where it 
would face certain defeat.
  To those who want a stand-alone vote on single payer now, I want to 
ask this question: Is this a time to plant or a time to reap? What 
fruit will be borne from a tree that has received no light and no water 
in this Capitol?

                          ____________________