Without objections ordered.

Mr. Speaker, this may be the last time I speak on the House floor.

At the end of the year, I'll leave Congress after 23 years in office over a 36 year period. My goals in 1976 were the same as they are today, promote

peace and prosperity by a strict adherence to the principles of individual liberty.

It was my opinion that the course of the U.S. embarked on in the latter part of the 20th century

would bring us a major financial crisis and engulf us in a foreign policy that would overextend us and undermine our national security.

To achieve these goals, I saw it, the government would have had to shrink in size and scope

reduce spending change the monetary system and reject the unsustainable costs of

policing the world and expanding the American Empire.

The problems seem to be overwhelming and impossible to solve, yet from my viewpoint, just

following the constraints placed on the federal government by the Constitution

would have been a good place to start.

Just how much did I accomplish?

In many ways, according to conventional wisdom, my off and on career in Congress from

1976 to 2012 accomplished very little. No name legislation no name federal buildings or highways, thank goodness.

In spite of my efforts, the government has grown exponentially.

Taxes remain excessive and the prolific increase of incomprehensible regulations continues.

Wars are constants and pursued without congressional declaration.

Deficits rise to the sky, poverty is rampant, and dependency

on the federal government is now worse than any time in our history.

All this with minimal concerns for the deficits and unfunded liabilities that common sense tells us cannot go on much longer.

A grand but never mentioned bipartisan agreement allows for the well-kept secret that keeps the spending going.

...