mr. chairman , reclaiming my time , this is an interesting chart on the rapid increase in veterans spending per veteran .  i think this is very important .  we are spending $ 2 , 773 per veteran .  we are fully funding our veterans ' needs .  that is a priority of this congress .  as a small fellow , i must admit , i do think it is important that we keep our taxes low so that we can create economic growth and development which will help us fully fund our programs going forward .  a strong economy is what is going to move our nation forward , not tax increases .  