17326 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS July 12, 1990 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS JACK KEMP: A JOB WELL DONE productive forces are hampered by political conscience, or populist conservatism-it's ones." the right thing to do, the right time to do it, Ladies and gentlemen, that was not last and we're the right people to help lead it. HON. PHILIP M. CRANE month or last year, that was said in June Robert Kuttner of the New Republic, an OF ILLINOIS 1982 by President Ronald Reagan in a his­ equally-bleeding heart but liberal columnist, toric speech to the English Parliament. How recently wrote that polls continue to show IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES far we've come! And we've come a lot fur­ that the voters trust Republicans more than Thursday, July 12, 1990 ther than even Mikhail Gorbachev under­ Democrats to conduct foreign policy, stands. Just a few days ago at Stanford Uni­ manage the economy, hold down inflation, Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, in 1989, Presi­ versity, he said that it doesn't matter who and resist higher taxes. Democrats still dent Bush asked Jack Kemp to be Secretary won the Cold War. With all due respect, it score only on the question of who cares of the Department of Housing and Urban De­ does matter, very much. The real Cold War more about the common American. He goes velopment [HUD]. Since that time, Secretary victory is not our arms over their arms, it is on to conclude that if Republicans ever Kemp has had to grapple with the Herculean a victory of the American idea of democratic figure out that they can capture the issue of task of not only cleaning up a bureaucratic capitalism over the Soviet idea of statist so­ caring as well, the Democrats might as well and scandalous mess, but of turning it around cialism. The truth is President Gorbachev go out of business. will not be able to repair s:>cialism, it must Now, I don't want to put them out of busi­ and making it work as well. Thus far, Mr. be replaced. ness, just out of the Congress! Kemp has been up to the task. By strengthen­ All around the world, despite the resist­ Traveling across the country, I've seen ing the HUD inspector general, substituting a ance of the old guard, freedom and free thousands upon thousands of low income point system for political approval of projects, markets, democracy and capitalism are in­ people and families in public housing com­ and slashing the Secretary's discretionary creasingly on the march. From Eastern munities eagerly seeking change and re­ fund, he has done much to ensure that we do Europe and Latin Ameri~a to Africa and sponding positively to our ideas. They don't not have to face another HUD scandal in the Asia and even the Soviet Union, people are want more government promises and egali­ dreaming of freedom and democracy after tarian welfare schemes, they want to live in future. decades and even centuries of oppression, neighborhoods free from crime and drug Yet, just as challenging a task lies ahead of poverty, despair, and debt. abuse, with good jobs and opportunities to him as he attempts to make HUD work for the In his State of the Union address, Presi­ own property and homes; they W'.l.nt quality Nation's inner cities. Even before accepting dent Bush called it the revolution of 1989, education so that they and their children his cabinet position, Jack Kemp has continual­ but perhaps it may be in reality just the can live better lives. They want what we all ly brought forth fresh and innovative ideas. continuation of the American revolution of want-a chance to develop their talents, po­ Furthermore, he firmly understands what has 1776. Marxist-Leninists used to talk about tential and possibilities. taken many people so long to realize. For ex­ their "permanent revolution," but as it Our friend Kimi Gray of Kenilworth­ ample, he realizes that programs which subsi­ turns out the only permanent revolution Parkside recently said that her residents the world has ever seen is the American and public housing tenants throughout the dize developers are inherently flawed and Revolution. country may be registered Democrats, but such programs cannot be corrected merely by Yet, in such revolutionary times, Charles they work with Republicans because Repub­ some tinkering and more oversight. With this Dicken's observation may well still apply: it licans are "the ones that seem to under­ view in mind, Secretary Kemp is taking prom­ can be the best of times and the worst of stand that we do not want to stay a poor ising steps to bring an effective philosophy times simultaneously. Here in the U.S., and permanent underclass." and policy to tap the potentially abundant we're enjoying unprecedented economic Well, of course that's true. And that's how human resources in our inner cities. I ask my growth and opportunity, yet after nearly Mr. Lincoln built the Republican Party. As colleagues to give Secretary Kemp credit for eight years of continuing expansion, there he said, "When one starts poor, as most do are some parts of our nation and all too in the race of life, free society is such that his sincere efforts, and I urge my colleagues many of our people left out and left behind, he knows he can better his condition: he to read and seriously consider the policies suffe:ring from the tragedy of homelessness, knows that there is no fixed condition for outlined in his Heritage Foundation lecture en­ poverty that stretches over generations, and his whole life." titled, "An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes a sense of hopelessness and despair about A debate over how to increase the wealth of Poverty in America and How to Combat It." the future. and opportunities of the poor plays to the As Ed Feulner said recently, the world is str:mgths of our Party's Lincoln wing-our AN INQUIRY INTO THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF looking to us for advice on the free market r.aost authentic roots. The Democrats will POVERTY IN AMERICA AND How TO COMBAT IT ideas of Adam Smith, "they don't want lec­ win any debate over redistribution. After <Remarks by Jack Kemp) tures on income redistribution and capitalist all, that's what they are on this earth for. Thank you for that kind introduction. It exploitation, they want income and capital­ But that's the debate of yesterday. Today's is a pleasure to be back at Heritage among ism," debate is how to tap and unleash the so many friends and colleagues. Actually, I Ed is right; but after one and a half years wealth, talent, and potential in low income was looking forward to working here, until of representing the Bush Administration at communities and cities all over America. President Bush asked me to join his cabinet. HUD, I know that not only is Eastern In 1984, Governor Mario Cuomo of New After my first couple days at HUD, when I Europe looking to us for market oriented York electrified the Democratic Convention started discovering the scandal and abuse, I answers, but so is East Harlem, East St. with his tale of America as two cities, one almost called Ed to get my old job back. Louis, and East L.A. rich and one poor, permanently divided into We are living in the single most dramatic If we are to present the example of demo­ two classes. He talked about the rich grow­ era in world history, other than perhaps at cratic capitalism and the rule of law to the ing richer and the poor becoming poorer, the founding of our Republic in the Revolu­ rest of the world, we've got to make it work with the conclusion that class conflict, if tion of 1776. Consider this quotation: for the low-income people and distressed not warfare, was the only result, and redis­ "In an ironic sense, Karl Marx was right. neighborhoods and communities right here tribution of wealth as the solution. We are witnessing today a great revolution­ in our own country. But with all due respect to Governor ary crisis-a crisis where the demands o.l the Helping those left behind and left out is Cuomo, he got it wrong. America is not di­ economic order are colliding directly with not only a moral imperative for our Nation, vided immutably intr. two static classes. But those of the political order. But the crisis is I am convinced it is also a winning-indeed it is separated or divided into two econo­ happening not in the free, non-Marxist decisive-political strategy for bringing im­ mies. One economy-our mainstream econo­ West, but in the home of Marxism-Lenin­ poverished communities and low income my-is democratic capitalist, market-orient­ ism, the Soviet Union. What we see here is a people and minorities into the ranks of the ed, entrepreneurial and incentivized for political structure that no longer corre­ Part of Lincoln. Whether it's called bleeding working families whether in labor or man­ sponds to its economic base, a society where heart conservatism, capitalism with a social agement. This mainstream rewards work, in- e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. -. .f July 12, 1990 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 17327 vestment, saving and productivity.