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Congressional Record—Senate S5554

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Congressional Record—Senate S5554 S5554 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 7, 2006 burden on folks who only have earned colleagues will join me in opposing this of minorities and the underprivileged, income—and generally not enough of legislation. has publicly opposed this legislation. it. f Here is what the Commission on Civil I would remind my colleagues on the Rights said: NATIVE HAWAIIAN GOVERNMENT other side of the aisle that the impact The Commission recommends against pas- of deficit spending is immense and one REORGANIZATION ACT OF 2005— sage of the Native Hawaiian Government Re- that will be borne not only by us in the MOTION TO PROCEED organization Act of 2005 as reported out of coming years but by future generations The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under committee on May 16, 2005, or any other leg- who have no say in our current finan- the previous order, the hour of 3 p.m. islation that would discriminate on the basis cial irresponsibility. Since this admin- of race or national origin and further sub- having arrived, the Senate will proceed divide the American people into discrete sub- istration took over and Congress has to consideration of the motion to pro- groups, accorded varying degrees of privi- been controlled solely by one party, we ceed to S. 147, which the clerk will re- lege. have seen our Nation’s economic secu- port. So this bill undermines our unity. It rity drop precipitously. In order to pay The assistant legislative clerk read would undermine our history of being a for unaffordable tax cuts, we have be- as follows: Nation based not upon race but upon come a beggar nation, forced to go to Motion to proceed to S. 147, a bill to ex- common values of liberty, equal oppor- foreign countries with our hat in hand press the policy of the United States regard- tunity, and democracy. asking them to buy our debt. Many of ing the United States relationship with Na- We have had many great accomplish- these countries, such as China and tive Hawaiians and to provide a process for ments in our country. Our diversity is Japan, are the very same countries the recognition by the United States of the Native Hawaiian governing entity. a magnificent accomplishment. But that are becoming more and more com- the greater accomplishment, greater petitive with our Nation for high-tech The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under even than our diversity, is our ability and higher salaried jobs—a fact that is the previous order, the time from 3 to unite all of that diversity into one not unrelated. As interest rates con- p.m. until 6 p.m. shall be divided for de- Nation. We should be going in that di- tinue to rise to combat inflationary bate as follows: 3 to 3:30, majority con- rection and not in the opposite direc- pressures, it is costing this Govern- trol; 3:30 to 4, minority control, alter- tion. ment more and more to sell our debt to nating between the two sides every 30 Our Constitution guarantees equal our foreign competitors. At the same minutes until 6 p.m. opportunity without regard to race. time, we are facing demand pressures The Senator from Tennessee is recog- This legislation does the opposite. to offer a higher rate of return to at- nized. Those who favor this bill like to de- tract these wary investors, as they Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, one scribe a bill that is not the bill I have gradually accumulate more of our debt of the parliamentary mysteries of the read. Those who favor the bill say it is than most economic models would in- Senate is that we are now about to not about sovereignty, it is not about dicate is prudent. The only prudent move, as was reported, to the Native land and money, it is not about race, it course of action would be to tighten Hawaiian Government Reorganization is what we did once in Alaska and that our belts and balance our budget there- Act. Some might wonder why. I was the Native Hawaiians would be just an- by returning control of our economic presiding, as the Senator from Min- other Indian tribe. It is a nice bill, they prosperity to us instead of leaving it in nesota is now, earlier in the week. I say. It is sponsored by the two Sen- the hands of our foreign competitors. heard an eloquent speech by a Senator ators from the State of Hawaii, whom But instead of coming up with rational from the other side of the aisle, the we all greatly respect and admire, so, tax policy that rewards the majority of Senator from Vermont, who said we they say, let’s just pass it. Americans who work for a living, we ought to ‘‘focus on solutions to the Let me address each of those claims are foisting on these families the delu- high [gasoline] prices, something that one by one—sovereignty, to begin with. sion that estate tax relief benefits hurts people in your state and mine, Those who favor the bill say this is not them and handing out further tax cuts the rising cost of health care . the about sovereignty. After all, they to those who have seen their wealth ongoing situation in Iraq. We’re argue, the new government that would grow at historic rates in the past sev- not going to talk about any of those be set up would be subject to the ap- eral years. things,’’ said the Senator from proval of those who are ‘‘Native Hawai- Mr. President, we owe it to our chil- Vermont, from the other side of the ians,’’ and it would have to be approved dren and grandchildren to provide aisle. by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. them with the opportunities we inher- Yet as a result of efforts there, on But the bill expressly states in section ited from our parents. The real ‘‘death that side of the aisle, we are now mov- 4(b) that its purpose is to establish a tax’’ is the one we are leaving for our ing ahead to the Native Hawaiian Gov- ‘‘political and legal relationship be- children to pay when we are gone. With ernment Reorganization Act, S. 147. tween the United States and the Native the passage of the Deficit Reduction The legislation may seem insignifi- Hawaiian governing entity for the pur- Act in 1993, we were able to correct cant, but I am here today to say that, poses of continuing a government-to- years of irresponsible tax policy and in this seemingly insignificant piece of government relationship.’’ head our Nation back in the right di- legislation, is an assault on one of the A government-to-government rela- rection. By maintaining fiscal dis- most important values in our country. tionship—such as a government rela- cipline, we were able to have our first It is a value so important that it is tionship between the United States and surplus in decades. It is shameful that carved in stone above the Chair of the France or England or Germany or any we are considering legislation today Presiding Officer. It is our original na- other country. That sounds like a sov- that, in many senses, is the final nail tional motto: E Pluribus Unum, one ereign government to me. in the coffin of fiscal responsibility by from many. This bill is an assault on That’s not the end of it. In an inter- providing additional tax cuts to the that principle because it would, for the view on National Public Radio on Au- richest in our Nation to the detriment first time in our country’s history, so gust 16 last year, the Senator from Ha- of hard-working American families. far as my research shows, create a new, waii, who is the sponsor of this bill, This is not the act of a Government separate, sovereign government within was asked if this could lead to seces- that is supposed to represent all of the our country, based on race, putting us sion of the State of Hawaii from the people in our Nation—a nation that on the path of becoming more of a United States. The NPR reporter stat- was founded on the belief that the op- United Nations than a United States of ed, ‘‘But [Senator AKAKA] says this portunity for prosperity is to be shared America. It will set a precedent for the sovereignty could even go further, per- by everyone. This legislation is an- breakup of our country along racial haps even leading to independence.’’ other step toward creating an America lines, and it ought to be soundly de- And the Senator from Hawaii re- that I was not elected to represent by feated. sponded, ‘‘That could be. As far as what my fellow New Mexicans—the vast ma- No one has to take my word for this. is going to happen at the other end, I’m jority of whom earn their living by The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a leaving it up to my grandchildren and going to work every day. I hope my body established to protect the rights my great-grandchildren.’’ VerDate Aug 31 2005 03:24 Jun 08, 2006 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A07JN6.023 S07JNPT1 hmoore on PROD1PC68 with HMSENATE June 7, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5555 The office of Hawaiian Affairs, an of- all of that $3 billion would be given to is in our law. But so far as I can tell, fice of the Government of the State of this so-called tribe.
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