Congressional Record—House H3664
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H3664 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 6, 2003 and Mr. Dozier did too, and they could and complex musical stylings defined an era. We have only authorized $80 billion and not go to the movies on Sunday until Their music is on the soundtrack of countless the rest comes from the sluggish econ- they had gone to church. They could films and television programs and has become omy which the 2001 tax cuts failed to not do anything else for the rest of the the soundtrack for many American lives. Their revive. week if they had not gone to church. innovative style and sound inspired millions of What happened in 2001 was that we And in their home the only music that musicians throughout the world to improve had a $5.6 trillion surplus, and my Re- was allowed was gospel and classical and enhance their craft. publican colleagues came down here and sometimes Billy Eckstein or Sarah The astonishing success of H-D-H and and said, We have got to give this Vaughan or Nat King Cole. And so Motown was a symbol of change in the United money back to the American taxpayer these youngsters on the west side and States in the 1960’s, and the end of an era so we can invigorate our economy. east side of Detroit where they went to when access to an audience was limited by ei- That did not happen. What we have in- school, some of them met and knew ther opportunities or racial prejudice. stead is a projection over the next 10 Aretha Franklin, who was then singing The sales of Holland-Dozier-Holland’s music years of a $2 trillion deficit and we are in her father’s, the late Reverend C.L. run into hundreds of millions of dollars and in- going to borrow over $500 billion this Franklin, church on Linwood Avenue clude some of the most widely-recognized pop year. already at the tender age of 9 years old, songs in the world. Holland-Dozier-Holland The fact of the matter is the tax cut and they came out of this great family songs also have accrued nearly 100 million policy of the Republicans has not tradition. airplays on United States radio and television worked. We have seen this plan before. Mr. Dozier’s grandmother, Mrs. stations. The songwriting team is a member of Now we turn to what I call the Bush/ Melvine Watson, was the choir director the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Thomas model. I think it is a model of at the Spiritual Israel Church Pente- Hall of Fame, and winner of The Rhythm and tax unfairness and ineffective eco- costal; and when he was in junior high Blues Foundation’s 2002 Pioneer Award. nomic policy. An analysis of the Thom- school he had formed the vocal group, I commend BMI, an American performing as proposal by the Urban-Brookings The Romeos, five young men who had a rights organization that represents more than Tax Policy Center concluded that his recording contract with Atlantic; and 300,000 songwriters, composers, and pub- plan would be even more tilted to the then they went to Gwen Gordy, Berry lishers, in all genres of music, for honoring affluent than Bush’s original plan. Ac- Gordy’s sister, Anna Records, and Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Hol- cording to the Brookings analysis, the opened up their career and furthered it land. I also congratulate the three worthy re- average tax cut offered by the Thomas there. Then Gwen Gordy went with her cipients. proposal for households earning more brother Berry Gordy and they formed f than a million dollars would be almost the Motown sound. $43,000 in tax cuts in 2003, compared It is just so wonderful to recall how SINKING AMERICAN ECONOMY with the administration’s original pro- all these artists began, where their The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a posal to give the very wealthy only first writing was for Jackie Wilson, previous order of the House, the gen- 27,000. Then on top of that the top 5 where they wrote this song, Reet Pe- tleman from Maryland (Mr. WYNN) is percent of households, the top 5 per- tite. And then they began to develop, recognized for 5 minutes. cent of American households would re- Robert Bateman will always be remem- Mr. WYNN. Madam Speaker, now ceive 64 percent of the Bush dividend bered for bringing them together. It that we have achieved victory in Iraq, proposal, but under the Thomas pro- was wonderful. They finally began to the country will refocus its attention posal that they will roll out this week click. on matters close to home, specifically that same 5 percent would get 75 per- Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the con- our sinking economy. Unfortunately, cent of the tax benefits. tributions of the legendary songwriting team of victory in war does not necessarily There is something fundamentally Holland-Dozier-Holland, consisting of Brian translate into success in domestic unfair about that. Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Edward Holland economy. In terms of the economy, we Now, in truth the middle class will to American cultural history. The songwriting have been treated to a cycle of failure only get about $100 to $200 in so-called trio, known as H-D-H, wrote most of the songs by this administration and my Repub- tax relief; but the administration says, that created the enduring American ‘‘Motown lican colleagues. Consider that unem- oh, no, a family earning about $40,000 Sound.’’ On May 13, 2003, they will be hon- ployment is now up to 6 percent. There would get about $1,000. That is called ored with the 2003 BMI (Broadcast Music, has been a decline in the length of the flimflamming the numbers. What they Inc.) ICON Award, which is reserved for song- workweek, meaning more people are do is they take the average, reflecting writers who have been unique and indelible in- working fewer hours. Manufacturing the fact that the millionaire will get fluences on generations of music makers. H– workers were hurt particularly hard $43,000 annually. That is how they get D–H will receive this award at the 51st annual last month. Factory payrolls fell by that false average. BMI Pop Awards dinner in Beverly Hills, Cali- 95,000, the 33rd consecutive monthly de- In addition, we find that the Thomas fornia. BMI President & CEO Frances W. cline. plan does not create jobs. There is Preston will present the award. Brian Holland, According to Jerry Jasinowski, broad census among economists that Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland are most President of the National Association reducing dividend taxes does not create deserving of this award, which puts them in of Manufacturers, ‘‘Since July 2000 jobs. In fact, economy.com has rated the company of Chuck Berry, James Brown, manufacturing has lost 2.2 million jobs, this as one of the least effective op- Bo Diddly, and Little Richard. among the highest-skilled, best-paying tions in terms of stimulating growth. In 1959, a young African American De- jobs in our economy.’’ Bill Dudley, chief U.S. economist for troiter, Berry Gordy, Jr., formed a company My colleague, the gentleman from Goldman Sachs has pointed out, named Motown (an abbreviation of Detroit’s South Carolina (Mr. SPRATT), goes on ‘‘Rather than shoehorning the dividend ‘Motor City’ moniker). Holland-Dozier-Holland to point out that ‘‘Republican claimed plan in, they should be trying to shoe- were architects of the instantly recognizable that both the 2001 and the 2002 tax cuts horn in the most amount of economic and barrier breaking ‘‘Sound of Young Amer- would create jobs but they were wrong. stimulus.’’ ica,’’ of Motown, creating the songs that Instead, 2.7 million private sector jobs When the Democrats talk about our turned a fledgling Detroit record company and have vanished since this administra- plan, we will talk about that, stimulus, its associated songwriters, producers, and art- tion took office a little over 2 years putting money into the pockets of the ists, into an industry groundbreaker and pow- ago.’’ middle class, helping our States’ gov- erhouse. The fact is tax cuts have yielded 400 ernment so we can really stimulate As songwriters and producers, H–D–H cre- to $500 billion deficits. They did not re- this economy. ated such classics as ‘‘Reach Out, I’ll Be vive a sluggish economy, and what you Finally, the Republicans tell us, well, There,’’ ‘‘Stop in the Name of Love,’’ ‘‘Where are hearing now is, well, this is because look at our child care tax credit. We do Did Our Love Go?’’ ‘‘Heat Wave,’’ ‘‘Baby of the war. Not true. Forty-three per- not just care about the wealthy. It is Love,’’ ‘‘Baby I Need Your Lovin’,’’ ‘‘How cent of our current deficits are directly very interesting when you look closely Sweet It Is to Be Loved By You,’’ and dozens attributable to these tax cuts. A small because although the tax breaks for more hits. The blend of sweet and joyful lyrics percentage is attributable to the war. the very wealthy are permanent, the VerDate Jan 31 2003 03:23 May 07, 2003 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K06MY7.052 H06PT1 May 6, 2003 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3665 child care tax credit that they would The wealthiest Americans will fare ation of new jobs, in the creation of a have you focus on is really only tem- better under the Republican tax plan in new means of production? We have no porary, and by the year 2006 they will the President’s plan, while middle- guarantee of that, and there is nothing actually be losing money on the child class Americans, Americans with an- in our economic policy that suggests care tax credit.