CONGRESSIONAL RECORD— Extensions of Remarks E1822 HON
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E1822 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 17, 2003 1588, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2001, American and specifically Michigan She might have floated the idea of a 1 per- for FY04 (rollcall vote 500). Had I been manufacturing jobs have been lost because of cent tariff on all imports to finance extended present, I would have voted ‘‘yea.’’ Addition- our trade policies, the lack of effort by our unemployment benefits, health insurance and training vouchers for displaced workers, ally, I was unable to vote on Motions to In- President to open closed markets, and be- grants to their communities, and financial struct Conferees on H.R. 1308, the Tax Relief, cause of the tremendous cost of pension and relief to employers offering early-retirement Simplification and Equity Act (rollcall vote 501) health care legacy costs. Last week, the incentives. and on H.R. 1, the Medicare Prescription Drug Michigan Democratic Delegation sent a letter Rather than ranting about regulations and Modernization Act (rollcall vote 502). Had to the President detailing a fourteen point plan that have proven successful in protecting I been present, I would have voted ‘‘nay’’ on that we felt could help alleviate the dire situa- worker safety and public health, she might have said that fair trade requires trading each motion. tion manufacturing finds itself in. Early this partners to maintain minimal regulatory f week, Commerce Secretary Evans detailed standards of their own, consistent with their the Administration’s plan to save American level of economic development. REMEMBERING AND HONORING manufacturing jobs. And she would have acknowledged that THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON OF I am submitting an article from today’s while China was making great strides toward AUGUST 28, 1963 Washington Post, by Steven Pearlstein, which developing an open, free-market economy, it wasn’t there yet—and that continuing to describes our President’s efforts at reviving SPEECH OF trade with China as if it were had caused our manufacturing sector as ‘‘feeble.’’ America undue harm to American workers and com- HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS has lost nearly three million jobs since Janu- panies. Then she might have announced the OF MARYLAND ary of 2001. The tax cuts have not worked. immediate imposition of temporary tariffs IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES War has not worked. And President Bush’s and quotas on imports of half a dozen key plan to save our manufacturing jobs won’t Chinese products, followed by an open invita- Tuesday, September 16, 2003 work either. tion to negotiate their removal just as soon Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, it is with a as China is ready to get serious about open- A FEEBLE PLAN TO SAVE U.S. ing its distribution system to U.S. products, profound sense of pride that I rise today in MANUFACTURING protecting U.S. patents and copyrights, and support of H. Res. 352, which remembers and (By Steven Pearlstein) pegging its currency at a reasonable ex- honors the March on Washington of August After a dozen town meetings, a road trip by change rate. 28, 1963. three Cabinet officers, months of study and It is possible to make the case for such an Mr. Speaker, our nation recently celebrated countless meetings of assistant secretaries, aggressive industrial policy. It is also pos- the fortieth anniversary of this historic dem- the Bush administration has finally brought sible to make a case for doing nothing. But onstration—an event that forever will stand for forth its program to rescue the American the Bush administration has come up with the worst of both worlds—doing nothing the proposition of full and equal rights for all manufacturing sector. And it’s a bad joke, a melange of tired ideas, empty promises and while pretending otherwise and hoping no- Americans. This resolution will serve as a last- body notices until after the next election. ing tribute not only to one of the largest ideological slogans, and an embarrassment for the White House economic team. f peaceful political demonstrations in U.S. his- The policy was unveiled in a much-antici- tory, but will also pay homage to the orga- pated speech to the Detroit Economic Club THE PRAIRIE ROSE CHAPTER OF nizers and participants for their dedication and by Commerce Secretary Don Evans. Instead THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMER- commitment to the realization of civil and of offering his knowledgeable audience a co- ICAN REVOLUTION SALUTES equal rights for all Americans. gent, thoughtful analysis of the problems CONSTITUTION WEEK Culminating in Dr. King’s famous ‘‘I Have a facing manufacturers, Evans trotted out old Dream’’ speech, the March on Washington Rotary Club canards about high taxes, op- HON. DENNIS MOORE pressive regulation and frivolous lawsuits. OF KANSAS demonstrated that a collective force dedicated While correctly identifying runaway to the principles of non-violent protest could health insurance costs as a problem, he IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES successfully fight prejudice and discrimination failed to come up with even one serious rem- Wednesday, September 17, 2003 against African-Americans and other minori- edy. Mr. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, the week of Sep- ties. Properly commemorating this historic And although Evans grabbed headlines tember 17–23 has been officially designated event and those who participated in it will also with tough talk about China, the only action to back it up—hold on to your hat now—was as Constitution Week under Public Law 105– send a message to our youth that the struggle 225. This marks the 216th anniversary of the for civil rights continues. That we must remain a new Unfair Trade Practices Team at Com- merce to ‘‘track, detect and confront unfair signing of our Constitution. resolute in our efforts to realize Dr. King’s competition,’’ as if there weren’t already The guardian of our liberties, our Constitu- dream of a nation where one is ‘‘judged by the several hundred bureaucrats doing just that. tion established our republic as a self-gov- content of their character and not the color of Perhaps most laughable was Evans’s boast erning nation dedicated to rule by law. This their skin.’’ that George W. Bush had single-handedly re- document is the cornerstone of our freedom. It Mr. Speaker, again it is my honor and privi- vived the free-trade agenda—conveniently was written to protect every American from the lege today to lend my wholehearted support to forgetting that President Bill Clinton ex- pended enormous political capital to push abuse of power by government. Without that this important piece of legislation—which rec- restraint, our founders believed the republic ognizes the monumental significance of the through NAFTA and China’s accession to the WTO, ignoring as well the inconvenient fact would perish. 1963 March on Washington in the ongoing that his own administration had just sold The ideals upon which our Constitution is struggle for equality and justice. I want to out American manufacturers at trade talks based are reinforced each day by the success thank my colleague, Sanford Bishop for spon- in Cancun to protect subsidized beet farmers of our political system to which it gave birth. soring this important resolution. I urge all of and cotton growers. The success of our way of government re- my colleagues to support the Resolution and So what would a serious commerce sec- quires an enlightened citizenry. to never let the dream of Martin Luther King retary concerned about manufacturing have Constitution Week provides an opportunity die. I leave my colleagues with a quote from said? for all Americans to recall the achievements of Dr. King which should serve as a gauge in First, she would have leveled with her De- our founders, the nature of limited govern- troit audience, warning that there are indus- every action and for every vote we take here tries and industry segments that are struc- ment, and the rights, privileges and respon- in this esteemed body, ‘‘Injustice anywhere is turally vulnerable to foreign competition sibilities of citizenship. It provides us the op- a threat to justice everywhere.’’ and can’t be ‘‘saved.’’ portunity to be better informed about our f She would have warned them that in key rights, freedoms and duties as citizens. industries such as machine tools, survival Mr. Speaker, at this time I particularly want BUSH MANUFACTURING PLAN depends on the consolidation of small, fam- to take note of the outstanding work of the ily firms into larger ones that have the clout Prairie Rose Chapter of the Kansas Society of HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR. to deal with large customers, the money to the Daughters of the American Revolution, engage in research and development, and the which is actively involved in the Third Con- OF MICHIGAN size to realize economies of scale. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES She would have acknowledged that the gressional District in events this week com- memorating Constitution Week. The Prairie Wednesday, September 17, 2003 president had been ill advised to cut federal funding for manufacturing research and Rose Chapter has been involved with this ef- Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, since Presi- promised to make amends in the next budget fort in our communities for a number of years dent Bush assumed the presidency in January cycle. and I commend them for doing so. VerDate jul 14 2003 05:42 Sep 18, 2003 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A17SE8.029 E17PT1 September 17, 2003 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1823 Our Constitution has served us well for over This resolution’s objectives are to continue 1944–45, because he answered his country’s 200 years, but it will continue as a strong, vi- aggressive trade promotion and advocacy on call to service during World War II.