[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 111 (Thursday, July 25, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H8526]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE VANISHING AMERICAN DREAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Mascara] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MASCARA. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to talk about the 
vanishing American dream and what we need to do to restore that vision 
of hope once widely held by hard-working Americans.
  It is no secret that American families today are upset and afraid of 
what their tomorrow's may hold. Each one of us hears their concern 
every time we talk with constituents back home.
  Back in the 1950's and 1960's, the road to a middle-class life was 
clearly marked. You made your way through high school, got a job in the 
local mill or plant, and in 5 or 10 years, you were well on your way to 
a secure future for yourself and your children.
  Unfortunately, that comfort level does not exist today. Despite our 
growing national economy, low unemployment, and increasing 
productivity, Americans are no longer secure in their jobs and lives.
  Recent polling shows they are very afraid the ax may fall tomorrow 
and any day they could be handed a pink slip, losing their job, their 
savings, their home, their hope for tomorrow.
  A recent poll I took of my own constituents puts this issue into even 
sharper focus. When I asked what are the top five issues facing the 
country and our local area, the most frequent answers from nearly 8,000 
respondents were too much unemployment, a lack of fair wages, and a 
need for more jobs.
  It is no secret that working Americans blame big corporations for 
many of their woes. They greatly resent the incredible salaries paid to 
some top executives and firmly believe that workers have lost their 
jobs to pay for the CEO's golden parachute.
  They will tell you that being loyal to a firm and working hard no 
longer counts. Tomorrow you could still be out the door.
  Workers know the world is not going to go back to the way things 
operated in the 1950's. They understand global competition and the need 
for American firms and workers to face the reality of the new economic 
order.
  All they are asking for is a return to fairness, a renewal of respect 
for the value of hard work, and a restoration of policies that ensure 
workers share in the financial success of their employers.
  They especially want those of us serving in Congress to hear their 
plea and to take action to make life better for their families.
  Members on my side of the aisle recently unveiled the families first 
agenda which includes a variety of realistic, moderate, achievable 
proposals for turning this situation around.
  At the top of our list of legislative proposals are several that 
would provide security for working families by helping to ensure they 
are paid fair wages, have health care coverage for their children, and 
are afforded greater access to portable pension plans.
  We also intend to open up educational and economic opportunities by 
proposing tax deductions for vocational and college educations and 
increasing efforts to help small businesses prosper.
  While corporations have been downsizing, since the late 1980's, small 
businesses have created millions of new jobs. Many American families 
dream about operating their own small businesses. We need to give them 
the chance to succeed.
  The last major component of this plank is called responsibility. 
Democrats believe the Government must be responsible and balance its 
budget. We acknowledge individuals must be responsible and there is a 
need for welfare reform, and a need for increased enforcement of child 
support orders, and a need to prevent teen pregnancies. Importantly, we 
also seek corporate responsibility, ensuring pensions and the 
environment are protected while offering incentives to encourage 
businesses to be more family and worker friendly.
  One portion of this agenda which I personally recommend to my 
leadership was a section urging development of State infrastructure 
banks. Millions of miles of roads and water systems in our country are 
near total collapse. Every day, millions of dollars in commerce and 
productivity are lost forever because goods cannot be transported on 
our highways. Countless cities and towns across this country face a 
major crisis as aging water and sewer systems--many well over 100 years 
old--simply fail.
  Before coming to Congress, I served as chair of the board of 
Washington County, PA commissioners for 15 years. My major focus in 
life was, and continues to be, economic development for southwestern 
Pennsylvania.
  My district lost hundreds of thousands of jobs in the 1970's and 
1980's as mines and steel mills closed. Several of the counties I 
represent are among the poorest in Pennsylvania.
  So it should be no surprise that during my years as a county 
commissioner I worked day and night to attract new businesses to my 
region. Through a variety of innovative financing methods and working 
cooperatively with business operators, I was successful in bringing 
12,000 new jobs to the county.
  Since coming to Congress, I have continued to work hard for my 
district, promoting a number of economic development projects including 
construction of the Mon-Fayette Expressway, a major thoroughfare that 
would bring economic renewal to many areas of my district.
  My point this evening is to urge that we all listen to hardworking 
families. We must begin to bring some of those innovative economic 
development tools used at the local level here to Congress.
  I think if we do, we can begin to restore the faith of American 
workers and the American dream which should still be a reality for each 
and every American.
  Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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