[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 131 (Friday, September 26, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H8026-H8027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INCLUDE THE BECK DECISION IN CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM AND REPUBLICANS 
                            WILL SUPPORT IT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Cunningham] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot about campaign 
finance reform. There are a lot of us that would like to do it and have 
it brought before the floor. But do we think the Democrats would 
include the Beck decision, where the union bosses cooperatively hold 
hostage their workers to contribute to their campaigns and their 
finances?
  The gentleman from Nevada, Mr. John Ensign, in Las Vegas, NV, had $1 
million put against him just by the unions, coordinated by the DNC. The 
gentlewoman from Idaho, Mrs. Helen Chenoweth had $1 million by the 
unions, coordinated by the DNC against one candidate. What about the 
gentlewoman from Idaho, Mrs. Chenoweth, what about the gentleman from 
Arizona, Mr. J.D. Hayworth, $1 million by the DNC?
  Thirty percent of the workers in the unions are Republican. About 
another 10 percent are independent. So that is 40 percent of the 
population that is being forced with union wages to contribute, and 
then that money is being used against Republicans, against their will. 
But do the Democrats want the Beck decision in any campaign finance 
reform? Absolutely not, because it takes the power of the union bosses 
away.
  Unions only represent about 6 percent of the work force in this 
entire Nation, 6 percent. Yet, they say they stand for the working 
person. Small business and business makes up about 94 percent of all 
the jobs in this country. They say they are for the working person, but 
union legislation, from strikebreaker on down, is there to combat and 
fight against and destroy small business.
  My colleague, the gentleman from California, talks about campaign 
finance reform and its influence. Let me read this:
  The proletariat will use all political supremacy wrested by the 
position of the ruling class to establish democracy.
  Have we heard anything about class warfare on this floor by the 
gentleman from California? The proletariat will use political supremacy 
to centralize all instruments of production in the hands of the state. 
One, abolish all private property. Over 50 percent of California is 
owned by the government. Yet, the gentleman from California in the 
California Desert plan would have more and more and more lands put in 
there.
  Heavy progressive income taxes. The unions supported the Democrats 
because they want big government. They want the power centralized in 
Washington. They use big government, which causes higher taxes, which 
causes people and small business to die every single day, and jobs. And 
the union bosses force this, but yet it is supported by the gentleman 
from California.
  Second, abolishing the right of inheritance: the death tax. Where do 
these three things come from? Where does

[[Page H8027]]

property, private property abolition, heavy progressive taxes, 
inheritance tax, come from? It comes from the Communist Manifesto, 
written by Carl Marx and Engels.
  What else do they have in this, in their plan? Centralization of 
credit in the hands of the state. No. 8: equal obligation of all do 
work, but control by unions, organized unions, right here in the 
Communist Manifesto.
  Free education for all. That is not bad, but it is controlled in the 
hands of the state.
  Let me read here. The gentleman from California, union, $2,000. The 
gentleman from California, union, $5,000. The gentleman from 
California, union, $1,200. The gentleman from California, union; 
American, Federal, State and County, union, $4,500; American Maritime, 
union, $1,000; union, $1,000; union, $500; union, $1,000; union, 
$1,000; union, $500; union, for the gentleman from California, $5,000; 
union, $2,000; union $500; union, $1,500; on and on and on, and pages 
from unions. Yet, do they want the union and the Beck decision put into 
campaign finance reform? Absolutely not. They want to do away with a 
normal progression.
  What is a PAC, Mr. Speaker? A PAC is a group of businesses or 
organizations for a single purpose. They band together to fight against 
the power of the unions to direct money against them.
  Yes, we want campaign finance reform, but we want fair reform. 
Include the Beck decision in campaign finance reform and we will 
support it.

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