[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 143 (Wednesday, October 24, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H7284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         BEING A GOOD SAMARITAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleague in 
acknowledging the loss of our fine young men and offer to their 
families my deepest sympathy.
  Mr. Speaker, I am reminded of the biblical verses that tell the story 
of the Good Samaritan. In that instance, a person of goodwill and 
caring attitude came upon a brutalized and broken person, having been 
attacked by those who would do evil. The person did not look around to 
secure help from anyone else but took that battered soul to a place of 
refuge, indicated to the innkeeper that whatever the expenses might be 
to secure him and to make him whole the Good Samaritan would return and 
pay for it.
  It comes to mind that on September 11 it generated the opportunity 
for this government and this Congress to be good Samaritans, to heal 
our land and to embrace Americans and to respond to their very needs, 
the needs of securing America, the needs of ensuring that we had the 
military personnel and resources to fight against terrorism.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, I was sorely disappointed in the legislation that 
was brought to the floor of the House in the name of stimulus, in the 
name of helping, when all it did was the simply take from a dying man.
  The headline in the USA Today said it well, special interests 
payback. The stimulus package that was passed today was not worthy of 
its name. In fact, I would say to those who have paid attention to this 
debate it was shameful, and as evidenced by the 216 to 214 vote, merely 
two votes that cast and made this legislation or caused this 
legislation to pass, it gives me reason to come before this House and 
to explain to the American people what we did today.
  First of all, we are not secure at the passage of this legislation. 
No one single American has been made more secure. Not one single child 
has been educated. Not one single school has been built. Not one 
employee over a period of time will get immediate relief. In the 
Republican bill, workers will not see relief for some 6 months.
  Listening to Daniels of the OMB, he made a statement about President 
Bush's main priorities. His quote, as I paraphrase as such, President 
Bush cares about agriculture, but if he cares about any two issues he 
cares about these two: Conquering international terrorism, I agree; and 
protecting Americans at home, I absolutely agree.
  Let me tell you what the Republican stimulus package does. My son was 
born in 1985. He is 16 years old. The Republicans' stimulus package 
provides an elimination of the permanent repeal of the corporate 
alternative minimum tax, and what that does is it retroactively gives 
that corporation dollars for over 15 years, almost $20 billion. Seven 
corporations alone will have a $3 billion gift.
  Does that provide airline security? No, it does not. Does it give the 
men and women of the postal service, two that have lost their lives, 
the kind of equipment, the kind of protection or the kind of 
instruction that will allow them to continue to deliver the mail 
safely? No, it does not. Does it infuse energy into our public health 
systems, our county hospitals, our private clinics? Does it help 
private practitioners in rural America and urban America be sensitive 
to the potential threat of smallpox and anthrax? Does it provide 
vaccinations for 200 plus million Americans? No, it does not.
  What it does do is it provides a permanent reduction of capital gains 
taxes. Seventy-two percent of the benefit of that reduction are to be 
enjoyed by 2 percent of the Nation's citizens.
  Let me say this to my friends. I certainly believe that we should 
help businesses, small and large. I think we should help them provide 
opportunities for jobs. Most Americans would want to support those who 
are creating new jobs.
  This past week I rode home with a constituent who indicated to me 
that there is a silent recession going on in this country. Four hundred 
people were laid off in one of our large accounting firms, investment 
firms, Pricewaterhouse. This is happening all over the country. Will 
giving corporations $3 billion, $20 billion by eliminating the 
alternative minimum tax, help anybody? Absolutely not.
  Mr. Speaker, this today was a tragedy before this Nation. No one, Mr. 
Speaker, has been helped today. No American has been secured. No 
military has been funded. No military personnel has been supported. No 
indigent people have been helped, and no medical care has been given to 
those who are in need. Where was our heart today? I believe at the 
bottom of our sleeve.
  I would simply say, Mr. Speaker, that this is an important time in 
America's history, a time that we could rise to the occasion and be the 
Good Samaritan. Tragically we have taken from that laying down, broken 
person, dying on the side of the street, we have taken from them. We 
have not given to them.

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