[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 162 (Wednesday, October 24, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2235-E2236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING FORMER CONGRESSMAN CHARLES VANIK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 24, 2007

  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to pay tribute to a fellow 
Ohioan, Charlie Vanik, who served honorably for 26 years in this House.
  Charlie passed away last month at the age of 94, and I thank the 
gentlewoman from Cleveland for organizing this special order in his 
memory.
  Charlie Vanik was a beautiful person. In many ways, he was the 
quintessential Clevelander--born of Czechoslovakian ancestry, he 
represented Cleveland's east side and eastern suburbs and did so with 
distinction and with class. He was learned and determined. As Dick 
Feigler, the well-known journalist in Cleveland said of Charlie, ``It 
was all about hard work and humility.'' Charlie Vanik was a showman, 
but he wasn't a showoff. He was charming and he was humble.
  He threw himself into public service with a style and gusto that his 
constituents enjoyed and appreciated. He took his responsibilities 
seriously, but he didn't take himself seriously. He rose to a position 
of prominence on the Ways and Means Committee. In fact, he became 
chairman of the trade subcommittee.
  But make no mistake: Charlie Vanik never sold out. He never succumbed 
to the seduction of what the pundits call ``Gucci Gulch.'' Charlie 
never forgot where he came from: 55th and Broadway had a different 
values set than Gucci Gulch. Still does.
  So Charlie Vanik fought tooth and nail against tax loopholes for big 
business. He never forgot where he came from. Charlie Vanik may have 
retired from Congress, but his heart and mind kept working for America 
everyday.
  On a regular basis, I would get phone calls from Charlie, just to say 
hello. He was never representing a client for monetary compensation--he 
always just kept working for America, and wanted to share his great 
ideas. He gave away his ideas--Marcy, he would say, Congress needs more 
strong voices to protect consumers in our nation, or on another 
occasion he would call to remind me to replace the sand on the public 
beaches of the Great Lakes that had either washed away or been used by 
construction companies over the years. Early on in my career, he 
advised me to visit many of the foreign embassies located in Washington 
to link to diplomats and scholars. He shared his love of life, and 
always called with an enthusiasm that revealed his joyful, encouraging 
and caring nature. His humanity was underscored by the manner in which 
he watched over his wife as she became ill. He never lost his way.
  His name was attached to one of the landmark pieces of legislation 
from the Cold War era: the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. In truth, Senator 
Henry Jackson and Representative Charlie Vanik were actually ahead of 
their

[[Page E2236]]

time. In an era that predated Bill Clinton's decoupling of human rights 
and trade, Scoop Jackson and Charlie Vanik insisted that the Soviet 
Union respect human rights before it could receive most favored nation 
trading status. Because of Scoop Jackson's and Charlie Vanik's courage 
and commitment, hundreds of thousands of oppressed people--mainly 
Soviet Jews--were able to leave tyranny behind and start new lives as 
free people.
  Madam Speaker, it is no longer fashionable to talk about the linkage 
between human rights and trading privileges. But, if anything, the 
issue is even more relevant today than when Charlie Vanik stood up for 
oppressed people. That's why I say Charlie Vanik was ahead of his time.
  Just ask Wei Jing Sheng, who continues to fight for human rights for 
the millions of oppressed people in China. Ask the family and friends 
of Santiago Rafael Cruz, who was murdered earlier this year in 
Monterrey, Mexico, where he fought hard to get human rights for peasant 
workers.
  We see the trafficking in human beings from Mexico to the United 
States. But the proponents of free trade fundamentalism still deny any 
linkage between trade and human rights. We see the gross human rights 
abuses in China and the growing unrest among rural people there. Yet 
we're told there's no connection between trade and human rights.
  Despite all the abuses that perpetrated against poor people around 
the world in the name of globalization, the free trade crowd refuses to 
acknowledge any connection between trade and human rights.
  We see all these things and we can't help but wish for more Charlie 
Vaniks--for more Members like him--genial, compassionate and humble 
public servants who have the eyes to see injustice and the heart to do 
something about it.

                          ____________________