[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 31, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H5335-H5336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE POLITICS OF FAIRNESS--I.E., THE POLITICS OF FAVORITISM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot about fairness 
from the President lately. Perhaps his Chicago advisers think that if 
he distracts, divides, and creates envy all in the name of so-called 
``fairness,'' Americans will ignore their thin wallets and stacked up 
bills. But the people are smarter than back-room government 
policycrats.
  If the President is reelected in January, he will have inherited a 
weak economy from his predecessor--himself. Then who will he blame? The 
President was elected to solve problems, not place blame and make 
excuses for failure.
  Like most Americans, I want the administration to succeed, but the 
evidence is not on the administration's side. With unemployment higher 
than 8 percent for 41 months--even higher for recent college graduates 
at above 50 percent--and our deficit above $15 trillion, there isn't 
much of a record to stand on.
  So we are involved in a new Madison Avenue campaign diversion called 
``Remake America'' to make America ``fair.'' Of course, fairness is in 
the eyes of the beholder, and it means different things to different 
folks; but it certainly sounds good at first glance.
  Mr. Speaker, let's look at this idea. The politics of ``fairness'' 
are used when politicians want you to ignore their record and then 
claim that some people just haven't been treated fairly. This is a mere 
diversion from failed policy, failed ideas. When you look at the 
record, you'll see that this administration's definition of 
``fairness'' really means ``favoritism.''
  There is no fairness in crony capitalism. That is favoritism. There 
is no fairness in a perpetual bailout culture where the omnipotent 
government deems some too big to fail and others too small to succeed. 
That is favoritism. There is no fairness in forcing Americans to fork 
over money to pay for failed pet endeavors like Solyndra. That is 
favoritism. There is no fairness in an unaccountable government that 
constantly takes money from the working people and squanders it in a 
failed stimulus--or two. That is favoritism. And there is no fairness 
in enforcing some laws while proudly ignoring other laws. That is 
favoritism.
  What this ``fairness'' debate--or the politics of favoritism--
achieves is a systematic desire by government to create animosity--
animosity towards those who have or are just trying to achieve some 
success. It also creates animosity toward government from those who 
built it on their own without being a member of the government's 
favored class.
  This debate degrades the American Dream because it removes the 
equality of opportunity and creates a class of favorites--the class of 
government ``friends.''
  There is no equality or fairness in forced equal outcomes. Since some 
people are more successful than others, to paraphrase Lincoln, the 
government, which cannot make everyone rich, is trying to accomplish 
what it can do--make everyone poor and dependent on the government for 
success. This is fairness? I think not.
  Instead of encouraging individuals to succeed on their own, this 
administration tells citizens that they need the government. In fact, 
according to The Wall Street Journal, almost 50 percent of the 
population lives in a household where at least one member receives a 
government benefit.

[[Page H5336]]

  Bad policies have forced more Americans to grow dependent on 
government. The President wants to, in his own words, remake America. 
Remake it into what? A Nation where the government is running roughshod 
over our lives and our liberty? A country where no one is allowed to 
succeed unless the government gives permission? No thanks. I thought we 
threw that idea away when we left the regime of King George III.
  America doesn't need to be remade into a Third World country totally 
oppressed by a government that wants America to be another European 
nanny state where special favoritism is given to government's special 
friends.
  We need to return to what our country was founded on: the pursuit of 
opportunity or, as Jefferson said it, the right of life, liberty and 
the pursuit of happiness.
  The American Dream--a dream that can come true with individualism and 
hard work and without a government that punishes ambition, creativity, 
and success while rewarding failure--all in the name of fairness.
  The politics of favoritism, under the guise of ``fairness,'' is not 
the America we need. Mr. Speaker, the America I know doesn't need to be 
remade into the politics of favoritism.
  And that's just the way it is.

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