[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 28, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H1435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                OPTIMISM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak of the optimism 
of this Nation and of her people. Frankly, we do live in the greatest 
Nation in the world. Sometimes we are questioned when we say that, but 
I say it proudly and with a spirit of humbleness. I know that because 
on faraway shores and lands there are men and women who wear the 
uniform proudly.
  This morning, in our own House of Representatives, we held a 
reception for participants of the Wounded Warriors program. These 
individuals are in a number of Members' offices. Many of us look 
forward to that opportunity, and they continue to serve.
  So I know as President Obama rises tonight to speak to the Nation, he 
will have a sense of optimism, which I will enjoy and support. He will 
note, however, that as we are optimistic, we must provide that optimism 
and economic opportunity for all of our brothers and sisters, citizens 
and persons, in the United States of America.
  It is well known that we have made great strides. We no longer have 
the horrific mortgage collapse, though we are still working with 
homeowners. We don't have the debacle on Wall Street because, as 
Democrats, we worked hard to fix that problem, as Wall Street continues 
to thrive. Of course, we have taken ourselves out of the doldrums of a 
deep depression--or recession--in 2008 and 2009 with a powerful 
stimulus package which today, in Houston, Texas, has seen the retrofit 
of the Mickey Leland Federal Building. With $90 million, they put 
people to work fixing a building where citizens come for services.
  That is the American way of investing, and not handouts, as has been 
described by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. When are we 
going to recognize that the investment in human resources is really the 
answer?
  Thank you, Mr. President, for understanding that.
  Theodore Roosevelt said:

       The man of great wealth owes a peculiar obligation to the 
     State, because he derives special advantage from the mere 
     existence of government.

  That is true. Wealth inequality must be fixed, and it must be fixed 
now. In the U.S., income inequality has been rising steadily over the 
past four decades, reaching levels not seen since the late 1920s.
  The President has signed an executive order, which I congratulate him 
on, understanding that you cannot live on less than $10 an hour. It 
needs to be more. That is investing in the American way. That is 
generating the jobs so that individuals can then spend their dollars 
and then more jobs are created.
  So tonight I don't want there to be a retrenching. I don't want us to 
be overwhelmed with this myth of debt and deficit so much so that we 
cannot invest in the education of our children and we can't fix the 
horrible situation of individuals not having access to higher 
education.
  Who in their right mind would continue to allow those who are 
chronically unemployed and need unemployment insurance to suffer, as 
they are doing? Who would allow four out of five beneficiaries who have 
at least one adult that they are taking care of, children that they are 
taking care of, or multiple adults, who would allow 50 percent of those 
who have a college education and 36 percent who have a high school 
education and are not able to get jobs, and not extend the unemployment 
benefits on an emergency basis? Who would allow the over 9 in 10 that 
live in households with a total income under $75,000 that need this 
extension of unemployment benefits so they can pay their rent or 
mortgage, who would allow such a crisis?
  We are doing it right here, and we should be optimistic.
  I have introduced legislation to extend unemployment for a whole 
year. It is an emergency. Then I introduced H.R. 3888, which indicates 
that those who are on unemployment benefits can get training to 
redirect their career with a stipend--their unemployment benefits do 
not cease--so that they can come back to what they want--the very 
stories that I listened to as I went to career recovery and resources 
fairs.
  Mr. Speaker, tonight, I will be optimistic. I will be optimistic for 
Maggie, a 25-year-old Army veteran who has to get food stamps. She 
makes $10 an hour, 6 days a week, in order to save for paramedic 
training. She is the very example of someone that we can provide that 
training for so she can invest in the community, even though she tried 
nursing but did not have the money to finish. Or, maybe I can speak of 
Ms. Aguilar, who lives in my State of Texas, which refuses to expand 
Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
  Where is the optimism, Mr. Speaker?
  So tonight, Mr. President, you do what is necessary for the optimism 
of this Nation. It is the greatest Nation in the world. We will stand 
with you as you invest in human resources, create jobs, provide 
unemployment extension, and raise the minimum wage to cure wealth 
inequality.

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