[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 68 (Thursday, April 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H3586]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1115
                   RECOGNIZING HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kentucky (Mr. Massie) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MASSIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize outstanding 
students in my district from Highlands High School in Fort Thomas. 
These exceptional students competed in the ``We the People'' State-
level competition, and they will represent our State at the national 
competition here in D.C. this weekend. This is their 15th State 
championship win.
  The ``We the People'' program is directed by the Center for Civic 
Education, and its goal is to increase students' knowledge of 
constitutional history and government--I think some of my colleagues 
could stand to participate in this program--and to provide a foundation 
in civics education that will prepare them for future leadership roles.
  The program sponsors student debates and hearings. This year, some of 
the national hearing questions for discussion include: What are 
classical republicanism and natural rights philosophy, and how did they 
influence the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the 
Bill of Rights? How has the relationship among the three branches of 
government changed in the course of the history of our country? It has 
changed quite a bit.
  I am proud of my constituent students' hard work and dedication. I 
wish them the very best of luck in this competition this weekend and 
congratulate them for their outstanding work representing the State of 
Kentucky.


                 President Macron's Brand of Socialism

  Mr. MASSIE. Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I let the statements 
and the speech of our guest yesterday go unanswered. The President of 
France was here, right at this microphone, delivering his own brand of 
socialism. It is new and improved.
  We have all seen the inefficiencies of socialism play out in Europe 
over the decades and the horrors of national socialism. But the French 
President has a new brand of socialism that we are all supposed to be 
enamored with. I would call it global socialism, maybe even global 
corporate socialism.
  I hope none of my colleagues were seduced by his ideas. Ironically, 
they are motivated by fear, an irrational fear of the carbon dioxide 
molecule. Carbon dioxide is a necessary ingredient for all life on this 
planet.
  For instance, let me give you the equation for photosynthesis. 
Basically, plants take six CO2 molecules and react them with 
six water molecules, in the presence of sunlight, to create one sugar 
molecule and six oxygen molecules.
  Take CO2 off this planet, and what happens? Nearly 
everything dies and we die.
  So I think it is very interesting that this new socialism has a twist 
to it, this global socialism, and that is, it is motivated by an 
irrational fear of one of the two chemical compounds that form the 
basis of our food chain. Very ironic.
  It is also motivated by something else that the Europeans have had a 
penchant for for centuries, that has bankrupted nearly every country 
over there, and that is a penchant for war, for interventionism. Nearly 
all of them, at one point or time, have sought to build an empire.
  So the President of France was over here saying that we should also 
be interventionists; that we need to get involved in the Middle East 
more; that we need to be involved in all of the countries.
  I reject this. I would urge my colleagues to stick with the plan we 
have got. Stick with the policy that we have had since the beginning of 
this country. Stick with the Constitution. Stick with capitalism. Stick 
with the idea that if you build something you own it, and reject 
European socialism.

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