[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 59 (Thursday, April 4, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           FIGHTING AGAINST SOCIALISM IS A FIGHT WORTH HAVING

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                           HON. PAUL A. GOSAR

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 4, 2019

  Mr. GOSAR. Madam Speaker, as we watch the human tragedy that is 
Venezuela, it should be a stark reminder to everyone that socialism 
does nothing but destroy the lives of the people while enriching the 
elites. A recent report out of Venezuela reminded me of a Milton 
Friedman quote. The famed economist said, ``If you put the federal 
government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there'd be a 
shortage of sand.'' These are the words playing out in Venezuela right 
now.
   Venezuela has the world's largest proven reserves of oil, yet the 
socialists in charge cannot keep the lights on, nor supply the nation 
with gasoline for their vehicles. It gets worse for the people of 
Venezuela as there are now potable water shortages. Keep in mind, 
Venezuela has over 1,500 miles of coastline and part of the country is 
a rainforest. But the socialist rulers cannot seem to build 
desalination plants nor transport its vast water resources to the 
people that need it.
   Venezuela's current crisis reinforces my fight to make sure the 
United States has an all of the above energy grid. To function 
properly, a nation needs a variety of fuel sources, some renewables, 
some nuclear, some hydro, some carbon based. That is a reality for a 
mature economy and civilization.
   I fight against rabid environmentalists who want to shut down every 
coal plant, every gas plant, every nuclear plant and dismantle our dams 
and hydro power. They accuse of me of wanting to destroy the 
environment, which is a defamatory lie. What is apparent is the 
leftists in this country want to destroy our civilization, our 
affordable energy and our prosperity. They want to do to the United 
States what the same environmentalists and leftists have done to 
Venezuela--leave us without electricity, without food, without water, 
without communications.
   The emerging socialist movement in this country is an imminent risk 
of harm to everything that has made us the leader of the free world. 
The socialists in this country present a clear and present danger to 
our health and well-being and should be fought at every opportunity.
   Our fathers and grandfathers fought against socialists. They fought 
and died to make sure the United States remained free, capitalist and 
prosperous. Let the lessons of Venezuela, Cuba, the Soviet Union and 
other socialist countries that have failed miserably, and inflict death 
and harm to millions, teach us to promptly reject U.S. socialists and 
their harmful ideology, their useful idiocy, and their malevolence.

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