[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 20034]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     ADMINISTRATIVE OVER-REGULATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, it's an honor to follow my friend and 
colleague from California who's retiring at the end of the Congress, 
which is another year. Even though we disagree probably too many times 
to count, no one questions her passion and her commitment, and her 
moral consciousness of doing the right thing. So give me a chance to 
publicly state that, and I look forward to serving with you in the 
final year together.
  Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor to read a letter from a businessman 
in southwestern Illinois who is closing up the business.
  But even more timely than that was a Wall Street Journal editorial 
today. I mean, I was bringing the letter down anyway, so then I 
decided, looking at the Wall Street Journal editorial. And it's titled, 
``Regulation For Dummies.'' The White House says its rulemaking isn't 
costly or unusual. The evidence shows otherwise.
  First paragraph. ``The White House is on the political offensive, and 
one of its chief claims is that it isn't the over-regulator of business 
and Republican lore. This line has been picked up by an impressionable 
columnist, so it's a good time to consider the evidence in some 
detail.'' So they go through the analysis.
  It ends up by saying the evidence is so overwhelming that the Obama 
regulatory surge is one reason the current economic recovery has been 
so lackluster by historical standards. Rather than nurture an economy 
trying to rebuild confidence after the financial heart attack, the 
administration pushed through its now famous blitz of liberal policies 
on health care, financial services, energy, housing, education, and 
student loans, telecom, labor relations, transportation, and probably 
some other industries we've forgotten. Anyone who thinks this has only 
minimal impact on business has never been in business.
  Now, the column was dated December 14. This letter was dated December 
7.
  ``You are the finest customer that we have served or you are one of 
the finest professionals that have served these customers.
  ``After 61 years, of which 58 were wonderful years in the 
construction business and having been associated with the greatest of 
people, it's with much sadness and disappointment that we have to 
announce that we will be closing December 31, 2011.
  ``You all know that we served the private sector. We've enjoyed 
working with industry, aviation, and all private businesses and 
entrepreneurs. We always felt that you were the pulse of the whole USA. 
It's sad to say that, through no fault of yours, that this pulse has 
slowed to a level that can no longer sustain the quality of service we 
have always felt obligated and more desired to provide.
  ``Our government is wonderful in that it provides for our common 
defense, our highway infrastructures and a few other worthy endeavors. 
However, they are, in fact an expense, an expense that we should enjoy 
funding. Though when they lose sight of the true fact that we in the 
private enterprise pay the bills and do not support an environment in 
which we can flourish with the fruits of our hard work, the funding 
will soon cease to exist.
  ``Government cannot produce revenue or prosperity, but they, like us, 
could enjoy both if they look at themselves as any other hired service 
organization that has to be worth the money they are getting paid. 
That's the way all of us have to operate and what gives us pride in 
what we do.
  ``God bless you. Thank you. And we pray that we all find American 
leadership to restore the pulse and pressure of the great private 
sector and the American Entrepreneur again. You are the Heartbeat of 
America. Again, God bless you.''
  And so, these two written, one column, one letter, occurring 
simultaneously almost, highlighting the point that it is this 
regulatory regime pushed on by the executive branch that is, if not 
outright destroying jobs, it's making it very difficult for jobs to 
flourish. That's why in the bill last night we moved the Keystone XL 
pipeline, connected with the Boiler MACT. That's why we've done some 
other bills to, at least legislatively, put barriers into the excesses 
of the regulatory regime here from the executive branch.
  Mr. Speaker, I think this was timely to come down to the floor and 
share this letter, and I thank you for the time.

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