[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 60]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR A COLLECTIVE VISION IN REBUILDING AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. We begin the new year on the same sour note with 
which we concluded 2011--an appalling year, full of fabricated crises 
that didn't need to happen but which produced real-life consequences, 
the debt ceiling debacle being but one example. The Republican 
nomination of a Presidential candidate is showing the dark side of this 
new era of Super PACs and what happens when a party is captive to 
ideological extremists.
  Even if you're not a Republican, it's a sad indictment. We need two 
constructive, effective, responsible political parties, or at least as 
close as we can come. It is past time to respond to things that 
Americans need and support.
  It really doesn't need to be this hard.
  I would suggest that one test going forward would be dealing with 
issues that could be supported by both the Tea Party and the Occupy 
Wall Street protesters--both movements responses to a shared concern 
that Americans are being shortchanged, that America is on a path that 
is not sustainable, and of a political process that is unable to 
respond to their needs. Both movements are understandable and have 
valid concerns, that the political process is too often stacked against 
people trying to make changes in how we do business.
  The degree of overlap between the two narratives is very encouraging, 
and I think it is healthy that both have found political expression. 
The question is the extent to which people who identify with these 
movements can identify with each other and with practical, achievable 
responses.
  I think they can.
  This year, I hope that both sides of the aisle here in Congress will 
think about what those shared objectives might be.
  Agricultural reform ought to be at the very top of the list. We have 
a system that the right and the left can agree shortchanges most 
farmers and ranchers and is far too expensive. It is tilted towards 
large agribusiness, not to smaller operations--the quintessential 
family farm. We know we can do better to help more people while we save 
taxpayer money, improve the environment, and enhance the health of our 
children in dealing with school nutrition.
  Another major area of agreement deals with American leadership in 
helping the 2 billion poor people around the world who do not have 
access to safe drinking water or adequate sanitation or, tragically, to 
both. The United States has the potential to dramatically enhance the 
effectiveness of the work we are already doing and the money we are 
already spending. I am pleased we have bipartisan legislation with my 
friend Ted Poe from Texas as the lead Republican to enhance these 
international water and sanitation efforts.
  For years, I've been working to enhance the capacity of our health 
care system to help people when they are most vulnerable. This has 
commonly been referred to as ``end of life,'' but it is not just that--
it is much more. It is any time people are in difficult medical 
conditions, when they may lose control over what happens to them. We 
need to make sure that people understand their choices, are able to 
articulate what they and their families want, and that their health 
care wishes, whatever they may be, are respected.
  This bipartisan concept got caught up in the madness of the 2009 
political lie of the year--death panels--but it's now time to revisit 
it. It's overwhelmingly supported by the American people, including the 
Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street. It costs nothing, and will help 
enhance the well-being of our families.
  There is a golden opportunity to come together around a collective 
vision of rebuilding and renewing America. This is happening at the 
State and local levels as people are uniting around their visions and 
putting up money to achieve it. This is the fastest way to revitalize 
the economy and protect our quality of life, and the Federal Government 
should be playing.
  While I strongly support efforts to correct the distorting and, in 
some ways, corruption of the political process by avalanches of secret 
money that are now savaging Republican candidates for the Presidential 
nomination, there is another corrupting process that is taking place 
for which there are no constitutional barriers to remediate--the 
legislative redistricting process. In most States, it's a scandal where 
politicians pick the voters rather than voters being able to pick the 
politicians. We all ought to identify with reform efforts that are 
emerging in this area.
  These are five simple steps that don't cost money and certainly, in 
the long run, will save money while they enhance the integrity of the 
system. They can strengthen the economy while revitalizing the 
political process and addressing the frustrations of both Occupy Wall 
Street and the Tea Party.

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