[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 69]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            A NATION UNIFIED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Let me join with my colleagues to wish some 
of our distinguished Americans a happy birthday in this month, but more 
importantly, let me acknowledge and salute both Muhammad Ali and First 
Lady Michelle Obama in celebrating their birthdays this month.
  I've listened to my colleagues speak about the question of job 
creation, and they're absolutely right. As Democrats, we've come back 
to do nothing but to ensure the passage of the payroll tax decrease for 
working Americans and, as well, to be able to provide for jobs for this 
country and our communities. My constituents have spoken loudly and 
clearly, so I have several points, Mr. Speaker, that I would like to 
make today. Some of them wind back to the culture and how we work 
together.
  First of all, I'm hoping that as a member of the Judiciary Committee 
here in the House we'll have an opportunity to look seriously at the 
SOPA legislation and find a compromise. I've worked on the issues of 
piracy from the time late-Chairman Henry Hyde served on that committee, 
and I am concerned about it. But in this new world of startups and 
technology that is beyond many times our comprehension, it is important 
to ensure that we do not falsely or inappropriately shut down sites or 
stop businesses from thriving. There must be a compromise. I am 
prepared to be at the table of discussion to save jobs.
  The U.S. is losing high-tech jobs to Asia. In fact, the United States 
lost more than a quarter of its high-tech manufacturing jobs during the 
past decade as U.S.-based multinational companies placed a growing 
percentage of their R&D overseas. I am here to fight for that R&D to 
come back. I, frankly, believe those are the jobs of the 21st century 
and that it is time for us to fight for those jobs to come back.
  Mr. Speaker, we can do many things together. That happens to be one, 
and I hope to encourage the high-tech industry and others to join me as 
we proceed with roundtable discussions to see how we can impact all of 
our communities, those communities that have unemployment at the 
highest levels. We know that there are jobs in the high-tech industry, 
not only in the famous Silicon Valley in California, but in places 
around the Nation. Houston, Texas, is looking with complete and great 
excitement at the potential of building our biotech and, of course, 
technology sectors more and more and more. Let's save those jobs.
  I want to move to something that is quite contrary to what I've just 
mentioned, but the reason I started with something on which we could 
work together is because I'm concerned. In this element of political 
campaigns, this atmosphere, I have no challenge with the First 
Amendment and with those who are trying to encourage individuals to 
vote and to vote for them. But I rise today in the backdrop of the 
commemoration of Dr. King's birthday, which really speaks to all 
Americans' hearts.
  No matter what your background, Dr. King spoke of peace, nonviolence, 
and harmony in this country. I love that. I am a product of that. I was 
educated by way of opportunities that had not been given to my parents. 
Yet we find candidates like Newt Gingrich who simply want to throw fuel 
on the fire of racial divide to develop sort of an explosiveness in 
this country that is unnecessary.
  To suggest that President Obama is the ``food stamp President'' has 
underlying suggestions. To be able to say that the idea of substituting 
a New York janitor who makes $37,000 and put a bunch of kids to work--
the New York school district is predominantly minority, Latino and 
African American--is by its very words divisive and destructive. And to 
insinuate that poor communities and minority children have never seen 
people get up, go to work and work hard--come to my district and see 
people getting up in the early morning hours, single parents working 
hard to create opportunities for their children.
  Mr. Gingrich, I know you. You are better than that, and if not, 
America is better than that. I am incensed by your words.
  Mr. Paul, our colleague, another candidate who is running for 
President, has a series of newsletters that have already been appalling 
to those of us who cannot understand why racial divisiveness has to be 
at the core of Presidential politics. Now we understand that there is a 
comparison in these newsletters about 13-year-old African American 
boys: that they are wild and unmanageable. If you say that about our 
children, they will come to believe it.
  I am literally appalled that our Presidential politics, Mr. Speaker, 
has to be grounded in racial divisiveness. Dr. King wants us as a 
Nation to be unified. I call upon the Presidential candidates to get 
out of the dungeon and to rise to your higher angels on behalf of the 
American people--speak of unity not divisiveness. Our troops fight for 
all of us, and for justice and equality for all.

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