[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15161]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          VOICE OF TEXAS: ELM

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Elm from Houston, Texas, wrote me 
this:

       My grandparents immigrated to the United States from the 
     Philippines in the sixties. They spoke no English, had very 
     little money and virtually no contacts, yet they were able to 
     create a legacy. They legally became American citizens. They 
     built a strong life and worked hard. Our family became 
     successful through self-dedication, self-worth, self-drive, 
     and self-perseverance--similar to many immigrants before 
     them. We did this without the help and having to rely on 
     government handouts or legislative attempts to redistribute 
     wealth through mass programs. In return, our family gave back 
     to this great country. Since then, we have had four 
     generations of military service in the United States Navy or 
     the United States Army. We worked hard. We beat adversity. We 
     gave back and we served this country.

  Mr. Speaker, Elm and Elm's family worked hard for their American 
Dream. This is an immigrant success story in spite of and without the 
help of big, oppressive government.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________