House Chamber, Washington D.C., April 29, 2010.  Text.
 

House Chamber, Washington D.C.
April 29, 2010

Mr. Speaker:

 Proponents have a problem.  They want statehood for Puerto Rico.  But in 1998, the majority voted no.

 What to do?

 Replace a straight-forward up or down vote with a two-step process.

 If 40 percent support the Commonwealth, and 20 percent favor each of three alternatives, the overwhelming plurality is defeated on the first ballot and left only to chose among three options they do not support.

 Then stuff the ballot box by letting non-Puerto Ricans vote as long as they were born there.  That means as a Californian, I should be entitled to vote in New York’s elections because I was born there. 

 This bill isn’t needed for a referendum: Puerto Rico can do that on its own.  The purpose of this bill is to place a Congressional imprimatur on this rigged election that has no legal effect, no moral validity, and that promises only to set off bitter divisions within the Puerto Rican Commonwealth.

House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  April 27, 2010.  M. Speaker: 

During the recent health debate, the Speaker ominously said, “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.”

They passed it.  And now we’re finding out what’s in it.

They told us it would keep costs down.  Now they admit health costs will soar by $311 billion, increasing to 21 percent of GDP by 2019.

They told us if you like your plan, you can keep it.  Now they admit seniors on Medicare advantage could lose their plans.  Companies that offer health plans to their employees and retirees are considering dropping them.

They told us it would be good for the economy.  Now they admit employers were correct to downgrade their earnings by billions of dollars that ultimately will come out of employee’s wages and benefits.

This issue is not going away.  It will continue to plague those responsible until they replace it, or until they, themselves are replaced.

House Chamber, Washington, D.C.
April 27, 2010.  Text.
 

  Representative Tom McClintock Presented with the
Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Award given to members of Congress for supporting legislation critical to the American business community

          Washington, D.C. – Representative Tom McClintock (R – Granite Bay) today received the Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  The award is given annually to members of Congress for supporting legislation critical to the American business community.

          “Commerce is the life’s blood of our economy,” said Representative McClintock.  “No great civilization has risen without great commerce, and no civilization has endured that has not protected and defended its commerce.  That is why I am honored to receive this award.”

          This is the twenty-second year that the U.S. Chamber has formally honored members of Congress with its “Spirit of Enterprise” award based on rankings for key business votes.  The awards given today were in recognition of votes in the First Session of the 111th Congress.
 
          “The business community depends on solid partnerships on Capitol Hill to help grow the economy and create new jobs for hardworking Americans,” Tom Donohue, Chamber president and CEO, said.  “This award recognizes those lawmakers who have demonstrated leadership on important business issues.

          “The Chamber applauds Representative McClintock for supporting the private sector and job growth through these difficult times, said Donohue.  “He has demonstrated great courage and we commend him.”

          The U.S. Chamber is the world’s largest business federation and represents more than three million business and organizations.

# # #
 

Representative Tom McClintock (CA-04) issued the following statement in response to the introduction of legislation that will provide for a federal government takeover of all bodies of water in the United States. 

The legislation, H.R. 5088 by Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN), seeks to increase the federal government’s jurisdiction over water from “navigable” waterways, to include all inland waters, including irrigation canals and small ponds.  

“At a time when rural America is already under attack from impossibly complicated and costly regulations and aggressive environmental activists, the last thing we need is an expansion of government authority.  The Democrat Majority is trying to have it both ways, they claim to be concerned about job loss in our weakened economy at the same time they introduce a bill that will kill jobs and make it more expensive for Americans to do business.  This expansion of the Clean Water Act isn’t about cleaner water, it’s a political giveaway to the environmental left in an attempt to stomp the last bit of life from rural Americans already struggling to survive within the existing regulatory and permitting framework.”