Hank Johnson

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I present the following U.S. Citizen of Distinction. Whereas, our lives have been touched by the life of this one woman who has given of herself to her family, church, community, and nation; and Whereas, Mrs. Barbara Jean Levett's good works are present in Conyers, Georgia as an exemplary mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, neighbor, community worker, business owner and friend; and Whereas, this giant of a woman, who was raised up in Atlanta, Georgia, was born on January 1, 1933, to the late Mrs. Lillie Frances Bailey Fears; and Whereas, Barbara Jean Levett (faithfully known as Tootsie) was a virtuous woman, a woman of great integrity who remained true to the uplifting of her community and family which in turn uplifted others; and Whereas, she was an exemplary matriarch, serving as compass and wise counselor and bringing great joy to our district, her family and friends; and Whereas, Mrs. Barbara Jean Levett loved her family, encouraging all of those around her to make a difference, be it her children, her elected officials, her neighbors and her church members at Rock Temple A.M.E Church in Conyers, Georgia where she was a faithful member; and Whereas, this remarkable woman gave of herself, never asking for fame or fortune as she became a quiet storm, a spark that starts a flame; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to bestow a Congressional Recognition on Mrs. Barbara Jean Levett for her leadership, friendship and service to all of the citizens of Conyers and the nation; Now therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr., do hereby attest to the 112th Congress that Mrs. Barbara Jean Levett of Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia is deemed worthy and deserving of this ``Congressional Recognition'' Mrs. Barbara Jean Levett, U.S. Citizen of Distinction. Proclaimed, this 9th day of November, 2012.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following Proclamation. Whereas, Bishop Robert Lee Williams, Sr., and Straight Life Church of God Pentecostal, Inc., are celebrating the elevating of Bishop Williams to Chief Apostle after years of pastoral and stellar leadership to his church and our community; and Whereas, Chief Apostle Williams, under the guidance of God has pioneered and sustained Straight Life Church of God Pentecostal, Inc., as an instrument in our community that uplifts the spiritual, physical and mental welfare of our citizens; and Whereas, this remarkable and tenacious man of God has given hope to the hopeless and is a beacon of light to those in need; and Whereas, Chief Apostle Williams is a spiritual warrior, a man of compassion, a fearless leader and a servant to all, but most of all a visionary who has shared not only with his Church, but with our District and the nation his passion to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and congratulate Chief Apostle Williams as he is elevated to this position of great recognition and great responsibility in pastoral leadership; Now therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim November 11, 2012 as Chief Apostle Robert L. Williams, Sr. Day in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, this 11th day of November, 2012.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following Proclamation. Whereas, One hundred years ago a tenacious man of God was born in Screven County, Georgia on November 8, 1912; and Whereas, Mr. Lee Van Oliver was blessed to have ten siblings, he grew up in Georgia attending school in the local school system and moved to Savannah, Georgia at an early age; he worked in several industries in Savannah; International Paper, the Shipyard, Sears & Roebuck, Smith & Kelly; and Whereas, Mr. Oliver has shared his time and talents as a Husband, Long Shore man, Uncle, Brother and Motivator, giving the citizens of Georgia a person of great worth, a fearless leader and a servant to all who wants to advance the lives of others; and Whereas, Mr. Oliver has been blessed with a long, happy life, devoted to God and credits it all to the Will of God; and Whereas, Mr. Oliver along with his family and friends are celebrating this day a remarkable milestone, his 100th Birthday, we pause to acknowledge a man who is a cornerstone in our community; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and recognize Mr. Oliver on his birthday and to wish him well and recognize him for an exemplary life which is an inspiration to all; Now therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim November 8, 2012 as Mr. Lee Van ``L.V.'' Oliver Day in the 4th Congressional District of Georgia. Proclaimed, this 8th day of November, 2012.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank the conferees for including in the NDAA language I authored to help prevent tragic cases of suicide among members of the military. Military suicides are, sadly, increasing, with 280 suicides this year in the Active Duty and Reserve Army alone. The new language would allow military commanding officers and mental health professionals to talk to troubled servicemembers about their personal firearms and encourage them to safely store those weapons in a military facility or by means of a gun lock. The prohibition of such confidential dialogue, which this language repeals, prevented potentially lifesaving conversations between counselors and servicemembers. We owe it to our soldiers and their families and their loved ones to do everything we can to help them, and this language is a small step in that direction.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, for the great job he has done as Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 112th Congress. As the 20th chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Cleaver has benefited from the legacy of many great leaders from our past. A legacy that includes inspiring leaders like Shirley Chisholm, the first African American female Member to be elected to Congress, Charles Diggs, Jr., the first Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and the late great Congressman Donald Payne from New Jersey. I can say with great sincerity, that Congressman Cleaver has established a legacy of his own. During his tenure as CBC Chairman Congressman Cleaver has sought to fight the pervasive job loss in the African American community by promoting the CBC jobs initiative. Chairman Cleaver has led Members of the Congressional Black Caucus across the country, where we have called upon private and public sector partners to immediately remedy the jobs crisis by going into communities with legitimate employment opportunities for the undeserved. Under Representative Cleaver's leadership, the CBC has hosted town hall meetings and job fairs in the hardest hit, economically distressed areas to provide opportunities for people to be connected to real employment. When Republican state legislators decided to pass egregious voter I.D. laws to undermine the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Congressman Cleaver made sure that the Congressional Black Caucus was at the forefront of the fight to educate the voting public about these laws, and stop them in their tracks. After working under the leadership of Congressman Cleaver for the last two years, I can attest with great confidence that he has shown a natural aptitude for strong leadership, with a clear vision that will serve as a great example for future CBC Chairmen for years to come. I think my colleagues would agree with me when I say--Congressman Cleaver, you have served well. Thank you for your commitment and your tireless effort on behalf of the CBC. I look forward to working with you, and continuing to ``fight the good fight'' in the 113th Congress.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. On behalf of the citizens of the Fourth Congressional District of Georgia, I wish to extend our condolences to the people of the great State of Connecticut. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Mr. Speaker, unless this Congress acts, taxes will go up on the middle class by $2,200 starting in January 2013. As time is wasted, tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans are being held hostage in order to give more tax breaks to the wealthy. It is ridiculous to hold the whole Nation hostage to protect the top 2 percent of Americans, and it is more egregious to continue offering plans that would balance the budget on the backs of the middle class. I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle to extend the middle class tax cuts, sending the American people a hopeful message of compromise during this holiday season.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 6014, the Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act of 2012. I strongly support measures to increase our public safety, and the rationale behind the bill is laudable. I care about using DNA evidence in criminal prosecutions in order to solve crimes and to convict wrongdoers. I also appreciate the fact that DNA can many times clear persons, even persons who have been wrongfully convicted; but there is much doubt, Mr. Speaker, surrounding whether or not the DNA collection of arrested persons is good policy, let alone constitutional. By providing more incentives to extract DNA at arrests, this bill promotes restrictions on civil liberties, which are restrictions we do not and should not tolerate as a society, and it undermines the very criminal justice system it seeks to strengthen. Unlike collecting the DNA from a convicted felon, collecting DNA samples during arrests violates the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. I sincerely doubt that the Framers intended the Fourth Amendment to allow the State to hold a person's genetic blueprint without first finding that person guilty of a crime. Although the bill provides for the expungement of DNA profiles, it only does so after lengthy procedures undertaken by an innocent person. Moreover, it does not address the physical DNA samples that would remain in storage. We should not permit our government, Mr. Speaker, to hold DNA samples of arrested persons forever, despite the fact that the arrestee was never convicted of a crime. To keep these DNA samples under these circumstances is the essence of violating the arrested person's right to privacy. There can be no more fundamental right to privacy than that which exists in the DNA profile of a person. One should not give up that right to privacy in one's DNA profile simply because one has been arrested. Not only is this inconsistent with our fundamental beliefs, but DNA profiling of arrestees diverts resources away from DNA profiles with far greater impact on aiding investigations. I'm also concerned that this practice would perpetuate the current racial disparities in our criminal justice system. As more minority DNA profiles are included in databases, more minorities are potential suspects, regardless of their actual guilt. We cannot allow this injustice to blossom in a free country where people are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. It's only a few, like Sheldon Adelson, the Koch brothers, who want to control the public policy apparatus. They want to control government so that they can have government to make them more money. That's all they're interested in is themselves, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Then as to Medicare, they want to turn that into a voucher program and put a 1 percent cap, I think, on the cost- of-living increase and then give that in the form of a voucher to people so that they can go out and purchase insurance on the open market.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Yes. It seems to be a concerted attack on that social safety net that has made us such a great civilization, which is that we take care of each other. It's an attack on that. It's in accordance with a philosophy of laissez-faire economics.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Representative Schakowsky, I think it's wrong that we would tell people who have paid into the Social Security system throughout their lives that now you're going to move the goalpost and put a couple of years more on there before eligibility, that you're going to up the age of eligibility.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Always my pleasure, Representative Schakowsky, to be with you. You are such a staunch advocate for the middle class, the working poor, the poor. You are a champion for the people, so I'm happy to be here with you and happy to share some time with you. But first I wanted to express the fact that last night I came in to do a Special Order on the situation happening in Michigan where a surprise attack, a sneak attack, by the right-wingers resulted in the passage of legislation which I won't refer to as right-to-work legislation, it's more appropriately named crush-the-union legislation. I came up last night to the floor to speak on that issue. As I am prone to do, I use a lot of analogies, and so last night I used an analogy that some find offensive. And I certainly was not meaning to be offensive or use a derogatory term. Everybody knows what the N word is. The N word, Mr. Speaker, is used to describe a group of people. And the N word used to be fashionable, or it used to be socially acceptable to use the N word. But, now, we don't say the N word. We refer to that word as ``the N word.'' I had never heard of the M word, Representative Schakowsky. The M word is a word also that describes a group of people. It, at one time, had been commonly used as a descriptive term. It was, at one time, socially acceptable. But to my discovery, just within the last 12 hours or so, I have found that the use of the M word is no longer socially acceptable. Now, the M word refers to a group of people, the little people. But when we say ``little people'' I'm not talking about the Leona Helmsley little people. I'm not talking about the 47 percent. I'm not talking about the takers instead of the makers, as some would describe them. I'm not talking about the middle class, working people, poor people, working poor people. That's not what is meant by the ``little people'' term. It really refers to a medical condition. ``Dwarfism'' is the name of that medical condition. And sometimes I guess one can even say ``abnormally small people.'' I like that term better than ``dwarfism.'' So, I wanted to say to all of those who may have been offended by my use of the ``M word,'' I want you to know that it was out of ignorance and not spite or hatred that I used that term. And please know that I will never use that term again. I will never use that term again.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. That's correct. It is a learning moment for me and perhaps many others out there. But I'll tell you, if you want to find out more about little people or abnormally small people or unusually small people, there is a Web site, there is a group actually called the Little People of America, and their Web site is at lpaonline.org. I went to that Web site this morning and looked through it, and I have been awakened to the sensitivities involved. And so anyone who I offended has my deepest apology. But, the analogy that I used, even though it used the wrong wording, was a great analogy in my personal opinion. And it is understood that when you put a big fish, a predatory fish, into a bowl with a small fish, that small fish has to learn how to get along with that big fish or else they'll get eaten. That's what the organization known as ALEC is all about, because it puts the legislators, individual legislators, in a group setting with the corporations, the big fish. And those legislators who are members of ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, they get together, and they do the work of the corporate big fish who are members of that organization. So last night, that's what we were talking about, and I'm going to yield back to Representative Schakowsky to resume this discussion, and I will participate as I can.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. They want to do that for Medicare as well. That Paul Ryan budget would actually decimate the Medicaid system. They just want to whack off a third of the Federal funding and then turn it into a block grant program.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Social Security is one of the hallmarks of American civilization. It civilizes us where we can have a mechanism where we all come together to contribute our money into a pool as we work; and when we retire, we have a way of avoiding the poorhouse; we have a way of living out our lives with dignity and with comfort. You've paid your dues, you deserve to live out your retirement in a comfortable way. You put the money in, and you will get the money out. And as you say, we've never missed a payment and never will. It being a hallmark of our civilization, it is something that many other countries have yet to put in place for their people. They have yet to see the wisdom, as our past leaders have seen, that you lose and your society weakens in accordance with how you treat your elderly and how you treat your children and how you treat the disabled. They also are able to get Social Security benefits. So it helps people. It's our social safety net. This is a collective. It's a mechanism whereby the whole supports each other, the weakest of these, if you will. Social Security is not broke, nor is the Federal Government. The Federal Government is not broke. It has had to borrow money. And when we say borrow money, we really mean we offer Treasurys out to the public to purchase, and we pay interest on those instruments. When an investor feels good about how solid the American system is, they want to put money into it. They want to put money into it because they know that this is the safest place to invest money. They know that they'll be able to get their money out when they want to take it out. They know that they will get their money back with the interest that has been promised to them.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. People have confidence in America. It's because of our civilization, and it's because of the forward thinking of our past leaders. It is our responsibility to continue that sense of responsibility to the people--not to the leaders, not to the chosen few, but to the people. We the people established this government, and it's ironic that people have now been turned against government as an institution. They believe that government is the problem. They've been led to believe that government is the problem. Sometimes government does have problems or causes problems; but I can tell you that in the history of this country, the American Government has been phenomenal. That is why we're the greatest country in the world. That is why we are the freest country in the world and we are the most prosperous Nation in the world. We are not broke. Our Social Security trust fund is not broke. It's solvent. And the bills that we have to pay, we will definitely pay as we always have. It makes sense to borrow money now, by the way, if you can get it for 1 percent or 2 percent, and you can then use those funds to put people back to work in this economy, which is in need of a shot in the arm. I might point out, though, that unemployment is down to 7.7 percent, the first time since between 2007 or 2008 and despite the vigor that has been used in trying to suppress it by politicians in this body, despite their efforts to keep the economy from moving forward so that they could elect a President that they wanted to elect. They wanted to make our current President look bad, so they did everything they could to thwart action to make the economy better, but it has gotten better despite their efforts. I was really hoping that post-election we would see a change in the direction of my friends on the other side of the aisle in terms of being responsible about government and our responsibility to make sure that government works of, by, and for the people. I was hoping that we would see a difference. We still have time, Representative Schakowsky. We still have time. It's not the end of the year. I, myself, I would like to be home for Christmas like everyone else, but my highest duty and responsibility is to be here and to help this Nation move away from this dangerous fiscal cliff that is coming up. The fiscal cliff is actually here, and there is a lot that we agree on in terms of avoiding that fiscal cliff. But it seems like the thing that is holding it up is the top 2 percent, just wanting to preserve the expiring tax cuts for those top 2 percent. They would do that at the expense of the 98 percent that we all agree that we need to extend the tax cuts for. I just don't understand why it's going to take so long for us to----

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Into that Social Security.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. We definitely do. I think we've spent about 1\1/2\ percent per year of the Federal budget on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 1958 up until a few years ago. Can you imagine if the United States Government had left it up to private industry to achieve what happened in 1969, which was that we landed a spaceship, with men inside, and stepped foot on the Moon? Now, some who are not particularly scientifically astute will say, Well, what do we get out of going to the Moon? I, not being the most astute scientist myself, wouldn't be able to explain all of the benefits that society has enjoyed as a result of that victory and as a result of the space program that has continued, but I will tell you that, at this point after 50 years of investment, we've now entrusted the private sector to continue the exploration of outer space, and private industry is going to take us further than we have been. So that is the role of government. It's a support structure. It's an investment in the lives of the people.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. It's not profitable at this time for private industry to invest in such a new way of producing energy. There's no profit in it, so they won't do it. Government has the leadership and the vision to understand where we need to go, how we need to take our people into the future. We--the public policy apparatus, the government, we the people, the government being of us--have a responsibility not just to enhance short-term profits; we have a responsibility as a government to plan and prepare for the future of this great Nation. We also have an inherent responsibility to lead the world. We're all in this world together. We all are going to breathe the same air. We're all going to drink from the same pool of water that exists on this planet. So we being the greatest Nation in the world are really shirking our responsibility by reducing government down to the size where you can drown it in a bathtub. I think that's the analogy that Grover Norquist used. If you did that, where would America be? How would we have built the Interstate Highway System?

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Yes. A Republican, by the way, 1958, I believe it was, decided that this country needed an interstate highway system. Where would we be if we had not committed the dollars to get that done? When we did that, it was an investment in the future prosperity of this Nation to link cities, towns, and States with a way, a mode of transportation. They did that in the 1800s with the railroad system, another situation where the Federal Government supplied the seed money and gave away the land to help it become a profitable industry.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. That's what it's all about. Government is the entity which primes the economic pump through which prosperity then flows. So we're now at a point, though, where: Are we going to turn everything over to the big businesses, and are we going to reduce the ability of people to be able to come together in a workplace and bargain collectively? Are we going to take steps to eliminate people from voting so that those who are the chosen ones can elect the people of their choice, and all of the rest of the people are just supposed to expect to be treated benevolently by those who are seeking to exploit the capital, the human capital, and make as much money as they can? At whose expense is that?

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Actually, since 1979, the income, or the after-tax income, of the top 2 percent has increased by about 372 percent, if I recall the correct number, 372 to 378, while, as you say, regular working people, the middle class, their incomes have remained flat. It's actually a redistribution of the wealth of the country.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. We have to stimulate, as government does, economic vitality. We can do that. It has been done repeatedly throughout the history of this country. A great example is the recent $787 billion stimulus that was passed back in, I think, 2007.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Yes, with the big checks. And they were actually clamoring for that Federal money, and it made an important difference. It allowed States and local governments to retain teachers and firefighters, police officers, construction workers. You know, the whole nine. That's, in part, the reason why we have such an uptick in our economy, however modest it might be right now. That $787 billion stimulus has made a difference, and I'm glad.