Mike Kelly

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. Madam Chairman, I thank the chairman for the hard work on this vital appropriations bill. I met with some veterans back in Butler on Tuesday morning, and their concern is with the Butler campus and the building of a new health care center. Now, here's where the questions come. Specifically, they want to know why the VA would build a brand new, $16 million health care center while the existing facility, Building Number 1, was recently renovated, upgraded, and provides roughly 70,000 more square feet than the new health care center. The decision to build the new health care center was done with no public hearing, which the VA readily admits. And according to local veterans, the VA failed to provide a forum for their input. Now, veterans in my district would like to be reassured that the services they currently receive will be met and exceeded without any disruption in continuity. Many would like to know why a new facility is being built when the current facilities could have been further upgraded, and the potential savings could have been used to improve the quality of the service provided. The VA should respond to the veteran community with reassurances that the care and service at the Butler VA is being enhanced, not diminished by the construction of a new health care center.

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. I thank the gentleman. In a perfect world we wouldn't be having this discussion. And in my office, I have a really attractive little snow globe that is very nice. You turn it upside down and the snow drifts down on this beautiful little scene in Washington. It would be nice if the global economy worked that way. But actually, we're in a global economy that you'd better be able to swim with the sharks, and you better have the same set of teeth that they have. So when we talk about the Ex-Im Bank and the advantages of what we're trying to put together for our companies, we're asking these people, we're urging them, and we're encouraging them to make capital investments to go out and hire people and expand their markets. And we're saying, We're going to send you into battle, but by the way, you're not going to have the same tools and the same weapons that other people have. So this is such a commonsense approach to what we're facing. Again, I say in a snow-globe world it would be wonderful to sit back, where everybody played by the rules, everybody played fair, and we could compete on an equal basis without everybody getting gamed. That's not the way it works. We know what we need to do. If we're really going to create jobs, if we're going to move this economy, if we're going to do the things that we need to do to create the revenues that we need to create to fund this wonderful government of ours, then we've got to look at this Ex-Im bill and pass it.

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, this week we're very busy in the House, and last night we didn't get out until well beyond midnight. But there's also something that's happening this week that's very important not only to this body, but the whole Nation, and that's Mother's Day. The father of our Nation, George Washington, said of his mother: All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her. The role a mother plays in her child's life is unlike anything else. She is the life-giver, the caregiver, and the source of strength and guidance throughout her children's life. She wipes away the tears, she cleans the scrapes, and heals the hurts we all experience. And not just through our childhood, but beyond. We owe everything to our moms, and they deserve the recognition and respect they've rightly earned. My mother raised my brothers and sisters and me with a level of tenderness shown by no other. She taught us the virtues of hard work, humility, and selflessness by living each of those virtues herself. My mom is no longer with me, but this weekend I will celebrate her and remember and honor the legacy she and every mother leaves behind. Our Nation must always value the work that mothers do and their incalculable contribution to our society. If we ever fail to recognize the work both inside and outside the home, then we begin to lose sight and the strength of our Nation. Without our moms, we fail to realize the promise within each of us, for they are our greatest supporters. They are central to our lives and vital to our success. Happy Mother's Day to every mother in America. We thank you, and we honor you for your invaluable service, endless love, and sacrifice.

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution. Having had the opportunity to visit Israel last summer, I think that Netanyahu put it best when he says: In this region of the world, we are you and you are us. We not only share the same value systems, we share the same beliefs and the same threats that Israel faces, not just from time to time but every day. So it is absolutely critical for this partnership that we have, the relationship between the United States and Israel, to go forward. And the message needs to come from this House that from today and forever more, the United States will always be standing strong with Israel, standing with Israel in every issue. And in the neighborhood which has been referred to by our colleagues that Israel exists in, the most dangerous and unstable area in the world today, it is absolutely critical that we reaffirm our relationship with Israel and our support for Israel. The Iron Dome is actually the most critical piece of defense that Israel has. It protects it from a neighborhood that wishes to destroy it and annihilate it.

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. KELLY. I would like to thank my friend from New York (Mr. Reed). Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the things that are certain in life. People always say there's two things you can be certain of. One is death and the other is taxes. There's another one that we're going to be certain of after January 1, and that is you're going to continue to pay taxes after death. In a government that borrows 42 cents of every dollar it spends, it comes as no surprise that we can't even let the dead relax. They're still going to be taxed beyond what they ever could have possibly imagined in real life. So we look at a country that now has the highest corporate tax in the industrial world; we're going to have the highest or the second highest death tax in the world. And why? Because of a town that's never learned to do what it tells all of its citizens to do: live within your means, play fair, pay your fair share. Well, I would just suggest to you that, in addition to that, what we're telling people is, look, you don't have the certainty anymore that you have planned your estate the right way, because after January 1 this government is going to come up with heavier taxes on its citizens--not the ones that are on the ground and living, but the ones that have already died, that have paid their fair share, that have played within the rules, that have done everything they're supposed to do as good citizens of this great country. They're going to be told at the end of their life that you cannot go to your final resting place in peace. No. Everything that you have accumulated in your life and already paid taxes on is going to be taxed again. And who is it that's going to face that burden? All those people that we tried to work so hard for, that we tried to put things aside for. Our children and our grandchildren are facing a hockey stick of spending that goes up and off the charts. Again, a country that cannot live within its own means, and yet an administration that tells its citizenry you have to pay your fair share, the rich are not paying their fair share. Listen, farms are not only going to go away because those assets are going to have to be liquidated to pay death taxes, small businesses are also going to be harmed by this new tax. They're going to have to liquidate in order to pay the estate taxes that are left over after somebody has worked their whole life, paid their fair share, done what they're supposed to do, lived within their means. But that's not enough. That's not enough for this administration. They will continue to rip off from your pocket after death that which you have worked so hard to earn over your lifetime. There is nothing more prickly; not even the sharpest cactus in the desert has more prickly pins on it than this law and this rule in the way it's coming. So I would just say to all my friends, if it's really about being fair, if it's really about playing by the rules, if it's really about a stewardship where you take what is given to you and you pass it on to the next generation in better shape than you got it, my goodness, how have we strayed so far from a basic American principle as that? How have we strayed so far as to tell those who have worked so hard in their lifetime that even in their death they cannot rest, they cannot be assured of that which they have worked so hard in order to pass on to the next generation is going to be vulnerable? Fifty-five percent tax on your estate. The liquidation of family farms, the liquidation of family businesses, the liquidation of the dreams of our children and grandchildren, all of them go up in smoke as this tsunami of tax increases that this administration will be forcing on the American people after January 1. I thank my friend from New York for bringing this issue up.

Mr. KELLY. I think the other thing that is very important to understand is that we talk about competing in the global economy. Now, our friends to the north in Canada do not have a death tax. Our friends to the south in Mexico do not have a death tax. This, again, is an example of an administration that is so out of touch with the real world, that has never had any skin in the game, never understood that in order to produce a profit you must first know how to create one and not just how to tax it. But we are, again, taking ourselves out of the global economy and we are telling our people, You know what? You may be better off living in Canada or in Mexico, especially if you've accumulated anything in your lifetime, because you're not going to be able to pass it on to the next generation.

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 103, my voting card would not register. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted ``no.'' Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Ellison

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4105. Where I'm from in northwest Pennsylvania, western Pennsylvania, we relish competition. In fact, we can't wait to go head-to-head and toe- to-toe with anybody, anytime, anyplace in the world. The only thing we ask for is a level playing field, something that's fair for everyone. And when you look at markets in Vietnam and China and other nonmarket economies that are able to game us, we don't like it. So places like Sharon Tube and Wheatland Tube, those are the workers I'm talking about. And those are workers who I will tell you today would stand here with us, arm-in-arm, in saying, Bring it on. Bring it on. We want the competition. We can prove to the competition that we are the best and always will be the best, but keep it a level playing field, keep the rules where they should be, and enforce them.

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I recently had the pleasure of visiting with an outstanding new company in western Pennsylvania called Cabot Guns, a company whose belief in American exceptionalism and dedication to uncompromising quality have resulted in a new standard of precision- made handguns. In fact, Cabot Guns are already being described as the finest pistols in the world by the Blue Book of Guns. Cabot Guns embodies the best of what this great Nation's finest machinists, engineers, and master craftsmen have to offer, and is proof of the enduring prowess of the American dream. These highly prized firearms provide a new industry for my district and are made in collaboration with Penn United Technologies, a pioneering manufacturer of precision components for the defense, aerospace, medical, energy, and nuclear industries that was founded 40 years ago by the great innovator and patriot, Carl Jones, a man whose legacy lives on through Cabot Guns and Penn United's strong belief in family, God, and country and a firm commitment to our Second Amendment.

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, where I come from in western Pennsylvania, there's an old saying that goes something like this: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. And I think that tonight, my colleagues and I come before you and come before this House to talk about some very egregious action that this administration has just taken. And for the President, who at one time was a professor of constitutional law and who knows better, he relies on constitutional convenience. When it's convenient, he follows the Constitution; when it's not, he follows what he wants to do. And then he looks upon us, saying, You just didn't get it. Maybe I didn't use the right words to frame it. And so he takes policy that is horrible policy, policy that is against our First Amendment, policy that restricts our free speech, restricts our freedom of religion, and puts an onerous burden on people not to be able to choose what they want but what this administration wants. And he says, You know what? Let me take what I just told you, put it in a little different box, a little different color paper and put a little different bow around it, and this is what we're going to use. And some people sit back and say, Oh, my gosh, I'm so glad he was accommodating. That is not accommodating. Now, I'm a Roman Catholic, and I will tell you that for many, many months and for many years I have wondered why our religious leaders, the people we look to for spiritual guidance, have been silent and have taken a back seat and have let things happen that they should not have let happen. Bishop Zubik from Pittsburgh, Bishop Trautman from Erie, and my priest, Father Steven Neff in Butler, have all spoken up from the pulpit, and they have spoken very clearly about this violation, and they have articulated much better than any of us can. They have done it from the pulpit. They have done it in the papers. They have done it on the radio and on the TV. The American people now know what is going on. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. No way. And we are here tonight because we have had enough of an administration that continues to trample on our Constitution, marginalize it, and use it only when it's convenient. And when it doesn't meet their means, we talk about constitutional niceties. We talk about a Constitution that was well written at the time, really doesn't address the needs of today. I would tell you that the needs of today have nothing to do with the needs of the American people, the rights of the American people, the freedom of the American people in speech or religion. It has to do with an administration that finds it a little too onerous for their agenda. So I thank the gentleman from Colorado, and I would hope that all Americans, not just Catholics, not just Christians, but all Americans, are outraged by this attempt to violate our First Amendment rights.

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2079) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10 Main Street in East Rockaway, New York, as the ``John J. Cook Post Office''.

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2079, introduced by the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy) would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10 Main Street in East Rockaway, New York, as the John J. Cook Post Office. The bill was introduced in June of this year and was favorably reported by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on November 3 of last year. Mr. Speaker, John J. Cook served the community of East Rockaway, New York, for more than six decades, working as a letter carrier at the facility to be named after him. Serving his community for 60 years and 4 months, Mr. Cook went above and beyond to serve his neighbors and exemplified professionalism and courtesy each and every day on the job. Mr. Cook delivered mail on the same route for nearly all of his 60 years on the job and, according to many in his community, he continually touched the lives of countless people spanning many generations. According to one East Rockaway resident, he was quite simply ``the best.'' He knew all of his customers very well and gave personalized service throughout his career. The resident went on to say that, you know what, ``they just don't make people like him anymore.'' Sadly, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Cook passed away in 2005 at the age of 78. He left behind his wife, Roberta, and many who will miss this true public servant and model postal employee. I urge all Members to join me in naming the postal facility in East Rockaway, New York, after John J. Cook, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers at the moment, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 2079, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3247) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1100 Town and Country Commons in Chesterfield, Missouri, as the ``Lance Corporal Matthew P. Pathenos Post Office Building''.

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3247, introduced by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin) would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1100 Town and Country Commons in Chesterfield, Missouri, as the ``Lance Corporal Matthew P. Pathenos Post Office Building.'' The bill is cosponsored by the entire Missouri State delegation and was reported favorably by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on November 3 of last year. Mr. Speaker, it is fitting and proper that we name this post office in Chesterfield, Missouri, for Marine Corps Lance Corporal Pathenos, a true American hero who gave his life courageously defending freedom. More than a selfless marine, Mr. Speaker, Lance Corporal Pathenos was a loving son, brother, and friend. As one of his fellow marines reflected after his tragic passing, the best thing about Matt was his ability to wake up every day with a smile and hold it all day long. Even while in the midst of war, Lance Corporal Pathenos strove to bring joy to his fellow marines and friends. That's just the kind of guy that he was; and for his service and sacrifice, Mr. Speaker, we are truly grateful. I now yield as much time as he may consume to my distinguished friend and colleague from the State of Missouri and the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Akin.

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I am truly grateful for the brave and heroic service of Lance Corporal Pathenos and for all of those who serve and defend our Nation each and every day. I urge all Members to join me in strong support of this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. KELLY

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3248) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 112 South 5th Street in Saint Charles, Missouri, as the ``Lance Corporal Drew W. Weaver Post Office Building''.

Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. KELLY. H.R. 3248, introduced by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin), would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 112 South 5th Street in Saint Charles, Missouri, as the Lance Corporal Drew W. Weaver Post Office Building. This bill is cosponsored by the entire Missouri State delegation and was reported favorably by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on November 3 of last year. Mr. Speaker, it is altogether fitting and proper that we name this post office in Saint Charles for Marine Corps Lance Corporal Weaver, a selfless patriot who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq at just 20 years of age. Remembered by many for his tenacious spirit, the ability to find the positive in every situation, Mr. Speaker, for being a true hero, Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more. Lance Corporal Weaver and all of our brave and courageous fighting men and women are true heroes, and I'm thankful to have this opportunity to stand before this Chamber and express my sincere gratitude for all that our servicemembers do and all that they sacrifice each and every day. I will now yield as much time as he may consume to my distinguished colleague and friend from the State of Missouri, the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Akin.