Tom Lantos

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, every now and then there are events in the life of a city that are so monumental they alter the very core of the city and its people. Today, the city of San Mateo, California, which is in my Congressional District, is proudly reopening its public library and I am certain that this new library, a true modern marvel, will change San Mateo for the better. Today's event is the culmination of seven years of hard work, including close to 50 community meetings, years of fund raising, and two years of construction. However, I can say with complete confidence that it was all worth it. Mr. Speaker, this new library is the monument to learning that the citizens of San Mateo desire and deserve. This 90,000 square foot modern marvel is three times larger than the old library, contains 75,000 additional books, 10 times the number of computers, and a wireless internet connection throughout the building. Despite its towering size, the building was designed in an environmentally friendly manner. In fact 98% of the original building was recycled during the demolition process. The new library utilizes natural light and the latest technologies; including automated window shades that rise and close based on room temperature to create a ``green building'' that is expected to save the city 40% in energy costs. Mr. Speaker, while the library of the past was mainly used to borrow reading material, today's 21st century library is intended to be a focal hub of the community and the new San Mateo library has been expertly designed in that fashion. The library will boast a teen lounge, a multi-media collection, a story time amphitheater in the children's section with stories told in English, Spanish and Chinese languages, as well as a cafe operated by a local vendor. In addition because the Bay Area is the pinnacle of our nation's biotech industry the library will include a Biotechnology Learning Center, which will be staffed by its own biotech librarian and will include seminar rooms and specialized reference materials. Of course the library will also continue to provide more traditional offerings, such as adult literacy programs, research training for elementary school age students, and Internet classes for the general public. The roots of the San Mateo library were planted in 1883 when members of the Ladies Guild of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church decided to create ``a reading room or place of resort where people could pass their leisure time socializing and improving their minds by reading good books and periodicals''. Today, more than one hundred years later the citizens of San Mateo have once again shown incredible foresight to create a citadel of culture and a place where its residents can ensconce themselves in an educational environment.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, as we celebrated Labor Day this past weekend, the Census Bureau made the plight of working-class Americans more clear with its most recent report on income, poverty and health care in 2005. Unfortunately, the statistics confirmed what many Americans across the country have known for some time: the economic policies of the Administration benefit only a lucky few while most working Americans are struggling from paycheck to paycheck. The federal minimum wage has been stagnant since 1996, real household income has dropped more than $1200 in the past five years, and the number of uninsured Americans has jumped by 1.3 million just in the last year, totaling 46.6 million. Meanwhile, the Administration is pushing for a tax cut for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. It is no wonder that most people believe that things are going from bad to worse, and want a new direction for America. These important concerns were raised by my constituent and good friend Shelley Kessler in the San Mateo Daily Journal on September 4, 2006. Shelley Kessler is the executive secretary-treasurer of the San Mateo County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. She is a powerful voice for labor rights and her clear vision makes her a trusted ally who always fights for the best interests of America's workers. I wholeheartedly associate myself with her comments and ask unanimous consent that the text of her article be included in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to read this important statement on helping America's workers by Shelley Kessler. [From the Daily Journal, Sept. 4, 2006] Are We Working To Live or Living To Work? (By Shelley Kessler) Mark Twain once said: ``Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.'' When you look around this Labor Day, you have to wonder about that quote. America is not working the way it should for working people, let alone those who are struggling to find jobs on which they can support themselves and their families. The disparity between the rich and working poor is growing every day. People are working harder and making less. We're in a health care crisis that's deeper than any of us ever imagined. We all worry about how we'll retire with dignity. A good, middle-class life is increasingly out of reach. Who ever thought that in America, our kids might not be better off than their parents? Today's economic outlook for children and the next generation is pretty grim. Bill Moyers recently cited these facts: ``In 1960, the gap between the top 20 percent and the bottom 20 percent was 30 fold. Now it is 75 fold. Thirty years ago, the average annual compensation of the top 100 chief executives in the country was 30 times the pay of the average worker. Today it is 1,000 times the pay of the average worker. The top 10 percent of earners have captured almost half the total income gains in the past four decades and the top 1 percent have gained the most of all--more in fact, than the entire bottom 50 percent.'' And the Bush administration wants to tie an increase of the minimum wage, which has not been raised in 10 years, to a tax break for the top 1 percent, to the wealthiest 8,200 families in the country. As if he or any of his cronies could live on less than $7 per hour. Mark Twain, is this what you meant? In the words of one of our former Supreme Court justices Louis Brandeis: ``You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy; but you cannot have both.'' That's why it is time to take back our humanity! And that means that the bad actor Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and others of his supporting cast must be removed from the script. Pretending to care about people while lining the pockets of the rich cannot continue. Today there is vast public support of broad social goals such as affordable medical coverage for all, decent wages for working people, safe working conditions, a secure retirement and clean air and water. We must bring back a government ``of, by, and for the people'' to deliver on those aspirations and make sure that America is working for all of us. George Jean Nathan once said: ``Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.'' So this November, we are organizing, not just to provide for workers on the job, but to mobilize our communities to action. We will build a grassroots effort to elect people to fight hard for these goals; people who share a vision of common good, who respect the public trust that has been placed in their hands and will earn the right to represent the majority of people who work diligently every day and are the real backbone of this county, this state, and this country. Here in San Mateo County, the labor community invites other like-minded people to join with us. Let's work together to protect the gains we've made while providing access to a better quality of life for those struggling every day; our food service workers, janitors, home care workers and many others who deserve a decent wage and health care. Let us try to create a place where people have retirement security for which they have worked hard, instead of giving golden pensions to corporate CEOs who have been stripped from the obligations promised to their employees like at United Airlines. Our county is making great strides in the area of health care, sustainable communities and transportation. The challenges are great, but our efforts are paying off and will continue with dedication and commitment. We can stop the race to the bottom. We can invest in our future. We can and we will make a difference if we unite together to improve the quality of life and respect for the work we all do. Let's ``work to live,'' we've earned it.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I strongly support naming this historic legislation after our distinguished chairman as a small token of our respect and appreciation for his enormous contributions to the national security of the United States and to the sound conduct of U.S. foreign policy.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), our distinguished colleague.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to accept the gentleman's amendment. This amendment restates longstanding U.S. policy that the United States will not support the manufacture or acquisition of nuclear weapons. This is, of course, longstanding U.S. policy. And we all agree that it should continue. I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my good friend from California, distinguished former ambassador of the United States, Congresswoman Diane Watson.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman for his excellent work on this legislation, and I intend to work to keep this provision in the legislation.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I want to commend my friend from Nebraska. We are pleased to accept his amendment. It strengthens the underlying legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this motion. In committee deliberations, we have made it clear to India that they must make a choice between Tehran and Washington. They have done so twice at votes in Vienna at the International Atomic Energy Agency. This recommittal motion dramatically strengthens the underlying legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to vote for it.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, before yielding time, I want to express my regret to all of my colleagues that the stringent requirements will enable me to yield no more than 1 minute to each of our speakers. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to a distinguished member of the committee, my good friend from California (Mr. Sherman).

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey), my very dear friend and our most distinguished colleague.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am delighted to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to my good friend from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt), the distinguished ranking member on our Budget Committee.

Mr. LANTOS. And I agree with that interpretation.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to my good friend from New York (Mr. Ackerman), a distinguished colleague and valued member of the International Relations Committee.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 2\1/4\ minutes to our distinguished colleague from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), my good friend. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS. I agree with Mr. Royce on this point.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to distinguished Democratic whip, my good friend from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to my good friend from Nevada (Ms. Berkley) so she may engage in a colloquy.

Mr. LANTOS. I want to thank the gentlewoman for her excellent work on this legislation. I will do my utmost to work to keep this provision in the legislation.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman) our distinguished colleague who has made invaluable contributions to the development of this legislation. (Mr. BERMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to commend my good friend and colleague from New York, Eliot Engel, for introducing this important resolution. His leadership in Congress on the global battle against HIV/AIDS is greatly appreciated. Mr. Speaker, over 14,000 people are infected with the deadly HIV/AIDS virus each day. Let me repeat that statistic, Mr. Speaker--14,000 individuals each day are infected with HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS has infected 65 million people and killed nearly 25 million since June 1981 when it was first detected. For many in the developing world, contracting the HIV/AIDS virus is a death sentence. No drugs. No doctors. No hospitals. No hope. And for family members left behind--often young children--there is equally little hope. Many will be forced to live with over-burdened and impoverished extended family, in understaffed orphanages or on the streets. Treatment has brought the promise of life back to many individuals who were on the brink of death. However, palliative care is not a long term solution to relieve the suffering from this deadly disease. That is why there is an absolute moral imperative to develop a vaccine to stop the transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus. A successful vaccine will literally save millions of lives in the poorest countries of the world, restore people to their livelihoods, and prevent children around the globe from becoming AIDS orphans. The resolution before the House brings attention to the intensive work over the past decade to develop a successful HIV/AIDS vaccine. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative has built bridges between the developed and developing world that did not exist before. It also has conducted vitally important vaccine trials in the developing world that hopefully will lead to a successful vaccine in the near future. I commend the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for recently awarding $23.7 million towards financing this network of committed researchers working around the clock to find a cure. Mr. Speaker, there will be a successful HIV/AIDS vaccine one day, and it is our collective hope that this will occur before millions more of the world's citizens lose their lives. This resolution congratulates the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative for 10 years of significant achievement in the search for an HIV/AIDS vaccine towards this goal. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to supports its passage.