H5336 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 31, 2012 

Bad policies have forced more Americans to grow dependent on government. 

The President wants to, in his own 

words, remake America. Remake it 

into what? A Nation where the government is running roughshod over our 

lives and our liberty? A country where 

no one is allowed to succeed unless the 

government gives permission? No 

thanks. I thought we threw that idea 

away when we left the regime of King 

George III. 

America doesn’t need to be remade 

into a Third World country totally oppressed by a government that wants 

America to be another European nanny 

state where special favoritism is given 

to government’s special friends. 

We need to return to what our country was founded on: the pursuit of opportunity or, as Jefferson said it, the 

right of life, liberty and the pursuit of 

happiness. 

The American Dream—a dream that 

can come true with individualism and 

hard work and without a government 

that punishes ambition, creativity, and 

success while rewarding failure—all in 

the name of fairness. 

The politics of favoritism, under the 

guise of ‘‘fairness,’’ is not the America 

we need. Mr. Speaker, the America I 

know doesn’t need to be remade into 

the politics of favoritism. 

And that’s just the way it is. 

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HONORING THE LIFE OF WILLIS 

EDWARDS 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 

California (Ms. BASS) for 5 minutes. 

Ms. BASS of California. Mr. Speaker, 

I rise today to honor the life of a friend 

and a remarkable individual from Los 

Angeles, Willis Edwards. 

For the past 40 years, Mr. Edwards 

tirelessly advocated for civil and political rights and worked to ensure that 

positive images of African Americans 

were seen by the American public. 

Throughout his life, Willis Edwards 

was known for his strength of conviction and passion for the promotion of 

the African American community. 

After working for the Robert Kennedy 

Presidential campaign in college and 

earning a Bronze Star in the U.S. Army 

during the Vietnam war, Edwards 

helped to elect the first African American mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, and served as the youngest-ever 

city commissioner on his Social Services Commission. 

Mr. Edwards continued his career of 

service as the director of black student 

services at the University of Southern 

California, where he helped future generations of students discover their passion. 

In 1982, Mr. Edwards was elected 

president of the Beverly Hills-Hollywood branch of the NAACP. Under his 

leadership, the branch fought to improve the image and gain more jobs for 

African Americans in front of and behind the scenes in Hollywood. As president in 1986, he helped to nationally 

televise the NAACP Image Awards, 

which continues today as a highly regarded entertainment event. 

Mr. Edwards never shied away from 

controversial subjects or issues. After 

his diagnosis with AIDS, he used his 

position on the national board of the 

NAACP to publicly discuss the impact 

of HIV/AIDS in the African American 

community, and he organized the 

NAACP’s participation in World AIDS 

Day. Despite his health challenges, Mr. 

Edwards continued to support his 

friends and communities. 

Until Rosa Parks’s death in 2002, Mr. 

Edwards was a friend and confidant of 

the civil rights legend. He helped to 

promote her legacy by escorting her to 

the 1998 Oscar ceremony and worked 

alongside former Congresswoman Julia 

Carson for Parks to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Upon her 

death, Edwards arranged for her to lie 

in state here in the Capitol rotunda. 

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have 

called Willis Edwards a friend and a 

mentor. He has left an indelible mark 

on Los Angeles, and his dedication to 

California and national politics will 

never be forgotten. It is a great honor 

to recognize his life here on the floor 

today. His spirit and vision will truly 

be missed. 

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RECESS 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 12(a) of rule I, the Chair 

declares the House in recess until 2 

p.m. today. 

Accordingly (at 12 o’clock and 28 

minutes p.m.), the House stood in recess. 

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b 1400 

AFTER RECESS 

The recess having expired, the House 

was called to order by the Speaker pro 

tempore (Mr. S

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IMPSON) at 2 p.m. 

PRAYER 

The Chaplain, the Reverend Patrick 

J. Conroy, offered the following prayer: 

Dear God, we give You thanks for 

giving us another day. 

As the Members of this people’s 

House return, grant them the generosity to serve You as You deserve; to 

give of their industry and not count 

the cost; to fight for their convictions 

and not heed the political wounds; to 

toil and not seek for rest; to labor and 

not ask for reward except for knowing 

that, in being their best selves, they do 

Your will. 

And, dear God, on this day, we ask 

Your blessing upon the family of Tim 

Harroun. Grant them peace and consolation as they mourn the loss of their 

mother. 

May all that is done be for Your 

greater honor and glory. 

Amen. 

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THE JOURNAL 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

Chair has examined the Journal of the 

last day’s proceedings and announces 

to the House his approval thereof. 

Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved. 

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PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the 

gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. 

FOXX) come forward and lead the House 

in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Ms. FOXX led the Pledge of Allegiance as follows: 

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the 

United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, 

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 

A message in writing from the President of the United States was communicated to the House by Mr. Brian 

Pate, one of his secretaries. 

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REGULATORY REFORM 

(Ms. FOXX asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 

minute.) 

Ms. FOXX. The President’s policies 

have failed and are making the economy worse. 

Since President Obama took office, 

we’ve seen a 52 percent increase in 

completed regulations deemed ‘‘economically significant,’’ which means 

they cost the economy at least $100 

million a year. We can’t create a fair 

system for job creators when the government keeps changing the rules. We 

can’t help the job seeker by punishing 

the job creator with more government 

red tape. 

How can someone who believes that 

small business owners didn’t even build 

their own businesses understand the effects of red tape? He can’t. 

That is why House Republicans 

passed the Red Tape Reduction and 

Small Business Job Creation Act—a 

combination of pro-growth bills aimed 

at cutting red tape to make it easier 

for small businesses to create more 

jobs. In order to grow more jobs for the 

American people, we need to shrink the 

amount of red tape coming from Washington. 

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TAX RATES 

(Mr. COURTNEY asked and was 

given permission to address the House 

for 1 minute and to revise and extend 

his remarks.) 

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, in exactly 5-months’ time, the tax rates for 

every tax filer in this country will go 

up in the event of the so-called ‘‘fiscal 

cliff,’’ which most mainstream economists believe would push our country 

back into a double-dip recession. 

There is hope, however. 

Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a 

measure which protects the incomes of 

every tax filer up to $250,000 and allows 

rates for incomes above that point to 


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