E6 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks January 6, 2009 

drinking water. In order to claim this important 

tax credit, companies will be forced to search 

a bit harder for a new solution to water treatment. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and join in the fight to protect our national treasure. 

f 

RECOGNIZING CARL BLESSER OF 

BROOKSVILLE, FLORIDA 

HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. 

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Carl 

Blesser of Hernando County, Florida. Carl has 

done something that all of us strive to do, but 

that very few of us will ever accomplish, celebrate his 102nd birthday. 

Carl Blesser was born June 1, 1906, in New 

York City, New York. Attending school in Albany with a degree in accounting, Carl went 

on to be a successful CPA. Marrying his 

sweetheart Nadine, the two spent many happy 

years together traveling. One of his fondest 

memories, in fact, is of a trip he took with his 

parents and wife to see the Empire State 

Building, as well as several trips to the American West. 

Carl moved to Hernando County when his 

wife was ill, and remained here following her 

death. Truly devoted to Nadine, Carl states 

that his happiest moment was when he married his wife. If he could live his life over, Carl 

would travel more and would like to have met 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

A lover of books, Carl loves to go outside 

and read, and also enjoys going to the Golden 

Corral for his favorite shrimp dinner. Today he 

spends much of his time with his friends and 

loves to sit outside under the trees enjoying 

the beauty that Brooksville has to offer. His 

advice to young people today is to not smoke 

or drink so that they can live longer and better 

lives. 

Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me in 

honoring Carl Blesser for reaching his 102nd 

birthday. I hope we all have the good fortune 

to live as long as him. 

f 

HONORING MAXWELL EMORY 

LANHAM 

HON. SAM GRAVES OF MISSOURI

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. GRAVES. Madam Speaker, I proudly 

pause to recognize Maxwell Emory Lanham of 

Kansas City, Missouri. Maxwell is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest 

qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1261, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout. 

Maxwell has been very active with his troop, 

participating in many Scout activities. Over the 

many years Maxwell has been involved with 

Scouting, he has not only earned numerous 

merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community. 

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join 

me in commending Maxwell Emory Lanham 

for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts 

of America and for his efforts put forth in 

achieving the highest distinction of Eagle 

Scout. 

f 

HONORING MASSACHUSETTS 

STATE REPRESENTATIVE JOHN 

A. LEPPER 

HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN OF MASSACHUSETTS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. MCGOVERN. Madam Speaker, today I 

rise in honor of John A. Lepper who is retiring 

after serving 14 years in the Massachusetts 

Legislature as State Representative for the 

city of Attleboro. I am proud to know and to 

have worked with Representative Lepper and 

I salute his many contributions to the citizens 

of Attleboro and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

Representative Lepper began his career of 

public service in the 1980s as a member of 

the city of Attleboro Planning Board. He was 

elected to the Attleboro City Council in 1987 

where he served for 6 years. 

In 1995 he began his tenure as a member 

of the Massachusetts State Legislature and 

distinguished himself as a champion for children, families, and persons with disabilities. 

He is highly regarded for his work on a commission that championed the rights of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. 

This issue is especially important to Mr. 

Lepper as he and his wife have devoted many 

years of their lives raising two of their grandchildren. 

In his retirement, Representative Lepper is 

looking forward to staying involved with local 

politics but plans to take some time to relax at 

first and do some fishing. 

Madam Speaker, I am certain that the entire 

House of Representatives joins me in congratulating State Representative John A. 

Lepper for all that he has accomplished and in 

wishing him the best in his retirement. 

f 

PERSONAL EXPLANATION 

HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI OF PENNSYLVANIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, the 

American automobile industry faces almost 

certain extinction if this body fails to act at this 

time. I cannot in good conscience allow that to 

happen. I will therefore vote for this legislation 

today, December 10, 2008, but I do so with 

some reservations. 

Admittedly, the industry has made many 

missteps over the years. Moreover, the many 

flaws in this bill were probably pre-ordained by 

the expedited legislative procedures—adopted 

under the guise of an ‘‘emergency’’—by which 

the congressional leadership chose to craft 

this bill. However, to reject this imperfect solution for an imperfect industry solely because it 

could have been better makes little sense. 

Like my constituents, I am also astonished 

by the actions of overpaid, out of touch executives at these companies. We need to pursue 

further reforms in their compensation. But if 

we focus today on only the few individuals at 

the top of the companies, we will lose sight of 

the larger reality: Failure to act will cost the 

jobs of hundreds of thousands of average, 

hardworking Americans. It would also deprive 

our Nation of an industrial sector vital for us to 

remain an innovative global leader and manufacturer in the twenty-first century. 

America needs its own automotive industry. 

I have always owned American cars. I believe 

in the American workforce, the thousands of 

men and women who make the automobiles 

on which we rely. They do not fly on corporate 

jets. They certainly do not make millions of 

dollars. We need to help them in their time of 

need. 

Experts estimate that if the Congress does 

not provide this initial bridge loan and the 

automakers do fail, 2.5 million jobs will be lost. 

The Big Three employ 240,000 workers, suppliers and dealerships provide 800,000 jobs, 

and some 1.4 million jobs are dependent on 

the auto manufacturers. In my congressional 

district, some 500 workers at Rieter Automotive in Bloomsburg produce carpets for 

General Motors, and these workers and their 

families would experience undue hardship if 

we allow the American automotive industry to 

fail. 

Moreover, unemployment numbers released 

for November indicate this country lost 

533,000 jobs in that month alone. The current 

unemployment rate sits at 6.7 percent. We 

simply cannot allow those already devastating 

numbers to swell further. 

In addition, the loss of the industry would result in a sizable drop in government revenue, 

just when annual deficits have run away and 

our national debt soars. Unemployment assistance will skyrocket and thousands of American breadwinners will lose their homes and 

even the ability to feed their children. The 

costs of inaction will therefore be catastrophic. 

Surely we all agree that the industry teeters 

on the precipice of disaster. Additionally, most 

agree that the global economic crisis bears a 

good deal of blame for the automakers’ collective misfortune. Importantly, the industry has 

appropriately conceded that they deserve a 

large share of blame. They were reluctant to 

diversify their fleets of cars to suit demand 

and to inoculate themselves against market 

volatility in the price of oil. 

Earlier this year, consumers quickly lost 

their taste for large sport utility vehicles in 

favor of small, fuel-efficient cars as automakers for too long ignored this shift. The 

automakers failed to trim costs appropriately. 

They retained too many unnecessary white 

collar jobs. As we all now know, they infamously provided private jets to transport executives across the country, all the while paying those very executives $20 million-plus pay 

packages. 

Over the last few years, the automakers 

have come to recognize the urgency of their 

plight by engaging in substantive changes in 

their corporate structures. They have now presented long-term viability plans to the Congress, and they seem intent on getting the job 

done. This bill—if its oversight provisions are 

dutifully carried out by the Executive Branch— 

attempts to ensure that the necessary transformations occur. As a start, the automakers 

have expressed that wide-scale restructuring 

has already begun, and at considerable cost. 

This bill contains many thoughtful conditions. Executive compensation limits, taxpayer 


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