E 1204 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks June 8, 1995

I think all of us know that we live in a time

of rapid change. But as the United States

moves forward into this new world, we can’t

afford to forget where we’ve been. We can’t

afford to leave our oldest and truest friends

behind.

For nearly 50 years, the United States and

Pakistan have been close friends and allies.

Even though we come from different cultures

and have different customs, in the end we are

united by our hopes and dreams for the future

and by our deep, profound belief in democracy. Those values have brought us together

through tough times—and they must sustain

us now.

However, I’m concerned that we have

pushed Pakistan away from us the past few

years.

Mr. Speaker, I have said it before and I’ll

say it again: Pakistan is not a terrorist nation

or a nuclear outlaw, and it’s time we stop

treating them as if they were.

If we are truly going to meet the goals we

all share in South Asia we must work with

both India and Pakistan to make it happen.

To be honest, I’m encouraged by some of

the developments I have seen recently.

Thanks to Prime Minister Bhutto’s efforts at reform, over $20 billion has been invested in

Pakistan—half of which came from private

American investors. That’s more than any

other time in history. In addition, we were all

appreciative of Pakistan’s efforts to work with

us to capture Ramzi Yousef, one of the key

suspects in the World Trade Center bombing.

Last week, I’m also told that for the first time

since 1990, the Pentagon has had fruitful discussions with Pakistan about our common defense interests in South Asia.

And as we all know, both the White House

and Congress are working with Pakistan to

come up with ways to resolve this dispute

over the planes. I agree with President Clinton: I don’t think it’s right that Congress keeps

the money Pakistan paid for those planes. Not

only have we kept over a billion dollars—we’re

actually charging Pakistan a $50,000 storage

fee for each jet. Some in Congress have suggested that we should sell the planes to a

third party, then give the money to Pakistan.

But we are working on this issue now and

hopefully we’ll reach a solution in the next few

months.

But there are two other issues we should all

be able to agree on. The Senate is working on

the antiterrorism bill. But while we work for solutions, we can’t allow people to be

scapegoated on the basis of ethnicity or race.

When those first reports were coming out of

Oklahoma City—looking for three ‘‘Middle

Eastern men’’—it brought back painful memories from the Persian Gulf war, when MoslemAmericans actually saw their homes being

searched. As much as we all want to crack

down on terrorism, we have to do it in such a

way that doesn’t hurt innocent people and

doesn’t violate constitutional rights.

When this bill comes to the House floor—

which should be in the next month or so—I

look forward to working to make sure these

concerns are addressed.

I also look forward to continuing to work and

to speak out on behalf of the people of Kashmir. By all indications, the situation in Kashmir

isn’t getting any better.

Just last Saturday, the Indian Government

canceled elections in Kashmir yet again—and

extended its direct rule. We can’t sit back as

Indian Government security forces continue to

rape, torture, and murder innocent women and

children.

If India hopes to have any kind of relationship with the United States in the future, I believe these issues must be addressed, the

troops must be withdrawn, international observers must be allowed in, and the people of

Kashmir must be given the opportunity to determine their own destiny. Because if they’re

not, I believe the whole issue of Indian aid

comes into question. The world simply cannot

afford to have two nuclear powers locked in

mortal combat over disputed territory any

longer. It’s up to all of us to help solve this.

Mr. Speaker, the Pakistani-American community has provided real leadership on these

issues in recent years. We all live in a time of

exciting change.

I look forward to working to make sure that

we can make that change work for all of us.

HAPPY 100TH ANNIVERSARY

EASTERN STAR HOME

f

HON. GLENN POSHARD OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, June 8, 1995

Mr. POSHARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to

congratulate the Eastern Star Nursing Home

for 100 years of quality service. Located in

Macon, IL, the home has, for a century, provided exceptional living conditions for the Sisters of the Order of the Eastern Star of Illinois.

I want to take this opportunity to wish them my

very best as they enter a new era of providing

excellence in health care.

The members of Eastern Star offer guidance and support to young women from

across the country, and always strive to work

together for the benefit of mankind. This nonprofit, sheltered, and intermediate life care facility is dedicated to providing superior medical

care to its residents, furnishing 58 women a

caring and compassionate home that ensures

a safe and secure living environment.

The Eastern Star Nursing Home is the only

remaining retirement home specifically designated for the Sisters of the Order of the

Eastern Star of Illinois. Since 1895, the home

has set the standard of excellence in this area

of health care. I applaud the home’s dedicated

staff, and I salute the members of this civic

minded organization. Mr. Speaker, I urge my

colleagues to join with me in congratulating

the Eastern Star Nursing Home on its century

of service to the people of southeastern Illinois.

REFUTING DEMOCRAT SCARE

fTACTICS

HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, June 8, 1995

Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to

draw your attention to the comments of Ian M.

Yarian, a resident of Gansevoort, NY in my

congressional district. Ian, for one, has not

fallen prey to the vicious scare tactics being

employed by Democrats who have no solutions to the crises facing our Nation. It is certainly encouraging to see the comments of

Americans outside the beltway who don’t fall

victim to the Washington propaganda which

floods the news media.

To that end, Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous

consent to submit Ian’s remarks as published

in The Saratogian newspaper in Saratoga

Springs, NY. I ask all my fellow Members to

pay close attention to the logic of his argument, especially those colleagues on the other

side of the aisle who simply seek to employ

class warfare as opposed to addressing the

concerns of the people.

REPUBLICANS AREN’T OUT TO ROB US

(By Ian Yarian)

After reading the May 17 Speaking Out column by Ron Deutsch, I can’t help but speak

out also.

I am one of the so-called middle class the

Republicans are accused of trying to rob. I

am also a single parent. I am tired of the

leftist drivel being spouted concerning the

Contract With America, People like Mr.

Deutsch are either ignorant of the facts or

they are intentionally misrepresenting

them. The proposed spending for the balanced budget does not cut vital services, nor

does it redistribute the money from such

programs to the wealthy.

First, the Republicans are not cutting welfare, Social Security or Medicare. What they

are doing is trying to curb the runaway

spending increases that will bankrupt the

programs and leave nothing for my generation.

The programs are in fact being increased in

accordance with appropriate inflationary figures instead of the arbitrary current services

baseline which makes no logical budgetary

sense. Democrats routinely hide behind this

automatic 10 to 12 percent annual spending

increase to mask their irresponsible spending habits and turn the truth around to

claim Republican-proposed smaller increases

are cuts.

Mr. Deutsch further shows his ignorance

by comparing the so-called ‘‘cuts’’ to tax reductions. Tax cuts such as those being proposed have been historically proven to increase revenue generated for the government

because they encourage consumer spending,

business expansion and investment. They

don’t need to be paid for. Redistribution of

wealth is unfair, to everyone, but the Democrats want us to send more and more of our

money to them so they can decide who gets

what. They say whatever it takes to scare us

into doing it. With so many blatant lies coming out of the mouths of Democrats lately,

they must believe we are all to ignorant to

look up the facts for ourselves. Unfortunately, few make the attempt.

The federal school lunch program fiasco is

one such example. The Republicans proposed

a 4 percent increase in funding. President

Clinton and the Democrats had proposed a 3

percent increase, but they campaigned the

countryside to tell people the Republicans

were planning to take food from the mouths

of children. The only people cut out by the

Republicans would have been the federal

elitists who have been mismanaging the program and lining their pockets. Control of the

lunch program would have been given to individual states where programs have been

proven again and again to be more efficient.

Do Democrats feel our state governments are

as incapable as they believe the citizens to

be?

Democrats are clearly interested only in

preventing Republicans from doing what

they were elected to do, not in the future of

America. I am firmly convinced if Republicans all got together and decided to give a
June 8, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E 1205

gift of $100 from their own personal bank accounts to every American citizen, the Democrats would claim this was a ‘‘mean-spirited

cut’’ and an attempt to steal from children

and the elderly. Unfortunately, the media

would support them since you rarely see reporters make a Democrat back up what he

says.

I am not wealthy or influential, and the

only people I see, ‘‘dipping into my pockets’’

are the Democrats. The only chance I see for

the future of America is from the Republicans. If the only arguments against the

Contract With America consist of fear

mongering and lies, what are the real motivations of the Democrats? And just what do

they propose to ensure a prosperous future

for us all? I would really like to know.

DON’T CUT FINANCIAL AID TO

fSTUDENTS

HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY OF MASSACHUSETTS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, June 8, 1995

Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, recently I received a letter from a young woman in my district. She brought up some very good reasons

why Republicans should not cut Federal funding for student financial assistance.

She said: ‘‘College is the best investment in

America’s future.’’ I agree. That only way to insure that America prospers tomorrow is to

make education and training available to our

Nation’s children and young adults today.

These ill-considered Republican budget cuts

are a short-sighted move that will limit America’s future.

While graduates may earn more over their

lifetime than nongraduates, they do so because they master specialized skills and

knowledge demanded in our complex and dynamic economy. While graduates may earn

more money than non-graduates, they don’t

have money to pay tuition and other expenses

this year, before they enter or complete college. The small amount of Federal financial

aid provided through interest subsidies and

grants are essential to allow many students to

attend colleges and universities.

In the words of the same young woman:

‘‘The opportunity to go to college is a privilege

that should be everyone’s right. Every student

with the ability and the determination to work

for a college education should have that opportunity. But suggested cuts in student aid

programs would make financing a college education more difficult for average Americans.’’

She is right. Not only would the cuts mean

that post-secondary education would be more

difficult to obtain for so-called average or middle-class Americans. These cuts would also

make it virtually impossible for less privileged

Americans to gain access to a post-secondary

education.

While we must balance the budget, it is

penny-wise and pound foolish to skimp on one

of the most important investments we can

make—the education of young people or the

continuing education of adults.

This young women from my district and her

peers are tomorrow’s work force. We must

give them the tools they will need—and we all

will need—to compete and succeed in the

global marketplace of the 21st century.

I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the

letter be inserted in the RECORD.

Hon. EDWARD MARKEY,

U.S. House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

DEAR CONGRESSMAN: College is the best investment in America’s future, I urge you to

support continued funding for college loan

and student aid programs.

A college education means increased opportunity—opportunity to advance in a career, to earn more, and to contribute more to

the economy and to society.

The opportunity to go to college is a privilege that should be everyone’s rights, Every

student with the ability and the determination to work for a college education should

have that opportunity. But suggested cuts in

student aid programs would make financing

a college education more difficult for average Americans.

Please don’t cut our future short. Don’t

cut student aid.

Sincerely,

fERICA MARTIN-DOYLE.

TRIBUTE TO FIVE MINNESOTA

IMMIGRANTS

HON. BRUCE F. VENTO OF MINNESOTA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, June 8, 1995

Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, in light of the

antiimmigrant sentiment currently prevalent in

much of U.S. society, I wanted to submit the

following article which appeared in the St.

Paul Pioneer Press newspaper in my district in

St. Paul, MN. This article tells a different story

from those often heard about immigrants. Immigrants to the United States, like the five

people being honored in Minnesota, work hard

to make important contributions to our society.

As we consider changes to immigration law

in Congress, I hope that we will keep in mind

that these five people are a true representation of what immigration means to the United

States.

FIVE MINNESOTA IMMIGRANTS HONORED FOR

ACHIEVEMENT—RIGHTS GROUP AWARD IS

FOR CONTRIBUTION

(By Ann Baker)

The last time Rocky Ralebipi went home

to Pietersburg, South Africa, it was 1992, two

years after Nelson Mandela walked out of

prison.

Seeing tank-like army vehicles called

‘‘hippos’’ patrolling her family’s segregated

black neighborhood, she couldn’t shake off

the memory of a 1977 police raid on the university where she was a student. Classmates

suspected of conspiring against the apartheid

government were beaten to death and flung

out of 10th-story windows.

It’s a memory the College of St. Catherine

librarian will never forget.

Tonight, Ralebipi and four other immigrants who live in the state will be honored

at the Minneapolis Hilton by Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights for their outstanding contributions to Minnesota’s economy

and community life.

Nazie Eftekhari, Jose Lamas, George Meredith and Viet Ngo, who with Ralebipi are immigrants from four different continents,

teach, invent, create and manage businesses

and operate communication networks. All

but Meredith came to Minnesota as students.

‘‘These individuals are not unique,’’ said

Nancy Arnison, deputy director of Minnesota

Advocates for Human Rights. ‘‘They represent what immigrants bring to this country.’’

Arnison points to local surveys showing

that Minnesotans tend to believe immigrants

brought more harm than good, even before

California’s Proposition 187 barred undocumented immigrants’ families from free

school and vaccinations.

In the meantime, anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise nationally, with welfare

reform bills in the U.S. House and Senate

proposing to deny numerous federal services

to legal immigrants who are waiting to become naturalized.

Eftekhari, who is from Iran, founded and

directs one of the first managed-care health

corporations in the United States, called the

Araz Group. Recipient of the 1995 Bloomington Small Business Person of the Year

award, she has 115 employees.

‘‘It’s the strength of this country that people can come here and accomplish their

dreams,’’ she says.

Lamas left Mexico for California by himself six years ago at age 14, supporting himself with restaurant jobs. He graduated from

Worthington Senior High School on Monday,

and has published three editions of a six-page

Spanish language newspaper, supported by

advertisements, for the Worthington area.

In the fall he plans to enroll at Gustavus

Adolphus College in St. Peter to study prelaw. He also likes to tinker with inventions,

especially auto safety devices. He has legal

immigration papers now and hopes to become a citizen in three years.

Meredith, a 28-year veteran of 3M, came

here on a job transfer from South Wales

eight years ago. He is an executive vice

president in charge of the company’s life

sciences division, which produces medical,

pharmaceutical and dental products.

Now a U.S. citizen, Meredith lives in Grant

township, which he calls ‘‘a satisfying place

to live from a community standpoint.’’ He

enjoys the outdoors, fishing, skiing and sailing on the St. Croix.

Ngo, an engineer and sculptor who came

from Vietnam in 1970, founded and operates a

sewage treatment company, Lemna Corp. of

Mendota Heights. He creates parks out of

ponds with floating duckweed, packed into

wire mesh to cleanse the effluent. His method is praised as cheap, natural and esthetic.

‘‘And I’m as American as chow mein,’’ he

says.

‘‘We’re trying to dispel the myths that immigrants are flooding our shores, taking

American jobs, draining the welfare system

and failing to assimilate,’’ said Arnison.

In fact, she said, immigrants, who have

been entering at the ‘‘hardly a flood’’ rate of

1 million a year, make up 8 percent of the

population, compared with 15 percent in the

early 1900s. Together, they earn $240 billion a

year and pay back $90 billion in taxes. Only

9 percent of immigrant households are on

welfare.

Next week, Ralebipi, who now directs the

College of St. Catherine’s health sciences library, will return to South Africa, this time

to teach library technology for a year to students at her alma mater, the University of

the North.

This time she is excited, not scared. She is

confident that in South Africa freedom has

become ‘‘really real’’ and she is eager to help

build the newly integrated society.

CONTRACT FROM AMERICANS

fHON. RANDY ‘‘DUKE’’ CUNNINGHAM OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, June 8, 1995

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, last week

my constituents sent me a Contract from

Americans. The first line of this contract says