Date: 2011-01-25
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. as I was walking through the hallway. I encountered an individual who was enormously excited about the Presidents State of the Union. They happened to be a new employee of this House. This would be the very first time that they would have this privilege and this honor. I think it is important for us to recognize that it is a privilege and an honor. In essence it is a responsibility of this administration. of this President. to follow in the tradition in the law of the land that the President presents to the Congress. to the people of this great country. the State of the Union. Frankly. Im an optimist. I am so grateful that we live in a country that has a Constitution that has prevailed for so many years. that we have language in our Constitution that says that we have organized to create a more perfect Union. that the words of the Declaration of Independence are pressed upon our hearts: We hold these truths to be selfevident. that we all are created equal with certain unalienable rights of life. liberty and pursuit of happiness. Thats what I expect to hear from our President tonight. a man of passion and commitment and dedication. a man who feels the pain of this Nation. a man who has sacrificed his own personal prestige and popularity in order to make very difficult decisions. The American Recovery Act. for example. went into the nooks and crannies of this Nation and built up small communities. provided extra police officers. provided more patient rooms. gave more resources to local hospitals and research institutions to make this country great and created jobs. And if you look at a grid that shows the job creation of the last administration. you will see that it is predominantly all red. jobs lost. But as we have struggled to build and climb. we arent going in the right direction. And so I would ask the President to stand his ground on investment in America and infrastructure in America. And I would say to this body that we must stand committed and dedicated to the protection of the vulnerable. Does that mean increasing the deficit? No. I happen to have had the privilege of working on a balanced budget. Its exciting. We passed a balanced budget. and out of that we created the Childrens Health Insurance Program and 22 million jobs in the last Democratic administration. We can do that now. We can create jobs. and I would encourage the President to focus on the infrastructure. Why? Let me give you an example. The city of Houston. now the third largest city in the United States based upon the census data that will be finalized in the month of February. we are in line after 30 years to create a worldclass mobility system. We have been granted a billion dollars over a number of years. not wasting money because Texas happens to send more to the United States tax coffers than we get back. but we will be creating 50.000 jobs by investing in a light rail system to move people forward. to eliminate the emissions crisis that we have. and to put people to work. The crisis that we are now in with not having passed the appropriations of the 111th Congress. which I secured some $150 million for us to start. stymies all of these needtobuild projects on bridges and freeways. on dams that need to be repaired. All of that creates the genius of America or boosts the genius of America and lets us work. So. Mr. President. stand your ground on making sure that we move forward on infrastructure so that we can make it in America. meaning that Americans can make it. they can survive. they can improve their quality of life. and we can make it in America. I want us to build the light railcars. Bring it on home. Let us build turbines that are part of wind energy. Let us build the solar panels. And. yes. let us build our buses and trains. Stand your ground. Mr. President. And then for the most vulnerable of America. lets put it on the line that we are not going to touch Social Security. I know the panic that goes through senior citizens. the disabled. veterans who are dependent not only on the veterans compensation but they are dependent on Social Security. Lets draw the line. And. too. the young people of America. Lets be very clear. you are not carrying the senior citizens. We are not taking out of your future. Remember the words of President Kennedy who said: Ask not what your country can do for you. but what you can do for your country. Social Security is an investment of those who have worked and those who are disabled. And so. Mr. President. stand your ground tonight in this most privileged opportunity to speak to the American people. Bring us together as we will all be sitting with each other. So let us stand our ground for the future of America.