Denouncing the Horrors of Socialism

Floor Speech

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Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 879, I call up the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 58) denouncing the horrors of socialism, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.

Mr. Speaker, a ``yes'' vote on this resolution should be a relatively straightforward, easy decision.

It simply states that Congress denounces socialism in all its forms and opposes the implementations of socialist policies in the United States of America.

It is a statement that I would hope all of our elected leaders in the United States up and down our system of government could support.

Socialism ignores the side of a man and woman that is the spirit. It dulls the human capacity for self-initiative, entrepreneurship, and risk-taking. For those who have concerns about the resolution, I just invite them to read it.

It outlines the pain and hardship experienced by millions around the world who have suffered under socialist regimes. This is something that the sponsor of the resolution, Congresswoman Salazar of Florida, has focused on combating for her entire career.

Congresswoman Salazar is the daughter of Cuban exiles and was born in Miami's Little Havana. Representative Salazar has led the charge against socialist policies.

This resolution today is just one example of her commitment to her constituents and our entire Nation. The contrast between the successful policies under market capitalism and the freedoms associated with, particularly, our robust democracy here in America and socialism across the world and in history could not be starker.

I cannot express this enough: This resolution is not just a messaging bill or, as some from across the aisle have called it, a waste of time. It is not that to the people and the families who have experienced the horrors and atrocities associated with socialist regimes.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Salazar for her work on this.

Mr. Speaker, I always enjoy my good friend from California's long lectures to this House on her views about current events. I am always grateful for her point of view.

Mr. Speaker, I would share from my perspective that the shutdown was borne fully and irresponsibly by the United States Senate, by just a handful of Democratic Senators with their leader, Mr. Schumer, that refused to keep the government open while we continue debates about something we do every day here, which is, what are the ways and means to fund the American Government.

This House body under Speaker Mike Johnson with bipartisan vote, I might add, had a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open for those 42 days. Yet, 14 times, Senate Democrats denied funding to air traffic controllers, denied funding to farm assistance, and denied funding for all the Federal programs, inconveniencing States, hurting families, and hurting Federal workers.

Further, perhaps, unlike some, I certainly gave up my pay for those 42 days by direction of this House. I was not going to be paid personally as a Member of Congress while we see this kind of lack of responsibility out of the Senate.

Today, what we are talking about here in the most vigorous democracy in the land in our 250th year, we are talking about rejecting socialism that punishes freedom, punishes individual action, and tears families apart. That is what we are here to talk about. We are not here to rattle down about current events.

Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from Florida, Congresswoman Salazar, leads our Western Hemisphere Subcommittee in the House Foreign Affairs Committee and what better person, Mr. Speaker, to have this responsibility.

Born in Little Havana in Miami, daughter of Cuban exiles, let her tell you how cushy life was under Castro's Communist socialist dictatorship.

Salazar).
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Mr. HILL of Arkansas. She knows the truth of postwar Korea and how challenging it was. She compared the Korea of her childhood to the Korea of today: Democracy, freedom, vigorous democracy, amazingly vigorous democracy in Korea today. Mrs. Kim is now the chairwoman of our East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs. What a transition and what a great voice to condemn socialism.

Mr. Speaker, regarding the policies that are perhaps being considered in New York, the voices of the people of New York have been heard. They have spoken.

We think about having government-controlled grocery stores, instead of relying on entrepreneurial immigrant families or Korean families with the beautiful bodegas and flower shops around the city. They are now somehow doing an inadequate job. The mayor proposes that the government step into those businesses or run those grocery stores, for example.

Mr. Speaker, he proposes even more difficult rent controls that have already driven down the number of units available in the city of New York, which is already suffering from a huge housing shortage and a huge price disadvantage for the thousands of people who want to work in the city.

This is contrary to economic choice, and that is another reason why we are here on this House floor. We are here to note that an open and democratic market capitalist system offers choice. The freedom to choose is of critical value. That is limited under socialism, in addition to the atrocities.

One of my favorite economists, Nobel Prize Winner Friedrich Hayek, authored books I read as a young man such as, ``The Road to Serfdom'' and ``Constitution of Liberty.'' This is a man who lived under socialism. He lived through the Communist regimes of Stalin and Eastern Europe and of Nazi Germany. He talked about the road to serfdom. Mr. Speaker, we think of some of these policies potentially as the scenic route to socialism.

He is someone who understands market capitalism and a constitutional Republic like no other Member.
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Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Malliotakis), who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and who is firmly opposed to socialism.

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Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford), the chair of the Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations and a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.

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Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

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Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Salazar), my friend from south Florida who is also a child of Cuban exiles from the Castro takeover of Cuba.

Mr. Speaker, in the short time we have remaining this morning on this important resolution, let's cut to the chase.

America stands as a beacon of freedom. America stands as a place of choice. America stands as a place of initiative and opportunity. What the gentlewoman from Florida brings to the House today is a resolution that says that we condemn the horrors of socialism not just the atrocities associated with mass murder in Ukraine or Cuba or Venezuela or imprisonment but the capture of the spirit that ends individual freedom and ends individual opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, I will say that I have been shocked at some of the debate today that we hear from a daughter of Korea, two daughters from Cuba, who have seen firsthand the dangers, the fear, the atrocities, the restraint, the constraint, the end of freedom that they experienced and their families experienced personally.

In my young life, I worked to bring freedom to Eastern Europe. I saw East Germany's empty shelves, empty eyes, empty spirits, no choice, and in West Germany, vibrancy. Yet, today, we would even have to debate that socialism has some value to the human spirit across the land, it is amazing to me.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this resolution whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, old, young, no matter what your political philosophy is, let's unite on this floor and reject the evils of socialism.

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