("Quid coniuratio est?")
BEST OF TRAFICANT
As previously noted, the Congressional Record is now online via Mosaic or World Wide Web at http://thomas.loc.gov
The following are selections from some of the 1-minute remarks made by Representative Traficant of Ohio.
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COMMENTS ON MEXICAN LOAN GUARANTEE (House - February 23, 1995)
[Page: H2071]
(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, Uncle Sam will not help Washington, DC, because of waste, fraud, and mismanagement. Let's see if I understand this: Down there in Mexico there is waste, fraud, mismanagement, corruption, larceny, kickbacks, bribes, and conspiracy. There is even an armed revolution to boot. But Uncle Sam can find $53 billion to bail out Mexico.
Tell me, Mr. Speaker, who is now formulating the policy for the United States of America? The Three Stooges, or what? Beam me up. When Uncle Sam can say `Sorry, Charlie,' to Orange County, CA; Washington, DC; Youngstown, OH; and New York but find $53 billion for Mexico, that says it all, Congress. Think about it.
CALLING FOR MEMBERS' ASSISTANCE REGARDING FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OF WEAVER FAMILY KILLINGS (House - January 24, 1995)
[Page: H548]
(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, in 1992 Federal agents attacked the Weaver family in Idaho. They killed 14-year-old Sammy Weaver. They shot him in the back. They then shot an unarmed Mrs. Weaver and killed her, shooting her right between the eyes as she held her infant baby. They even killed the dog. Court documents now prove the FBI lied in court. Federal agents fired first. Weaver was entrapped into a gun violation.
Mr. Speaker, is this the Justice Department or is this the KGB? I always thought in America our Government does not shoot 14-year-olds in the back. Our Government does not shoot unarmed mothers while they hold their infant.
Mr. Speaker, I have asked for a Federal investigation of this matter, and both sides of the aisle need to provide some oversight to the agencies of our Justice Department. I would appreciate the Members' help.
BARBIE DOLL HAS MOVED TO MEXICO ALONG WITH 700 UNITED STATES JOBS (House -January 19, 1995)
[Page: H334]
(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, while Congress plays politics with Newt Gingrich, last night's trade deficit showed a record of $10.5 billion. The 1994 trade deficit, Democrats, will hit a record $154 billion, which is equivalent to 3 million high-paying American jobs with benefits lost.
It has gotten so bad, Barbie Doll has moved to Mexico. Mattel Inc., from New York, is laying off 700 workers. They will make Barbie Dolls now in Mexico.
Mexico gets jobs, America gets pink slips, and Congress is debating Newt Gingrich and balanced budget amendments? Beam me up. There is no intelligent life left in the Congress of the United States.
Where is the trade program of the Democrat Party? We are failing the American workers, and that is why we are in the minority, quibbling over the Speaker.
CUT THE CIA (House - February 15, 1995)
[Page: H1764]
(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, the CIA said they knew nothing of secret government radiation tests on American guinea pigs in the fifties. Those guinea pigs were American citizens.
Can you believe this, Government documents now reveal the CIA not only knew, they funded a radiation testing lab in California to test American prisoners. Unbelievable. They knew nothing about the mining of the harbors, they knew nothing about the death-threat manuals, they knew nothing about Gary Powers. Stone cold lies.
Now, evidence shows that during the Westmoreland-CBS trial, a secret CIA memo says, `Have we gone beyond reasonable dishonesty?' Reasonable dishonesty, Members? Lies, stone cold lies through their teeth.
If Government is going to reform itself and cut the size of Government, Congress should cut the hell out of the CIA.
STOP THE GRAVY TRAIN FOR RUSSIA (House - February 13, 1995)
[Page: H1620]
(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, you heard about Boris, now get a load of Yuri. That is right, Yuri Luzhkov, mayor of Moscow, next President of Russia. Secret meetings, secret budgets, secret records, secret million dollar deals. This guy Yuri makes Boss Tweed look like mother Teresa, but he is a prototype, Congress, of new Russian politicians. He hires his family so he can save money on the car pool.
Meanwhile, they are laughing all the way to the bank with our $12 billion. To boot, it is being put in a Russian bank.
I think Boris and now specifically Yuri leave a lot to be desired, and I say Congress should stop this $12 billion gravy train for Russia and invest it in America. I think these guys are no Thomas Jefferson.
WHERE ARE THE JOBS PROGRAMS? (House - February 03, 1995)
[Page: H1161]
(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, the economists say that the economy is great. My question, Mr. Speaker: Are these economists smoking dope or what? Orange County is bankrupt. The District of Columbia is bankrupt. The trade deficit hit a record of $153 billion, and Americans keep getting pink slips.
Listen to this from the State of Washington to Kansas to Philadelphia, Boeing just laid off 7,000 workers.
Congress, it is jobs, living-wage jobs, and there is not a job program on the Republican side and there is not a job program on the Democrat side.
If there is any consolation, Mr. Speaker, Burger King is hiring, and I never heard of anybody that committed suicide by jumping out of a basement window.
FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD IS SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION OF CONGRESS, NOT THE WHITE HOUSE (House - February 22, 1995)
[Page: H1972]
(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, the Constitution says only Congress can draw money from the Treasury. It also says only Congress can coin money, regulate the value thereof and regulate the value of foreign money. Only Congress, the Constitution says, can regulate commerce with foreign nations.
The question I ask, Congress, is under what authority did Robert Rubin sign an agreement to bail out Mexico? To me it is unbelievable.
Now, the Washington Times reported that our bailout is going to bail out the Mexican banks and Mexican companies. Ladies and gentlemen, we are bailing out Mexican banks, we are putting our banks on the line here and our taxpayers in the fire.
I disagree with this. I think the Federal Reserve Board is subject to the jurisdiction of Congress, not the White House. It is time for a constitutional court case to determine that.
I plan to challenge the bailout in court.
WELFARE QUEENS AND THE WELFARE KINGS OF THE CORPORATE WORLD (House - February 06, 1995)
[Page: H1218]
(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute, and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, the President's budget is already under attack, and that is par for the course. There are people who are still blasting welfare queens, but keep in mind that AFDC helps American children and food stamps help feed America's poor.
What bothers me is that no one talks about those welfare kings, with that $51 billion in direct subsidies to corporations and $53 billion in tax breaks for fat cats. And no one talks about welfare kings.
Check this out: $18 million for Sunkist to sell orange juice; $5 million for Gallo to sell wine; $1 million for M&M to sell candy; half a million to Ronald McDonald to sell chicken; and half a million to Campbell's Soups to sell V-8 juice. Beam me up, Mr. Speaker.
President Clinton's budget may not be perfect, but it has a heart and it has a soul, and that may be just a good place to start our debate from. Think about that.
INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO REDIRECT FOREIGN AID TO AMERICANS (House -February 09, 1995)
[Page: H1468]
(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, Congress borrows money from Japan and Germany and then Congress pays interest on that borrowed money to Japan and Germany. Then Congress takes that borrowed money and gives it back to Japan and Germany to protect them.
Now we give money, our borrowed money to Germany to protect them from an invasion from Russia. But then we give money to Russia so that Russia does not have to invade Germany.
If any of this makes sense, beam me up. The only good thing about it, evidently, is that the Russians could not overwhelm the Capitol Police.
But the bottom line is we borrow money to help everybody all over the world, but we cannot come up with money to help our own people. I have a little bill, H.R. 782. It would take $5 billion of foreign aid and transfer it to revenue sharing for cities and counties.
I think Members should take a look at that, Democrats at least.
NAFTA, 1 YEAR LATER (House - February 07, 1995)
[Page: H1292]
(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, NAFTA, 1 year later. Thirty-six thousand Americans have filed claims with the Labor Department. They lost their jobs due to NAFTA. That is right, and the list goes on. Woolrich up in Pennsylvania and Colorado, they laid off 450 workers, moved to Mexico, hired workers at $1 an hour. You have Magnatech in Indiana and Michigan. They moved to Mexico.
Tell me, Congress, how can American workers survive when American companies can move to Mexico, hire people at $1 an hour, have no IRS or EPA or OSHA to pay them a visit? Is it any wonder the American worker is fed up with Congress? A Congress that will take care of Russia, but forget about Rhode Island? A Congress that will take care of Kuwait, but forget about Kentucky? A Congress that will worry about Mexico and forget about Mississippi and Massachusetts?
Is it any wonder, Congress? Think about the American worker for a change.
EFFECTS OF INTEREST RATE INCREASES (House - February 01, 1995)
[Page: H976]
(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, in America the sun shines in from the PTA to the Halls of Congress. The American people have a front row seat.
But when it comes to the Federal Reserve Board, the American people cannot even buy a seat in the peanut gallery. Unbelievable; at this very moment the Fed behind closed doors is deciding whether or not to raise our interest rates. And the Fed says `Look, our business is too important for the American people to understand and what the American people don't know won't hurt them.'
Unbelievable.
Mr. Speaker, while Congress cannot go to the bathroom without a camera team, the Federal Reserve Board conducts their business and Congress waits for Alan Greenspan to come out of some closed door with either thumbs up or thumbs down.
Mr. Speaker, I say it is very simple: Alan Greenspan is giving America the finger and Congress does not even know why.
LEGISLATION TO EXTEND MANDATORY COVERAGE OF THE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL LAW TO JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ATTORNEYS
[Page: E62]
HON. JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR.
OF OHIO
in the House of Representatives
Monday, January 9, 1995
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, today I am reintroducing legislation to
add a new section to the act that would require the Attorney General to call for the appointment of an independent counsel to investigate allegations that Justice Department attorneys engaged in prosecutorial misconduct, corruption, or fraud. I introduced identical legislation in the last Congress.
The independent counsel provisions of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 require the Attorney General to conduct a preliminary investigation when presented with credible information alleging criminal wrongdoing by high ranking executive branch officials. If the Attorney General finds that further investigation is warranted or makes no finding within 90 days, the act requires the Attorney General to apply to a special division of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the appointment of an independent counsel. The act also gives the Attorney General of the United States broad discretionary authority to seek the appointment of independent counsel with regard to individuals other than high executive branch officials. However, the Attorney General is not required to do so in such cases.
My bill would amend the act to treat allegations of misconduct, corruption or fraud on the part of Justice Department attorneys in the same manner as allegations made against high ranking Cabinet officials. In effect, the amendment would require the Attorney General to follow the procedures of the independent counsel law when presented with specific and credible allegations of criminal wrongdoing on the part of Justice Department attorneys. My goal is to ensure that, when there is credible evidence of criminal wrongdoing in such cases, these cases are aggressively and objectively investigated.
I am very concerned over the growing number of cases in which Justice Department attorneys have been accused of misconduct, corruption or fraud. In several cases I have personally investigated, innocent men fell victim to overzealous or corrupt Federal prosecutors. The Justice Department has a poor record of aggressively and objectively investigating these cases. The only way to uncover all the facts and guarantee that innocent lives are not destroyed, is to have a truly independent counsel appointed to investigate. The American people expect that the Justice Department--more than any other Federal agency--conduct its business with the highest level of ethics and integrity. Unfortunately, there are instances where this is not always the case. It is imperative that the Independent Counsel Act be amended to require that allegations of criminal misconduct on the part of Justice Department attorneys be treated with the same seriousness as allegations made against high ranking cabinet officials.
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