Rep. Kelly Champions Economic Growth & Opportunity in NAM Award Acceptance Speech
Statement
On Wednesday, March 27, 2013, Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) was presented with the Legislative Excellence Award by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) at the Westinghouse Electric Company in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. According to NAM, the award "recognizes Representative Kelly's exemplary voting record in the 112th Congress and his solid support for a strong manufacturing economy and a forward-thinking manufacturing agenda." Rep. Kelly is a former businessman and a current member of the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Highlights from Rep. Kelly's acceptance speech:
"We compete in a global market. The world is our market. The opportunity is everywhere. The question is: are we going to be able to compete on a fair and level playing field? And wouldn't it be nice to know that when you do go into battle, your biggest advocate is your own government -- not your biggest adversary? Wouldn't it be great to know, that the people who establish the policies and the taxes and the regulations are on the same page as you, and understand that without you, there is no government?"
"In your lifetime, if you ever start to wonder about where you are and where you're stuck, go back and remember what it was that made you great -- what it was that made your family great, your church great, your school great, your community great -- and then say "Why don't I just go back and forget that I'm a Republican or a Democrat or a Libertarian or an Independent, and remember that I'm an American?' We do not need to be the divided states of America; we need to be the United States of America."
"For any politician to come here but not talk to you about being on your side and making it easier for you to be successful making it easier for you to prosper, and [instead] talk to you about how government will grow the business for you -- please show them the door."
"You can dominate, not just participate, in a global market. You can thrive and not merely survive. But you need a government that works with you; a government that is your advocate and not your adversary."
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