Americans Make This Country Great

Floor Speech

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, at the close of 2009, as we look to and prepare for a new year, I'm prompted to call attention to the remarkable American people who have, once again, weathered a difficult year with dignity and toughness. Sometimes the Washington establishment forgets that the solutions to America's problems lie outside this capital city.

Yes, Americans from almost every walk of life are tightening their belts and making due with less this year, but Americans continue to be an extraordinarily resourceful people who inspire me in my work every day.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, entering in a new year, I hope we can all draw inspiration from the American people. We live in a Nation of innovators and hardworking entrepreneurs. Their resourcefulness is unlimited. The spirit of American opportunity lives and thrives among them.

And let's not forget the North Carolinians who, with their characteristic generosity and work ethic, illustrate the greatness at work in America, even in seasons of considerable difficulty. I look to them as a source of inspiration and hope. People like those who call North Carolina home have always been the best hope for the preservation of our tradition of individual liberty and government by and for the people, whether in good times or bad.

Mr. Speaker, Washington would do well to stop and watch, listen, and learn from everyday Americans as they go about their lives and do the things that help make our Nation great.

May God continue to bless us all.

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