Thomas Massie: “I want to briefly tell you about a young boy who grew up in modest surroundings in rural Kentucky. Although he had no…”

“I want to briefly tell you about a young boy who grew up in modest surroundings in rural Kentucky. Although he had no money, he was inspired to invent. So he collected junk to build his inventions--broken clocks, radios, vacuum cleaners. Who knows, maybe one day he could assemble this junk into an invention that would allow him to pull himself out of his humdrum environment. He was inspired to invent by stories of Edison, Ford, and Tesla. In the seventh grade, he invented this robot arm that you see here, which won him a prize at the science fair. He even invented a flower pot that would water itself for his grandmother. He went on to college, where he met other inventors, inspired, again, not just by creativity but by the fact that they can make an honest living by improving the lives of others. One of his inventor friends invented a robot that vacuums floors for millions of people now. This boy went on to invent a touch interface for computers, obtain 29 patents, raise venture capital, and create dozen of jobs. His story is only possible in America, where our robust intellectual property system and judicial system work together to protect the property rights of inventors. {time} 0930 Knowing this and relying on this, many inventors dedicate their entire lives to inventing things that will improve and extend the lives of others. Today's patent reform bill is a serious threat to American inventors. That is why inventors are urging us not to pass this bill today.…”