On the recordFebruary 2, 2015
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the great honor of addressing the Nation as a newly-elected Representative for the people of West Virginia's Second District. My name is Alex Mooney, and I grew up in a home where the American ideals of personal freedom and limited government were cherished. My mother was born and raised in Cuba where, at age 21, she was thrown in jail for 7 weeks as a political prisoner by the communist regime of Fidel Castro. After her release, she fled here to the United States where she was welcomed with open arms to restart her life in freedom. My father was a feisty Irishman from New York and a Vietnam veteran. He was an ardent conservative and had great pride in leaders like Ronald Reagan. Through the hard work of my parents, my three siblings and I had the chance to live the American Dream. My older brother, Vincent, is a professor of electrical engineers at Georgia Tech. My younger brother, Patrick, is a successful businessman. My younger sister, Margarita, is a professor of sociology at Yale University where she conducts research on happiness, virtues, and the common good. I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend Dartmouth College where I played football and rugby and graduated in 1993. In 2001, my father suffered a stroke and was dying. There was one doctor who was particularly compassionate in her efforts to comfort my family and me through that difficult time. She also happened to be very pretty. One year later, that neurosurgeon, Dr.…
