Floor Statements

Reserving the right to object, the way to resolve the nomination is to schedule an up-or-down vote.

I object.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, it is my pleasure today to come before the Senate to lend my support to a man of tremendous character and extraordinary legal credentials, Mr. Miguel Estrada. We have heard a lot about this nominee. We have heard a lot about why we should be focusing, why we shouldn't. As I discussed before, I would like to see us get on to things like the economy, like the budget. The simplest way to do that is to have an up-or-down vote on Miguel Estrada.

I will share a few facts about Mr. Estrada and the importance of the nomination to our legal system. Mr. Estrada is an American success story. He came to this country at the age of 17 as an immigrant from Honduras, speaking very little English. He overcame amazing obstacles to rise to the top of the legal profession. After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, Miguel became a law clerk to the Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Since that time, he served as a Federal prosecutor in New York and Assistant Solicitor General of the United States for 1 year in the Bush Administration and 4 years in the Clinton administration. He was handed nothing, and his achievements are the product of hard work, perseverance, and a commitment to education. He is actually living the American dream.

Among other accomplishments, Mr. Estrada has argued 15 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, including one case in which he represented a death row inmate pro bono. The American Bar Association unanimously rated Mr. Estrada as well qualified for the DC Circuit. This is the ABA's highest possible rating, and the rating typically used as the gold standard for judicial nominees in the Senate Judiciary Committee, especially on the Democrat side.

Mr. Estrada served as a member of the Solicitor General's Office in both the Bush and Clinton administrations. He is enthusiastically supported by both President Bush and President Clinton. The long list of Hispanic groups backing Miguel Estrada's nomination includes the League of United Latin American Citizens, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Latino Coalition, the Hispanic Bar Association, and the National Association of Small Disadvantaged Businesses.

Sadly, Mr. Estrada's extraordinary accomplishments and his desire to serve our country have not been enough to protect him from the baseless, vicious, and partisan attacks he has endured through this process. Now is not the time to play partisan games with the United States judicial system. America is facing a judicial vacancy crisis in our Federal courts. The U.S. Courts of Appeals are currently 15 percent vacant, with 25 vacancies out of 167 authorized seats. The DC court, which is the court we are trying to get Miguel Estrada onto, has four vacancies on a 12-judge court.

Adding to this crisis, caseloads in the Federal courts continue to grow dramatically. Filings in the Federal appeals court reached an all- time high last year. The Chief Justice recently warned that the current number of vacancies, combined with the rising caseloads, threatens the proper functioning of the Federal courts. He has asked the Senate to provide every nominee with a prompt up-or-down vote.

Chief Rehnquist is right. Every judicial nominee deserves a prompt hearing and a chance at an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. This nominee is not being assessed by the traditional standards of quality or by his ability to follow the law as a judge. There is no question that this nomination is being delayed and possibly blocked because of a distorted analysis of his qualifications, policies, and personal views. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle are blocking this nomination simply because he is President Bush's nominee. This is a detriment to the integrity of this body. It is unfair to the nominee. And it is unfair to the American people.

I am asking my colleagues in the Senate today to do what we were elected to do, to allow this body to work its will, and to give Mr. Estrada the up-or-down vote he deserves. I add that the precedent we are setting, this 60-vote threshold for circuit court nominees, is a dangerous precedent. Right now the Republicans are in the majority and we have the Presidency. At some point the Democrats are going to be back in the majority. At some point the Democrats are going to hold the Presidency again. Paybacks are very ugly. But make no mistake about it, with the precedent being set here, unless this can be worked out, those paybacks will come back to haunt the other side of the aisle.

It is vitally important we work this out for the health of the judiciary in this country. It should not become a political tool to be bandied about just because somebody thinks that somebody may have a particular ideology.

We realize that having a Republican Hispanic on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is something the other side does not like.

But just because they don't like the politics of that does not mean that they should object to him getting on the court. He deserves this. He is qualified for it. He has the integrity to carry it out. And we, as a body, should give this man an up-or-down vote. If we give him an up-or-down vote he will be confirmed by the Senate.

I believe it is our constitutional duty to give him an up-or-down vote. He has had all the hearings he needs to have. We have been doing this for almost 2 years now. We need to give this well-qualified candidate the vote he deserves.

I want to raise a couple of points. The Senator from New Jersey was talking about the economy. He says we have to get on the economy. I agree, we need to take care of the economy. I have some proposals. The President has some proposals. There are going to be other Senators who will have proposals to try to stimulate the economy. The Senator from New Jersey indicated he doesn't think what the President is doing is going to have enough of an impact. I have a proposal that actually, the first year alone, according to the Joint Tax Committee, will bring $135 billion worth of investment into this country. I hope the other side of the aisle is going to join us in that. That is significant even in the size economy that we have.

What the President has laid out as part of his plan--I don't agree with all of it, but there are some good things in it. He has laid out a plan, not only for this year but for solid growth and, in future years, to have good, solid, long-term fiscal policy and long-term growth.

I agree with some of the things the other side of the aisle is talking about with respect to budget deficits. We do have a problem in the outyears with budget deficits. But if we do not fix the economy, we know we will never fix the deficits. We will continue to go further and further into debt. That is why it is critical for us to fix the economy, so we produce more tax revenues so we don't have these huge deficits and threats to Medicare and threats to Social Security and threats to our defense spending in the future.

We have proven here in Washington, DC, we can't cut spending. We can maybe slow down the rate of growth sometimes, but we can't cut spending. As Ronald Reagan talked about--I don't remember the exact quote, but as he said in the early 1980s: The best way to eternal life is to become a Federal agency or department in Washington. He said that because he realized once a program starts, it develops a constituency and it is impossible to cut it. So I believe if the other side is concerned

about the deficit, they should join some of us on this side of the aisle and start cutting out some of the waste and overspending in certain parts of our Government.

Having said that, let me conclude by saying let's have an up-or-down vote on Miguel Estrada so we can get on to some of the other important issues. Make no mistake about it, though; the judiciary and this part of what we do is a very important part of our role as Senators in fulfilling our obligation, our oath of obligation to defend and support the Constitution. We can get on to other things. The budget was not enacted last year. For the first time since 1974 we did not have a budget. Because of that, we ended up with some serious problems last year. The appropriations bills didn't get finished until just a couple of weeks ago.

We are asking the other side to not continue to obstruct the will and the work of this body, to join us, have an up-or-down vote, let the Senate work its will on this nomination so we can get on to other important business of the country. We have a lot of things to do. Let's join together. Let's work across the aisle. Let's join hands. There are a lot of good things we can do for the American people.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to submit a resolution expressing the grave concern of the United States Senate over the horrific human rights conditions in Cuba under the regime of Fidel Castro, and calling on the international community to take concrete steps to help the peaceful dissidents in Cuba who are pressing for democratic change, and being brutally repressed as a result.

The American and Cuban peoples share many things in common--a love of freedom, a fierce spirit of independence, and a desire that our two nations will one day live as friends and neighbors in a hemisphere where the scourge of tyranny has been eradicated.

There is one obstacle to the common aspirations of our two peoples-- Fidel Castro. And because of him, our peoples share one more thing in common. Both of our countries have had innocent civilians killed on his orders by his brutal security apparatus.

Seven years ago, on this day, February 24, Cuban MIG fighters confronted three planes flying in international airspace by members of Brothers to the Rescue, a group whose principal mission was to search for rafters in the Florida Straits risking their lives to escape Castro's oppression. Three planes left. Only one plane returned. The other two--unarmed Cessnas--were shot down on the direct orders of Fidel Castro. Three American citizens and one legal resident were murdered in cold blood.

Here is how the Organization of American States Inter-American Commission on Human Rights described the incident: ``The Cuban Air Force never notified nor warned the civil small aircraft, did not attempt to make use of other methods of interception, and never gave them the opportunity to land. The first and only response of the MIGs was the international destruction of the civil aircraft and of their four occupants.''

This event seven years ago shocked our nation. But for Cubans living in Castro's tropical gulag, this sort of brutality is not shocking in the least--it is their every day reality.

And so we introduce this resolution today to express our solidarity with the families of the victims who perished that day, to be sure. However, we also do it to show our solidarity with all those still suffering in Fidel Castro's Cuba--and those brave dissidents who risk their lives each day to press for freedom, democracy and rule of law.

Leonardo Miguel Bruzon Avila, is one such dissident. He is president of the 24th of February Movement and is being held without trial by the Castro regime. His crime? Planning peaceful public ceremonies to commemorate the shoot-down of the Brothers to the Rescue planes.

It is a travesty that more than a decade after the Cold War has ended, a brutal communist dictator is still oppressing people in our hemisphere. Castro's Cuba is like a modern day Jurassic Park--a lost island, where the political dinosaurs of an earlier era still roam, leaving death and destruction in their wake. Our challenge, our mission, is to help the Cuban people escape--to join the 21st century as a free nation.

For some reason, there are still those who see Castro as a romantic revolutionary. It is an image he works hard to promote. But there is nothing romantic about life in Castro's Cuba.

Thus, it is important to call attention to the reality of the conditions he imposes on his people. The UN, the OAS, the EU, and non governmental organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch

have done this, but exposing the truth is only the first step. This resolution calls on these entities to do more, because the situation in Cuba is not improving--it is deteriorating.

Amnesty International's 2002 report notes an increase in human rights violations, including short-term arbitrary arrests, threats, summonses, evictions, interrogations, losses of employment, restrictions on travel, and house arrests directed by the government against political dissidents, independent journalists, and other activists in an effort to limit their ability to exercise fundamental freedoms.

No one who disagrees with the Castro brothers' communist dictatorship can live peacefully in Cuba. No one who loves liberty is allowed to flourish. No one who dares to speak out against the Castro government's brutality and repression is permitted to remain free.

And once imprisoned, Cuban political prisoners are deliberately exposed to harm and poor conditions as a means of punishment, including beatings, denial of medical treatment, forced labor against medical advise, and coexistence with inmates carrying highly infectious diseases.

It is critical that we send a message--to Fidel Castro and the world--that we know what is happening under his rule. And we must make sure these peaceful freedom fighters know they are not forgotten.

Natan Sharansky tells the story about his time in the Soviet gulag, when word came that President Reagan had called the Soviet Union an ``Evil Empire.'' The Soviet press had reprinted his remarks, as evidence of his anti-Soviet attitudes. But for the prisoners in the Soviet gulag, it was the first sign that they had not been forgotten-- that the leader of the world's most powerful democracy had no illusions about the true nature of that regime--that he knew of their plight and was ready to call the Soviet system what is was--evil.

He spoke about how Reagan and Senator Scoop Jackson became beacons of light to all the political prisoners through the long days and nights of their struggle against the Soviet Union. He said Jackson and Reagan knew the value of freedom and they understood the nature of totalitarian evil. They inspired all of the dissidents with their integrity, their values, and their courage.

With this resolution, we send a signal to all the dissidents and political prisoners in Cuba--that we have no illusions about the nature of Fidel Castro's regime--that we know of their plight and stand ready to help them.

Specifically, this resolution highlights the plight of eight Cuban dissidents who are currently in jail: Oscar Elias Biscet, Bernardo Arevalo Padron, Carlos Oquendo Rodriguez, Francisco Chaviano Gonzalez, Juan Carlos Gonzales Leiva, Leonardo Miguel Bruzon Avila, Nestor Rodriguez Lobaina and Jorge Luis Garica Perez.

Unfortunately, as the resolution makes, clear, there are many other political prisoners, charged with the same offenses, enduring the same horrible fate. It is my hope that by engaging the help of the international community, we will improve their condition, secure their release, and eliminate the harassment of human rights activists in the future.

Castro and his cronies must know that the world is watching; that Cuba will remain an international pariah until the human rights situation dramatically improves. And those suffering under the jackboot of his oppression must know that we are watching--and that we will not rest and will not tire and will keep working to support them until they are finally free.

Mr. President, 194 years ago this week, a son was born to Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. That son, Abraham, would go on to become President of the United States at one of the most defining times in our Nation's history.

President Lincoln is still revered today for his leadership and vision of a country in which all citizens have the opportunity to succeed. In 1864, when the outcomes of the war and his re-election were in question, he asked soldiers from Ohio's 66th regiment to stop at the White House on their way home so he could express his appreciation. President Lincoln shared with them the following:

``I beg you to remember this . . . I happen temporarily to occupy this big White House. I am a living witness that any one of your children may look to come here as my father's child has. It is in order that each of you may have through this free government which we have enjoyed, an open field and a fair chance for your industry, enterprise and intelligence; that you may all have equal privileges in the race of life, with all its desirable human aspirations. It is for this the struggle would be maintained, that we may not lose our birthright . . . The nation is worth fighting for, to secure such an inestimable jewel.''

That jewel--the American dream that should be within reach of all who grasp for it--has been the hope of generations in this nation. This Nation that elected Abraham Lincoln--born in a one-room log cabin and once a farmhand . . . This Nation that harvests in its children a yearning to soar beyond the earth's atmosphere . . . This Nation that preaches that education, hard work, and family bring success.

Unfortunately, making a living, raising a family, and educating ourselves and our children is becoming more and more difficult in America. And it's the

leaders of this nation that have made the obstacles to success higher to get over and wider to get around.

Here in Washington, we've built a wall of obstacles with one tax burden after another. Our Founding Fathers outlined exactly the powers they wanted Congress to have in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. Just because the first thing listed is the power to lay and collect taxes, doesn't mean it's the power we need to exercise the most.

Not only should we take the responsibility of stopping the building of this wall of tax burdens, we need to step up and start removing these burdens. We need to alleviate the tremendous stress that comes with having to work to pay so much of what we earn to the government.

Last year, the average taxpayer in my home State of Nevada did not finish paying taxes until April 27, which was also the average across the United States. Everything earned for the first 117 days of the year went to a government entity. In comparison, the average American spends only 106 days paying for food, clothing, and shelter combined.

That doesn't leave enough days to pay for a family vacation or to save for education or to pay medical bills or to save for retirement or to take a class to improve skills or to do whatever you want with your money--after all, it is your money.

In itself, our tax system is unfair because American families have to work harder to make more money only to pay greater taxes, and workers bear the burden of a government that continues to find ways to tax them into working even harder.

Whatever our individual thoughts are on tax relief, we must agree that, although being taxed has become a challenging part of life, the idea of being double taxed is truly the government stealing from working Americans. Double taxation is immoral. Think about it in terms of a parent teaching a child. I am a parent of three young children. Just as I would explain to my children that it is not all right to take a piece of candy that they have not paid for, I would also tell them it is absolutely not okay to charge someone for something they aren't getting. But that is exactly what our government is doing with the Social Security tax.

Time magazine recently called it ``The Really Unfair Tax.'' I call it the Social Security double dip. The take-home pay of 100 million Americans is fodder for this gutsy government scam. In very simple terms, this means that when a family pays income tax, the portion that is withheld for Social Security--money that they never see--is calculated into their personal income. The first dip is the tax that workers pay on wage income. The second dip is the icing on the cake for the government--taxing money that they are already taking anyway. Working Americans are forced to pay income tax on their Social Security tax. It is textbook double taxation, and if a business concocted such a scheme it would be shut down. How can we continue this policy if we would teach our children that it is wrong? This is only one reason why the tax is unfair.

Another example of the outrageousness of this tax is that while working families are double taxed, American businesses are not. You see, half the Social Security tax is paid by workers, but employers pay the other half. Businesses and corporations get to deduct what they pay in Social Security taxes--a savings that working families are not afforded. This tax discrimination is unacceptable.

We must eliminate this absolutely wrong tax policy that mocks our Constitution's goal to ``promote the general Welfare.'' I propose an above-the-line deduction for Social Security taxes so that an individual's Social Security taxes are not included in the calculation of income for income tax purposes. It's the right thing to do if we want to lead this Nation by example. Providing a Social Security tax deduction makes sense and will make a real difference to working families. About 100 million individuals and families would feel the savings--to the tune of around $2,000 each. Such savings translate into real growth and opportunity. Scholars predict that the Payroll Tax Deduction Act would mean 900,000 new jobs in this country, and it also means a Nation of workers who get to keep more of their hard-earned money.

When government takes money away from working families, it stifles growth and builds obstacles to success. Let's take this chance to provide relief to America's families, open the doors to opportunity, and let future generations know that the American dream--the jewel that inspired Abraham Lincoln--is well within the reach of all who truly desire it.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, 194 years ago this week, a son was born to Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. That son, Abraham, would go on to become President of the United States at one of the most defining times in our Nation's history.

President Lincoln is still revered today for his leadership and vision of a country in which all citizens have the opportunity to succeed. In 1864, when the outcomes of the war and his re-election were in question, he asked soldiers from Ohio's 66th regiment to stop at the White House on their way home so he could express his appreciation. President Lincoln shared with them the following:

``I beg you to remember this . . . I happen temporarily to occupy this big White House. I am a living witness that any one of your children may look to come here as my father's child has. It is in order that each of you may have through this free government which we have enjoyed, an open field and a fair chance for your industry, enterprise and intelligence; that you may all have equal privileges in the race of life, with all its desirable human aspirations. It is for this the struggle would be maintained, that we may not lose our birthright . . . The nation is worth fighting for, to secure such an inestimable jewel.''

That jewel--the American dream that should be within reach of all who grasp for it--has been the hope of generations in this nation. This Nation that elected Abraham Lincoln--born in a one-room log cabin and once a farmhand . . . This Nation that harvests in its children a yearning to soar beyond the earth's atmosphere . . . This Nation that preaches that education, hard work, and family bring success.

Unfortunately, making a living, raising a family, and educating ourselves and our children is becoming more and more difficult in America. And it's the

leaders of this nation that have made the obstacles to success higher to get over and wider to get around.

Here in Washington, we've built a wall of obstacles with one tax burden after another. Our Founding Fathers outlined exactly the powers they wanted Congress to have in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. Just because the first thing listed is the power to lay and collect taxes, doesn't mean it's the power we need to exercise the most.

Not only should we take the responsibility of stopping the building of this wall of tax burdens, we need to step up and start removing these burdens. We need to alleviate the tremendous stress that comes with having to work to pay so much of what we earn to the government.

Last year, the average taxpayer in my home State of Nevada did not finish paying taxes until April 27, which was also the average across the United States. Everything earned for the first 117 days of the year went to a government entity. In comparison, the average American spends only 106 days paying for food, clothing, and shelter combined.

That doesn't leave enough days to pay for a family vacation or to save for education or to pay medical bills or to save for retirement or to take a class to improve skills or to do whatever you want with your money--after all, it is your money.

In itself, our tax system is unfair because American families have to work harder to make more money only to pay greater taxes, and workers bear the burden of a government that continues to find ways to tax them into working even harder.

Whatever our individual thoughts are on tax relief, we must agree that, although being taxed has become a challenging part of life, the idea of being double taxed is truly the government stealing from working Americans. Double taxation is immoral. Think about it in terms of a parent teaching a child. I am a parent of three young children. Just as I would explain to my children that it is not all right to take a piece of candy that they have not paid for, I would also tell them it is absolutely not okay to charge someone for something they aren't getting. But that is exactly what our government is doing with the Social Security tax.

Time magazine recently called it ``The Really Unfair Tax.'' I call it the Social Security double dip. The take-home pay of 100 million Americans is fodder for this gutsy government scam. In very simple terms, this means that when a family pays income tax, the portion that is withheld for Social Security--money that they never see--is calculated into their personal income. The first dip is the tax that workers pay on wage income. The second dip is the icing on the cake for the government--taxing money that they are already taking anyway. Working Americans are forced to pay income tax on their Social Security tax. It is textbook double taxation, and if a business concocted such a scheme it would be shut down. How can we continue this policy if we would teach our children that it is wrong? This is only one reason why the tax is unfair.

Another example of the outrageousness of this tax is that while working families are double taxed, American businesses are not. You see, half the Social Security tax is paid by workers, but employers pay the other half. Businesses and corporations get to deduct what they pay in Social Security taxes--a savings that working families are not afforded. This tax discrimination is unacceptable.

We must eliminate this absolutely wrong tax policy that mocks our Constitution's goal to ``promote the general Welfare.'' I propose an above-the-line deduction for Social Security taxes so that an individual's Social Security taxes are not included in the calculation of income for income tax purposes. It's the right thing to do if we want to lead this Nation by example. Providing a Social Security tax deduction makes sense and will make a real difference to working families. About 100 million individuals and families would feel the savings--to the tune of around $2,000 each. Such savings translate into real growth and opportunity. Scholars predict that the Payroll Tax Deduction Act would mean 900,000 new jobs in this country, and it also means a Nation of workers who get to keep more of their hard-earned money.

When government takes money away from working families, it stifles growth and builds obstacles to success. Let's take this chance to provide relief to America's families, open the doors to opportunity, and let future generations know that the American dream--the jewel that inspired Abraham Lincoln--is well within the reach of all who truly desire it.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Will the Senator yield for a question?

Mr. President, I have a preamble to my question. I heard my colleague refer to the opposition to Miguel Estrada as imposing an intellectual glass ceiling for Hispanics who are not liberals. We hear a lot about diversity on the courts. Yet some people seem intent on blocking this nominee for having a diversity of opinion as compared to what those on the left want. Don't you agree that an important kind of diversity is the diversity of ideas, and isn't that exactly what the opponents of Mr. Estrada and his confirmation are trying to prevent-- diverse ideas from a Hispanic nominee?

Mr. President, I rise today to extend my deepest condolences to the families of the seven astronauts whose lives were lost on February 1. To Nevadans Audrey and Barry McCool, whose son William piloted the final Columbia mission, I offer my sympathy and the sincere gratitude of an entire nation.

You raised an incredible human being. William McCool represented the best and the brightest of this country. Though his life was taken prematurely, his legacy will be felt indefinitely.

William was incredibly smart, a talented athlete, and a true patriot. The combination of these traits, along with devoted parents and religious conviction, produced an American hero. We mourn that hero today, as Audrey and Barry McCool mourn their son. And while we stand with them in grief, we should also express our admiration for the type of son they raised.

Many children dream of one day becoming an astronaut. A very elite few ever make that dream a reality. For William McCool, his dream was his destiny. As a child, he looked up to his Marine and Navy pilot father, built model airplanes, and became an Eagle Scout. As a young man, he excelled by graduating second in his class at the Naval Academy, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average, and earning advanced degrees in computer science and aeronautical engineering. Not applying to be an astronaut until his thirties, by the time of his last mission William had logged more than 2,800 hours of flight experience in 24 aircraft, including more than 400 landings on aircraft-carrier decks.

As a pilot, William McCool risked his life often for this country. On January 16, he left his wife, sons, parents, and siblings grounded on Earth while he soared toward his lifetime dream among the stars. William was kept from completing his journey home, but our gratitude for his service must not be short lived.

We must ensure that these 7 astronauts, and the 10 other NASA astronauts who died in pursuit of knowledge, did not do so in vain. We ow it to their children to continue the quest of space science, and we owe it to all our children to continue reaching for the stars.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess for the policy lunches and that it reconvene at 2:15 p.m.

Mr. President, today, I am pleased to be joined by my distinguished colleagues in introducing legislation that addresses the welfare of exotic animals throughout the country. Specifically, this bill prohibits the interstate shipment of exotic animals; namely lions, cheetahs, tigers, jaguars, and leopards. Only zoos, circuses, sanctuaries, universities, licensed breeders and other Federal and State licensed facilities are exempted from this prohibition.

During my days as a practicing veterinarian, I saw firsthand exotic animals mistreated by owners who were ill-prepared to care for them. All too often, large cats are put in cages that are too small to accommodate their growing needs. Owners often buy a young tiger or cat, paying more attention to their cuddly exterior rather

than the overwhelming responsibility that comes along with raising an animal that will grow into a large, wild, predator.

In my home State of Nevada, there is a burgeoning population of exotic animals being kept as pets. I have been contacted by animal control centers throughout the State that are called to aid in situations where a wild tiger or lion has escaped and run amok. In these situations, not only are the owners and the animal control professionals in danger, so too are children and other neighbors who may be in the wrong place at the wrong time. These animals' instinct is to attack, and they will do so, if given the opportunity. That is why only highly trained individuals who have the know-how and the resources should be able to own exotic animals.

In fact, I am informed that officials in Nye County in my home State, are working to pass a county ordinance that would ban the ownership of exotic animals because of the threat these animals pose to public safety. We have the support and backing of the Humane Society of the United States, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

This legislation protects the public, but also ensures that the animals receive the best care possible from certified and trained owners. I look forward to having the overwhelming support of my colleagues in the Senate.

Mr. President, today, I am pleased to be joined by my distinguished colleagues in introducing legislation that addresses the welfare of exotic animals throughout the country. Specifically, this bill prohibits the interstate shipment of exotic animals; namely lions, cheetahs, tigers, jaguars, and leopards. Only zoos, circuses, sanctuaries, universities, licensed breeders and other Federal and State licensed facilities are exempted from this prohibition.

During my days as a practicing veterinarian, I saw firsthand exotic animals mistreated by owners who were ill-prepared to care for them. All too often, large cats are put in cages that are too small to accommodate their growing needs. Owners often buy a young tiger or cat, paying more attention to their cuddly exterior rather

than the overwhelming responsibility that comes along with raising an animal that will grow into a large, wild, predator.

In my home State of Nevada, there is a burgeoning population of exotic animals being kept as pets. I have been contacted by animal control centers throughout the State that are called to aid in situations where a wild tiger or lion has escaped and run amok. In these situations, not only are the owners and the animal control professionals in danger, so too are children and other neighbors who may be in the wrong place at the wrong time. These animals' instinct is to attack, and they will do so, if given the opportunity. That is why only highly trained individuals who have the know-how and the resources should be able to own exotic animals.

In fact, I am informed that officials in Nye County in my home State, are working to pass a county ordinance that would ban the ownership of exotic animals because of the threat these animals pose to public safety. We have the support and backing of the Humane Society of the United States, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

This legislation protects the public, but also ensures that the animals receive the best care possible from certified and trained owners. I look forward to having the overwhelming support of my colleagues in the Senate.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, ``What are you doing for others?'' It is in the spirit of this simple question that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., lived and died. Can you imagine if every person started each day with such a challenge? If before we thought about what clothes we would wear or what food we would eat or what meetings we had scheduled, we asked ourselves, ``What are you doing for others?''

These weren't just words to Dr. King. He walked the walk. And his walk often took place in neighborhoods where he was stoned by angry crowds, in jail cells where he was imprisoned, and in cities where he was despised. But every morning he woke up with the attitude that he was here to serve others, and he believed that everyone was capable of doing the same. He once said in a sermon that, ``Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.'' The only requirements to serve, according to King, were ``. . . a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love . . .''.

For the 39 years that Dr. King graced this world, he led by example. And for the almost 35 years since his death, his legacy has continued to light a path to love, tolerance, reconciliation, and equality.

As well lit as he left that path, we still continue to stumble. That is why celebrating Dr. King's mission, even if just one day a year, is so necessary. We must remind ourselves how important it is for us to keep working toward a Nation that promotes opportunity for all while celebrating our unique differences.

Race relations in American have come a long way since almost 40 years ago when Dr. King penned his ``Letter from a Birmingham Jail'' after demonstrating against the segregation of restaurants. He wrote:

We have waited for more than 340 years for our

constitutional and God-given rights. Perhaps it is easy for

those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation

to say, ``Wait.'' But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch

your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and

brothers at whim * * * when you take a cross-country drive

and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the

uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel

will accept you * * * when you are humiliated day in and day

out by nagging signs reading ``white'' and ``colored,'' then

you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.

A lot has changed since then, but in 2003, Dr. King's work is still not complete. Opportunity is not available to all, and we have not fully succeeded at respecting each other's differences.

As we honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we are reminded that he lived to love others and serve others as a pastor, a champion of equality, and a leader of freedom.

He lost his life while on a mission to leave his children, and all our children, a better world. We owe it to him to continue down that path to love, tolerance, reconciliation, and equality, for only when we reach the end will his work have been completed.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.