Floor Statements

Mr. President, for the last 2 years, Democratic leaders in Washington have spent virtually all of their time ticking off items on the liberal wish list while they have had the chance: government-run health care, a national energy tax, financial regulations, bigger government, bigger deficits, union bailouts, government takeovers. So here we are, with just a few weeks left in the session, and they are still at it.

Last month, the American people issued their verdict on the Democratic priorities. Democrats have responded by doubling down. For 2 years, they legislated as if they were not in the middle of a national jobs crisis, and now they are legislating as if they do not realize the government is about to run out of money and every taxpayer in America is about to get slammed with a giant tax hike.

With just a few weeks to go before the end of the session, Democrats continue to place their priorities over the priorities of the American people. These are the things Democrats have chosen to do instead of preventing a massive tax hike that economists tell us would stifle the economy.

Republicans have pleaded with Democrats to put aside their wish list, to focus on the things Americans want us to focus on. They have ignored us. The voters repudiated their agenda at the polls. They have ignored them. Time is running out, and they are ignoring that.

The election was a month ago. It is time to get serious. It is time to focus on priorities.

Now, a little while ago, I delivered a letter to Senator Reid signed by all 42 Senate Republicans. It says every Republican will vote against proceeding to any legislative matter until we have funded the government and protected every taxpayer from a tax hike. Basically, what it means is, first things first.

With time running out in this session, we need to focus on these critical priorities. As the letter states:

Our constituents have repeatedly asked us to focus on

creating an environment for private-sector job growth; it is

time that our constituents' priorities become the Senate's

priorities.

At the moment, every taxpayer in the country stands to get a massive tax increase and a cut in pay on December 31. We need to show the American people we care more about them and their ability to pay their bills than we do about the special interest groups' legislative Christmas list. Republicans are united in our opposition to proceeding to any of these things until Democrats make the priorities of the American people their own.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the letter to Senator Reid I just referenced be printed in the Record.

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

Will the majority leader allow me to make an observation?

Mr. President, I had the opportunity to meet the father in the hall. I expressed to him my admiration for Senator Dodd. In fact, I said he was my favorite Democrat. We are indeed going to miss Senator Dodd in the Senate in the coming years. I thank him for being with us this morning.

Mr. President, congressional leaders of both parties will meet with the President at the White House today to talk about the work we have to do before the end of the year and, hopefully, about the things we can do together to foster the right conditions for businesses to start investing again and creating jobs.

Americans are watching the economic drama that is playing out in Europe. They expect us to read the signs of the times and work together to make sure that we avoid a similar crisis here, that we don't walk right into the same problems through a lack of will or political courage.

The American people expect us to put the national interest ahead of party interest. And, frankly, that is why it has been so distressing for many of us to watch our Democrat friends grope for a clear and unified position on whether or not to raise taxes in the middle of a recession.

One would think that this issue would be simple and straightforward.

Economists say that preventing a tax increase is one of the most important things Congress can do to help the economy. And the voters ratified that view earlier this month by sending candidates from both parties to Washington who vowed not to raise taxes once they got here.

But our Democrat friends are apparently still reluctant to draw any clear lessons from the election. With millions of American households staring at the imminent prospect of smaller paychecks in just a few short weeks unless Congress does something, Democrats are still searching for a solution that enables them to benefit politically-- regardless of what it does to the economy or to families.

Just take the latest proposal.

Some Democrats now say they only want to raise taxes on businesses that make more than $1 million a year. Where did that number come from? Well, it turns out this figure has no economic justification whatsoever. Nowhere will we find a study or survey which indicates that raising taxes on small businesses with over $1 million in income will create jobs or help spur the economy.

In fact, the author of this proposal freely admits it isn't an economic policy proposal at all, but rather one that was designed to provide better political messaging--an astonishing admission.

Let us get something straight. Millions of out-of-work Americans don't want a message. They want a job. Millions of struggling families trying to make ends meet don't need the Democrat messaging to improve; they need the economy to improve.

Selling bad economic policy to the American people is not an acceptable alternative to creating an environment that will put people back to work and help spur the economy.

We have heard a lot of chatter here in Washington lately about the negotiations that are expected to take place on this looming tax hike in the weeks ahead--on how to prevent it. How about we start with this: the beginning and end of any negotiation shouldn't be what is good for any political party. It should be what is good for the economy and for the American people. An if we leave the politics aside, if we look at the facts, the answer here is simple: no tax hikes on anybody--period.

So the question isn't what is best for the economy and jobs--the answer to that is obvious. The question is when will our friends on the other side get serious about either one.

It has been reported that the author of the $1 million proposal ran it through a focus group to see how it polled. This is precisely the kind of thing Americans are telling us to put aside. The election was a month ago. It is time to move on. It is time to work together on the priorities Americans want us to address.

Republicans have heard the voters loud and clear. They want us to focus on preventing a tax hike on every taxpayer, on reining in Washington spending and on making it easier for employers to start hiring again. That is why Republican leaders are reiterating our offer to work with anyone, from either party, who is ready to focus on priorities like these.

The day after the election, the President acknowledged that ``the overwhelming message'' of the voters ``[was] that . . . we want you to focus completely on jobs and the economy.''

That is the same message Republicans will bring to the White House today.

And that is why there is no reason we shouldn't be able to reach an agreement on taxes soon.

It is unclear how long our friends across the aisle will continue to resist the message of the election and cling to the liberal wish list that got us a job-killing healthcare law, a ``cap-and-trade'' national energy tax, an out-of-control spending spree, million more jobs lost, trillions more in debt, but not a single appropriations bill to fund the government or a bill to prevent the coming tax hikes.

With just a few weeks left before the end of the year, they are still clinging to the wrong priorities--instead of preventing a tax hike, they want to focus on immigration and don't ask, don't tell--and, maybe, if there is time left, see what they can do about jobs and the economy.

Indeed, their entire legislative plan for the rest of the lame duck session appears to be to focus on anything except jobs, which is astonishing when we consider the election we have just had.

Republicans aren't looking for a fight. We are appealing to common sense and a shared sense of responsibility for the millions of Americans who are looking to us to work together not on the priorities of the left, but on their priorities. And those priorities are clear.

Together, we must focus on the things Americans want us to do--not on what government wants Americans to accept. There is still time to do the right thing. The voters want us to show that we heard them, and Republicans are ready to work with anyone who is willing to do just that.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, like most Members of this body, I am rarely at a loss for words, but I think we have just had an opportunity to hear one of the most important speeches in the history of the Senate about our beginnings, about our traditions, about what is unique about this institution which makes it different from any other legislative body in the world. I have heard many people discuss that over the years but never anyone so cogently point out why the uniqueness of this institution is so important to our country as the senior Senator from Connecticut has done it today. So while we have a huge number of Senators on the floor, I am going to strongly recommend that those who were not here have an opportunity to take a look at his remarks because I think they are an enormously significant and important contribution to this institution and to its future.

On a personal basis, I want to say to my good friend from Connecticut how much I am going to miss him--his wonderful personality, his ability to talk to anybody--a uniquely effective individual.

So we bid adieu to the senior Senator from Connecticut and hope our paths will cross again in the future.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the work of my friend, Dr. Meredith Evans. A native of Little Clear Creek in Bell County, Ky., Meredith knew what career path he wanted to follow at a very young age. Influenced by his family members who were in the medical field, he decided by age six that he wanted to be a doctor.

Through diligence and perseverance he graduated high school early and went on to earn degrees from the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville Medical School. After 6 years in surgical residency, he became a certified general surgeon, and throughout his career he has heavily valued the doctor-patient relationship.

Not only was my good friend a great doctor, but he also gave back to his community and our Commonwealth through his involvement in the Chamber of Commerce and in ROHO, a charitable organization aimed to further the success of young people, which he founded. His compassion worked toward building new schools, immunizing citizens against polio, and raising money to give Christmas presents to underprivileged children. His community and our Commonwealth have benefited greatly because of his work. The Middlesboro Daily News recently published a story about Dr. Evans and his involvement in the community. I ask unanimous consent that the full article be printed in the Record.

There being no objection the material was ordered to be printed in the Record as follows:

Local Folks: Dr. Meredith Evans

Middlesboro.--``I decided I was going to be a doctor when I

was six years old,'' recalled longtime Middlesboro doctor

Meredith Evans.

One of his brothers, 18 years his senior, went to medical

school, inspiring Meredith to do the same. His first cousin

also owned Evans Hospital in Middlesboro and his uncle was a

physician in Pineville and Straight Creek.

Evans was born and raised in the Bell County community of

Little Clear Creek with his parents, Rose-Ota Fuson Evans and

father Marion F. Evans, a hillside farmer, and his three

sisters and two brothers.

The family lived off of the land, growing and hunting all

their own food. Evans remembers hunting and eating game like

squirrels and rabbits.

All six children went to college; the three girls became

school teachers and the boys went into the medical field.

Walking was the primary means of transportation in Little

Clear Creek at the time, and was supplemented by horses and

mules.

``My dad never owned a car,'' he said.

Meredith walked to elementary school, where he was taught

mostly by his school-teaching sister, and later, by his

brother who was putting himself through dental school.

He walked four and a half miles to a bus stop to go to Bell

County High School, from which he graduated at the age of 16.

``I doubled-up on a couple of subjects when I was under my

sister,'' he explained.

Meredith went to the University of Kentucky to get his

Bachelor's degree and the University of Louisville Medical

School. Going from Little Clear Creek to the city required

some adjustment.

``It was quite a change. But I adapted rather quickly,''

Evans said. ``I was spending most of my time going to school,

going to classes.''

Evans was in college during World War II, and was set to

head overseas when the war ended.

``I had already had my physical examination, and was ready

to go in the war. And they dropped the atomic bomb and that

ended the war,'' Meredith remembered.

Evans was told by his college roommate, Wendell Demarcus,

that the war was nearly over. Demarcus, it turned out, had

some inside information. The physics major had been working

on the development of the atomic bomb.

``He kept telling me, he said Something will happen that's

going to end the war,' but he never would tell me what and I

didn't push him for it. But when they dropped the bomb, he

said That's what I've been telling you about.'''

When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Evans joined the

service, to avoid being drafted. He spent eight months in

Fort Campbell learning about reconstructive plastic surgery.

``We did a lot of reconstructive surgeries on soldiers that

were returning home. I learned a lot about plastic surgery

there,'' Evans said.

After training at Fort Campbell, Evans and his three

friends shipped out. Evans ended up in Europe, thanks to the

luck of the draw.

``They put our names in a hat and they said the first one

drawn out of the hat would go to Europe and the other two to

Korea. So

my two friends went to Korea,'' Evans explained.

He was stationed in England, but was able to travel around

Europe during his service. Italy, where he toured ancient

churches and saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa, was his favorite

destination.

``I enjoyed their food and enjoyed the people,'' he

remarked.

After medical school, Evans spent six years in surgical

residency at three locations--Florida, West Virginia, and

Pennsylvania. He emerged a certified general surgeon with the

American Board of Surgery, with whom he later became a

diplomat.

The first operation Evans completed was an appendectomy at

a hospital in West Virginia, and he recalls the butterflies

that filled his stomach that day.

``I was doing an appendectomy. The main reason I was

nervous, was that my wife was in the operating room as a

nurse,'' he recalled.

His wife, Helen, continued to work as a nurse, helping

support the couple while Meredith completed his residency.

After finishing his training, he set up shop in Middlesboro,

and felt fortunate to be able to return home.

``I really enjoy being with country people. I think we have

the cream of the crop in the mountains,'' Evans declared.

Helen worked as a nurse in the practice until the couple

started a family. They had five children, Marilyn, Deborah,

Carobeth, Michelle, and Meredith II. Evans enjoyed

fatherhood.

``I had four cheerleaders and a football player,'' he said.

``I loved athletics. Of course, I was always interested in

their scholastics. My children always did well in school,

which made us happy.''

The couple now has ten grandchildren and the family is

always together for the holidays.

During his medical career, Meredith Evans witnessed

tremendous changes in medicine. Post-graduate education was a

consistent part of his career as technology and diagnostics

advanced.

Evans says that diagnostic advancements changed the face of

medicine, and that the invention of ultrasound machines, and

laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery made it possible for

doctors to save more lives than ever before.

Acquiring the ability to control circulation during

surgery, he says, may be the biggest advantage in medicine.

``You have machines that breathe and act as a heart,

pumping blood through the system while you're working on

it,'' said Evans. ``That's one of the biggest advances . . .

''

For Evans though, who has always had an intense interest in

medical ethics, spending time with patients to offer full

explanations of procedures and conditions was also a vital

part of the occupation.

"The doctor-patient relationship is the most important part

of medicine,'' he asserted.

In addition to working as a doctor, Evans took on many

roles in Middlesboro. He is the director of Community Trust

Bank, previously Commercial Bank, a post he has held since

1962.

Evans served as the president of the Junior Chamber of

Commerce and later the Senior Chamber of Commerce.

The Junior Chamber, under Evans, passed a bond issue to

provide the funding to build new schools in Middlesboro.

``It was a very difficult thing to do,'' Evans said.

``People opposed the taxes that were necessary to do it.''

In the early 1960s, the group confronted other city issues,

including immunizing the town against polio and defeating a

resolution to eliminate the citizen-elected City Council in

favor of an appointed commission.

Evans is a founding member of ROHO, an organization that

worked toward improving the community, and is named after the

song ``The Cockfight'' recorded by Archie Campbell in 1966.

The organization provides Christmas gifts for

underprivileged children in Bell, Lee and Claiborne counties.

Last year, the group spent around $30,000 on the program.

Additionally, Evans served for 12 years on the Middlesboro

School Board, was a city councilman for 20 years and served

as vice mayor.

Although Evans has retired from medicine, he continues to

keep up with advancements in the field. He stays healthy and

sharp with regular exercise and fresh produce from his

garden.

He still hunts and fishes as he did as a child, but no

longer brings home squirrel. He is enjoying retirement.

Mr. President, in 1819, a group of citizens petitioned the Kentucky General Assembly for a charter to create a new liberal arts college. The result was Centre College--a remarkable institution named for its proximate location in the geographic center of the Commonwealth. So committed was the legislature to the success of this school that it placed some of the State's most important citizens in charge of its board of trustees. Kentucky's first Governor, Isaac Shelby, served as its chair, and Dr. Ephraim McDowell--a pioneer in abdominal surgical techniques whose statue is on permanent display here in the Capitol--also served on the board.

From this august beginning, Centre College matured into a nationally recognized educational institution that focuses its mission on the success of its students. As their motto indicates, every student can expect a personal education and extraordinary success. It is not surprising, then, that Centre alumni include two Vice Presidents, one Chief Justice and one Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 13 U.S. Senators, 43 U.S. Representatives, 11 Governors--as well as 3 alumni currently serving on my staff. Indeed, Centre College has been a proving ground for generations of men and women whom have gone on to become leaders in a variety of fields.

More recently, under the steady hand of its president, Dr. John Roush, Centre College broke onto the national stage in 2000 when it hosted the Vice-Presidential debate between Dick Cheney and our colleague Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

When you consider the fact that it also holds a national record in annual alumni contributions, it is little wonder that Forbes magazine recently named Centre College as the top college in the South for a second year in a row. As the article begins, ``If you're accepted to be a student at the best college in the South, you are guaranteed an internship, the opportunity to study abroad and graduation within four years--or the school will pay for an additional year of tuition-free study.''

So it is with great pride that I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Centre College in Danville, KY.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the relevant portion of the Forbes article be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mrs. Jan Crase, who passed away on September 28, 2010, in Lexington, KY. As a resident of Somerset, KY, Jan was a prime example of a woman who gave back to her community. She valued education, faith and family, and was one of the hardest workers I have ever had the privilege of knowing. She attended Berea College for 3 years, and then transferred to the University of Louisville where she graduated with a degree in home economics. Even after leaving Berea College, she stayed connected to the college community throughout the years, serving on the Berea College Board of Trustees and the College President's Club. Jan was a caring friend who wanted college students to have the same positive experience she did in higher education. She helped raise millions of dollars for student scholarships, study-abroad programs, and computer funding at Berea College. As a member of Somerset's First Presbyterian Church, she saw a need to educate children not yet old enough to attend grade school, so she helped start the first preschool in Pulaski County in 1970. Since then, many families have benefited not only from the preschool but also from the youth groups and 4-H programs that Jan helped establish.

Starting youth programs and bringing the community together to raise money for a great cause were not the only things Jan excelled in; she was a determined entrepreneur and businesswoman. She had her hand in a variety of different careers, as a real-estate broker, an insurance agency owner, a home agent for Kentucky 4-H programs, as well as a dietician at Baptist Hospital in Louisville. Jan inspired everyone she came into contact with because of her positive outlook and determination in everything that she did. She was truly an upstanding woman, who spent much of her life giving her time and talents to better her community and our Commonwealth. There is no doubt the Commonwealth is poorer for her loss. My thoughts go out to her husband, James; her son, Karl' her two daughters Kim and Katherine; and her four grandchildren. The Commonwealth Journal recently published an article about Jan and the legacy she left behind. I ask unanimous consent that the full article be printed in the Record.

There being no objection the material was ordered to be printed in the Record as follows:

Somerset.--Jan Crase, 72, of Somerset, Ky., passed away

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010 in Lexington, Ky.

She was born in Summer Shade, Ky., on July 11, 1938,

daughter of the late Seymore and Ruby Smith Hunley. She was a

member of Somerset First Presbyterian Church. She attended

Berea College and graduated from University of Louisville

with a degree in Home Economics with emphasis in Dietetics.

Jan was the first female in Kentucky to pass Series I

examination for the Member of Appraisal Institute

designation. She became a licensed Real Estate Broker in

Kentucky where she did appraisals and feasibility studies in

15 Kentucky counties. She owned and operated a Somerset

insurance agency successfully for ten years.

She was a home agent with the University of Kentucky

Extension Service where she worked in Louisville and

Jefferson County with both 4-H and homemaker programs. She

developed the first 4-H clubs in inner city schools in the

nation. She was a chief therapeutic dietitian at Baptist

Hospital in Louisville and instructor of dietetics and

nutrition at Louisville Baptist School of Nursing.

She was previously a member with Berea College Board of

Trustees, Berea College President's Club, Founder's Club,

Kentucky Medical Association Education Committee as a non-

physician member, former president of Kentucky Medical

Association Alliance Board of Directors, chairman of Kentucky

Music Hall of Fame and Museum Advisory Board member, where

she helped establish the museum, 5th District Steering

Committee and also a member of local UNITE organization,

lifetime member and former president of Lake Cumberland

Performing Arts Advisory Board, former president of Pulaski

County Medical Alliance, first president of Pulaski County

Lincoln Club and ember of Pulaski Republican Women's club.

Her prior civic activities include chairman of Berea

College President's Council, Berea College Alumni Co-chairman

for Alumni fundraising, Kentucky Medical Association

Legislative Committee as a non-physician member, Kentucky GED

Foundation chairman, Kentucky Foundation for Adult Education

chairman, Southern Medical Association Auxiliary Medical

Heritage Councilor for Kentucky, Master Musician Festival

Board of Directors member, Pulaski County Extension Service

Advisory Council member, Somerset/Pulaski County Economic

Development Board member, Somerset/Pulaski County Convention

and Visitor's Bureau Board chairman, Somerset Community

College Development Board member, started the first preschool

in Pulaski County at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church in 1970,

Somerset Cooperative Preschool Board of Directors member for

many years, Sunday School teacher at Somerset First

Presbyterian Church for 12 years, Co-director of Somerset

first Presbyterian Church youth group for many years,

Somerset First Presbyterian Church Elder, United Way Board of

Directors and Appropriations Committee chairman and PTA board

member.

Special award Jan received were Kentucky Medical

Association 2010 Layperson of the Year, 2005 Special

Appreciation Award from Kentucky Medical Association,

Kentucky Commission of Women, an award for endeavors to

promote, educate and advise women of the Commonwealth and

Somerset Business and Profession Women's Club, ``Woman of

Achievement in Business.''

She is survived by her husband, James D. Crase, M.D. of

Somerset; one son, Karl (and Melissa) Crase of Richmond, Ky.;

two daughters, Kim (and Joe) Claytor of Berea, Ky., and

Katherine Crase of Tampa, Fla.; one brother, Jerry Hunley of

Louisville, Ky.; and four grandchildren, Laura and Neil

Claytor and Jonathon and Amelia Crase.

Visitation will be after 8 a.m. today at Somerset First

Presbyterian Church.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. today, Oct. 1, at

Somerset First Presbyterian Church with Rev. Allen Brimer

officiating.

Burial will be in Lakeside Memorial Gardens.

Expressions of sympathy may be made to the Somerset First

Presbyterian Church Capital Fund or Berea College.

Pulaski Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

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

Madam President, we have a lot to do and not much time to do it in before the end of the session. The American people spoke loudly and clearly on election day. They want us to put aside the liberal wish list and focus on jobs. The most important thing we can do to create jobs between now and January 1 is to send a message to job creators that we are not going to raise their taxes. That is why I offered a bill back in September--S. 3773--that would make current tax rates permanent. This is the only bill that has yet been offered that would prevent a tax hike on anyone. In other words, nobody in America would get a tax hike at the end of this year.

The White House didn't seem to like that idea. They said we should raise taxes on small businesses. But this should be an easy one. We should be promoting private job creation, not killing private job creation. So I look forward to hearing any ideas the White House has to achieve that.

One thing we will need to do before we leave this year is to fund the government because Democrats didn't pass a single appropriations bill this year. So now we will have to mop up in the eleventh hour with an omnibus spending bill that covers all of it. This is one more sign they aren't learning many lessons from the election.

If this election showed us anything, it is that Americans don't want Congress passing massive trillion-dollar bills that have been thrown together behind closed doors. They want us to do business differently. So I will not be supporting an omnibus spending bill. We have seen what happens when Democrats rush legislation and try to jam it through at the last minute, with no time for review or for the American people to learn what is actually in the bill. The ``Cornhusker kickback'' and

the ``Louisiana purchase'' are fresh on their minds.

Americans want us to take our time and get things right, and they want us to spend less. The voters have spoken. We need to show that we heard them.

Terrorist Ahmed Ghailani

Madam President, yesterday's acquittal in a Federal court of accused terrorist Ahmed Ghailani on all but 1 of 285 charges of conspiracy and murder is all the proof we need that the administration's approach to prosecuting terrorists has been deeply misguided and, indeed, potentially harmful as a matter of national security.

You will recall that Attorney General Holder assured the American people last year that Ghailani would not be acquitted of the charges against him. Holder said back then:

With his appearance in Federal Court today, Ahmed Ghailani

is being held accountable for his alleged role in the bombing

of U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and the murder of 224

people.

Holder also said back then that Ghailani's prosecution in civilian court would prove its effectiveness in trying terrorists who were picked up on the battlefield.

At the time, most Americans wondered why we would even take the chance. Now they are wondering when the administration will admit it was wrong and assure us, just as confidently, that terrorists will be tried from now on--from now on--in the military commission system that was established for this very purpose at the secure facility at Guantanamo Bay or detained indefinitely if they cannot be tried without jeopardizing national security.

When it comes to terrorism, we should err on the side of protecting the American people.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a legendary Kentucky newspaperman who, after 39 years, is retiring, and the Commonwealth will certainly be the poorer for it. I am going to miss my old friend, Bill Bartleman of the Paducah Sun, as his service in the fourth estate ends this month.

Bill's first day at the Paducah Sun was January 7, 1972, when the Murray State University graduate was hired as both a reporter and a photographer. In the four decades since, he has covered Senators and Governors, local lawmakers and the Kentuckians whose names you may not know but who, in his words, ``make life happen.''

He has interviewed a President of the United States, and he has ridden a hot air balloon over the Ohio River. He has become Kentucky's longest running legislative reporter. He has led quite a life of accomplishment, and I wish him well in the next stage of his career.

I first met Bill when he covered my initial race for the Senate in 1984, and he has covered every one of my races since that time. For my last election campaign in 2008, Bill moderated a debate between me and my opponent that was broadcast on C-SPAN. So the whole Nation had a chance to see Bill hard at work. He was fair, honest, and professional, as always.

After 39 years, it would be easy for some reporters to make the mistake of thinking they are the story--but not Bill. This veteran journalist has words of wisdom for young reporters. This is what Bill had to say:

Remember the responsibility of what you do.

He went on to say:

Bill Bartleman isn't important, but what he covers is

important. You need to represent the public and report what

happens fairly. You can't send people tainted water, and you

can't send tainted news.

Those words are well said. Those of us in public life will always have a close relationship with members of the press. Sometimes it is a bit challenging and sometimes it is frustrating. Sometimes the politician and the reporter do not always see eye to eye. I cannot say Bill Bartleman and I agree on everything. But I can say that Bill Bartleman will always have my respect.

For 39 years, Kentuckians have benefited from his incisive political coverage. As he moves on to a position with Mid-Continent University in Mayfield, KY, I know I speak for many Kentuckians when I say: Thank you, Bill. Thank you, Bill, for your dedicated service. You certainly will be missed.

Bill's own newspaper, the Paducah Sun, recently published an excellent article about his life and career, and I ask unanimous consent that the full article be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate held many meetings this week to assess the priorities of our respective conferences.

I am extremely proud of the clarity my Republican colleagues have used to express what our priorities must be and

that we have listened to the American people. Last night, Republicans expressed the need to cut spending, reduce the debt, shrink the size and scope of the Federal Government, and help spur private sector employment--in short, change the way Washington is doing business to get our economy going again.

There is no question that is a sentiment shared by the American people. I would be remiss if I did not also express some dismay with the priorities that are being put forward on the other side of the aisle.

This is a lameduck session, and they have an opportunity to respond to the American people before we convene for the 112th Congress, but there is no reason why we cannot get to work on their behalf beginning today.

Let me share with you what I believe our priorities need to be during the lameduck session: first and foremost, preventing massive tax increases on families and small businesses and stopping the Washington spending spree. It is critical we send a message to job creators that Congress will not raise taxes on January 1.

In September, I offered a bill that would make the current tax rates permanent. In other words, nobody--nobody--in America would get a tax hike at the end of the year. The White House did not like that idea. Their preference was to raise taxes on small businesses. I think it is safe to say the American people clearly preferred our proposal: no tax hikes on anybody, especially in the middle of a recession. We should be creating jobs, not killing them.

It is my hope that starting today Democrats will turn to the priorities that reflect the wishes of the American people. If they choose that route, I know Republicans will be happy to work with them to get those things accomplished. If not, I am confident Republicans will be eager to chart a different course on behalf of the American people.

When we return from the Thanksgiving break, Republican and Democratic leaders will have an opportunity to discuss these priorities with the President in a meeting at the White House. I am looking forward to the meeting and to the opportunity to share with the President again the areas where we agree. I believe we can work together to increase opportunities for job growth here at home through increased trade opportunities abroad. I agree with the President that we should increase our exploration for clean coal technology and nuclear energy, and Americans feel strongly that we need to reduce spending and our national debt.

We can work together on all those items, and the White House meeting is a good opportunity for congressional Democrats to join us in those efforts.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I thank my friend, the majority leader, and congratulate him on his reelection and look forward to working together to wrap up the business of this current Congress and working with him again in the next Congress.

Mr. President, I have seen a lot of elections in my life, but I have never seen an election like the one we had earlier this month. The 2010 midterm election was a ``change'' election, the likes of which I have never seen, and the change that people want, above all, is right here in Washington.

Most Americans are deeply unhappy with their government, more so than at any other time in decades. And after the way lawmakers have done business up here over the last couple of years, it is easy to see why. But it is not enough to point out the faults of the party in power. Americans want change, not mere criticism. And that means that all of us in Washington need to get serious about changing the way we do business, even on things we have defended in the past, perhaps for good reason.

If the voters express themselves clearly and unequivocally on an issue, it is not enough to persist in doing the opposite on the grounds that ``that's the way we've always done it.'' That is what elections are all about, after all. And if this election has shown us anything, it is that Americans know the difference between talking about change, and actually delivering on it.

Bringing about real change is hard work. It requires elected officials, whether they are in their first week or their 50th year in office, to challenge others and, above all, to challenge themselves to do things differently from time to time, to question, and then to actually shake up the status quo in pursuit of a goal or a vision that the voters have set for the good of our country.

I have thought about these things long and hard over the past few weeks. I have talked with my Members. I have listened to them. Above all, I have listened to my constituents. And what I have concluded is that on the issue of congressional earmarks, as the leader of my party in the Senate, I have to lead first by example. Nearly every day that the Senate's been in session for the past 2 years, I have come down to this spot and said that Democrats are ignoring the wishes of the American people. When it comes to earmarks, I will not be guilty of the same thing.

Make no mistake. I know the good that has come from the projects I have helped support throughout my State. I don't apologize for them. But there is simply no doubt that the abuse of this practice has caused Americans to view it as a symbol of the waste and the out-of-control spending that every Republican in Washington is determined to fight. And unless people like me show the American people that we are willing to follow through on small or even symbolic things, we risk losing them on our broader efforts to cut spending and rein in government.

That is why today I am announcing that I will join the Republican leadership in the House in support of a moratorium on earmarks in the 112th Congress.

Over the years, I have seen Presidents of both parties seek to acquire total discretion over appropriations. And I have seen Presidents of both parties waste more taxpayer dollars on meritless projects, commissions, and programs than every congressional earmark put together. Look no further than the stimulus, which Congress passed without any earmarks, only to have the current administration load it up with earmarks for everything from turtle tunnels to tennis courts.

Contrast this with truly vital projects I have supported back home in Kentucky, such as the work we have done in relation to the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in western Kentucky.

Here was a facility at which workers, for years, were unaware of the dangers that the uranium at the plant posed to their health or how to safely dispose of the hazardous materials that were used there. Thanks to an expose about the plant in the nineties by the Washington Post, the danger was made known and I set about forcing the government to put a cleanup plan in place and to treat the people who had worked there. Through the earmark process, we were able to force reluctant administrations of both parties to do what was needed to clean up this site and to screen the people who had worked there for cancer. These screenings saved lives, and they would not have happened if Congress had not directed the funds to pay for them.

Another success story is the Bluegrass Army Depot, which houses some of the deadliest materials and chemical weapons on Earth. As a Nation we had decided that we would not use the kind of weapons that were stored at this site; and yet the Federal Government was slow to follow through on safely dismantling and removing them, even after we had signed an international treaty that required it. But thanks to congressional appropriations we are on the way to destroying the chemical weapons at this site safely and thus protect the community that surrounds it.

Administrations of both parties have failed to see the full merit in either of these projects, which is one of the reasons I have been reluctant to cede responsibility for continuing the good work that is being done on them and on others to the executive branch.

So I am not wild about turning over more spending authority to the executive branch, but I have come to share the view of most Americans that our Nation is at a crossroads; that we will not be able to secure the kind of future we want for our children and grandchildren unless we act, and act quickly; and that the only way we will be able to turn the corner and save our future is if elected leaders like me make the kinds of difficult decisions voters are clearly asking us to make.

Republicans in and out of Washington have argued strenuously for 2 years that spending and debt are at crisis levels. And we have demonstrated our seriousness about cutting spending and reining in government. Every Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, for instance, voted against every appropriations bill in committee this year because they simply cost too much. Most included funding for projects in our home States. We voted against them anyway.

Banning earmarks is another small but important symbolic step we can take to show that we are serious, another step on the way to serious and sustained cuts in spending and to the debt.

Earlier this month voters across the country said they are counting on Republicans to make tough decisions. They gave us a second chance. With this decision, I am telling them that they were right to put their trust in us. And it is my fervent hope that it will help demonstrate to the American people in some way just how serious Republicans are about not letting them down.

Republican leaders in the House and Senate are now united on this issue, united in hearing what the voters have

been telling us for 2 years, and acting on it.

This is no small thing. Old habits are not easy to break, but sometimes they must be. And now is such a time. With a $14 trillion debt and an administration that talks about cost-cutting but then sends over a budget that triples the national debt in 10 years and creates a massive new entitlement program, it is time for some of us in Washington to show in every way possible that we mean what we say about spending.

With Republican leaders in Congress united, the attention now turns to the President. We have said we are willing to give up discretion; now we will see how he handles spending decisions.

And if the President ends up with total discretion over spending, we will see even more clearly where his priorities lie. We already saw the administration's priorities in a stimulus bill that has become synonymous with wasteful spending, that borrowed nearly $1 trillion for administration earmarks like turtle tunnels, a sidewalk that lead to a ditch, and research on voter perceptions of the bill.

Congressional Republicans uncovered much of this waste. Through congressional oversight, we will continue to monitor how the money taxpayers send to the administration is actually spent. It is now up to the President and his party leaders in Congress to show their own seriousness on this issue, to say whether they will join Republican leaders in this effort and then, after that, in significantly reducing the size and cost and reach of government. The people have spoken. They have said as clearly as they can that this is what they want us to do.

They will be watching.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I wish to proceed under my leader time.

Mr. President, first, I had an opportunity to hear the remarks of Dr. Barrasso, the Senator from Wyoming, about health care, and I wish to thank him for the ongoing contribution he has made in this very important debate. This is an issue that is not over and we will keep on revisiting the flaws in the coming years. So I thank the Senator from Wyoming for his important contribution.

I also thank the other Senator from Wyoming who is sitting to my left, who is the author of this measure we will be voting on--a necessary step. I thank the Senator from Wyoming for his important contribution as well.

Voices Grow Louder

Mr. President, for the past year and a half, Americans have witnessed something truly remarkable here in Washington. They have watched a governing party that was more or less completely uninterested in what the governed had to say about the direction of the country. In a nation where the government's power is derived from the consent of the governed, that is a pretty risky governing philosophy. That is why the voices of the American people have grown louder and louder.

Republicans have listened to those voices. We heard the concerns Americans had with the stimulus bill that was based on the discredited premise that having bureaucrats and Democratic lawmakers spend $1 trillion on their favorite programs would revive the economy, and we opposed it. We heard the concerns Americans had about a health spending bill that was built on the discredited premise that spending more money and growing the Federal bureaucracy would make health care less expensive, and we opposed it. We heard the concerns Americans had about a financial regulatory bill that was built on the discredited premise that hiring more of the same kind of bureaucrats who missed the last crisis was a good formula for preventing the next one, and we opposed it.

Again and again, Democrats were faced with a problem, and their solution was to ram through some costly, big government solution Americans did not want, but that they are now expected to pay for. And they are still not finished.

In order to fund even more programs, more government, our friends on the other side now want to raise taxes. Nearly 15 million Americans are looking for work and can't find it. Another 11 million are underemployed, meaning they have settled for part-time work instead of a full-time job. Household income is down for the second year in a row, and Democrats want to take more money out of people's pockets.

Just yesterday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said these tax hikes will hurt the economy and slow the recovery. So what did we do here over the past week in the Senate? An ill-conceived bill the chairman of the Finance Committee said would put U.S. companies at a competitive disadvantage, and a campaign finance bill, the entire goal of which was to give Democrats an electoral advantage in the upcoming elections by muzzling their opponents.

If Americans need any further proof that Democrats haven't been listening to them, this past week has provided all the evidence they need. Americans want us to focus on jobs, and our friends on the other side focused on preserving their own jobs and spending more taxpayer dollars.

It has to stop.

That is why earlier this month I proposed a bill that would prevent a massive tax hike from going into effect on anyone at the end of the year, and that is why Republicans put forward an appropriations cap that would cut $300 billion from the President's budget, even as our friends on the other side neglected to bring a single appropriations bill to the floor.

Sometime today or tomorrow, we will be leaving Washington to head back to our States and when we do, Democrats will have a lot of explaining to do about how they have spent their time here in the last year and a half. As for Republicans, we will be able to say we listened.

Tribute to Larry Cox

Mr. President, in the reception area of my office in the Russell Building, there is a framed copy of a page from my hometown newspaper hanging on the wall. It is from section B, the front page, and the date reads January 21, 1985, just days after I was first sworn in as Kentucky's newest Senator.

There is a picture of me sitting in my new Senate office, talking on the phone, with quite the head of dark hair. Behind me you can see a man in a sport coat lifting some boxes. And he looks like he can lift them quite easily, too. The caption under that photo reads:

``McConnell made a few telephone calls while aide Larry Cox moved boxes in on the first day.''

The first day.

Now, in too many ways, it feels like an era has reached its final days. Because after more than 25 years of Senate service, and nearly 30 years of setting his own ego aside to help me and my career, on September 2 of this year, Larry Cox retired.

No other single person worked as hard or did as much for Team McConnell as Larry has. And because Larry was there from the beginning--when on any given day, he could serve as driver, security detail, advance man, political operative, caseworker, legislative advisor, and my eyes and ears all at once--no other single person probably ever will.

We have heard the phrase ``jack of all trades,'' but Larry is a master of all trades--not only because of the many roles he filled in my office, but for the fullness of his life outside the office as well.

As the State director in my office beginning in 1985, Larry was my chief representative in Kentucky. He oversaw an 18-member field staff, spread out amongst six offices in the State, and led my efforts in constituent casework, project development, and outreach.

Beyond that, however, Larry was the picture of the perfect Senate staffer. Content to stay in the background, for years he happily worked without seeking credit. He is a man of fairly strong opinions, and was somewhat our resident keeper of the ideological flame--but he would never force his opinion on you if you didn't ask for it.

Most of all, for the hundreds of staffers that have been through my offices, he served as a role model, an example of good character, and a true friend.

Larry and I have more in common than just our Senate service. We were both born in Alabama, just a year apart, and after a little traveling, we both ended up about as Bluegrass as one can get. Additionally, both Larry's father and mine served in World War II.

After the war, Larry's father, Lawrence E. Cox, Jr., worked for Gulf Oil, and that job took him and his family all across the southern United States. Larry spent time growing up in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

He attended George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, and earned his master's at the University of Tennessee. A city planner by trade, he finally moved home--that is to say, to Louisville--in 1972.

My friendship with Larry began in 1981, when Larry began working for county government as the deputy secretary for community development. I was the county judge/executive, and I successfully lured Larry away from his old job. By 1984, he was with me as I made by first run for the Senate.

I can't talk much longer about Larry without mentioning his lovely wife Joanie. Larry came to start working for me just 3 months after he and Joanie got married. It is lucky for me it wasn't 3 months before. Joanie didn't know just how much I would take her husband away from her over the years.

Elaine and I have to thank Joanie for sharing Larry with us, because as we all know, sometimes Larry's work obligations have gotten the lion's share.

Sometimes Larry served as a one-man security detail. It was like being staffed by Clint Eastwood. You could call him ``Dirty Larry,'' and he was

just waiting for someone to make his day.

Larry is not a guy you want to make mad, even though those of us who know him know that under that tough exterior is a very kind and caring man. I am probably going to get in trouble with him for saying that out loud.

In the old days, Larry and I crisscrossed every county in the State, in a car that Larry faithfully had service every 3,000 miles. Every event, he had planned precisely down to the minute. Executing Larry's plans was like executing a military maneuver.

This was also when I first learned about Larry's honest-to-gosh superpower. He is a walking, talking human GPS. Ask him how to get anywhere, and he can give you landmarks, travel time, distance and cardinal direction.

Naturally, a fellow like that became one of my very first Senate staffers after we were victorious in the 1984 election. And he was the perfect choice to be my State director.

In that job, he has been to every town parade and county festival. I believe he could name the sitting judge/executive in all 120 Kentucky counties, or tell you which counties towns like Eighty Eight or Grab are in. Since 1985, there have been 14 commanding generals at the Fort Knox Armor Center, and he has known and worked with every one of them.

And in the hundreds of thousands of hours I have spent with Larry, if he ever had a bad day, he did it pretty well.

Maybe that is because Larry never got bored. I have already described how he did everything in my office, no job too big or too small. And the rich and complete life he leads has given him plenty else to do as well.

Larry knows a lot about a lot of things. If you are on the road with him, and you point out a nice looking Corvette, he will be able to tell you it's a ZR1 with 638 horsepower and over 600 pounds of torque that can pull one `G' in a turn and goes zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds.

Larry once stopped me from boarding a plan because he could smell that it had been filled with the wrong kind of fuel. Despite the so- called experts telling him otherwise, he insisted they double check. Turned out he was right. Larry's nose saved some lives that day.

Larry's favored method of transportation, however, is not by air, but by land--specifically, by motorcycle. You can catch him driving across Kentucky on his Suzuki Bandit 1250, and he is usually with friends. In fact, Larry's got so many friends in the biker community that I have benefited from having a fleet of motorcycles roll in to many of my events. Larry's also a strong supporter of the second amendment. He believes in gun control--gun control being a firm hand and a steady grip.

I don't know how many guns Larry has, he may not even know, but I believe the number is somewhere north of 50. Years ago, Larry used to shoot skeet competitively.

You could even say Larry is one of those ``bitter'' people, the type who clings to his guns and his religion. He is a devout Christian who has been attending St. Matthew's United Methodist Church in Louisville since 1978.

He has faithfully volunteered countless hours over the years, including time spent at Susannah House, a daycare center run by the church. He has held every church leadership position, including serving on the board of trustees.

In what is becoming a recurring theme for Larry, he is always willing to do whatever is asked, and whatever it takes. On top of his church, he gives his time generously to the Kiwanis, and to the State Republican Party.

Larry is a great lover of the outdoors. He and Joanie have a farm in Hart County, KY, that is just shy of 100 acres. Now that Larry is leaving us I know he will be spending a lot more time there.

Larry generously opens up his farm to the McConnell Scholars, students at the University of Louisville who are part of a scholarship program for kids that I helped establish in 1991. He has held retreats for them there, mentored the students, and helped bring in speakers for other McConnell Center events. His contribution is so great that Dr. Gary Gregg, the center's director, puts it this way: ``Simply put . . . we would be impoverished without Larry.''

Dr. Gregg has a 15-year-old son, and Larry has helped encourage his interest in deer hunting, by letting him use his farm and his fields and educating him about shooting and gun safety. Whenever he has a chance to share his love of nature and the outdoors, Larry shines.

Anyone who thinks Republicans can't be conservationists, I want them to meet Larry and go visit his farm. The Green River runs through it, and Larry participates in the CREP program--a Kentucky conservationist effort to preserve and protect the river.

A third of the farm is planted with warm-season native grasses, to prevent soil erosion into the river and enhance the local wildlife. A third of the property is in timber, and a third in hayfields. You may have noticed what's missing on this farm--Larry has to abide by Joanie's rule, ``No crops, no critters.''

Larry is so well known throughout the State for his conservation efforts, he was honored this year as the Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts Person of the Year. He is also the first person to receive the Award for Distinguished Service from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

My wife Elaine is also close to Larry and Joanie, and I know she is going to miss them a lot. Larry was one of the first Kentuckians she met when she came to the State, and he was so knowledgeable and friendly he made her feel just at home. She liked going to Larry and Joanie's home, where she knew she would always find good food and good company.

During my 1996 campaign, Elaine's sister Angela came to Louisville to volunteer, and Larry and Joanie generously put her up in their home. They have done that many times for other volunteers and staffers through the years. The McConnell Team has always been grateful to stay at their home.

I have wondered often over the years how a man as unique and special as Larry Cox came to be, and how I was lucky enough to find him.

To the second question, I can only credit providence. But the first question, that I can take a stab at answering.

I know Larry learned a lot about living from his mother. So did I. So did everyone lucky to know her. Beryl O. Cox was a spirited, adventuresome woman--in other words, she was a lot like Larry.

She raised three boys, and she was like one of the boys. She knew her priorities: She loved her family, her church, her motorcycles, and her bourbon--not necessarily in that order.

She and Larry would go riding together. She had her own motorcycle, a Honda Valkyrie. She didn't drive it--Larry would drive, and she would sit on the back.

Beryl was a delightful woman--``a real kick,'' according to Joanie. And may I say she was a close friend of mine as well. I remember how much she volunteered on many of my campaigns.

She was about the same age as my own mother. She lived a full and robust life, until her passing at the age of 95 in 2007.

A full and robust life, well lived. Larry obviously learned that from his mother as well. And just like her, he has made countless friends along the way.

Those friends will get to see a lot more of Larry now. So will his family. Whether it is time spent on the farm or on the back seat of his motorcycle, if it is time spent with Larry, I am sure they are grateful.

The Cox family includes Larry's wife Joanie; his daughter and son-in- law Lisa C. and Steve Pieragowski; his son and daughter-in-law J. Randall and Kristen A. Cox; his grandchildren Alexa Brooke Pieragowski, Erin Phoebe Pieragowski, Hayden Lawrence Cox, and Hadley Marie Cox; his brother and sister-in-law Alvin J. and Cammie Cox; his brother and sister-in-law Davis S. and Lynn C. Cox; his nieces and nephews Christopher L. Cox, Carter Cox, Lindsay F. Cox, and Stephen Cox; and many more beloved friends and family members.

Larry, your family's gain will certainly be our loss. It is a loss for my office, and a loss for the entire State of Kentucky that you have faithfully served for so many years.

As for me, I am going to miss my old friend.

After 30 years, there is too much to be said, so I simply say, thank you, Larry. For your dedication, your service, and your friendship, I don't think you can ever be thanked enough.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, it is my understanding he will offer that later. We can proceed then.