Bomb that past behavior shows they try to get away weapons capability . Yes evictee will agree congress may make things worse with sages but we should have a say about the final outcome . With. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President many have now heard the sad news that one of the giants of kentucky politics passed away last night. Wendell ford first came to the senate in the 1970s, calling himself just a dumb country boy with dirt between his toes. But over a distinguished twodecade career, this workhorse of the senate would prove he was anything but. I had the opportunity to watch my Senate Colleague up close as he ascended to leadership in his party and established himself as a leader on issues of importance to my state. A proud kentuckian who rose from page in the statehouse to governor of the state ford shaped the history of the commonwealth in ways few others had before him. He never forgot the lessons about hard work he learned while milking cows or tended to chores on the family farm. This world war ii veteran never backed down from a fight either. We imagine he approached his final battle with the same spirit. Elaine and i and im certain i speak for the entire senate, send our condolences to his wife jean mrs. Ford, as wendell often called her and the rest of the ford family at this difficult time. Minutes. Mr. Ford i thank the chair for his kindness; appreciate it very much. Mr. President , as the 105th Congress Comes to a close, i want to take a moment to say thank you to my fellow colleagues, who, like me, will be retiring this year. I came to the senate in 1974 with with senators glenn and bumpers. It was a different time, when campaigns were still won by going door to door, when the senate itself was much more open to compromise and bipartisanship. Despite the changes in the senate, senator bumpers has continued to be a voice for his state, never giving up the fight for something he believed in. And when the senate itself began to listen they began to respond. In fact, after fighting 19 years to reform the National Parks concession operations, he finally won approval of the legislation on last thursday. While its true the senate long ago lost its reputation as a place of eloquent debate, my colleague from arkansas has proven time and again the power of words with his skillful oratory, whether the issue was arms control, education or balancing the budget. In all my years here in washington, i was never so moved as i was by a speech he gave on preserving manassas, virginia, civil war battlefield. He not only changed votes, but he reminded his colleagues and the American People that our greatest strength lies in our ability to give voice to our beliefs and to our constituents concerns. Like mark twain, who came into this world with halleys comet, and left this world with its return. Senator glenn came into the public eye with his historic orbit around the earth and he will close out his public career with another historic flight into space. In between, hes demonstrated over and over that hes truly made of the right stuff. As the almanac of american politics wrote and i quote he is the embodiment of the smalltown virtues of of family, godfearing religion, duty, patriotism and hard work. Over the years he has brought the same fight and determination that made him a brilliant fighter pilot. To his efforts to expand educational opportunities, increase funding for scientific research, to clean up Nuclear Waste sites, promote civil rights and to make our government more efficient. Despite their long list of contributions in the senate, perhaps their greatest contributions to this nation are still to come. Senator bumpers has talked about going back to arkansas to teach, and senator glenn has said once he gets back to earth, hell work to steer young people toward Public Service. I cant think of of a greater honor than to say ive served alongside these two men and shared their vision of a better america. I also want to thank my two retiring colleagues on the other side of the aisle. We may not have always agreed on whiched road to take, but i believe we always shared a deep commitment to our country and its betterment. Whether you agree or not with senator coats position on the issues, everyone in this chamber will agree hes willing to roll up his sleeves and do the hard work necessary to accomplish his goals. He brought the same tenacity to the senate that found him at 3 in the polls when he began his first congressional bid and had him winning by 58 on election day. He got that win the oldfashioned way. Organizing, block by block and pressing his case one on one. Senator kempthorne has only been a part of of this institution for just one term, but hes already proven that he can work with his colleagues to pass laws. Like the Unfunded Mandates bill, in a place where its often easier to move mountains than a piece of legislation. The Safe Drinking Water act of 1996 was a perfect example of his ability to bring together scientists, activists on both sides of the issue and with Public Health experts to craft legislation that each one had a stake in seeing succeed. So while he may have spent just a short time in these halls, he demonstrated that it is only through compromise the henry clay way that we can achieve solutions to the best interests of the nation. So, mr. President , let me tell my fellow retirees what a privilege its been to serve with you over the years and how grateful i am for your commitment to Public Service and to the American People. Now, mr. President , i want to make a few brief remarks, share a few thoughts and express my halt felt thanks to a number of individuals heartfelt thanks to a number of individuals who have made my life in the senate a little bit easier and a little bit more enjoyable than it would otherwise have been. I have been privileged to serve in this body since december 28, 1974. As i look back, it is am madeing it is amazing how much progress we have made as a country during that period. The average Life Expectancy in this country has increased by four years. The average per capita income after adjusting for inflation has risen 40 during this time period. The portion of adults with at least a High School Diploma has risen from twothirds of adults to more than fourfifths. The percentage of adults with at least a bachelors degree has risen from 14 to 25 . So we are living longer and healthier lives. We are wealthier, and we are better educated. And quality of life has improved in many other ways as well. We have an almost unlimited ability to communicate. The developments with computers in recent years has been almost breathtaking. Children understand computers at an early age, often before they even start to school. Percentage of homes with computers keeps rising. We have cell phones and lap tops and cable tv and satellite dishes and fax machines. Our access to information is better and faster than ever. We have opportunities to travel more, live in bigger homes and eat more nutritious meals. We spend more on entertainment than ever before. But, mr. President , our challenges are probably greater than ever also. I entered the senate at the beginning of a period of of deep cynicism and distrust of government. Having just come through the vietnam war and watergate. Weve always had a very healthy distrust of government in this country, but in 1974 was an especially troublesome time. And ive witnessed the fascinating National Debate on role of of government during the period since. The the cynicism from watergate evolved into a crisis of cfed in our country of confidence in ourp country and a growing feeling by some in the 1980s that government was a major source of many problems in our society, not the solution. But the debate of the role of government has continued to evolve. I think were at the toint today where there is a fairly broad consensus among americans about certain aspects of government. There is a consensus about certain things that americans want from their government a strong defense, the best educational system in the world, managing the economy in an efficient way, including balanced budgets, low inflation, low interest rates, low unemployment and the at least amount of taxation and regulation possible. Americans want fair rules in the workplace, in the marketplace, from family leave to fair trade to basic consumer protection. They want an adequate infrastructure to sustain a successful and growing economy. And they expect minimal safety and Health Protections from the from Law Enforcement to food and drug safety to providing health care for the elderly and the poor. I found that almost all my colleagues want these things as well. We often differ on the best approach, the best philosophy for meeting these goals and providing what our constituents want, but were all basically after the same thing. Some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle still use the rhetoric from the 1980s about being for lower taxes and smaller government. Who could be against that . But most of these same colleagues also are for all of the things i just mentioned. They would agree with me that these are all things that our constituents demand and expect us to address. We all want the smallest government possible, but we want a government to deliver all of these things. So it is a challenge for all of of us. In the future challenges for the next congress and beyond will be even more complex. I mentioned earlier that were living longer. The standard retirement age has not gone up since i came to the senate. In fact, the average privatesector retirement age has gone down. But we live longer. The percentage of population age 65 and older is up about 13 today and is projected to continue to grow. During my tenure in the senate ive seen federal spending on Social Security grow from 64 from 64 billion to 380 billion. Ive seen medicare spending increase from 13 billion to 220 billion. And roughly half of medicaid spending, which has gone from 7 billion to 100 billion in the budget, is attributable to nurse home care. These three areas alone Social Security, medicare and medicaid have gone from 25 of the total budget when i first came to roughly 42 of the total budget today. Without question the major budget issue in the next few years is how we deal with the costs associated with the elderly. And it is a quality issue as well. Many of the same trends which are currently affecting managed care in the private sector will certainly affect the quality of of medical care received by the elderly. I wish we had more we had made more progress in these areas before my time in the senate had expired. I wish my colleagues well in addressing these issues and urge them to do so earlier rather than later. I know my colleagues share my sentiments. The other area i would urge my colleagues to address is the financing and operation of campaigns. Now here is an area that has changed dramatically during my 24 years. When i announced my retirement from the senate, i mentioned the two msmoney and meanness as major reasons that i chose not to run again. Now that we are in the midst the Current Campaign season, i feel Even Stronger about this issue. Reported in the paper yesterday, pacs have collected almost 360 million in the last 18 months. We all like to say that money does not influence how we vote and how we think, but truthfully its a matter of degree. There needs to be a stronger ethic of of avoiding even the appearance of a conflict of interest. We need more of that in politics. Much more of it. Senators who solicit Campaign Contributions within a very short period of time are casting votes and making decisions on matters which greatly affect both the contributor and the senators constituents; place themselves in a very difficult situation. It goes to the heart of our system of democracy. And whether it works or will continue to work, there has got to be a better way. There are also a lot of ideas around here on how to make a better way. I can only hope that some of of these ideas are translated into law in the very near future. So, mr. President , i wish my colleagues well. I will miss this institution dearly. I will miss the daily inter interaction with my colleagues, many of whom have become such dear friends to me me. Let me thank you for your friendship. And, lastly, let me thank staff. My personal office staff both here and in the state have been like family to me. Ive tried to treat them that way, and it has been mutual. The Committee Staff and the floor staff have the privilege ive had the privilege to work with over the years have all been great to me as well. They make this place run and make us all look good from time to time. I want to thank them all for their support and service to this country. This country would not be nearly the country it is if it were not for the floor staff and our Committee Staff and our office staff. As i leave the senate, please know that i will keep you all in my thoughts and my prayers and wish all of you good luck and happiness in the years to come. Mr. President , for perhaps the la colleagues attention a most momentous date that will occur next week. Next week on january 27, it will be the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the auschwitz concentration camp. 70 years since the liberation of the auschwitz concentration camp. It was a triumph for our allies, but a melancholy day as the world began to see the films and the photographs come out of this hell hole. I stand here today to remember and remind us all that more than any other word, auschwitz is synonymous with evil. As someone who is very proud of her polish american heritage, i visited auschwitz and i wanted to see it when i had the chance to learn more about my own heritage and i wanted to see what happened there so that i would remember, and i rise today so that the world remembers what happened there and then the her heroic effort of the allied forces joined together to be able to save europe and save western civilization. Ive introduced a resolution honoring those that survive even today and those that were lost that would remind us that we need to work always for tolerance, peace and justice and always to end genocide. The horrors of auschwitz are incomprehensible and indescribable. The numbers are grim and even ghoul issue. Over ghoulish. Over one million people, men women and children, lost their lives at auschwitz. 90 were jews, hundreds of thousands were children and the largest of any of the death camps. Auschwitz was created as an internment camp. It was first created as an internment camp for polish dissidents for hundreds of thousands of poles who were not jewish but were murdered alongside the jews of auschwitz. In occupied poland, a nazi governor named hans frank proclaimed that poles will be foreverren sliefd by the third reich, but auschwitz went far beyond the poles because the German Authorities brought in people from throughout europe. Who were the people that came . They were teachers, they were politicians, they were professors, they were artists. They were even Catholic Priests. They were executed they were executed or barely survived. These are the authors of heroism that arise from the horrors. Many poles risks their lives to save jews. I am reminded of the story of loraine sendler. She smuggled 200 jewish children out of the ghetto into a safe house. The gestapo arrested her first in 1943. They tortured her and then condemned to death. Yan karsky working for the polish government to went on to become a leader of solidarity and a newfounder of the democratic government. Worked for the polish government. In working he visited the warsaw ghetto and he did much to liberate people. But, you know, this is not a story of numbers or statistics or naming other heroes. It was a story im going to tell about myself. In the late 1970s as a brandnew congresswoman i traveled to poland. I wanted to see my heritage and i visited the small really small village that my family came from where my great grandmother left poland as a 16yearold girl to come to the United States to meet up with her brother to begin a new life. Little money in her pocket but big dreams in her heart. And the story of america is the story of our family. Landing in baltimore when women didnt even have the right to vote. She came in 1886, and exactly 100 years to the year i became a United States senator. So i wanted to go back to see where we came from, to really know our story even better, but i also wanted to see the dark side of the history of poland and i went to auschwitz. Touring the concentration camp was an experience for me that was searing and even today i carry it not only in my minds eye but i carry it in my heart. I could not believe the experience. And, madam president you know me. You know im a fairly strong, resilient person. I think we have even shared stories that i was a child abuse worker. I have seen tough things, but i wasnt prepared for what i saw that day. As i walked through the gate of auschwitz to see the sign that welcomed the despicable sign to welcome here. Then we toured. You dont tour. Its not a tourist site. Its a memorial. Its sacred ground. Its not a tourist site. But as we walked through and we saw the chambers where people had died, i even went to a particular cell of a father colby, a Catholic Priest who in the death camp gave his life to protect a jewish member there. When they were ready to shoot him, father colby stepped forward to offer his life instead. Father colby in my faith tradition has been can onized a saint for his heroic effort to show that he was willing to martyr himself for another human being and in the belief that god was there in what he wanted to do. But as i walked through there and i saw hard things and tough things and wrenching things, repulsive things, repugnant things then i got to the part that really broke my heart. I got to the part about the children. Pictures of children, little children not that any childs age is there and then i saw the bins. The bins of the childrens shoes. Bins piled up with little shoes. Size 2 size 3 size 4 laced up shoes because they were the shoes that they had in the 1930s and in the 1940s. And then i saw their suitcases, and then i saw over in another corner the eyeglasses that were taken from them and broken into pieces. And then i saw the pictures of the mothers. I will tell you madam president , i became unglued. I had to step away. And even today when i tell you this story my voice chokes up because it shook my very soul. So as we move into this commemoration because it certainly its both a celebration and a commemoration a celebration of the liberation but a commemoration of what went on. I knew when i left auschwitz i knew and i understood why first of all we should never have genocide in the world again. The second thing and also so crucial to my views is that there always needed to be a home for the jewish people, why we always need an israel, why it has to be there survivable for the ages and for all who seek a home there and seek refuge there. So this is why i work so hard on these issues in terms of the support for israel, the end of genocide and also the gratitude for all the people who fought. For the people who fought in the underground. For people who fought in the resistance. For people to tried to participate in the famous uprisings. To thank god also for the other fighters. You know, the ones who in the camp gave whatever they could to keep other camp members going. And then for the allied troops led by the United States of america. That when we stood together, we stood and stared evil down, and when we opened up the doors of auschwitz for freedom and the ability to come out barely alive, that it was indeed a historic moment. We dont want that history ever to have to repeat itself where there has to be a liberation of a death camp. So i want to also take this opportunity to salute the allies and all the American People who made us victorious in world war ii. So lets say god bless the United States of america and lets Work Together for a safe and secure middle east