Every good and perfect gift. You shower us with your mercies. Each day we are further aware of our unworthiness because of your goodness. All we like sheep have gone astray. Lord, we are prone to wander, to leave you, the god we love. As our senators work today, make them extensions of your power in our world. Use them as your eyes, ears, hands, and feet to accomplish your purposes. Lord, make them your ambassadors. May they arrange their priorities according to your will and view their challenges from an ethical perspective, striving to seek your will in all they think, say, and do. May they find in challenging moments opportunities to renew their faith in you. We pray in your merciful name. Amen. The president pro tempore please help me with the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Grassley mr. President . The presiding of
Unusual,d something many of them go back into the finance world. You chose not to do that. I really enjoyed my business career. I had 32 years there and an opportunity to serve my country. What i really wanted to do is take my experience and apply that to address what i believe are the most pressing issues of our time. U. S. China relations and Climate Change. You getany people say on a merrygoround and cannot stop making money, but you said when you have enough money, you will do nonprofit things. What i calledhad the disease or addiction to money. When i went to Goldman Sachs, it 1974. The firm had a couple of loss years. I was interested in working on Financial Issues and working with clients. Vid when you were a goldman, you but your you were not a person who bought your private plane or had a big house in the hamptons. Hampto skiing, it is a place that is not where fancy people go. David with Climate Change, is due to what, is it has occurred with human activity . It is well docum
Evening. Inave taught religion america for more than 35 years. And i believe that the First Amendment has played a vital role in the vitality of this nation. And i shall read it for you. Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or the right of the people to peacefully assemble and to petition the government for a. D dress of grievances the to come first, which is where religious freedom is often called americas first freedom. Establishment actually comes even before religious freedom. Often people dont understand what establishment is. 1833, massachusetts this established. Established. What that means is people no longer had to pay taxes to support my own religious ancestors, the congregationalists. If you want to know why establishment when a way, imagine how popular it was to pay taxes for somebody elses preacher. That is one of the reasons it went away. In also, tha
Congress shall make no laws no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or the right of the people to peacefully assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Two come first, which is where religious freedom is often called americas first freedom. Why religious freedom is often called americas first freedom. Establishment actually comes even before religious freedom. Often, people dont understand what establishment is. Now, in 1833, massachusetts disestablished. And what that means is people no longer had to pay taxes to support my own religious ancestors, the congregationalists. Now, if you want to know why establishment went away, imagine how popular it was to pay taxes for somebody elses preacher. Right . That is one of the reasons it went away. But also, that is a period in American History of revivalism. People started going to camp meetings, they started lifting i
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or the right of the people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The two, establishment of religion and free exercise come first which is why religious freedom is often called americas first freedom. And establishment actually comes even before religious freedom. It often people understand what establishment is. Now, in 1833, massachusetts disestablished, and what that means is people no longer had to pay taxes to support my own religious ancestors, the congregationalists. Former religion come everybody sitting like this. There is a liturgy, when you rather go to a camp meeting and sang . So that is the end of establishment in that sense. It is not, as we will see this evening, the end of issues about establishment. Similarly, free exercise of religion is difficult for people to unde