[Senate Document 111-26]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S Doc. 111-26
TRIBUTES TO HON. JIM BUNNING
Jim Bunning
U.S. SENATOR FROM KENTUCKY
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
Jim Bunning
Tributes
Delivered in Congress
Jim Bunning
United States Congressman
1987-1999
United States Senator
1999-2011
a
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Farewell to the Senate................................
vii
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
3
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
14
Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
15
DeMint, Jim, of South Carolina.................
16
Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
13
Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
9
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
6
Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
18
Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
19
Kyl, Jon, of Arizona...........................
12
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
9
Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
20
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
5
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
5
Warner, Mark R., of Virginia...................
6
BIOGRAPHY
On November 2, 2004, Jim Bunning was elected to serve a
second term as U.S. Senator for the Commonwealth of
Kentucky. Senator Bunning was first elected to the U.S.
Senate in 1998, winning by a mere 6,766 votes. In 2004 he
won by a margin almost 3\1/2\ times larger than his
victory in 1998, and he also won 73 of Kentucky's 120
counties and secured 873,507 votes. People who know Jim
Bunning were not surprised by these victories. Competition
is a hallmark of Jim Bunning 's life, and he is no
stranger to winning.
As a youngster in northern Kentucky, Jim Bunning fell in
love with baseball and even then he displayed a
competitive spirit and a willingness to work hard. That
combination carried him on to a highly successful 17-year
career as a Major League Baseball player after his
graduation from Xavier University with an economics
degree.
Pitching primarily for the Detroit Tigers and
Philadelphia Phillies, Jim Bunning accumulated a record of
achievement that eventually won him a seat in the Baseball
Hall of Fame in 1996. He was the second pitcher in history
(Cy Young was the first) to record 1,000 strikeouts and
100 wins in both the American and National Leagues. When
he retired in 1971, Jim Bunning was second on the alltime
strikeout list--second only to Walter Johnson.
The same commitment that made Jim Bunning a Hall of
Famer also serves him well in public office. In 1977, he
wanted to give something back to his community and he ran
for and won a city council seat in Fort Thomas, KY. In
1979, he was elected to the Kentucky State Senate and
became its Republican leader. In 1986, Jim Bunning was
elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the
Fourth District of Kentucky where he served for 12 years.
As chairman of the House's Social Security Subcommittee,
Jim Bunning established himself as one of Congress'
foremost experts and defenders of Social Security, as well
as a leading spokesman for strengthening and protecting
Social Security. In Congress, Jim Bunning has been a
proponent of walling off budget surpluses to help ensure
the livelihood and commitment of Social Security for our
seniors and future generations. He played a key role in
the passage of landmark legislation establishing the
Social Security Administration as a stand-alone and
independent agency. He also authored the law to raise the
unfair ``earnings limit'' for seniors.
In the Senate, Jim Bunning's hard work won him the
respect of his colleagues and a coveted seat on the
influential Finance Committee, making him the first
Kentuckian in nearly 40 years to serve on this powerful
committee. Service on this committee allows Senator
Bunning a direct role in influencing how nearly two-thirds
of all Federal dollars are spent on such issues as tax
policy, Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, welfare
reform, and trade policy.
Senator Bunning also serves on the Banking Committee
where he has been the leading critic of the Federal
Reserve and financial bailouts. When he was chairman of
the Banking Committee's Economic Policy Subcommittee, he
also wrote legislation to reform the National Flood
Insurance Program, which was signed into law. From his
seat on the Energy Committee, Senator Bunning worked hard
to make America more energy independent with diverse
energy sources, especially coal-to-liquids, soy-diesel,
and ethanol. Jim Bunning also served on the Budget
Committee where he fought for fiscally responsible budgets
that fund our top priorities, with an emphasis on
strengthening our military and taking care of our troops
overseas.
Although his election in the U.S. Senate and induction
into the Baseball Hall of Fame stand out as top moments in
his life, the alltime high point in his life was his
marriage to Mary Catherine Theis. Together, they raised 9
children and have 35 grandchildren and 5 great-
grandchildren. Jim and Mary make their home in Southgate,
KY, and are active members of the St. Therese Catholic
Church in Southgate, KY.
Farewell to the Senate
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Mr. BUNNING. Madam President, I thank the Senator from
Missouri (Mr. Bond), a dear friend of mine and someone who
has unusual wisdom in his remarks today. I listened to
many of them. I just hope I have a few that are as well
thought out as my good friend from Missouri.
I wish to take a few moments to thank all my colleagues
and other individuals who have come to the Chamber to hear
me bid farewell. That doesn't mean I will not speak again.
That just means I am bidding farewell and this is a
farewell speech.
I have had the great fortune of having three wonderful
careers during my life: one as a husband and father of 9
children and a grandfather of 40, one as a Major League
baseball player for 17 years, and one in public service
for 30 years. Many people often talk to me about how
different my baseball and public service careers are, but
they really are not so different.
I have been booed by 60,000 fans in Yankee Stadium,
standing alone on the mound, so I have never cared if I
stood alone in the Congress, as long as I stood by my
beliefs and my values. I have also thought that being able
to throw a curve ball never was a bad skill for a
politician to have.
I came to Washington, DC, in 1987, when the people of
the Fourth District in northern Kentucky gave me the
distinct honor to serve them. I did not know then that the
people of Kentucky had bestowed upon me the privilege of
representing them for 24 years. I have the same
conservative principles in 2010 that I had when I first
was elected to Congress.
Over the years, I have always done what I thought was
right for Kentucky and my country. I did not run for
public service for fame or public acclaim. When I cast my
votes, I thought about how they would affect my
grandchildren and the next generation of Kentuckians, not
where the political winds at the time were blowing. Words
cannot express my gratitude to the people of Kentucky for
giving me the distinct honor of serving them for 12 years
in the House of Representatives and 12 years in the
Senate.
Here I stand, though, in the Senate Chamber about to say
goodbye after nearly a quarter of a century in Congress. I
have reflected much about my time here. As I stand here at
the desk of Henry Clay, the great Kentuckian, I am proud
to have had the opportunity to serve in a place in
history. I thought it fitting to discuss the legislative
items of which I am most proud.
I have three bills I am particularly proud I was able to
accomplish signing into law. One of the things I am most
proud of during my time in Congress is helping pass
legislation that repealed the earnings limit on older
Americans under the Social Security system. Social
Security used to penalize many older Americans for working
by reducing their Social Security benefits by $1 for every
$3 they earned, if they made more than the earnings limit
which was about $12,000 in 1995. This was an unfair tax on
seniors and punished them for continuing to work. I worked
hard for many years in both the House and Senate to get
this unfair earnings limit eliminated.
Finally, in 2000, after I had been elected to the
Senate, it passed and was signed into law. This law has
helped many hard-working seniors stay involved in their
communities, remain independent, and contribute to
society.
Another bill I am proud of is the 2004 Flood Insurance
Reformation Act. In 2004, I wrote the last reauthorization
of the National Flood Insurance Program. That law provided
significant reforms to the program just in time for the
2004-2005 hurricane season, including Hurricane Katrina.
Had the law not been in place, homeowners all over the
gulf coast would not have had coverage for the flood
damage to their homes. The 2004 law is still the framework
for the program today. It was not a Republican
accomplishment or a Democratic accomplishment. It was a
bipartisan accomplishment.
I worked very closely with Senator Sarbanes and
Representatives Bereuter and Blumenthal to write and pass
that law. While I believe that further changes are still
needed to the program, the 2004 law made meaningful
changes that put the program on a more sound financial
footing.
Unfortunately, passage of the bill was not the end of
the story. What happened or, more accurately, what did not
happen illustrates one reason people are fed up with
Washington: because government does not do what it is
supposed to do. Despite the fact that the bill passed both
the Senate and the House unanimously, FEMA refused to
implement all of its provisions in a timely manner. The
most glaring example was the appeals process created by
the bill for property owners to appeal claims they thought
were not settled fairly or correctly. The law gave FEMA 6
months to write the rules. FEMA, instead, took almost 2
years from the day the bill passed to put even draft rules
out. They probably would not have done it then, if it was
not for the right of one Senator to object. I had to hold
the nominee to head the agency to get the attention of the
Bush administration and move the Secretary of Homeland
Security to finally publish the rules. It should not have
been that way.
The third bill I am grateful was signed into law is the
Emergency Employee Occupational Illness Compensation
Program. The Paducah, KY, gaseous diffusion plant is the
only operating uranium enrichment plant in the United
States. When I came to the Senate, I held the first
hearing to look at cleaning up the contamination the
Department of Energy left at the site. After the hearing,
I focused on cleaning up the site. A lot has been cleaned
up since that first hearing 10 years ago. I also worked
hard to provide compensation to workers who suffered
serious illnesses as a result of their employment at the
DOE nuclear weapons program plant.
This energy employment compensation program was set up
because many workers served our country's nuclear programs
during the cold war and their health was put at risk
without their knowledge--the first compensation bill
passed in 2000, with the help of a bipartisan group of
Congressmen and Senators. I then became aware that DOE was
slow-walking claims processing and payment to many
claimants and their portion of the compensation program.
So in 2004, again, with the help of a bipartisan group of
Senators and Congressmen, I spearheaded legislation that
moved the entire program over to the Department of Labor,
which had sped up and streamlined compensation for the
sick nuclear workers.
Along with many of my achievements, I also had time to
reflect on some of the disappointments I wish I had been
able to fix during my time here. I am deeply concerned
about the state of entitlement programs--Medicare,
Medicaid, and Social Security. It is clear that our
government cannot meet its future obligations and
ultimately the American people will suffer, unfortunately.
Too many Members of Congress are willing to look the other
way and let the financial problems of these programs
fester instead of making hard decisions. Congress just
cannot get the courage together to address these issues
head on.
In fact, after President Bush's second election,
Congress briefly focused on the problems of Social
Security solvency. At the time, I was a strong supporter
of private investment accounts but certainly realized that
the whole system needed an overhaul and was open to many
different options. Toward the end of the debate, I was
willing to tackle Social Security reform even if we did
not do investment accounts, as long as we did something.
However, it quickly became apparent that many Members of
Congress--even some in my own party--were not willing to
get serious about this. Six years later, Congress still
has not touched Social Security reform, and the program is
even in worse financial shape.
Medicare and Medicaid are in the same position. In 2006,
Congress finally got serious about spending in these
programs and passed the Deficit Reduction Act. This bill
slowed the rate of growth in Medicare by $6 billion and in
Medicaid by $5 billion over 5 years. Let me be clear about
this. We were not cutting spending in these programs. We
were just slowing the growth.
Well, you would have thought the sky was falling when we
did this. The longer Congress takes to honestly tackle
these fiscal challenges, the harder it will be to fix
these programs. This means bigger cuts, bigger deficits,
and bigger tax increases.
Health care is another area where Congress should have
done better. The other side of the aisle's stubborn
refusal to compromise and, more important, listen to the
desires of the American people on health care reform led
to the passage of a bill that is one of the worst pieces
of legislation I have seen in Congress in 24 years.
The health care bill is clearly unconstitutional, will
force millions of Americans to lose the health insurance
they currently enjoy, give the IRS--that is the Internal
Revenue Service--the power to police and tax Americans who
do not have health insurance, and take over $500 billion
out of Medicare programs to pay for new spending.
Despite all the rhetoric from the administration and
Democratic leaders about being transparent and open and
willing to compromise, it quickly became clear that they
only wanted Republican support if we agreed to everything
they wanted to do. Well, compromise does not work like
that. A compromise means you actually have to take ideas
from other people instead of just giving lip service.
One of the other recent disappointments was the
financial regulation bill passed earlier this year. Before
my first election, I spent 31 years working in the
security business. That was back when baseball players did
not make millions of dollars a year and had to have jobs
in the off-season to pay the bills. I spent nearly all of
my time in Congress on either the old House Banking
Committee or the Senate Banking Committee, so this is
something I know a great deal about and care about.
There were, and are, real problems in our financial
system. But that bill is not going to fix them and almost
certainly sows the seeds for the next banking and
financial crisis while, at the same time, adding more
burdens on the economies struggling to recover.
That bill did not replace bailouts with bankruptcy. It
made bailouts a permanent part of the financial system.
The bill did not force the too-big-to-fail banks to get
smaller. It gave them special status. The bill ignored the
role of housing finance and left Fannie Mae and Freddie
Mac alone. The housing crisis could not have happened
without Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The Senate failed to act on a bill to reform Fannie and
Freddie passed by the Banking Committee in 2006, and that
failure is going to end up costing taxpayers hundreds of
millions of dollars. Congress has to do something soon to
get them off the taxpayers' life support they have been on
since 2008. But, unfortunately, that did not happen in the
financial reform bill.
The bill also ignores the Federal Reserve's failures as
a regulator and, instead, gave them more power. And, worst
of all, the bill did nothing to rein in the largest single
cause of the current financial crisis and most other
financial crises in the past: flawed monetary policy by
the Federal Reserve.
Nothing Congress has done will stop the next bubble or
collapse if the Fed continues with its easy money
policies. Cheap money will always distort prices and lead
to dangerous behavior. No amount of regulation can contain
it.
For many years, I was a lone critic of the Federal
Reserve. Particularly, no one questioned Alan Greenspan,
despite his policies causing two recessions and two asset
bubbles. I was the lone vote against Ben Bernanke in 2006.
I was the lone vote because I thought he would continue
the Greenspan monetary and regulatory policies. Well, he
did. He kept it up--a flawed monetary policy--and was slow
to regulate. Then, in 2008, he took the Federal Reserve
into fiscal policy by bailing out Bear Stearns and, later,
AIG, and just about every other major financial
institution in the country. As we saw, even last week
around the world, Chairman Bernanke compromised the
independence of the Fed and turned it into an arm of the
U.S. Treasury.
Things have not gotten better since then either.
Chairman Bernanke is continuing with the easy monetary
policy, and a month ago started the printing presses again
to buy up more Treasury debt. While the Fed may be
propping up the banks with plenty of cheap money, he is
undermining our currency.
Other central banks are moving away from the dollar and
gold is continuing to climb. Just like the soaring
national debt and entitlement costs, the destruction of
the dollar is not sustainable. Congress must act to rein
in the Chairman of the Federal Reserve and the Fed before
they destroy our currency and permanently damage our
economy and financial system.
Public awareness of what the Fed is doing is increasing,
while public opinion of the Fed is falling. Chairman
Bernanke had nearly twice as many votes cast against him
in the Senate earlier this year than any other Fed
Chairman in history. It is just not outside the Fed that
opposition is growing. Regional Federal Reserve Bank
presidents are speaking up and voting against Fed policy.
Even some members of the Fed Board are recognizing the
dangers of Chairman Bernanke's policies. I am more hopeful
now than ever that Chairman Bernanke and the Fed will not
be allowed to continue the flawed policies and act as an
arm of the Treasury and the major banks.
As I stand here and reflect upon my time in Congress, I
can honestly say I am gratified, despite the ups and
downs, to have had the opportunity to serve my country and
serve the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Twenty-four years is a very large portion of my life and
my family's life. I thank my 9 children: Barb, Jim, Joan,
Cat, Bill, Bridget, Mark, Amy, and David, and my 40
grandchildren, who inspired me to try to make this country
better and better for the next generation to live.
I also want to give a special thanks to my wife Mary,
the mother of my nine children and my childhood sweetheart
from the fourth grade. I thank her for being at my side
through all of the road trips and the late nights I spent
in the House and Senate. She is my better half, who
supported and stood by me. She is my lighthouse that
always shone in the dark during the good and the bad times
of public service. She prayed me to my wins in public
service and in baseball, and I never could have done any
of these achievements without her.
As this chapter in my life comes to an end and I flip
the page into a new chapter, I thank very much all the
other people in my life who have stood by me. Without the
friendship and support of so many over the years, I never
would have been able and had the privilege to represent
Kentucky in the House and Senate.
As I leave here today, I offer a little prayer for the
next Congress. Pope John Paul II once said, ``Freedom
consists not in doing what we like, but in having the
right to do what we ought.'' This is the motto I have
tried to live by during my time in Congress. I pray that
the Members of the next Congress do what is right for the
country, not what is right for their fame and their future
aspirations. My hope is that Congress will focus on the
astronomical debt instead of continuing down the path of
spending our future generations into higher taxes and a
lower standard of living than we have now.
Godspeed and God bless.
With a sense of pride and gratitude, I will say for the
last time, Mr. President, I yield the floor.
?
TRIBUTES
TO
JIM BUNNING
Proceedings in the Senate
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, 16 Senators will retire
this year. There is a pretty big turnover in this body,
but that is a lot of Senators at once. We are losing an
enormous amount of talent, but, of course, we are gaining
a lot of talent with the new Senators.
I wish to show my respect for those who have served,
which I will do in a summary fashion because we are
talking about 16 individuals with very complex and
distinguished backgrounds.
One might ask, what are the characteristics of a
Senator? There are a lot of different answers to that,
depending on your background and attitude toward politics
and government. First, I have always thought that one
characteristic of almost every Member of the Senate is
that he or she probably was a first grader sitting in the
front row, hand in the air waiting to be recognized. This
is an eager bunch or you would not have gotten here.
Second, it is a group of risk takers. Most people who
end up in the Senate get here because a lot of other
people who wanted to be Senators were standing around
waiting for the right time to run. A lot of people who
were elected to the Senate seemed to have no chance of
winning at the time they decided to run, but the voters
decided differently, and here they are.
Third, we are almost all professional and congenial.
That is a big help. It is almost a requirement in an
organization of 100 individuals who spend almost all their
time with one another, who serve in a body that operates
by unanimous consent, when just one Senator can bring the
whole place to a halt, and whose job basically is to argue
about some of the most difficult issues that face the
American people. So it helps that almost every Member of
the Senate is an especially congenial person.
Back in Tennessee, people often say to me it must be
rough being in that job. They are awfully mean up there.
The truth is, I don't know of a more congenial group than
the Members of the Senate. We begin the day in the gym.
The next thing you know we are at a Prayer Breakfast, and
then we are at a committee hearing. Then we are on the
floor voting, and then we have lunch. It goes through the
day until 7 or 8 o'clock, or sometimes later. We live
together and we get along very well. We know and respect
each other.
Not long ago, the Presiding Officer (Mr. Udall of New
Mexico) and I were having dinner together with our wives.
We were lamenting the loss of families who know one
another, the way it happened when his father was serving
in Congress and when I first came to the Senate to work
for Senator Baker. And that's true. We've lost some of
that. Still, there is an enormous amount of affection and
good will here. You don't always get to be very close
friends in this job, but you get to be very good
acquaintances, and you learn to respect people for their
strengths.
Senator Domenici said, when he left, that we don't do a
very good job of saying goodbye here. That is true. As one
part of saying goodbye, I wish to say at least one good
thing about each one of the 16 retiring Senators. Much
more could be said about each, of course. Mostly, I am
going in alphabetical order. ...
Everybody knows about Senator Jim Bunning and baseball.
Nobody would want to be a batter when he is throwing
pitches. We understand he is the only person to strike out
Ted Williams three times in one game. But what not as many
people know about him is that Jim Bunning has been a
persistent leader in fighting for sick nuclear workers who
served our country during the 1950s and 1960s and were
sick because of their work in handling nuclear weapons. So
Jim Bunning deserves the thanks of all the families of the
sick nuclear workers in America for his service here. ...
It has been my privilege to serve with these 16
Senators. We thank them for their service to our country.
They have had a chance to serve in what we regard as the
world's greatest deliberative body; it is a special
institution. We will miss their leadership, and we hope
they will stay in touch with us because they are not just
retiring Senators, they are all our friends.
I yield the floor.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of
materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to
retiring Members of the 111th Congress, and that Members
have until Thursday, December 16, to submit such tributes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Mr. REID. I of course admire Senator Bunning because of
his great athletic skills. He is a member of the Baseball
Hall of Fame. To think I have had the opportunity to serve
in the Senate with one of the great pitchers of all time.
I love talking to Jim Bunning about his baseball days.
Some of the stories he has told I have repeated many times
and I will never forget them. One of the things he said
that I have repeated on a number of occasions--Jim Bunning
was a great pitcher, an All-Star with no-hitters in both
leagues. But he has some humility, because he said there
was Sandy Koufax and there was the rest of us. He and I
don't vote often the same way, but he is a man who has a
strong opinion, and I am going to miss Jim Bunning and the
chance for me to talk to him about his athletic feats. I
certainly wish him well in whatever his endeavors may be
in the future.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
our colleagues who are departing the Senate after
distinguished service on behalf of their States and on
behalf of the Nation. I have been privileged to work with
these individuals, to learn from them, to collaborate and
cooperate with them, and to, in some small way, help them
do what they have done so well--represent their States
with fidelity, with great effort, and to move the agenda
of the Nation forward. ...
Senator Jim Bunning and I served together for many years
on the Banking Committee. Jim and Mary Catherine and their
family brought so much to not only the Senate as an
organization, but to the Senate as a group of individuals.
Jim was one of the first and most insightful observers and
critics of the growing issues in the securities market. He
did it based upon his experience as a financial
stockbroker in the world of finance. He did it also with
his grasp of common sense and looking at things carefully
and pragmatically, based on Main Street not on financial
centers. We worked together on the Securities Committee,
and we did it in a way that I enjoyed the collaboration
immensely.
A focus on the issues and their importance to the
country was also in the forefront of his mind. He
distinguished himself immensely. I wish him well. ...
To all of these colleagues and their families, my
deepest appreciation and my profoundest respect.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise again to recognize the
service of another great Federal employee. This is a
tradition that was started by our friend and former
colleague, Senator Kaufman, and I am proud to carry on
that tradition. But I want to first say that I appreciate
the remarks of the Presiding Officer (Mr. Reed) about our
colleagues who are leaving this body, and I share his
great respect for not only Senator Kaufman but all of the
colleagues who are leaving the body at the end of this
Congress. ...
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, it is always a bittersweet
moment when we come to the end of a session of Congress.
As the clock winds down on the final hours of our
legislative activities, it also signals the time when
several of our colleagues will be retiring and ending
their years of service in the U.S. Senate. One of our
colleagues who will be leaving at the end of this session
is my good friend Jim Bunning of Kentucky. I know we will
all miss him, his spirited presence in the Senate, and the
friendship he has shared with us through the years.
Someday when he gets the urge I have no doubt that Jim
will be able to write another book or two about his life
that will sell countless copies all over the country. It
can't miss. Jim has a truly remarkable story to tell about
his life that has all the makings of a bestseller. An old
adage reminds us that it isn't the number of years in your
life that is important, it is the life in your years. If
that is the standard we are going to use, I can't think of
anyone who has been able to fit more into every day of his
life than Jim, and I for one would enjoy reading all about
it. This time Jim might think about writing about how
playing baseball was a lot like politics--and how the
beanballs he used to throw at batters became verbal
fastballs that came with lightning speed right at other
Senators and members of the media.
I would imagine the first volume of this new series
would be about Jim's years in baseball. There is
definitely a lot still to be written about his Hall of
Fame career and the outstanding results he was able to
achieve that kept him in the Major Leagues for so many
years.
Jim's 17-year career in baseball began when he broke
into the big leagues on July 20, 1955, with his first
team, the Detroit Tigers. In the years that followed, he
pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh
Pirates, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, notching 100 wins
and 1,000 strikeouts in both the American and National
Leagues. When he retired he had the second highest number
of career strikeouts in the history of Major League
baseball and two no-hitters, one of them the seventh
perfect game in baseball history that he pitched on June
21, 1964--Father's Day--which made the game that much more
meaningful for him. He was then inducted into the Baseball
Hall of Fame in 1996.
For anyone else that would have been enough. A Hall of
Fame career, after all, is the kind of thing that most
people can only dream about--but Jim was never one to be
like most people. He had another career in mind, and it
was time to get started on his other dream--making
government work better for the people of Kentucky.
Soon after he first tossed his cap into the political
arena, Jim won an election to serve on the city council in
Fort Thomas. He then ran for and won a seat in the
Kentucky State Senate where he soon came to serve as its
Republican leader. Then, when the opportunity presented
itself, Jim ran for and won an election to the U.S. House
of Representatives, where he served for 12 years.
Fortunately, for the people of Kentucky and the Senate,
Jim then ran for and won a seat in the Senate. At every
level, it was Jim's willingness to work hard and his
commitment to his country and his beloved Kentucky that
not only got him noticed, but helped him to make progress
on all fronts.
Here in the Senate, Jim became the first Kentuckian in
nearly 40 years to serve on the Finance Committee. He also
served on the Banking Committee, chaired that committee's
Economic Policy Subcommittee, and then served on the
Energy Committee which gave him a chance to work to make
our Nation more energy independent.
At every post he has held he has been a fighter--for a
sound budget, one that would provide the funds that were
needed for our national priorities, like our Armed
Forces--especially for those who were serving overseas.
For 12 years in the House and 12 years in the Senate, Jim
held true to the values and principles that had guided his
life and served as his inner compass through all of his
life's challenges and opportunities.
Jim has had more great moments in his life than most
other people could ever hope for. He has his victories on
the mound during a Hall of Fame career to look back on. He
had all those wins on election day to remember with pride.
Still, there was one moment that still stands head and
shoulders above them all--his marriage. That day when Mary
said ``I do'' was the best moment of his life. She is a
strong source of support for him and I am sure he has
already said that whatever success has come into his life
he owes to a large degree to Mary. Theirs has been a
remarkable marriage, during which they raised nine
children who have blessed them with an abundance of
grandchildren and some great-grandchildren, too.
Just like the title of the movie so many of us enjoy
during this time of year Jim is having a wonderful life.
Each day, each week, each month, and every year, he's
played a full and active role in his community and his
Nation. As a baseball player he proved to be one of the
best there ever was. As a Senator and a Representative, he
showed a willingness to bring that same determination that
had won him so many games on the mound to our
deliberations on the Senate floor.
I don't know what Jim is thinking of taking on next--but
given his legacy of excellence that he continues to add to
every day, I wouldn't be surprised to learn we haven't
heard the last from him. That would suit me and so many
who know him just fine. His is a voice that is still
needed.
That is why, in the months to come I hope I continue to
hear from him with his thoughtful ideas and suggestions
about the issues we will be taking up in the current
Congress. I will miss hearing what he has to say--but if I
know Jim--I have a hunch he will make his views known.
Thanks, Jim, for your willingness to serve the people of
Kentucky and the Nation. With both careers you have
inspired countless people of all ages to pursue their
goals and work to make their dreams a reality. Thanks most
of all for your friendship. Diana and I wish you and Mary
all the best that life has to offer. You have earned all
of that and so much more. For all your life you have been
leading the best way--by example--and living a life that
has been nothing short of a great and grand adventure--
just what life was always meant to be.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
the order for the printing of tributes be modified to
provide that Members have until sine die of the 111th
Congress, 2d session, to submit tributes and that the
order for printing remain in effect.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I know there are others
on the Senate floor seeking to speak, but I wish to bid
farewell to one of our colleagues. Few people can say they
have had the same range of experience and successes in
life as Senator Jim Bunning. In fact, there isn't even
another Major Leaguer who can say he struck out Ted
Williams three times in one game. Jim accomplished that
notable feat in just his second year in the majors.
Thirty-nine years after that, he had become the only
member of the Baseball Hall of Fame to serve in Congress.
For the past 12 years, I have been honored to work
alongside this remarkable American in the Senate. We
followed different paths in life, but we sure have deep
love for Kentucky and its people. It has been my honor
over the years to work closely with Jim to advance our
common goals.
So today I wish to say a few words about my good friend
as we honor his remarkable life and his remarkable
service.
Jim was born and raised in Southgate, KY, and it
wouldn't surprise anybody to learn he excelled in school
and in sports growing up. He played baseball as a teenager
at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, but it was for
his skills as a basketball player that would earn him an
athletic scholarship to Xavier University.
Baseball interrupted his college education, but at his
father's insistence, Jim would return to Xavier and earn a
degree in economics that would serve him well in Congress
over the years. He entered the majors in 1955, and over
the course of a storied 17-year career he would play for
the Detroit Tigers, the Philadelphia Phillies, the
Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jim is a
pretty imposing force at committee hearings--just ask
Chairman Bernanke--but he was a dominating presence on the
mound long before that.
At 6 feet 4 inches, he was a hard-throwing sidearmer who
would tumble off the mound with every pitch he threw. By
the end of his career, Jim could boast he was the first
Major League pitcher to win 100 games, rack up 1,000
strikeouts, and throw no-hitters in both leagues. He
finished with an impressive 224 wins, 184 losses, 2,855
strikeouts, and a 3.27 ERA--the career stats that would
earn him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jim's two greatest pitching achievements were his no-
hitter in 1958 and the perfect game he threw on Father's
Day, 1964, a feat that has only been accomplished 20 times
in baseball history. Another little known feat was Jimmy's
so-called ``immaculate inning'' in 1959 when he struck out
3 Red Sox on 9 pitches, a feat that has only been achieved
43 other times in baseball history.
Around here we joke that Jim likes to throw the high
hard ones, but he developed the skill early. Over a 4-year
period with the Phillies, Jim hit more opposing batters
with pitches than any other pitcher in the league. In
fact, over a 17-year career, he plunked 160 batters or
nearly 10 batters a year, making him the 13th most
dangerous pitcher of all time, ahead of such other well-
known headhunters as Roger Clemens, Nolan Ryan, and Don
Drysdale.
Jim has never been afraid of a little chin music, and he
brought that same competitive mentality to his life in
public service. After baseball, public service seemed like
a logical choice. It was Jimmy's turn to give back, and
give back is exactly what he did.
When Jim walks out of this Chamber for the last time at
the end of this session, he will be able to say with
justifiable pride that he has given 33 years of his life
to public service and to Kentucky.
Over those three decades, Jim has served in all levels
of government--from the Fort Thomas City Council to the
Kentucky State Senate, to both Chambers in this building--
12 years in the House and 12 in the Senate. He has
dedicated his life to serving the people of Kentucky, and
Kentuckians are grateful for his service.
In the House he made a name for himself, among other
things, by working tirelessly to strengthen and protect
Social Security as chairman of the House Ways and Means
Subcommittee on Social Security.
And then, in 1998, he decided to make a run at the U.S.
Senate seat which at the time was held by Wendell Ford. It
turned out to be a pretty close election, but once he
arrived in the Senate, Jim set out to become one of the
hardest working and most influential Members of this
Chamber.
He has been a staunch social and fiscal conservative,
and a budget hawk who for years has sounded the alarm on
the kind of concerns about spending and debt that drove so
many Americans to the polls this month. Jim spoke for many
Americans when he said in a recent statement that, being a
grandfather to many he worries that future generations
will be saddled by the poor decisions that are being made
today. ``For the first time in my life,'' he said, ``I
question if my grandchildren will have the same
opportunities that I had.''
One particular issue that has been close to Jim's heart
is the issue of adoption. In 2001, Jim introduced
legislation to make adopting more affordable to American
families. And in 2007, he introduced legislation to make
those tax incentives permanent.
Of course, if there was ever a controversial issue
regarding the national pastime on Capitol Hill, Jim was
right at the forefront, including the 2005 hearings
related to steroid use in baseball. In one memorable
exchange from that hearing, Jim offered the following
testimony, from his own experience as a player: ``Mr.
Chairman,'' he said, ``maybe I'm old-fashioned, [but] I
remember players didn't get better as they got older. We
all got worse. When I played with Hank Aaron and Willie
Mays and Ted Williams, they didn't put on 40 pounds to
bulk up in their careers and they didn't hit more homers
in their late thirties than they did in their late
twenties.'' It was just this kind of straightforward,
commonsense approach to the issues that has won Jim a
legion of admirers not only on the baseball diamond, but
off of it. On this issue in particular, Jim's passion and
personal perspective helped shed light not only on the
dangers of steroid use at the professional level, but on
the growing steroid epidemic among young athletes at all
levels.
Despite his high profile, Jim never forgot about the
issues that mattered most to his constituents back home.
He's been a staunch supporter of clean coal technologies
as an effective, efficient way to use coal, improve our
environment, and bring jobs to Kentucky. Another issue
that was extremely important to all Kentuckians was the
failed cleanup of radioactive contamination that was found
in the drinking water wells of residences near the
Department of Energy's uranium enrichment plant in
Paducah, KY, in 1988. In 2004, Jim harshly criticized the
DOE's cleanup efforts, as well as called several hearings
on Capitol Hill to draw attention to DOE's failure to
compensate many workers that had been stricken with
radiation-related diseases.
On every issue he has taken on, whether national,
statewide or local, Jim has been a man of principle from
start to finish. He has stayed true to himself. In a truly
remarkable life, he has got a lot to be proud of. But if
you were to ask Jim to list his greatest achievement, I
don't think he would say it was his election to the U.S.
Senate or his induction to the Hall of Fame. They would
both come in a distant second and third to the day he
married his high school sweetheart, Mary. Jim and Mary
still live in the northern Kentucky town where he grew up.
They have been married for nearly 60 years. Together, they
have raised nine children. And they enjoy nothing more
than spending time with the next generation of Bunnings--
which last time I checked included 35 grandchildren and 5
great-grandchildren. Jim will tell you there's no secret
to his success. He is happy to give all the credit to
Mary. As he put it in his Hall of Fame induction speech,
she is his ``rock.''
Today, we honor and pay tribute to our friend and
colleague for more than three decades of public service.
Jim will be remembered for his two Hall of Fame-worthy
careers, for his example of principled leadership, and for
his devotion to God, country, and family. On behalf of
myself and the entire Senate family, Jim, we thank you for
your service, and we wish you the best in the next chapter
of your life.
I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Arizona is recognized.
Mr. KYL. Madam President, I join Senator McConnell in a
tribute to my friend and colleague, Jim Bunning. Jim and I
came into the House of Representatives at the same time as
part of the 100th class. I have enjoyed being with him as
well in the Senate. Jim and Mary are counted among the
best friends my wife Carol and I have. I agree with
Senator McConnell that while people may disagree with Jim
Bunning, no one has ever doubted his courage, his
sincerity, his love for this country, his desire to do
what is right, and his commitment to all those efforts. So
I will greatly miss Jim when he is no longer part of the
Senate. I think it is probably time for Jim and Mary to
have a little bit of time to spend with all those
children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Obviously, we all wish them both well.
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to say a few words
of farewell to my colleague from Kentucky, Senator Jim
Bunning. We will both be retiring from this Chamber when
this Congress concludes, and I wish him and his wife Mary
Catherine, their sons and daughters, and the rest of their
family the very best in the future.
As we all know, prior to becoming a politician, Jim
Bunning was a world-class baseball pitcher. He had a
distinguished career primarily with the Detroit Tigers and
Philadelphia Phillies, during which he became the second
pitcher in Major League history to record 1,000 strikeouts
and 100 wins in both the American and National Leagues. He
was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.
Of course, after such a distinguished career he could
have simply hung up his cleats, moved back to his home
State of Kentucky, and enjoyed a quiet retirement with his
family.
Instead, he decided to take the work ethic and
competitive spirit that drove him in baseball and use his
energy to give back to his community as a public servant.
In 1977, he ran for and won a city council seat in Fort
Thomas, KY. He was then elected to the Kentucky State
Senate in 1979. After serving in the State senate as
Republican leader, he ran to represent Kentucky's Fourth
Congressional District in 1986. He also won that election,
and served for 12 years in the U.S. House of
Representatives.
In 1998, Jim ran to replace Senator Wendell Ford, who
was retiring. He kept his winning streak alive, not only
winning that initial Senate contest, but also reelection
in 2004. When he retires this year, Jim Bunning will have
amassed an impressive winning streak in politics, just as
he did in baseball.
As you know, life in the U.S. Senate is about working
out disagreements through deliberation and debate. This
process of lawmaking has served to ensure that the voices
of a broad range of Americans are heard as we work to
craft the laws and policies we must ultimately all abide
by.
As a Senator, Jim Bunning has always stood up for his
beliefs, and fought for what he thought was right. As a
member of the Senate Banking, Budget, Energy, and Finance
Committees, Senator Bunning has been a staunchly
conservative voice on economic policy.
While he and I seldom have seen eye to eye on these
matters, his deep convictions have given voice to the
concerns of citizens who share his point of view, and
thereby have helped to shape and enrich our debates on the
important questions we have faced over the years.
I wish him further success in whatever endeavors he
pursues, as well as many happy, healthy years to come with
his family.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute
to my colleague, Senator Jim Bunning. After 12 years in
the U.S. Senate, Senator Bunning is retiring from this
Chamber at the end of this session.
Jim has led a remarkable life. As a baseball fan, I am
especially envious of his first career as a Major League
pitcher. He was a classic, hardnosed competitor, which
foreshadowed his style as a public servant later in life.
My favorite story about Senator Bunning's baseball career
is that he was the only pitcher to strike out Ted Williams
three times in a single game. He is also one of only seven
pitchers to throw a perfect game and a no-hitter. Senator
Bunning retired from the sport in 1971 with 2,855 career
strikeouts, which, at the time, was the second highest
total of all time. He was rightfully inducted into the
Hall of Fame in 1996.
Following his outstanding baseball career, Jim went into
politics. Once again, he was a winner. He has held office
at the local, State, and Federal level. After serving
Kentucky's Fourth District for 12 years in the House of
Representatives, Senator Bunning began his service in this
Chamber in 1999. I have served with him on the Budget and
Finance Committees, and have always known him to freely
speak his mind and ask tough questions. He remained true
to the fierce style he first demonstrated as a young
pitcher who was not afraid to brush back a hitter.
Nor was Senator Bunning intimidated by the often arcane
and technical issues we confronted as members of the
Finance Committee. Over the years we have served there as
colleagues, we have worked productively on a wide range of
legislative proposals that included the taxation of life
insurance companies, shortening the depreciation period
for farm equipment, and capital gains treatment for
songwriters, just to name a few. He was always willing to
reach across the aisle to help achieve a common objective,
a longstanding Finance Committee tradition.
Senator Bunning will now enter a new phase in his life,
and I am certain he will now have the luxury of spending
time with his wonderful family. Jim has the good fortune
of being married to his childhood sweetheart, Mary. They
met in grade school, and I am impressed that Jim knew at
such a young age that he found a truly special person. I
find Mary to be an absolutely lovely woman and admire
their lasting love for each other. Mary is the mother of
their 9 children, and Jim and Mary now share 40
grandchildren. I wish Jim, Mary, and their entire family
many years of health and happiness.
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in
appreciation and admiration of Senator Jim Bunning.
Millions of American baseball fans know Jim as one of
the most accomplished athletes of his generation. Jim
pitched for both the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia
Phillies during his 17-year career. He was the second
pitcher in history to notch 100 wins and strike out 1,000
batters in both the American and National Leagues, and
when he retired he was second on the alltime strikeout
list. His impressive career earned him a spot in the
Baseball Hall of Fame.
While he wore the uniforms of teams in Michigan and
Pennsylvania, Jim's heart never left his native Kentucky.
Six years after retiring from baseball, Jim decided to run
for public office and won a city council seat in Fort
Thomas, KY. He was later elected to the Kentucky State
Senate and became the Republican leader. Kentuckians then
elected Jim to the U.S. House of Representatives for the
Fourth District of Kentucky where he served until 1998.
During his time in the House, Jim committed himself to
defending Social Security as chairman of the Social
Security Subcommittee. His unwavering stance on protecting
Social Security contributed to the establishment of the
Social Security Administration as a separate agency.
Jim was elected to the Senate in 1998 and quickly became
a strong voice for fiscal responsibility. He became the
first native Kentuckian on the Finance Committee in 40
years, and also served on the Budget Committee--and in
both capacities I had the opportunity to work with him.
Jim also served as chairman of the Banking Committee's
Economic Policy Subcommittee, where he authored
legislation that reformed the National Flood Insurance
Program and made it possible for millions of Americans to
protect their homes affordably.
Jim's passion for policymaking has helped him shape
legislation that will govern our Nation for years to come,
but his greatest legacy is his family. He and Mary raised
9 children and have 35 grandchildren and 5 great-
grandchildren. Sandy and I offer our best wishes to the
entire Bunning family, and we thank him for his years of
service to our great Nation.
Mr. DeMINT. Mr. President, I rise in tribute to Senator
Jim Bunning, who is retiring after honorably serving the
people of Kentucky for 24 years.
Throughout his political career, Jim has been a fierce
taxpayer's advocate, a bold defender of life and protector
of families, a small business ally, and a courageous
critic of bad government policy.
As the targets of his criticism have learned, Jim's
words can sometimes be sharp. That is because cold, hard
truths have sharp edges and Jim Bunning speaks in cold,
hard truths.
Even when it comes to his own party.
In summer 2008, shortly after a Republican Treasury
Secretary obtained the authority to pump unlimited money
into Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, Jim was rightfully upset.
``When I picked up the newspaper yesterday, I thought I
woke up in France,'' he told the Secretary in a hearing.
``But no,'' Jim said, ``it turned out it was socialism
here in the United States.''
Jim often asked simple questions that were easy to
answer truthfully and didn't tolerate equivocation. In the
case of the Fannie and Freddie bailouts, he asked the
Treasury Secretary, ``Where will the money come from?''
The Treasury Secretary said it was better to ``be
unspecified and enhance confidence in the market.''
Jim asked again saying that ``doesn't answer the
question. Where is the money going to come from if you
have to put it up?''
There was more waffling, but Jim finally pushed the
Treasury Secretary to admit the money was going to come
from the taxpayer. The taxpayers were going to pay.
He later called for the resignation of that Republican
Treasury Secretary because he was, as Jim put it, ``acting
like the minister of finance in China.''
``No company fails in Communist China, because they're
all partly owned by the government,'' Jim noted.
Jim has also been a brave critic of the Federal Reserve.
He has told the Fed Chairman, who was appointed by a
Republican President and helped orchestrate bailouts for
those considered too big to fail that, ``You are the
definition of a moral hazard.''
``Your Fed has become the creature from Jekyll Island,''
Jim said. And then he asked for the Fed Chairman's
resignation, too.
Jim has performed a great public service by bringing
attention to the economic damage being caused by the Fed
with cheap money when no one else would. He was there
calling for more oversight of the Federal Reserve long
before it became a Tea Party cause, and he deserves credit
for driving the issue into the mainstream.
As Senator, you could say Jim's approach has been as
direct as the fastballs he threw that made him a Major
League, Hall of Fame pitcher. When the Democrats tried to
pass off phony paygo rules as real reform, Jim exposed it
as a trick pitch. It was a gimmick to fool Americans into
thinking they would pay for their big spending plans.
The Democrats said paygo would obligate Congress to
offset any new spending with new revenues or spending cuts
elsewhere in the budget. Soon after, they tried to pass
$10 billion in unpaid for unemployment extensions.
Moreover, the Democrats wanted to pass it by unanimous
consent--Meaning no public debate, no rollcall vote, no
accountability.
The Democrats bet no one would oppose benefits for the
unemployed in this bad economy. They believed, as they
continue to, that they can keep giving out money without
paying for it and without any consequences.
Jim did not concede. He objected and stood his ground on
the Senate floor. And by doing so, he showed everyone what
a sham paygo is. The Wall Street Journal called it ``his
finest hour.''
Jim Bunning announced his retirement in July 2009, more
than a year ago. He could have taken it easy during his
last years in the Senate. He didn't have to tackle the
Treasury, the Fed, or insist unemployment extensions be
paid for.
But he did. Jim Bunning, the Hall of Fame pitcher, the
distinguished Senator, father of 9 and grandfather of 40
cared too much for this country to sit this one out.
He said in his farewell speech that he prays the Members
of Congress will stop spending our future generations into
higher taxes and a lower standard of living than we have
now. I pray for that, too.
Finally, I express my gratitude to Senator Bunning for
supporting the new Republican from his State who will
inherit his Senate seat next year. Jim campaigned for
someone to take his place who would say no to bailouts,
stop the takeovers, end the wasteful spending, and bring
down the national debt. The Nation will benefit greatly by
continuing to have a Senator at Jim's desk who believes as
much in the principles of free markets and freedom as Jim.
Thank you Jim for giving America your best until the
very last inning.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak in honor
of my good friend, Senator Jim Bunning. Senator Bunning
will be departing from the Senate at the end of this
session. I wanted to take a few moments to offer some
remarks.
Jim is a distinguished two-term Senator whose career in
public service has spanned more than three decades. Yet
when the history books are written, it is likely that he
will be more well known for his first love, the game of
baseball.
Jim was born in Southgate, KY, in 1931. He graduated
from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH, with a degree in
economics.
Most know that Senator Bunning was a Major League
pitcher for 17 years, mostly with the Detroit Tigers and
the Philadelphia Phillies. He was, not to put too fine a
point on it, one of the greatest pitchers to ever put on a
glove. Jim retired with the second-highest strikeout total
in baseball history. He was only the second pitcher in
history to record 1,000 strikeouts and 100 victories in
both the American and National Leagues. Before Jim, only
the legendary Cy Young had accomplished that feat. On June
21, 1964, Jim pitched a perfect game against the New York
Mets, achieving one of the rarest and most sought-after
feats in all of sports. Senator Bunning was inducted into
the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996, 2 years before he came
to the Senate.
After retiring from baseball, Jim chose a life of public
service. In 1977, he was elected to the city council of
Fort Thomas, KY. Two years later, he was elected to the
Kentucky State Senate, where he became the Republican
leader. In 1986, he was elected to the first of his six
terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1998,
Senator Bunning was elected to the Senate and has served
here ever since.
Throughout his time in Washington, Senator Bunning has
been an advocate for a number of causes, including the
preservation of Social Security for seniors, fiscal and
financial reform, and ending America's dependence on
foreign energy sources. He's played a key role on some of
this Chamber's most influential committees, including the
Banking, Energy, Budget, and Finance Committees.
For the last several years, I have had the opportunity
to work with Senator Bunning on the Finance Committee. I
have always admired his commitment to his principles and
his willingness to speak plainly when it became necessary
to do so. His presence on the committee and in this
Chamber will certainly be missed.
I want to wish Jim and his family the best of luck going
forward.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I would like to take a
few minutes to pay tribute to the 16 Senators who will be
departing this body at the end of the year.
I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve
alongside each of these Senators as colleagues and as
friends. All served their States with distinction and gave
their constituents strong voices in the world's greatest
deliberative body. Senators Evan Bayh, Robert Bennett, Kit
Bond, Sam Brownback, Jim Bunning, Roland Burris, Chris
Dodd, Byron Dorgan, Russ Feingold, Carte Goodwin, Judd
Gregg, Ted Kaufman, George LeMieux, Blanche Lincoln, Arlen
Specter, and George Voinovich--each left an indelible mark
on the Senate, and I wish them well as they take on new
challenges and opportunities into the future.
I would like to speak briefly about a few of the
Senators I knew best and served with in committees to
recognize their contributions and accomplishments and
share my fond memories of them and the legacies they will
leave behind. ...
I wish Senator Jim Bunning well as he departs the
Senate. Much of his legacy can be defined by his
competitive spirit and strong work ethic. These attributes
have been evident throughout his many successes in life,
first in his career as a Hall of Fame baseball player and
then later as a public servant, representing the people of
Kentucky. Being an avid sports fan myself, I hold deep
admiration for those who can play at the highest levels of
competitive sports and later bring that drive to the
Senate!
Following his highly successful professional baseball
career for 17 years, Jim decided he wanted to give back to
his community. In 1977, he ran for city council and then
later ran for the Kentucky State Senate eventually
becoming the Republican leader.
In 1986, Jim was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives for the Fourth District of Kentucky, where
he served for 12 years before being elected to the U.S.
Senate in 1998.
During Jim's tenure in Congress, he has established
himself as an expert and defender of Social Security,
fighting hard to protect Social Security for current and
future generations.
His hard work and devotion will be missed by the people
of Kentucky, whom I know are grateful for his many years
of service. ...
In conclusion, the departing Senators' contributions,
their dedicated service, and the issues they championed
will be remembered long after their final days in the
Senate.
I believe I can speak for my fellow Senators when I say
that we will all miss our departing friends.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, when the 111th Congress
draws to a close, we will bid farewell to 16 colleagues
who have collectively given more than 200 years of service
to our Nation through their service in the Senate. These
include seven of the Senate's most experienced Members.
People like Chris Dodd and Arlen Specter who have each
served five terms in the Senate. Kit Bond who has served
four terms and Bob Bennett, Byron Dorgan, Russ Feingold,
and Judd Gregg, who have each served three terms in this
Chamber. ...
In January we will feel the loss of the great pitching
ace, Jim Bunning, and Evan Bayh, both respected colleagues
on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. They are
among six of my Energy Committee colleagues who are
leaving the Senate this year. ...
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve with each
of the people who will leave this Chamber when we adjourn
sine die. Each has made substantial contributions to their
States, to the Nation, and to the Senate during their time
here.