[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 20 (Tuesday, March 1, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: March 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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CRIME REFORM
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Klein). Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Smith] is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, last Friday we had a meeting of
our crime advisory task force in Michigan. Crime has got to be one of
the top priorities of not only the Federal Government, but certainly
State and local government and individual families. Crime is getting
out of control in this country as more and more young people grow up
without respect for other people, without respect for other people's
property, probably without very much respect for themselves.
At our crime advisory task force meeting we talked about not only the
importance of beefing up law enforcement officers and enhancing our
ability to apprehend those individuals that were committing a crime,
but we talked about increasing the efforts of our court systems and the
judicial branch of government to have a quicker scolding of those
individuals that were apprehended and charged with a particular crime.
And also we talked about the need for reform in our State Department of
Corrections and in our jail system so that truly there was some real
penalty to those individuals who were sentenced to those institutions.
In too many cases, those criminals in our State prison system have it
better off than they do on the outside.
We had school educators also who said it is so important that we
start instilling in these young people some of the value systems, some
of the morality, some of the ethics, that are attempted to be taught in
our homes.
One of the county sheriffs gave me the statistics of one of their
particular school systems, and I would just like to read a couple of
them. One out of four of the females surveyed reported sexual abuse. In
other words, someone in her family or someone else did sexual things to
her that she did not want or forced her to touch them sexually. One in
five students reported physical abuse, when one adult caused a student
to have a scar, a black and blue mark, welts, bleeding, or a broken
bone.
In our survey, a large number of the teachers thought it was illegal
to teach values and morals in the school system. I think that we need
to re-look at a very serious situation in this country and develop ways
that it is not only going to increase our efforts for apprehension and
a better judicial system and doing away with the revolving door
circumstances of our State prison system, but also we are going to have
to start reinforcing those values and ethics and morality.
Representative Emerson and I tomorrow are making an amendment,
offering an amendment to H.R. 6, asking for a plan promoting ethics and
values. This amendment to H.R. 6 asks for a study and plan of how
schools can assist families in reinforcing values. Specifically, it
names and defines 10 ethical principles that should be considered.
Maybe, Mr. Speaker, I don't have time to go through all 10. I will
submit them for the Record. Let me read a couple. Honesty: To be
truthful, sincere, forthright, straightforward, frank and candid; to
not cheat, steal, lie, deceive, or act deviously.
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Integrity: to be principled, honorable, and upright; to not be two-
faced or unscrupulous; promise-keeping, to be worthy of trust, keep
promises, fulfill commitments, and abide by the spirit as well as the
letter of the agreement.
This amendment specifically names and also has a short definition for
loyalty, fairness, caring for others, respect for others, responsible
citizenship, pursuit of excellence, and accountability.
In a situation where many teachers feel that somehow it might be
illegal to teach these kinds of values in our school system, and for
individuals that say, ``I want to teach my own values,'' I would remind
them that in previous years we had books such as Dick and Jane that had
stories having a conclusion of what is right and wrong. Somehow we are
going to have to make serious changes in our criminal justice system,
but also changes in reinforcing the importance of family units and the
importance of having young people grow up with a strong feeling of
values and integrity.
I include for the Record a further listing of the 10 ethical
principles:
Honesty: To be truthful, sincere, forthright,
straightforward, frank and candid; to not cheat; steal, lie,
deceive, or act deviously.
Integrity: To be principled, honorable, and upright; to not
be two-faced or unscrupulous.
Promise-keeping: To be worthy of trust, keep promises,
fulfill commitments, and abide by the spirit as well as the
letter of an agreement.
Loyalty: To be faithful and loyal to family, friends,
employees, clients, and country.
Fairness: To be fair and open-minded, willing to admit
error, and, if appropriate, change positions and beliefs; to
demonstrate a commitment to justice and the equal treatment
of individuals.
Caring for others: To be caring, kind, and compassionate;
to share; to be giving and of service to others; to help
those in need and avoid harming others.
Respect for others: To demonstrate respect for other
people's property, human dignity, and privacy; to be
courteous, prompt, and decent; to not patronize, embarrass,
or demean.
Responsible citizenship: To obey the laws and, if a law is
unjust, protest it and try to change it but continue to obey.
Pursuit of excellence: To pursue excellence in all matters
and in meeting personal responsibilities; to diligent,
reliable, industrious, and committed; to perform all tasks to
the best of one's ability, develop and maintain a high degree
of competence, and be well informed and well prepared; to not
be content with mediocrity; to not strive to `win at any
cost'.
Accountability: To be accountable and accept responsibility
for decisions, for the foreseeable consequence of actions and
inactions, and for setting an example for others.
Dr. Kevin Ryan, Director of Boston University's Center of the
Advancement of Ethics and Character, said that the Nick Smith amendment
will encourage States and local school districts to look at and
seriously consider their role in character development.
The ten ethical principles were developed by the Josephson Institute
of Ethics. Currently, States that have set up value education
commissions or actually implemented the teaching of ethical principles
in the classroom are California, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, New
Hampshire, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from New Mexico [Mr. Richardson] is recognized for 5 minutes.
[Mr. RICHARDSON addressed the House. His remarks will appear
hereafter in the Extensions of Remarks.]
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