[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 91 (Thursday, July 14, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 14, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                CHARACTER BUILDING IN THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I note the presence on the floor of 
Senator Mikulski of the State of Maryland. Between us, we are going to 
utilize the next 35 minutes and share with a number of our colleagues 
that time to talk about what we consider to be one of the most 
important issues and one of the most important ideas that has come to 
the Senate floor.
  Essentially, we believe--when I say ``we,'' I now speak for 58 
Senators who have joined in a resolution here--and, in particular, the 
8 Senators, 4 from each side of the aisle, including this Senator, who 
have joined in introducing a resolution.
  The resolution indicated that we were concerned about the lack of 
character development in this country, and we indicated in our 
resolution that a country without character, both as a nation and the 
individuals within it, if they do not have character, then a country 
will ultimately fall.
  We are of the opinion that many Americans are anxious today because 
they are very concerned that while we are teaching our children, while 
their minds are being developed, clearly, we should consider such very 
basic characteristics like relationships with people and what one must 
do to live a decent life, such as the six character elements that were 
put together by a coalition that calls itself Character Counts.
  Indeed, after discussions with lots of Americans from all aspects of 
life, they came up with these six elements that ought to be followed 
and taught; that the adults in our country ought to get behind a 
movement to bring them back into our daily lives and to encourage at 
the grassroots level the reinstilling in America of these simple 
characteristics that we believe count and without which America will 
not succeed: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, 
caring, and citizenship.
  Frankly, we are bound by a marvelous Constitution that tells us we 
should not teach religion in our schools and that is up to somebody 
else, but not the use of public properties and public money. But I 
believe nobody can stand up and say that our Constitution is violated 
if we try to instill in our people and in our young people some basic 
things like trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, 
and citizenship.
  The resolution that Senator Mikulski and others, whose names I will 
put in the Record soon, joined me in preparing, said to our President: 
Issue a proclamation that there will be 1 week in this country--October 
16 through October 22--when our National Government says to all of 
those who are concerned about this that we join you, and we want to 
encourage across the land a groundswell of activities directed at these 
kinds of basic character building activities, ideas, and ideals.
  Frankly, I might just give an anecdote about this to my friend from 
Maryland. In the city of Albuquerque, my hometown, I was joined by the 
mayor of our city, Mayor Martin Chavez, and a large, diverse task force 
from our city, in declaring that the city will be known as 
``Albuquerque: A Character Counts Community.'' As part of that, the 
entire community will begin to incorporate in its daily lives these six 
principles of character. There is already one school that is 
experimenting with using them in the classroom with great success. And 
as part of this effort, the school system is going to encourage more 
schools to use them. A task force has been set up, and I am going to 
name the people soon and thank them. They are going to go about raising 
some money to begin to develop, citywide, these six pillars of 
character.
  At one of the meetings, where our task force was sitting in a room--
the preliminary task force--we were talking about this, and the local 
president of the AFL-CIO, who had been invited, sat and listened. We 
were about to wrap up the meeting, and I called him by his first name 
and said, ``What do you think?'' He looked around a bit and he said, 
``You are right on.''
  Listen to what he said: ``You are right on, Senator. I cannot 
understand why people cannot tell the truth anymore.'' It is a most 
interesting observation. He said that people lie when there is no 
reason to lie, and then you spend all this time undoing it.
  Well, it seems to me that what is happening in our country is that 
nobody is talking about these kinds of pillars of character that we 
have to have build back into our lives.
  I do not want to argue on the floor nor do I indicate that we know it 
all. But I do not believe we ought to spend a lot of time saying are 
there more than these six? Of course. Are there 20? Maybe. Are there 
three that are better than these six? Maybe.
  But, essentially, Mr. President, we believe we are on the right 
track. We believe that we have the responsibility to encourage 
grassroots participation in our Nation at every level, including our 
public schools and our private schools of ways and means to inculcate 
into our children, along with the three R's these six elements. In 
fact, I think it is time to say the three R's are not enough. Somehow 
or another, while we want parents to do this, it is obvious in this 
country they need help, and there are children who are not going to get 
any of this anywhere unless we as a society decide to help them.
  Mr. President, in the Senate we have had a number of offices that 
have worked very hard with us to put this resolution together, and to 
help us get as far as we have.
  I want to thank the Senators and some of the staff that did that 
right now.
  Senator Nunn, who was one of the original cosponsors, Senator Dodd, 
Senator Danforth, Senator Cochran, Senator Mikulski, Senator Lieberman, 
and Senator Bennett. That is what I was referring to early on as the 
eight who helped me start this.
  The staff members of these Senators contributed significantly to this 
effort, especially Matthew Sikes from Senator Nunn's office; Suzanne 
Day from Senator Dodd's office; George Leventhal from Senator 
Mikulski's office; Doris Dixon from Senator Cochran's office; Felicia 
Brown from Senator Danforth's office; Elizabeth Dry from Senator 
Lieberman's office; Corine Larson from Senator Bennett's office; and 
Brian Jones and Kay Davies of my staff.
  Mr. President, I want to close with a couple of quotes. The two 
cochairpersons and sponsors for the Character Counts Coalition and 
approach is Barbara Jordan, thought to be more on the liberal side 
philosophically, and Tom Selleck, the actor, who is more on the 
conservative side. Tom Selleck was on David Brinkley and he said 
``People do not audition to be role models. It just happens. Everyone 
in the public eye, whether they like it or not, has to step up and 
realize what they say does count.''
  One other quote that I believe we should all pay attention to: In 
1991 there was a National Commission on Children chaired by Jay 
Rockefeller. I read to you one serious paragraph in it.

       The acquisition of values and moral framework for 
     decisionmaking is the central aspect of human development. * 
     * * Children may not always do as we say but they almost 
     always do as we do. Creating a moral climate that teaches 
     children the values of human dignity, character and 
     citizenship is both a parental and a community 
     responsibility. * * * it is up to parents, leaders in the 
     public and private sectors, and communities to work together 
     to ensure that children receive strong and consistent 
     messages about the moral principles they value.
  Mr. President, I am pleased to join with a bipartisan group of my 
colleagues to discuss Senate Joint Resolution 178, which sets aside the 
week of October 16-22, 1994, as National Character Counts Week. This 
resolution was cosponsored by 58 Senators--30 Republicans and 28 
Democrats--and it passed the Senate several weeks ago. There are 
approximately 125 cosponsors of the identical resolution in the House, 
and it appears this measure again has overwhelming bipartisan support.
  I believe this resolution is particularly unique. For the first time, 
on a bipartisan basis, we are able to stand beside and join with 
parents, educators, community and business leaders, and youth 
organizations in support of character development, education, and 
training. As important, we have been able to agree that there are, at a 
minimum, six fundamental core elements that constitute good character.
  For far too long, I believe we have avoided or overlooked the issue 
of good character. Due to the controversial nature of defining what 
constitutes good character, most of us have exercised great caution 
relative to the appropriate role of the public sector in what is often 
considered a personal, private issue.
  One of the most comprehensive and far-reaching reports to examine the 
omission of character development was detailed in the 1991 final report 
of the National Commission on Children. This commission, chaired by our 
distinguished colleague from West Virginia, Senator Rockefeller, 
devoted an entire chapter of its report to the necessity of positive 
role models for America's children, including the teaching of solid 
ethical standards. I considered chapter 12, ``Creating a Moral Climate 
for Children,'' one of the most articulate summaries of the issue of 
good character. It states that:

       The acquisition of values and a moral framework for 
     decisionmaking is a central aspect of human development. * * 
     * Children may not always do as we say, but they will almost 
     always do as we do. Creating a moral climate that teaches 
     children the values of human dignity, character, and 
     citizenship is both a parental and a community 
     responsibility. * * * It is up to parents, leaders in the 
     public and private sectors, and communities to work together 
     to ensure that children receive strong and consistent 
     messages about the moral principles they value.

  After reading this report and delivering a statement on the floor 
about chapter 12, I was determined that there had to be a way we could 
lend our support to a national effort on behalf of character education; 
that there was an appropriate role for those of us in the public 
sector. This opportunity came about last fall when I learned about the 
efforts of the Character Counts Coalition. This coalition includes 
among its 45-plus member organizations such diverse groups as Big 
Brothers/Big Sisters of America, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, 
American Association of School Administrators, United Way of America, 
Youth Volunteer Corps of America, the National Urban League, AARP, and 
the American Red Cross. As diverse as its membership is its Council of 
Advisors and Advocates, among whom are Dr. William Bennett, Marian 
Wright Edelman, Barbara Jordan, and Rabbi David Woznica.
  The Character Counts Coalition supports six elements of good 
character, as developed by a group of eminent scholars, educators, 
youth organizations and others in a document commonly referred to as 
the Aspen Declaration. These six elements of good character are: 
trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, justice and fairness, caring, 
and civic virtue and citizenship.
  I became convinced that, at a minimum, these six core elements were 
character traits that could be supported by a majority of my 
colleagues. If over 30 million Americans could support these precepts, 
why couldn't we? My prediction proved accurate. Within a short period 
of time, Senators Nunn, Dodd, Danforth, Mikulski, Cochran, Lieberman, 
and Bennett joined me in starting an informal group known as the Senate 
Character Counts Group, and our first group effort, joined by Senators 
Conrad and Dorgan, was the introduction of Senate Joint Resolution 178, 
declaring the week of October 16-22, 1994, as National Character Counts 
Week.
  Shortly after introduction of our resolution, a bipartisan group in 
the House formed its House Character Counts Group, composed of 
Representatives, Hall, Wolf, Hamilton, Hyde, Moakley, Emerson, Hughes, 
and Nick Smith, and introduced an identical resolution, House Joint 
Resolution 366, for a National Character Counts Week. Congressman Hall, 
an ardent and committed supporter of character education, quoted 
Theodore Roosevelt in his introductory remarks: ``To educate a man in 
mind and not in character is to educate a menace to society.'' This 
quotation probably best sums up why Members of Congress believe the 
time has come to trumpet what countless millions of Americans are 
already demanding--that good character is a central and integral 
component of the total person.
  The congressional effort to elevate good character in our public 
dialog is not some public relations gimmick or recent conversion to 
moral principles. We are simply joining with the many character 
education organizations, parents, school adminstrators and teachers, 
youth organizations, and other caring Americans who believe, like 
Theodore Roosevelt, that character is an essential ingredient in our 
educational endeavors.

  I believe this grassroots national effort is personified by the 
recent actions in my home State of New Mexico. I have commented in the 
past about the excellent program of the Bel Air Elementary School in 
Albuquerque, NM, and the resolution passed by the Albuquerque Public 
Schools to promote character education in all of the Albuquerque 
schools. However, one of the most exciting initiatives is the recent 
community-wide endeavor declaring ``Albuquerque--A Character Counts 
Community.''
  Several weeks ago, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez and I announced an 
exciting new community endeavor to apply the six elements of good 
character as a community-wide objective. Numerous leaders from 
community organizations worked together to structure this new 
initiative: the Albuquerque Public Schools Board, Albuquerque Teachers 
Federation, Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, Albuquerque 
Economic Forum, AFL-CIO, Mexican American National Association of 
Women, numerous Albuquerque public schools, Bel Air Elementary School, 
Albuquerque Junior League, United Way, Albuquerque Police Activities 
League, and the Hispano Chamber of Commerce. The mayor and his staff, 
and the individuals representing the above-named organizations, gave 
enormous amounts of time and personal energies to developing this 
community-wide collaborative effort.
  As a result of the public and private sector and city officials 
working together, a Character Counts Task Force was formed, the Greater 
Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce graciously agreed to provide the 
staffing support on a temporary basis until a permanent Character 
Counts structure can be developed, and the Albuquerque Community 
Foundation offered its assistance as a temporary fiscal agent for the 
effort.
  I want to thank personally and pay tribute to our Albuquerque 
citizens who will serve on the Albuquerque Character Counts Task Force: 
Chairman William G. ``Bing'' Grady; Vice Chairman Don Whatley, 
president of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation; Dr. Peter Horoshak, 
superintendent, Albuquerque Public Schools; Leonard DeLayo, Albuquerque 
School Board member; Margaret Chavez; Toni Martorelli, city of 
Albuquerque Community Services Division; Buz Doyle, Greater Albuquerque 
Chamber of Commerce; Bob Stamm, Albuquerque Economic Forum; Dana Kouri, 
Albuquerque Police Activities League; Ray Ruiz, Building and 
Construction Trades Council; Margaret Anderson, New Mexico Association 
for Non-Public Schools; and Dennis Romero, assistant principal, and 
Mary Jane Aguilar, Bel Air Elementary School. Mayor Chavez and I will 
serve as honorary co-chairmen of this task force.
  The Albuquerque effort represents an entire community standing up 
with pride and saying it promotes activities and personal deportment 
that include the six core elements of good character. It is a 
collaborative approach which reaffirms that the people of Albuquerque 
believe treating one another with respect is a good thing; that being 
trustworthy, responsible, fair, and caring are positive goals. 
Basically, Albuquerque believes that adopting these principles can 
contribute significantly to the quality of life of all the people of 
the community.

  As stated so well by Don Whatley, vice chairman of the task force and 
president of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation:

       I am proud to be able to contribute to the effort to 
     reinstill the core values highlighted by the Character Counts 
     Coalition in our community. Educators have traditionally 
     accepted the responsibility of transferring our knowledge 
     base from one generation to the next. It is equally important 
     to transfer commonly held cultural and civic values as well. 
     To teach facts, figures and other academics without teaching 
     commonly held ethical values to our children would be a 
     tragedy. The whole community must join with our schools to 
     encourage excellence of the mind and excellence in the 
     character of our youth.

  I applaud the individual and collective efforts of the citizens of 
Albuquerque; this is a model program that has extraordinary potential 
for improving the day-to-day lives of all its citizens. It is certainly 
worth trying, and it is certainly worth the effort. I look forward to 
working with these dedicated citizens to help make this initiative 
truly effective.
  I would like to close today by thanking those Senators who have 
joined with me to pass Senate Joint Resolution 178. Particularly, I 
want to thank personally those from the Senate Character Counts Group, 
each of whom contributed time and energies to this effort: Senators 
Nunn, Dodd, Danforth, Cochran, Mikulski, Lieberman, and Bennett. In 
addition, I want to thank the staff members of each of these Senators, 
all of whom contributed significantly to this effort: Matthew Sikes, 
Senator Nunn; Suzanne Day, Senator Dodd; George Leventhal, Senator 
Mikulski; Doris Dixon, Senator Cochran; Felicia Brown, Senator 
Danforth; Elizabeth Dry, Senator Lieberman; Corine Larson, Senator 
Bennett; and Brian Jones and Kay Davies of my staff.
  Earlier in my statement I mentioned that I believed this resolution 
was unique. I believe it bears summarizing again: Senators from both 
sides of the aisle, with different political philosophies, representing 
States across this great land, could join together in supporting six 
fundamental core elements of good character. As stated well by Tom 
Selleck, national spokesperson for the Character Counts Coalition, on 
ABC's ``This Week With David Brinkley:''

       People do not audition to be a role model. It just happens. 
     Everyone in the public eye, whether they like it or not, has 
     to step up and realize what they say and do counts.

  Finally, we in Congress can stand up and publicly join the millions 
of Americans who are already engaged in character education efforts--
from parents, to teachers, to city officials, Governors, and service 
organizations. At first glance, this may not seem like a special event 
or anywhere close to a unique experience. But, I can assure you, Mr. 
President, that it is, indeed, a very exceptional accomplishment. I am 
proud of what we have achieved thus far, and I am pleased to be a part 
of this effort.
  Now I yield to my good friend, Senator Mikulski.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Wofford). The Senator from Maryland.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Good morning. Mr. President.
  I thank the Senator from New Mexico for yielding on this discussion 
we will have today on character and why character counts. I thank the 
Senator from New Mexico for being the organizer of the Character Counts 
Coalition here in the U.S. Senate.
  We are men and women, Democrats and Republicans, from all geographic 
parts of the United States of America, and we are united with one voice 
today to talk about why character counts and why we need to instill 
these pillars of character in our public schools, our nonprofit 
organizations, and throughout the United States of America and every 
cultural method of communication.
  We are 6 years from the year 2000. A new century is coming. A new 
millennium is about to be born. We in America need to ask ourselves, 
what will the United States of America be in the 21st century? Will we 
be a superpower? Yes. We will be a superpower because of our economic 
structure. We will be a superpower because of our military might. We 
will be a superpower because of our democratic framework. But we will 
also be a superpower because the people of the United States have been 
powered by a set of values that talks about how they can be part of a 
larger culture and yet actualize their own individual identity.
  But we as a nation have to say what do we want to be and what will 
carry us forth.
  Will it be science and technology? The answer is yes. Will it be our 
great American entrepreneurial spirit? The answer is, you bet. Will 
those enable us to cope with change? Absolutely.
  But what will be the continuity between centuries that sustains us in 
terms of the ideals of the United States of America? I believe it is 
our values. And I believe it is these core values that are expressed in 
the pillars of character, trustworthiness, fairness, justice and 
caring, civic virtue and citizenship. These are the aspects of 
continuity that will help us not only cope with change but to embrace 
change and lead us into the 21st century.
  For some time I have been concerned that in the United States of 
America we have gone from being a progressive society to being a 
permissive society, that you are rewarded instead of having character, 
you are rewarded if you are a character. I have been concerned that we 
call celebrities heroes. There has been much in the media lately 
calling people heroes.
  I will tell you what a hero is. It is a man or woman who makes 
significant personal sacrifice, maybe even risking their lives for a 
greater good with no personal gain. We have them in this great body. 
Their names are Bob Dole, Bob Kerrey, Danny Inouye, who were decorated 
for their service and bear the permanent scars of war.
  Right now this minute there are foster mothers throughout the United 
States of America caring for children who are abused, caring for 
children who have AIDS. Those people are heroes. They were willing to 
make personal sacrifices with no personal gain for a greater good. And 
why? Because they are inner-directed people based on their values. The 
values about trustworthiness, fairness, justice, caring, civic virtue, 
a call to duty, a call to responsibility and understanding that for 
every right there is a responsibility, for every opportunity there is 
an obligation, and that we do not talk about entitlements; we talk 
about enlightenment. That is what we need to be able to do. And we need 
to keep advocating a society based on virtue and value and not a 
society where every aspect of our cultural communication rewards and 
exploits violence and vulgarity. This is not what the United States is 
about, and this is not what built the United States of America. What 
built the United States of America was virtue and value, not violence 
and vulgarity.
  People have known this through the years. And de Tocqueville when he 
came to study this new emerging country in the 19th century did his 
famous study on democracy and he said, what is it about it that is 
great? It is rugged individualism, their willingness to go to new 
frontiers, their willingness to always go out to explore, progress and 
change. But he said there is something special. It is what it is that 
are the ties that bind and he called them the habits of the heart, 
neighbor caring for neighbor, personal responsibility, personal respect 
for yourself and respect for others, and also social responsibility, 
the desire to be part of a neighborhood, a community, and to truly be a 
citizen of the United States of America.
  That is what this coalition wants to do. It wants to reinforce those 
values that have sustained America through good times and bad, through 
war and through peace. And that is why I am advocating the Character 
Coalition and the inculcation of these values once again through our 
public schools and our nonprofits.
  For too long I believe we have emphasized the goals of competition, 
exploitation, and aggression.
  I believe we need to concentrate on community building and building 
individual capacity among our young people so they can be part of a 
larger community.
  When my great-grandmother came to this country, she did not come in 
search of guarantees, but in search of opportunities. She was eager to 
become an American citizen. She did not want to melt, but she did want 
to be American. She did not believe America was a melting pot. She 
believed America was part of a great mosaic. She believed you could 
keep your cultural heritage and, at the same time, be a part of this 
great mosaic called the United States of America. She strove for that.
  But what were the ties that bound us? It was a legal framework under 
the Constitution of the United States, and you took a test to pass to 
be a citizen of the United States. But there were other values that 
were the ties that bound us beyond a legal framework.
  You cannot have a multicultural society unless you have the ties that 
bind.
  I celebrate diversity. I believe in the mosaic. I believe in opening 
opportunities for people of all backgrounds. At the same time, though, 
we need to have the ties that bind, the links that keep us together, 
and maybe even the lifeline that saves us. And that is what these 
pillars of character are.
  My mother and father were people of modest education. They gave us 
the best education that they could, both in our Catholic schools and 
with the values in our homes. Those values were taught in the home in 
my generation. And now we find that in many places they are only taught 
in the home, if you are lucky enough to have a home at all.
  We need to be sure that we strengthen the American family and extend 
that to a larger community, the community that my sisters and brothers-
in-law had. My nieces and nephews are growing up in a different world 
than we did in the old ethnic community in Baltimore.
  But we need those values because of what is happening. The values in 
the home when I was growing up were reinforced in the school. They were 
part of the values of our particular faith preference. Now we find, 
however, that the values taught in the home are like a sanctuary, 
because the larger culture gives other messages that I do not believe 
represent what is the best in the United States of America.
  We cannot have a society based on tabloid ethics and at the same time 
everybody doing their own thing without understanding the consequences 
to others.
  So I am happy to lend my voice and my efforts for a cause that I 
believe transcends party and geographic lines.
  But is that not great? That is what values are--to recognize those 
values. Because I believe a climate of change will be a source of 
continuity, which will build these core values, and I am happy to be 
part of it.
  I am particularly pleased that we are now able to advocate this; that 
in my own hometown of Baltimore the superintendent of public schools, 
Dr. Amprey, is making sure that character counts; that in many of our 
schools and higher education facilities they are looking at how to have 
institutes to be able to advocate that.
  During the week of October 20-23 that we call Character Counts Week, 
there will be a gathering in Chevy Chase, MD, at the 4-H Club 
Headquarters. There will be there 300 delegates from around the country 
of young men and women between the ages of 12 and 18. There will be 
entrepreneurs and athletes, people involved in public service. We are 
going to have workshops on character development, leadership training, 
ethical decisionmaking, and we are going to help them learn not only 
that character counts but how to be able to do that.
  In the past, Maryland has been dedicated to character education. Over 
a decade ago, Blair Lee, a former Governor, had a values commission. 
Our Maryland attorney general encouraged values to be taught in the 
schools. We are now again moving on innovative character education 
programs.
  Because it is not only the laws in the books that help govern us as a 
society, it is the laws you carry in your heart that govern your day-
to-day behavior, and the way you react with one another, the way you 
react with your neighbors, and the way you react with the larger 
community.
  So I believe the pillars of character count, and I am happy to be 
part of this coalition.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and eagerly looked forward to 
hearing other colleagues speak on this issue.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to Senator Nunn.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I know the Senator from Mississippi has been 
on the floor. I do not want to barge in in front of him here.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Please go ahead.
  Mr. NUNN. I thank the Senator.
  Mr. President, I want to thank my colleagues from New Mexico, 
Maryland, and also from Mississippi for being on the floor this morning 
and talking about what I think is the most important underlying 
fundamental challenge that is facing our Nation.
  I am delighted that I am able to be here, not because I am speaking 
this morning but because I have been able to hear the Senator from New 
Mexico and the Senator from Maryland, I think, lay out very clearly why 
we are here and why the Nation has to begin turning its attention 
individually and collectively to this challenge.
  Mr. President, I also want to add that I am pleased to be a coauthor 
with the Senator from New Mexico on this resolution. I think he is to 
be commended for getting this resolution passed and for putting a 
spotlight here, to the extent that we are able to do so, on the 
question of character, on the question of values.
  I also want to say that his dedication to this concept is more than a 
floor speech on the Senate floor. It really goes to the way he conducts 
his duties in this body every day, and I think he displays that. I also 
would say the same thing for the Senator from Maryland. I think she 
displays that every day. And I would add that also to the Senator from 
Mississippi. So I think that is important.
  I am hopeful this legislation will help in some small way to assist 
the grassroots effort that is already underway. We are not originating 
this effort. It is not originating here on the floor of the Senate. 
This is not something where we pass it and expect the national 
character to change. But I do believe that this may be a small way of 
helping the grassroots effort that is already underway.
  The Character Counts Coalition, led by Tom Selleck, Barbara Jordan, 
and Michael Josephson, and others, is helping focus our Nation's 
attention on our most pressing problems--the erosion of our national 
values and our national character.
  This legislation, which designates the National Character Counts 
Week, is but a small first step in beginning the difficult work that 
has to be done through millions and millions of individual actions in 
rebuilding the traditional virtues that have anchored and sustained our 
democracy.
  The sponsors of this legislation hope to register our concern and our 
commitment to help focus the Nation's attention on the very real 
relationship of character and values to many serious problems which 
face our Nation today and, most importantly, to direct attention to the 
day-to-day grassroots efforts of the Character Counts Coalition to make 
the goals of the coalition a reality.
  As a nation we are plagued by a web of interwoven social problems, 
including family breakdown, including drug abuse, including teenage 
pregnancy, and including the spread of violence in our communities. A 
common thread among these problems is a growing confusion in our 
society of what is truly important.
  I particularly enjoyed the remarks of the Senator from Maryland, 
which I think were right on point when she discussed the question of 
who are our heroes and who are our heroines. Who are these people that 
we call heroes today? They are not the same kind of characters that we 
had when I was growing up. If I had had the same heroes that our young 
people are growing up seeing and, in effect, trying to model their 
lives after, my whole life would have been different.
  I think we have to ask ourselves: Who is it we admire in this society 
and why? Because, in my view, without getting into individual cases, I 
do not think we are making a good choice in terms of who we are holding 
up for our young people to emulate.
  If lives are to be turned around, we must send a message emphatically 
that character does count. The solution to our social problems will 
come down to individual responsibility, people taking responsibility 
for their own actions, for helping their neighbors and particularly for 
helping children, children who need help and need guidance every day in 
facing up to the challenges that they have to meet in their daily 
lives, totally different kinds of challenges than most of us grew up 
trying to meet and overcome.
  Over its history, our Nation has been blessed. We have a large and 
vibrant economy which has sustained a high standard of living and 
provided opportunity for our children and for our citizens. We have the 
military strength to protect ourselves from foreign enemies, and we 
have shown the capacity to do great good for our own people and to 
spread that good and generosity throughout the world. Our continued 
prosperity, however, depends on maintaining the foundation which leads 
to such achievements and that foundation is strong individual character 
and strong individual values. As our values and our national character 
erode, so, too, does our culture. In the long run our values determine 
our strength as a Nation. Without traditional virtues and values our 
democratic institutions, which must rely on responsibility and self 
control as well as laws, wither.

  I applaud the efforts of the Character Counts Coalition and their 
efforts to promote the six core elements of character: trustworthiness, 
responsibility, respect for ourselves and for others, fairness, caring, 
and citizenship. These are ancient virtues and responsibilities that 
have been taught and reinforced for ages. These are the virtues that 
are essential if we are to preserve the fundamental rights guaranteed 
by our Constitution.
  The consequences of not taking action on this crucial issue are well 
illustrated by a profound question asked by our distinguished 
colleague, Senator Moynihan. He posed the question: Will we be the 
first species on Earth that forgets how to raise its young? That is the 
question. Character does count. I am proud to be a small part of this 
Character Counts movement.
  I urge my colleagues to join in this effort.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from 
Mississippi.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I first of all want to thank very 
sincerely the distinguished Senator from New Mexico for his leadership 
in bringing together a group of Senators, Republicans and Democrats, to 
sponsor the resolution which was recently adopted by the Senate, 
setting aside a week in October to observe National Character Counts 
Week.
  There is no question that there is a very serious threat to our 
American dream of freedom, prosperity and opportunity today in our 
society. This threat extends also to our domestic tranquility --to be 
safe and secure in our homes and in our communities. Today in America, 
a crime of violence occurs every 22 seconds. Each year, 25 percent of 
all homes are victimized by crime. The chances of being the victim of a 
violent crime in America today are greater than being involved in an 
automobile accident. In too many places, students are bringing weapons 
to school.
  In March of this year, this resolution was introduced--at first 
sponsored by just four Republican Senators and four Democratic 
Senators. Now others have joined and the Senate has adopted this 
resolution. It seeks to emphasize the importance of good character in 
our society and to involve churches, schools, national organizations, 
and local groups in a nationwide grassroots effort to promote the 
elements that are the core of good character: trustworthiness, respect, 
responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. This National 
Character Counts Week, which will be the week of October 16 this year, 
I hope will give us all an opportunity to think of ways we can become 
more personally involved and encourage others to do the same, to try to 
help ensure that students in our schools and that family members and 
others learn about the importance of these individual traits in our 
free and open society.
  I can recall the first speech that the Senator from New Mexico made 
on this subject on the floor of the Senate. He included an article 
describing an elementary school in Albuquerque, NM, where the teachers 
had begun a program of discussion in the classrooms of each of these 
central pillars of character and setting aside one month for the 
observation and discussion of each of these character traits.
  I recall that one example for bringing this information to the 
classroom was to put signs all around the school and the classrooms 
that just had the word on it. For example, ``caring'' was displayed 
throughout the school for the time that that was the subject of the 
discussion. And students were encouraged to talk about what caring 
meant to them, why it was important to care about each other, to care 
about what they were doing in school, to care about the school itself, 
to care about the community. Why was that important, for individual 
members of the class to care about what they were doing?
  And what the teachers observed as they continued this program was 
that good character traits are contagious in the classroom, and not 
only among students but among the teachers as well.
  We cannot solve all the problems of our society by just designating 
this one week, but I think it can bring to the attention of the 
American public how important we think these core values of character 
are, to be learned by students in our society today, to be observed by 
all of us in the best way we can--to help weave a stronger fabric of 
our society of individual traits that mean we respect each other more, 
we appreciate what we have, we appreciate our country, we want to take 
care of it, we want to promote fairness, we want to help ensure that 
there is true fairness and justice for all in our society.
  I am very proud to be a part of this effort and I encourage all 
Senators to look at ways that we can all become more actively involved 
in this national crusade.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President I yield the remainder of the time to the 
distinguished Senator from Connecticut, Senator Dodd. I believe on our 
side we have one additional Senator. He can use 5 minutes on his own 
time, as I understand that is the way the order is.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from New Mexico for 
yielding me some time. Let me begin by commending him and the other 
Senators involved in the Character Counts initiative. I join in the 
chorus of praise for my colleague from New Mexico and the others who 
have embraced this idea and have decided to use this privileged forum 
to educate and to discuss the issue.
  We are, of course, talking about our children's education and how we 
can use it to contribute to their character development. But on a 
deeper level I believe the whole subject is really about democracy and 
about the lifeblood that flows through its veins. For the entire 
premise of our system of government--the people's ability to govern 
themselves--hinges on the good education and the good character of her 
citizenry. Without those critical ingredients, in my view, this entire 
enterprise is doomed to failure.
  As Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1816,

       If a Nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of 
     civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.

  As Jefferson warned, we cannot expect to move ahead in ignorance. We 
cannot be ignorant of the knowledge of the world, nor can we be 
ignorant of the common values that should bind us together as a Nation.
  The Character Counts initiative calls on us as a people to embrace 
both of these goals and to expand our definition of education. It calls 
on us to recognize that education must be more than the transmission of 
facts. It must be more than the relay of concepts. It must be more than 
the molding of the intellect.
  Education must also be about character. Education must help teach 
young people what they need to know to be full participants in our 
society. Strengthening the mind is not enough. We must also nurture the 
character.
  We are not talking about imposing any individual's or group's world 
view or morality on the schoolchildren of America. I invite my 
colleagues with concerns about this proposal to look very closely at 
what we mean when we say character education.
  Mr. President, we are talking about honesty, courage, respect, 
responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship, and loyalty. Those are 
the principles we are promoting. These are not revolutionary concepts, 
Mr. President. These words are not controversial. They transcend 
individual religions and philosophies, and they are almost universally 
accepted.
  I might point out that a recent Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll asked 
adults in our country whether certain principles should be taught in 
our schools. Let me tell you the results of that survey: 97 percent of 
the surveyed adults in this society supported teaching honesty in our 
schools; 93 percent supported teaching democracy; 93 percent supported 
teaching acceptance of people of different races and ethnic 
backgrounds; 91 percent supported teaching caring for friends and 
family members; 91 percent supported teaching moral courage, and the 
list goes on.
  So, Mr. President, we are not talking about something that is 
completely radical and different.
  While these principles have widespread support among the American 
people, the idea of teaching them in schools has been attacked from 
both the left and the right. I understand the fears expressed by both 
sides. But let me quickly add, I think those concerns are totally 
unfounded.
  To the conservative elements of our society who are critical of this 
concept, I say that certainly schools will never and should never 
replace family. Parents and grandparents, churches and synagogues 
should and always will be the primary influence on children's values 
and systems of belief. To promote character education is not to 
challenge that influence but, in truth, to complement it.
  To my liberal friends who are concerned about this initiative, I say 
there is no plot here, no hidden agenda. Rather than suffocate the 
splendid diversity of America, we strengthen it by imbuing our young 
people with values--such as mutual respect, honesty, and caring--that 
make that diversity possible.
  Character education may be a controversial idea in this town, but let 
me tell you something; it is anything but controversial outside of this 
town. I invite my colleagues to do what I have done: Go and ask your 
own constituents about character education. Ask them if schools should 
teach students about the importance of fairness, about the value of 
responsibility. Ask them whether or not they think the merit of good 
citizenship should be taught.
  I predict that if you do this, your constituents will answer yes 
without exception, as mine have. They will answer yes because they know 
that developing good character in our young people will make a real 
difference in the lives of individuals and the lives of communities and 
the life of a nation.
  Character education is, obviously, not the magical answer to all of 
our problems. If every school in America taught character education 
tomorrow, we would not end teen pregnancy, although we might reduce it. 
We would not stop street violence, but we might curb it. We would not 
eliminate child abuse, but I think we might lessen it. Character 
education would not end any of these plagues, but it could make a 
difference. Character education is not a complete solution, but it 
should be part of one.
  The Labor Committee began to address this issue earlier this summer 
when it adopted a character education amendment that I offered to the 
elementary and secondary education bill.
  I commend again my friend and colleague from New Mexico for all his 
work in this area. I have enjoyed working with him on it. I look 
forward to working with him in the future. I invite my colleagues to 
join in this effort to develop the character of young Americans and to 
shore up the foundation of American democracy.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. BENNETT addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
  Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I rise to commend my friend and leader in 
this effort, Senator Domenici, from New Mexico, for what he has done 
with respect to the Character Counts activities.
  I will not repeat the comments that have been made by those who have 
gone before me because I believe they have covered the issue, but I do 
want to make one observation with respect to the resolution regarding 
National Character Counts Week. I think it is very important that 
national leaders talk about these issues.
  One of the things that has happened in the last two or three decades 
has been that we have developed such a sensitivity for the possibility 
of offending people that we have taken a number of issues out of 
national dialog. The motive behind that is perhaps admirable, but the 
effect has been to sanitize the national dialog to such an extent that 
no one has the courage to talk about anything anymore.
  We get our schools together and we talk about the mechanics, if you 
will, of sex education. We have examples of teachers holding up 
cucumbers and placing condoms of them, but somehow we cannot have a 
discussion, let alone any kind of curriculum, in regard to the question 
of responsibility when it comes to one's sexual behavior. That somehow 
implies a discussion of religion; that somehow violates the separation 
of church and state. So we pass around cucumbers instead, and then 
wonder why our young people get the silent message that responsibility 
does not matter.
  So without getting into any of the details of what should or should 
not be taught or how far we should go or what kinds of curriculum we 
should have, I want to commend the Senator from New Mexico for getting 
us, as national leaders, to simply start talking about character.
  Inevitably in a free society, when the leaders start talking about 
such things as trustworthiness and respect, responsibility on the part 
of our young people, talking about such concepts as justice and 
fairness, talking about caring and civic virtue and citizenship, it is 
inevitable that the citizenry will begin to start talking about these 
things. Dialog must occur not only at home, but in schools, both 
elementary and secondary, in business, and in Government. Individuals 
will then come up with the answers. We will not.
  We cannot legislate from the Senate nor from Washington nor can the 
President dictate what the Nation should do about these areas. However, 
we can start a national dialog about the common values on which this 
country was founded and trust the good common sense of the American 
people to do the right thing in every one of these areas to make them 
relevant again today.
  As the Senate Character Counts coalition raises this issue today and 
in the future, we will be the leaven of the lump, if I might use the 
Biblical phrase, that will start the rediscovery and discussion of our 
common values, and expand this emphasis throughout society as a whole.
  So I am delighted to be part of the effort, to be one of the original 
cosponsors of the Character Counts resolution. And I join with the rest 
of my colleagues in paying tribute to the Senator from New Mexico for 
his leadership.
  Mr. DANFORTH. Mr. President, I would like to commend the efforts of 
my colleagues in the Senate for the enthusiasm they have shown with 
respect to promoting the concept of character development and 
education. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, ``to educate a man 
in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.'' We need 
only look to the current deterioration of morality and ethics that 
permeates our society to see the truth in these words.
  There has been a growing movement in the country to restore the 
teaching of values to the standard curriculum. These efforts have 
largely been initiated at the local level, the communities working 
cooperatively with schools to promote character education and 
development. The momentum fueling this movement stems from the 
frightening realization that many of our youth have grown up in a moral 
vacuum. Children killing children without remorse is only the most 
visible sign of the death of values in much of our society. The 
transmission of values is an important step in regaining this lost 
generation and reversing the moral crisis facing the Nation generally 
and our young people in particular.
  I would like to particularly recognize the efforts of my good friend, 
Sanford McDonnell, chairman of the board of directors of the Character 
Education Partnership. The partnership, established in March 1992, is 
dedicated to promoting the development of moral character and civic 
virtue among young people. The partnership represents a network of 
individuals and organizations committed to facilitating the 
implementation of effective K-12 character education programs which 
will produce a generation of responsible and compassionate individuals.
  While the efforts of the partnership extend throughout the country, 
Sandy has worked tirelessly in St. Louis to implement character 
education throughout the metropolitan area school districts. His 
personal efforts in the establishment of PREP--personal responsibility 
education process--is indicative of his commitment to instilling values 
and ethics in young people. PREP is a collaborative effort of 
corporations, foundations, community groups, individuals, and 23 public 
school districts representing over 183,000 students. As a consequence 
of PREP's endeavors, many youngsters have the opportunity to learn 
about respect, civic virtue, and personal responsibility. PREP 
recognizes that schools and communities must work together, forming a 
partnership, to address problems such as drug abuse, youth violence, 
and teen pregnancy. Sanford McDonnell's efforts in this regard have 
been exemplary and he has generously given of his time and himself.
  Mr. DOMENICI addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask for 2 minutes, and then we will be 
finished with our dialog.
  I want to make two comments. First, this effort that we are involved 
in to elevate good character is not some public relations gimmick or 
some recent conversion to moral principles. We are simply joining with 
many character education organizations--parents, schools, 
administrators and teachers and, yes, Mr. President, a huge, huge part 
of the American population--who are desperately worried about what is 
happening in our society as they see these pillars of character 
disappear, as they see little or no effort to build them up and use 
them and inculcate them so we can all have a better life.
  Last, there are cynics around who would instantly challenge this 
group of Senators who spoke today. They might say, Mr. President, how 
can you do that when Government is in such disrepute? I am not a cynic; 
none of the Senators participating is a cynic. We are saying as long as 
we are in office, we choose the positive; we choose to try and try 
again and, in this case, we think we have a very, very good effort. We 
ought to promote it in spite of cynics who will say it will not work; 
it is not your business; let somebody else do it. I firmly believe it 
is our business and we should participate.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. SHELBY addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. SHELBY. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. Shelby pertaining to the introduction of S. 2283 
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. BRADLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I may 
proceed for 25 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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