[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 177 (Thursday, November 9, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S16931]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE OCCASION OF THE 80TH BIRTHDAY OF SENATOR BILL PROXMIRE

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a long-time 
friend and an esteemed colleague. A true populist, his record of 
outstanding achievements demonstrates what is possible when the highest 
calibers of independence, integrity, and dedication are brought 
together in a loyal servant of State and country. Senator Bill Proxmire 
turns 80 this Saturday, and he deserves our heartfelt praise.
  Senator Proxmire retired from this Chamber 7 years ago. When he did, 
he left it as one of the Senate's most admired Members. Every day, when 
he came to work after his 100 pushups and his 4-mile run, he brought 
with him a Puritan work ethic and a unique commitment to a set of 
closely held principles that set him apart from his colleagues, and 
will ensure that he is forever remembered as one of this Chamber's 
finest Senators.
  His standards of personal conduct are legendary. He still holds the 
record for most consecutive votes in the Senate, having been in 
attendance for more than 10,000 rollcall votes during the course of 22 
years. In his last two campaigns for the Senate, in 1976 and 1982, he 
refused to take campaign donations. Mr. President, let me reiterate 
that. Not just PAC money, not just donations above a certain amount. He 
did not take any money at all, from anyone. In each of these campaigns, 
he spent less than $200 all of it out of his own pocket, and most of it 
to pay for postage and envelopes to send back donations offered to him 
by his supporters. Mr. President, when Senate campaigns nowadays cost 
millions of dollars, this feat seems remarkable enough. The fact that, 
in both instances, he won by a landslide, demonstrates the peerless 
quality of his support and popularity among the fine people of 
Wisconsin.
  His legislative record is equally impressive. Senator Proxmire's 
independence and integrity allowed him to be a strong leader on 
daunting issues, making progress and achieving change in areas that 
others might have forsaken. His battle in the late 1960's and early 
1970's to kill the supersonic transport plane is the stuff of legend in 
the Senate. No matter what one might have thought of the merits of this 
program, one must admire Senator Proxmire's success in waging an uphill 
battle against powerful opponents to end an expensive project that he 
saw as a waste of the taxpayers' money.
  Senator Proxmire was simultaneously a stalwart champion of both 
competition and the individual consumer, reminding us that the 
interests of the latter are so often best served by the promotion of 
the former. Early on in his career, he sponsored the Truth-in-Lending 
Act, which ensures consumer access to information in the lending market 
and forces banks to compete openly and on equal terms. Senator Proxmire 
was right when he described this landmark bill as ``perhaps more 
valuable to the consumer than any credit card in his wallet.'' Later, 
his leadership was instrumental in securing passage of a 1980 bill 
deregulating the banking industry to free up financial institutions to 
offer better services at lower costs to consumers. He was motivated out 
of a profound belief that consumers would be better served by more 
choices. History has undeniably proven him right.
  Mr. President, I had the privilege and the honor of serving on the 
Senate Banking Committee for part of the time that Senator Proxmire was 
chairman of that body. I can tell you that his independence and 
strength of character allowed him to perform his duties with a never-
ending commitment to his role as a beneficiary of the public trust. 
Beholden to no one except, in his own mind, the people who elected him, 
he was a tireless advocate for the interests of ordinary people.
  Senator Proxmire is perhaps best remembered for his near fanatical 
devotion to saving taxpayer dollars. He refused to travel abroad at 
Government expense, and he returned $1 million to the Treasury over 6 
years by cutting back on staff expenses. This commitment to personal 
thrift gave him the credibility to stand up to the waste of taxpayer 
money elsewhere in the Government. And this he did with a passion and 
flair for which he will always be remembered in this Chamber, partly 
through a device uniquely his own: the Golden Fleece awards.
  Mr. President, way back in 1975, long before the Vice-President was 
shattering ash trays on late night television, long before people were 
citing $200 Pentagon hammers, Senator Proxmire created these monthly 
awards to highlight particularly wasteful Government spending programs. 
Dozens of programs earned this dubious distinction; some have said that 
the Senator's zeal for exposing the waste of taxpayer dollars was 
matched only by the abundance of candidates from which to choose.
  It seems as if everyone who's been around here a while has their own 
favorite Golden Fleece. Whether it's the research institution that 
spent $100,000 trying to establish whether sunfish that drank tequila 
were more aggressive than sunfish that drank gin, the Federal Aviation 
Administration project to research the body measurements of airline 
stewardess trainees, or the grant to study why people fall in love, 
each Golden Fleece not only makes its point about the potential dangers 
of ill-managed and ill-conceived government programs, but reminds us of 
the humor and character of this noble public servant.
  Mr. President, I hope that my colleagues will join me in conveying 
our best birthday wishes and our sincere thanks to Senator Bill 
Proxmire, who, through over 30 years of loyal service in the Senate 
marked by independence and hard work, demonstrated his steadfast 
commitment to serving the people of Wisconsin and the citizens of this 
Nation.

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