[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 28, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1388-S1393]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 226--RELATIVE TO NATIONAL CHARACTER COUNTS WEEK

  Mr. DOMENICI (for himself, Mr. Nunn, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Cochran, Ms. 
Mikulski, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Kempthorne, Mr. Dorgan, and 
Mr. Frist) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 226

       Whereas young people will be the stewards of our 
     communities, nation, and world in critical times, and the 
     present and future well-being of our society requires an 
     involved, caring citizenry with good character;
       Whereas concerns about the character training of children 
     have taken on a new sense of urgency as violence by and 
     against youth threatens the physical and psychological well-
     being of the nation;
       Whereas, more than ever, children need strong and 
     constructive guidance from their families and their 
     communities, including schools, youth organizations, 
     religious institutions and civic groups;
       Whereas the character of a nation is only as strong as the 
     character of its individual citizens;
       Whereas the public good is advanced when young people are 
     taught the importance of good character, and that character 
     counts in 

[[Page S1389]]
     personal relationships, in school, and in the workplace;
       Whereas scholars and educators agree that people do not 
     automatically develop good character and, therefore, 
     conscientious efforts must be made by youth-influencing 
     institutions and individuals to help young people develop the 
     essential traits and characteristics that comprise good 
     character;
       Whereas character development is, first and foremost, an 
     obligation of families, efforts by faith communities, 
     schools, and youth, civic and human service organizations 
     also play a very important role in supporting family efforts 
     by fostering and promoting good character;
       Whereas the Senate encourages students, teachers, parents, 
     youth and community leaders to recognize the valuable role 
     our youth play in the present and future of our nation, and 
     to recognize that character is an important part of that 
     future;
       Whereas, in July 1992, the Aspen Declaration was written by 
     an eminent group of educators, youth leaders and ethics 
     scholars for the purpose of articulating a coherent framework 
     for character education appropriate to a diverse and 
     pluralistic society;
       Whereas the Aspen Declaration states that ``Effective 
     character education is based on core ethical values which 
     form the foundation of democratic society'';
       Whereas the core ethical values identified by the Aspen 
     Declaration constitute the 6 core elements of character;
       Whereas the 6 core elements of character are 
     trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, justice and 
     fairness, caring, civic virtue and citizenship;
       Whereas the 6 core elements of character transcend 
     cultural, religious, and socioeconomic differences;
       Whereas the Aspen Declaration states that ``The character 
     and conduct of our youth reflect the character and conduct of 
     society; therefore, every adult has the responsibility to 
     teach and model the core ethical values and every social 
     institution has the responsibility to promote the development 
     of good character.'';
       Whereas the Senate encourages individuals and 
     organizations, especially those who have an interest in the 
     education and training of our youth, to adopt the 6 core 
     elements of character as intrinsic to the well-being of 
     individuals, communities, and society as a whole; and
       Whereas the Senate encourages communities, especially 
     schools and youth organizations, to integrate the 6 core 
     elements of character into programs serving students and 
     children: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate proclaims the week of October 13 
     through October 19, 1996, as National Character Counts Week, 
     and requests the President to issue a proclamation calling 
     upon the people of the United States and interested groups to 
     embrace the 6 core elements of character and to observe the 
     week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, let me open this by sending a resolution 
to the desk and asking that it be appropriately referred. It is now 
sponsored by 10 Senators. It will have the requisite 50 or 60 
signatures within a month and thus can get reported out of the 
Judiciary Committee.
  The original cosponsors of this resolution have been consistent 
supporters of this resolution.
  I am very pleased that Senators Nunn, Dodd, Cochran, Mikulski, 
Bennett, Lieberman, Kempthorne, Dorgan, and Frist, as members of the 
Senate Character Counts Working Group, are again joining me as original 
cosponsors of this resolution.
  This resolution requests that the President of the United States 
proclaim the week of October 13 through 19 as ``National Character 
Counts Week.'' I want to discuss with the Senate and those interested 
in what we say here what Character Counts is all about in our country 
and what the movement for Character Counts is all about.
  I send the resolution to the desk as previously requested, and I ask 
for its referral to the appropriate committee.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The resolution will be received and 
appropriately referred.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Many exciting and unique character education programs 
have taken place over this past year. As important, thousands of young 
people, local and national organizations, schools, parents and citizens 
have participated in efforts to make their communities aware of the 
positive benefits of character education.
  One example is 12-year-old Carrie Beeman from the Roswell, NM 
Mountain View Middle School. Carrie will be coming to Washington, DC as 
1 of 104 young Americans to be recognized for their service to their 
communities in the national Prudential Spirit of Community youth 
volunteer awards program. She received a $1,000 for her work in the 
Chain of Character contest by helping organize and selling 14,000 chain 
links to raise funds for the local character education efforts in 
Roswell. By calling businesses and other interested citizens, she 
helped raise $400 for her school's student council and $2,000 for her 
town's local Character Counts program.
  Carrie's effort personifies the great national grassroots movement to 
support character programs: No matter the age, everyone can participate 
at the local level to help promote good character in their schools and 
in their communities. All of us in New Mexico who are working at the 
local and State level to promote character education programs are very 
proud of Carrie and are deeply appreciative that the selection 
committee for the Prudential awards recognized her fine efforts.
  There are many reasons why the character education movement is 
gaining such momentum, and let me mention just a few that bear 
attention.
  First let me talk about violence on television and a recent study of 
that. Let me take a couple of moments of time to talk about this to the 
Senate.
  A recent comprehensive study commissioned by the National Cable 
Television Association--National Television Violence Study--articulates 
some disturbing statistics. Among the study's finding were that: 
Perpetrators of violent acts on TV go unpunished 73 percent of the 
time; 47 percent of all violent interactions show no harm to victim, 
and 58 percent depict no pain. Longer term consequences--such as 
financial or emotional harm--were shown only 16 percent of the time; 
few programs containing violence, just 4 percent, emphasize nonviolent 
alternatives in solving problems.
  As depicted on television, violence inflicts little pain and minimal 
consequences for actions that hurt, maim, and kill. Such actions 
glamorize abhorrent behavior that shouts ``it's OK'' to be 
irresponsible, dishonest, and violent. Responsibility, respect, 
or caring apparently do not have enough public appeal to ensure high 
viewer ratings.

  Another example of why so many are concerned about the values of 
America is the findings of a 3-year study just completed by the 
Josephson Institute of Ethics for their 1996 Report Card on American 
Integrity. Anonymous, written surveys were administered nationally in 
schools and during various programs conducted by the institute that 
included responses from 5,740 high school students, 2,289 college 
students, and 3,190 adults not in school. Basically, the survey 
revealed that very high percentages of young people, as well as adults 
over 25, have fallen into such habits as lying, cheating and stealing. 
For example: 42 percent of high school male respondents and 31 percent 
of high school females said they had stolen something from a store 
within the previous 12 months; nearly half the high school males and 
one-third of the high school females--41 percent of high-schoolers 
overall--said they would lie if they thought it necessary to get or 
keep a job; 1 in 4 adult respondents, 2 of 5 collegiate respondents, 
and over half the high schoolers said they would or probably would lie 
about their debts to get a badly needed loan; and more than half the 
males and one-third the females said it is sometimes justified to 
respond to an insult or verbal abuse with physical force, with nearly 
half of all high school respondents saying they had struck another 
person or used physical force within the previous year.
  And, adding another dimension to these findings, it is likely that 
the real percentage of those actually engaging in dishonest conduct is 
higher than that reflected in the Josephson Institute's study. Why? 
Because 41 percent of high school respondents, 37 percent of collegiate 
respondents, and 25 percent of those respondents not in school admitted 
to giving a dishonest answer to at least one or two survey questions.
  Just these two studies alone suggest that good character habits are 
not being emphasized or practiced by significant numbers of young and 
adult Americans. At the same time, the Josephson Institute's survey 
showed that 96 percent of not-in-school adults said that being ethical 
in all aspects of their lives is very important, but only 64 percent of 
the high schoolers said they place such a high value on ethics. I would 
suggest that while the high schoolers numbers are not nearly as high as 
they should be, at least there is acknowledgment that being ethical is 
desirable and important. 

[[Page S1390]]

  I do not believe that America is made up of liars, cheats and 
thieves. In fact, I believe that most Americans want to do well by 
their fellow citizen. At the same time, exemplary behavior is not a 
genetic trait--it needs to be taught. Being responsible, caring, 
honest, or trustworthy needs to be reinforced by parents, schools, 
community organizations, and adults. This is what we mean by character 
education. And, it takes everyone's participation to make it work.
  Mr. President, about 3\1/2\ or 4 years ago, as I stated here on the 
floor before, a group of Americans from all walks of life--from various 
religions, from commerce, from labor organizations, housewives--met in 
Aspen, CO. They issued a declaration, which is now known in some parts 
as the Aspen Declaration. The Aspen Declaration is the result of 3\1/2\ 
days of intensive evaluation by this broad spectrum of Americans.
  The conclusion that they reached is that there was a serious shortage 
and diminution of basic character among the American people which was 
frightening, and in particular they were frightened about what was 
happening to young people, who did not seem to have any values nor any 
idea of what character was all about.
  The conclusion of the declaration was that we should promote across 
America what is now known as ``the six pillars of character.'' There 
are many organizations and many institutions who are looking at 
character building.
  We chose here in the Senate to pass a resolution 2 years ago--and it 
has been done 2 years in a row--asking Americans to recognize for 1 
week in October a week promoting Character Counts. While for many of us 
we have gone further, there are no laws to be passed. This is not a 
legislative function. But many of us have chosen to exercise our 
leadership in conjunction with others to establish in our communities, 
or our States, the idea that a community and the schools should be part 
of promoting Character Counts.
  There are six pillars of character, the six words that are being used 
across this land, in our schools, in businesses, in institutions like 
the YMCA, and myriad organizations: ``Trustworthiness,'' that is a root 
word that carries with it such things as honesty, integrity, living up 
to your commitments; and the words respect, responsibility, fairness, 
caring, and citizenship.
  While the ultimate goal of these six principles is being celebrated 
in parts of America, it is catching on and taking hold more than 
anywhere else in the schools of America. I will just tell you, Mr. 
President, in New Mexico, on a volunteer basis, without a mandate, we 
now have 11 communities and 2 counties that have adopted Character 
Counts as community goals with an emphasis on the six pillars.
  I say to my friend who will speak soon, who is an advocate of 
Character Counts, there are now scores of public schools in New Mexico. 
You can tell whether they are a Character Counts school because if you 
drive by and if they have anything out front that indicates messages 
about the school, you will find on that message board the character of 
the month, and you will see up there ``responsibility.'' You can then 
find out and be assured that if you attended that public school for 
that month in all the classes, be it math, English, geography, or 
whatever it is in the grade schools, you will find teachers have been 
empowered to insert into the classroom that word ``responsibility.''
  It is a marvel to observe, to go to a school and talk with the 
teachers who have been empowered on a volunteer basis to promote as 
part of their education mission character and the six pillars of 
character. There are innovative ways of involvement that are occurring, 
but let me suggest that we have not yet received in my State and a few 
States I have visited, any objections from the adult community to 
promoting these six pillars of character.
  Now, is there going to be an objection raised to trying to define 
``trustworthiness'' and get it across to our young people? Is there 
going to be an adult objection to ``respect,'' to ``responsibility,'' 
to ``fairness,'' to ``caring,'' to ``citizenship''? We have found 
nothing.
  So what we have done by using the Aspen Declaration and the current 
idea of six pillars of character is to open the window and let into our 
public schools, if they want to, on a volunteer basis, principal by 
principal, empower our teachers to bring into the classroom some very 
fundamental things that most Americans are excited to think about. 
There is much being said about anxiety in the current political 
campaign, and I submit there may very well be the anxiety spoken of 
about jobs and whether or not jobs are in jeopardy because of a 
changing American economy, but there is another anxiety that is very 
big and very powerful, and it is the anxiety of adults over what is 
going to happen to our children if somehow or another values or pillars 
of character are not brought into their lives to compete with the 
bombardment of ideas coming from whatever source young people are 
currently subject to, from television to what they see and what they 
read. And ultimately in a State like mine, we have concluded that you 
need to bring adults and kids together and you need to have adults 
concerned about the same six pillars of character which I have repeated 
now several times in this Chamber.
  In our State, it is contagious. Teachers have gone to classes to get 
the basic principles of how you promote these in the classroom. They 
have been given that education free by various groups that have raised 
money. They have all committed to teach another teacher. And the work, 
how they put this together, is beginning to evolve with little 
direction from the national organization which is more like an 
umbrella. This is all going to be done locally by schoolteachers and 
principals and boards of education and business leaders who want to 
change the character of the community. It is exciting. It is not the 
answer to everything, but it is a start. I am certain the Senate and 
the House will once again declare the week as Character Counts Week, 
but it is more interesting to note that from that seed a few years ago, 
a number of Senators and Congressmen have decided to work with mayors 
and Governors to begin to promote not 1 week but all year long, not 1 
day but every day in the classrooms of our schools one of these pillars 
of character to be brought into the common language of the children and 
their daily experience. The innovativeness of teachers who are 
empowered to do this is absolutely magnificent. They are out there with 
new and better ideas on how to instill such a thing as responsibility 
in young people, or such a character trait as fairness, or such a 
quality as trustworthiness. It is truly exciting.
  Actually, in our State, in the city of Albuquerque and its public 
school system, the largest in the State by far, it has been approved by 
the board of education and they say any principal and school that wants 
to do it, do it. We have gone down to two other areas next in size, the 
county where the principal city is Las Cruces and they are starting it, 
in the county of Dona Ana. The adults get together from all walks of 
life under our format and start a council. The schools are then 
involved, the churches are involved, and other organizations.
  I do not want to overstate the case because this is a complicated 
world that our young people are being raised in. It is a fearsome and 
frightening world for young people. Some around here know I raised a 
very large number of children. I have eight, the youngest of which, 
twins, are 28. I am quick to say to groups that they would have a very 
difficult time today, much more difficult today than even 15 years ago. 
The pressures are enormous.
  This Character Counts idea, this idea of promoting the six pillars 
and getting them out there as a buttress to the disorder that is around 
our children, is exciting. There are many comparable things occurring, 
and by these comments I do not mean to belittle any others. But it 
works. Character Counts education works.
  As experience has shown in my home state, New Mexico, character 
education can be embraced by the young and old and the public and 
private sectors in a way that transcends political, cultural, 
religious, and socioeconomic differences. Because like our Federal 
deficit, what I would call a national ``character deficit,'' transcends 
all differences. And, as I know we can and must bring our Federal books 
into balance, we can and should work to end 

[[Page S1391]]
our national character deficit, especially among our younger citizens.
  In New Mexico, I am proud to say that Character Counts is growing by 
leaps and bounds. The State of New Mexico received one of the four 
grants from the Department of Education to States to develop character 
education pilot programs. This pilot program came about as a result of 
an amendment we offered last year to the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act, and I thank my good friend and colleague Senator Dodd 
for his assistance in helping pass this amendment. The communities of 
New Mexico want character education and they have brought it into their 
schools, local social and civic organizations, city governments, 
churches, and parent-teacher organizations to develop Character Counts 
community programs.
  There are 11 cities and 2 entire counties who have adopted the 
program, with 3 more on-line to start-up in a few months. These efforts 
consist of leadership councils that develop programs that encompass 
every aspect of community life to reinforce the Character Counts 
message. The schools develop their curriculums to accommodate character 
training in each class; there are billboards on the streets that 
proclaim the support and importance of the program; there are public 
events to raise money to support the programs; and there are media 
events to publicize the programs. Let me cite just a few examples of 
activities in New Mexico. I just received a letter from the University 
of New Mexico's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. I ask 
unanimous consent that a copy of their letter be printed at the end of 
my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)
  Mr. DOMENICI. The Department has many plans to emphasize the 
Character Counts Program by promoting the messages on the university 
arena message boards for the men's and women's basketball games, 
putting the message on marquee boards on our major highways, and 
through public address announcements at the basketball, baseball, and 
softball games.

  A letter from Janice Argabright, the teaching principal of the San 
Antonio Elementary School, who said:

       We stress a family atmosphere at our school where we all 
     help each other. Many of our students are farm/ranch kids, 
     who have many chores to do after school. We would like to 
     continue to instill these values. We recently began the 
     Character Counts Program in our school. The parents and 
     students applauded this action. Our Social Studies teacher 
     has been going over the six fundamental core elements of good 
     character. In fact, the students do character analysis on 
     certain prominent people and TV role models. They found out 
     that Bart Simpson isn't so cool after all.

  Moreover, the San Antonio Elementary School incorporated this 
Character Counts in the DARE program and as the principal said, the 
students saw the words every day and practiced them and they came to 
``understand the meanings and the traits that show a person of 
character.'' As an attachment to the letter, the students signed an 
invitation to come visit their Character Counts Program, even though 
they knew I was very busy in Washington, DC. I ask unanimous consent 
that a copy of this letter be printed in the Record at the conclusion 
of my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 2.)
  Mr. DOMENICI. The ethics officer for the Sandia Laboratory in New 
Mexico, John Dickey, sent out a message to the employees seeking 
volunteers who are interested in introducing Character Counts to kids 
ages 2 to 12 in their churches, social clubs, and community activities. 
Within 48 hours, Mr. Dickey received 36 responses from employees who 
offered their help.
  The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development held its 
State conference for educators in Las Cruces. The theme of the meeting 
was ``Character Education for Entire Communities.'' And, the New Mexico 
State Education Department is conducting character education and 
Character Counts in a series of four 1-day workshops throughout the 
State.
  The Albuquerque public school system is instituting middle school 
athletic programs. Character Counts is being used as the underlying 
basis for this citywide athletic program as coaches and referees are 
hired and players recruited. The Character Counts logo will be 
displayed on the sports uniforms.
  Terry Linton of the State Referees Association instituted a 
``Character Counts Code of Conduct'' for players, parents, coaches, and 
referees. This code will be instituted into the local soccer and little 
leagues.
  Last year, Character Counts in Chavez County, NM, was featured on a 
nationally televised program with Peter Jennings entitled ``Children 
First--Real Solutions for Real Problems.'' As a result of the 
outstanding success of the Roswell and Chavez County efforts, over 
1,000 telephone calls flooded into my local office from all over the 
country and Canada about how to set up a communitywide Character Counts 
Program.
  Mr. President, Character Counts in New Mexico is a statewide and 
communitywide effort. This is a program that has unbelievable energy 
because everyone that hears about it believes in it and wants to make 
it work. This is a program for our children with thousands of committed 
adults working to make it a reality. This is the best example of 
grassroots dedication and participation I have seen in many years.
  As in the past years, I urge my colleagues to join us in cosponsoring 
and passing National Character Counts Week. It supports America's 
children, families, and the entire community. It is one of the best 
things we can do to encourage and promote something that is good and 
right.

                               Exhibit 1

                                                            Lobos,


                                 The University of New Mexico,

                               Albuquerque, NM, February 21, 1996.
     Marty Wilson,
     APS Coordinator for Character Education, Albuquerque Public 
         Schools, Albuquerque, NM.
       Dear Marty: I am pleased to inform you that the University 
     of New Mexico Department of Athletics is extremely excited 
     and willing to help promote the Character Counts program. In 
     response to your request for our participation, the 
     Department of Athletics, as of February 13, 1996, is 
     supporting this program by running messages on the following 
     advertising/promotional vehicles:
       (1) University Arena Message Boards (UNM Men's & Women's 
     basketball games).
       (2) Marquee Board on University & Stadium Boulevards.
       We are also mentioning this program through public address 
     announcements at:
       (1) UNM Men's basketball games.
       (2) UNM Women's basketball games.
       (3) UNM Men's baseball games.
       (4) UNM Women's softball games.
       This is a tremendous program that we are pleased to support 
     and we hope our efforts will help to communicate the message 
     of the Character Counts program within our community. Please 
     contact me if there is any way we can help to further promote 
     this program.
           Sincerely,

                                                 Sean Johnson,

                                     Assistant Marketing Director,
     UNM Athletic Department.
                                                                    ____


                               Exhibit 2


                                San Antonio Elementary School,

                                                  San Antonio, NM.
     Senator Pete Domenici,
     Sunbelt Plaza Complex,
     Las Cruces, NM.
       Dear Senator Domenici: San Antonio Elementary is a small 
     rural school located in San Antonio, New Mexico, about 75 
     miles South of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The population of our 
     school averages about 80 students, Kindergarten thru Fifth 
     Grade. We stress a family atmosphere at our school, where we 
     all help each other. (You visited our school about 8 or 9 
     years ago). Many of our students are farm/ranch kids, who 
     have many chores to do after school. The community of San 
     Antonio still believes in the ``family''. We would like to 
     continue to instill these values. We recently began the 
     Character Counts Programs in our school. The parents and 
     students applauded this action. Our Social Studies teacher 
     has been going over the six fundamental core elements of good 
     character. In fact, the students do character analysis on 
     certain prominent people and T.V. role models. (They found 
     out that Bart Simpson isn't so cool after all).
       Our school emphasizes the good in all. We try to build 
     self-esteem in each student. We do this through different 
     programs, like the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) 
     program. The students have even painted pillars with the 6 
     core elements--Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, 
     Fairness, Caring and Citizenship in our hallway. The students 
     thought that if they saw the words everyday, they would 
     practice them. They have come to understand the meanings and 
     the traits that show a person of character.
       We would very much like to have you visit our school in the 
     near future to foster Character Development in our students. 
     It would 

[[Page S1392]]
     mean so much to them to have someone in your position visit. It would 
     also be nice to have a representative from the Character 
     Counts Coalition visit. I read a while back that Tom Selleck 
     visited an Albuquerque Elementary school with you. San 
     Antonio Elementary School is just as important!
           Sincerely,
                                                Janice Argabright.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I commend the Senator from New Mexico for 
the substantial amount of leadership he has provided on Character 
Counts for some long while now.
  I had a friend ask me, ``What province is it of the Senate to be 
teaching about pillars of character? That is not the job of the 
Senate.'' I said, ``No, that is not the job of the Senate. It is the 
job of everyone in this country. Every single American, especially 
every single American parent, ought to be preaching the pillars of good 
character.''
  I have a couple of young children, so I know firsthand how difficult 
it is for children to navigate through the influences of today's 
popular culture, trying to understand what is right and what is wrong. 
And there is nothing that is more important to children than example, 
the example set by their parents, the example of their neighbors, their 
community, their churches, and so on. Sadly, the evidence is all around 
us that our children apparently do not have the good examples they 
need. There is coarser language. There is more violence. There is more 
truancy. There seems to be less respect.

  I am not going to describe all of the villains that cause that. Much 
of it is, I assume, caused by a lack of attention at home and a lack of 
good example. George Will wrote a column this past Sunday, titled 
``With `Friends' Like These . . .'', in which he described the dialog 
on the popular Thursday evening show ``Friends,'' which is shown at a 
time when children are watching. I ask you, look at the language in 
this television show and then ask yourself, what is a 12-year-old or 
14-year-old to make of popular culture that sends them these messages?
  I wrote a letter in October to the president of a television network 
in America. I was prompted to write because, the night before, our 
television had been tuned in to the most popular sitcom. During that 
television program, which showed at 9 o'clock here in Washington, but 
at 8 o'clock in my home State of North Dakota, when presumably a lot of 
children would be watching, they used the full word that is abbreviated 
by SOB 12 times during the half-hour program.
  I was so angry about this that I wrote to the president of the 
network and received a letter back from him; I wrote back and received 
another letter, and I have since talked to the president twice at 
various meetings. I asked him, by what standard do you decide to send 
this into living rooms across the country at a time when children are 
watching television? What has happened that says to us that it is all 
right to entertain adults even if it hurts our kids?
  I have been more interested in television violence and in fact, I 
have introduced legislation along with the Senator from Texas, Senator 
Kay Bailey Hutchison, to address this problem. But I am also concerned 
about language and other things, especially on television, that say to 
our children that it is all right to be a smart aleck and all right not 
to be respectful and all right to use this kind of language.
  I worry a lot about that. So I simply say what all of us are saying 
with this resolution, that character does count. Those organizations 
that are involved in the Character Counts effort have taken the Aspen 
Declaration and said, here are the pillars of character that should be 
valued in our country. We want everyone in our country--parents, 
teachers, churches, business leaders--to be working to try to teach 
these pillars of good character.
  Those who say that this is not the Government's job are right, this 
is everybody's job. This effort is not about legislation. It is not 
about creating rules. It is not about saying to anyone, ``Here is what 
the Government thinks.'' It is about encouraging the teaching by 
everyone of the pillars of good character.
  The Senator from New Mexico described what those pillars of good 
character are. But let me just mention them again because I do not 
think we can mention them often enough--trustworthiness, respect, 
responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
  Over the last 30, 40, 50 years things have changed a lot. Kids in 
America used to watch ``Leave It To Beaver'' on television. Now it is 
``Beavis and Butthead.'' Compare the contents of these two programs and 
ask yourself, what are our children listening to? What kinds of things 
are they seeing? What are they learning about the way adults act and 
think and behave? And then ask yourself, is there not a reason for all 
of us to want to support and welcome the efforts of the Senator from 
New Mexico and the many groups that are promoting the teaching of the 
pillars of good character?
  This effort asks parents and teachers and everyone in this country to 
care a little more about what our kids are hearing and seeing and to 
suggest to school leaders and others that teaching the pillars of good 
character will build a better country.
  Mr. President, I know there are others who want to cosponsor this 
resolution. And I will end as I began by thanking the Senator from New 
Mexico for providing leadership on this issue here in Congress. But the 
issue did not start here. The issue started with some thinkers and some 
concerned people around this country who got together and evaluated the 
problem, and developed a solution in which we to try to create and 
nurture an environment for teaching the pillars of good character. Let 
me congratulate all of these leaders and pledge my support and 
continued work to further their efforts.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I am pleased to join with the distinguished 
Senator from New Mexico and a bipartisan group of my colleagues in 
cosponsoring this Senate resolution designating October 13-19 as 
National Character Counts Week.
  This morning, like every morning before it and every morning to come, 
young Americans are headed off to learn their three R's--reading, 
writing, and arithmetic--in our Nation's schools. But as we know, the 
school day involves more than just the transmission of facts or the 
relaying of concepts. It's also about character. In the best classrooms 
in America our children are given the opportunity to learn and practice 
basic character traits such as sharing, cooperation, and respect.
  The Character Counts initiative calls on all Americans to embrace the 
development of six attributes--trustworthiness, respect, 
responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship--as a fundamental aspect 
of our children's education and as a critically important means of 
strengthening our Nation. The lessons our young people learn as 
children are the ones that will stay with them the rest of their lives. 
As Eleanor Roosevelt once said: ``Character building begins in our 
infancy, and continues until death.''
  We live in a time when teenage pregnancy and juvenile crime are 
spiraling out of control. A recent poll suggests that two-thirds of 
Americans believe most people can't be trusted, half say most people 
would cheat others if they could and in the end are only looking out 
for themselves. These statistics and the seeming erosion in the basic 
norms of civility, even among our Nation's children, are ample evidence 
of the need for programs that promote character development.
  No one would argue that Character Counts is a panacea for these 
complex problems. First and foremost, we need better education, 
stronger families, and healthy doses of individual responsibility.
  Clearly the primary obligation for the building of our children's 
values and belief systems lies with our Nation's families. There is 
only so much government can do. But, with parents being forced to spend 
more and more time out of the house, our Nation's schools can and 
should play a positive role in helping to build character among 
America's children.
  There is nothing inappropriate or heavy-handed about teaching 
character in our schools. These programs don't impose morality or any 
one group's world view. These programs teach honesty, courage, respect, 
responsibility, caring, citizenship, and loyalty, attributes that I 
believe all Americans agree upon.
  These principles transcend religion, race, philosophy, and even 
political affiliation. For those Americans who 

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share the goal of energizing our democracy and strengthening our 
Nation's character these initiatives are simply common sense.
  What's more, these programs garner tangible benefits. In Connecticut, 
the Southwest Elementary School in Torrington implemented a character 
education program in September and has already seen positive results 
from its students. Attendance is up, students are more respectful 
toward their teachers and school administrators are convinced that 
Character Counts is responsible. The school engages parents in the 
effort, who along with educators and the students themselves, love the 
program.
  While character education may not be a magical solution to all 
America's problems, it represents a positive effort to make a real 
difference in our children's lives. Character development programs for 
our children strengthen our lives, our communities, and our Nation as a 
whole.
  I commend my friend and colleague from New Mexico for all of his work 
in this area. And I invite all my colleagues from both sides of the 
aisle to join us in supporting character education as a vital means of 
molding better individuals, strengthening families, and creating a 
responsible American citizenry.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues, both 
Republican and Democrat--and especially Senator Domenici--in submitting 
this year's resolution to designate the week of October 13 through 19 
as Character Counts Week.
  The Character Counts Coalition is gaining momentum across the 
country, and I am proud to be a part of that effort.
  With core members such as the American Red Cross and the Boys and 
Girls Clubs of America, Character Counts now includes over 80 member 
organizations whose efforts are reaching more than 40 million children, 
educators, and youth development professionals.
  Mr. President, the Character Counts movement--which emphasizes 
trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and 
citizenship--seeks to teach the core elements of good character to our 
Nation's young people.
  In today's world of widespread abortion, rape, divorce, illegitimate 
births, and violent crime, such a movement has never been more timely.
  In my home State of Tennessee, many citizens have joined the call for 
character renewal.
  In the Franklin and Bradley County school systems, my friend, Mr. 
Skeet Rymer, has responded the Lessons of Life essay program, based on 
a model developed by Mr. John Templeton of the Templeton Foundation.
  In that program, students write essays examining their own lessons of 
life, and develop values that will lead them to fulfilled and 
productive lives.
  Reactions from teachers and school board members, such as Lois 
Taylor, show just how important this program is. She tells us that 
through the essay contest, students learn to identify their own values 
and to lay the foundation for good choices throughout their lives.
  Another teacher, Janis Collins says, ``I just can't sing the 
program's praises enough.'' The Templeton Lessons of Life Essay 
Scholarship contest is just one example of the conscientious effort 
Tennesseeans are making to educate young people on the importance of 
moral decisionmaking and conduct.
  Mr. President, I also want to commend the city of Greeneville, TN, 
which has put together a character education program featuring 10 
community virtues: self-respect, respect for others, perseverance, 
courtesy, fairness and justice, responsibility, honesty, kindness, 
self-discipline, and courage.
  Greeneville's character education team--concerned teachers, 
principals, parents, ministers, school psychologists, and education 
board members--asked themselves what kind of qualities they would like 
their students to have, and they have volunteered their time to make 
sure these characteristics are nourished.
  I think that the good people of Greeneville have shown the kind of 
character--the kind of selfless giving--of which America needs so much 
more.
  Mr. President, Tennesseeans have joined the national effort to save 
our children from the moral decay we see all around us because they 
recognize that the only way to preserve this great democracy--this 
system that requires so much from each of us--and our American way of 
life, is to instill virtue and moral fortitude in the next generation 
of Americans.
  This will not happen without our effort, and without the incredible 
leadership of movements like Character Counts. Again, I commend Senator 
Domenici, and all those who are working so hard, to make character 
count once again in the United States of America.

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