[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 13 (Wednesday, February 5, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S981-S983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE OF MAINE

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, it is with great pride that I rise to 
address my colleagues for the first time from the floor of the U.S. 
Senate, the world's greatest deliberative body. I am honored to be 
standing where once stood Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who was such an 
inspiration to me as a young girl growing up in Caribou, ME.
  In all of history, only 26 women have served in the Senate, only 15 
of us elected in our own right. I am especially proud that my home 
State is the first to send two Republican women to serve in the Senate 
at the same time. And I am very pleased to be sharing that honor with 
my colleague, Senator Olympia Snowe.
  During my youth, the people of Maine were fortunate to have an 
inspiring example of a woman who stood tall for her principles and for 
her State. As a Senator from 1949 to 1972, Margaret Chase Smith taught 
us that women could reach the highest levels of government and that 
hard work, common sense, and integrity are rewarded.
  Equally important, Senator Smith taught us how to govern. She 
recognized it is only through civil discourse and a spirit of 
cooperation that the people's business gets done. And she showed us 
all, through her deeds as well as her words, that there is a difference 
between the principle of compromise and the compromise of principle. 
Compromising one's principles is wrong. Compromising on how to achieve 
those principles is the essence of a healthy democracy.
  Each of us is called to serve, and the different ways in which we are 
called form the fabric of this great Nation. Some are called to heal 
and become doctors and nurses. Others are called to impart wisdom to 
the next generation and become teachers. Others are called to work in 
the businesses, large and small, that provide the products and services 
that enrich our daily lives. Still others are called to be the 
entrepreneurs who create the jobs that keep this country at the 
forefront of the world's economy.

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  With a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-
grandfather who all served in the Maine Legislature, I heard the call 
to public service at an early age. And that call was not limited to the 
men in my family, as my mother served as head of the local school 
board, as mayor of Caribou, and as the chair of the board of trustees 
of Maine's State university system. With my family background, no 
greater honor could be bestowed upon me than to represent the people of 
Maine in the U.S. Senate.
  In undertaking my duties as Senator, Mr. President, I come to 
Washington not as an enemy of government but as one committed to 
improving it. We need a vigorous debate in this country about the role 
of government, a reassessment of what it can and cannot do. There are 
some problems that only the Federal Government has the resources and 
the authority to address, but many times the answers are found not in 
Washington but in our neighborhoods, our communities, our States, and 
ultimately in ourselves.
  If there is one change in government on which we should all be able 
to agree, it is that we need to start to be more forthright with the 
American people about the difficult challenges facing us. A well-known 
Maine business sells hunting boots, and if you buy a pair of them you 
can be confident they will withstand the test of time. Take them apart 
and you will understand why. They contain no bells or whistles. If our 
Federal budget were as honestly constructed as a pair of Maine boots, 
future taxpayers could sleep as well as Maine woodsmen.
  In assessing the role of government, we must never forget that the 
great advances we have made over the years can ultimately be traced to 
the energy and creativity of our citizens. Indeed, perhaps the most 
profound change in political thought around the globe during the past 
two decades has been the recognition that there is usually a 
correlation between less government and more progress.
  Government must foster the energy and creativity of our private 
sector. As Winston Churchill once said, ``Some see private enterprise 
as a predatory target to be shot, others as a cow to be milked, but few 
see it as a sturdy horse pulling the wagon.'' I do see private 
enterprise as that sturdy horse, and in that wagon which it is pulling 
are the jobs that are so critical to all of our constituents.
  Wherever I travel in Maine, the primary concern of the people is 
jobs. In the past, they were worried about whether jobs would be there 
for their children and their grandchildren. Today, they are worried 
about their own jobs as well--some about getting jobs and many more 
about keeping the ones that they have. We live in the midst of an 
exciting and dynamic technological revolution, but it is accompanied by 
widespread anxiety about our futures. One need only visit with former 
mill workers in Millinocket or Biddeford, ME, to understand that fear.
  To respond to the concerns of our citizens, Government policies must 
promote job creation and retention, and the starting point is small 
business. In my State, it is the 30,000 small businesses that provide 
most of the new employment opportunities, and it is small businesses 
that will account for two-thirds of the new jobs in the next decade.

  Even though small businesses provide the spark that ignites many of 
the new ideas that benefit us all, Government policies often serve to 
inhibit rather than foster these enterprises. A glaring example is the 
onerous estate tax that deters families from passing on a successful 
business from one generation to the next. An owner of such a business 
in Maine once told me that he made the painful decision to sell his 
family business to a large out-of-State corporation rather than leave 
it to his children and force them to assume a large debt to pay the 
Federal estate tax. He was forced to abandon what he and his father 
before him had spent their lives building. Making matters worse, the 
new corporate owner consolidated its administrative operations out of 
State, costing Maine more than 50 good jobs. That is wrong. That is the 
kind of policy we must change.
  If excessive taxes cause the downfall of some enterprises, others are 
done in by unreasonable regulations. This occurred in Lubec, ME, 
located in one of the most beautiful but also one of the poorest parts 
of my State. During my Senate campaign, I toured the empty shell of the 
McCurdy Fish Co., a family owned business that had operated in Lubec 
for more than 90 years, providing 20 good, much-needed jobs to this 
area. It was closed down by new Federal regulations with which it 
simply could not afford to comply. Adding insult to injury, just across 
the border the company's Canadian competitor continued processing fish 
in the same manner as had the Lubec company and exported its product 
into the United States, free from these expensive regulations.
  Mr. President, another essential step to promoting an economic 
climate that creates jobs is balancing the Federal budget. It has been 
estimated that a balanced budget would reduce interest rates by more 
than 1 percent, a strong stimulus for growth and employment.
  To ensure long-term prosperity, we must learn to live within our 
means. Not since 1969 has this Nation seen a balanced budget. More than 
25 years of skyrocketing spending and an unwillingness to make 
sacrifices have ballooned our debt to more than $5.2 trillion. We must 
act now or leave a legacy of crushing debt to the next generation. At 
the rate we are going, we may cross that bridge to the 21st century, 
only to arrive in a land of unkept promises and unpaid bills.
  To avoid this fate, one of my top priorities will be to pass a 
balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. History shows that it 
will take a constitutional requirement for Congress to embrace fiscal 
responsibility as a permanent obligation rather than as a passing fad.
  Fiscal responsibility also means Medicare and Social Security must be 
placed on a sound financial footing. Only through effective action on 
these fronts will we be able to keep our promises to our seniors 
without bankrupting our children.
  A third key to jobs is quality education. The fruits of the new age 
in which we live will be shared by most of our citizens only if the 
doors of opportunity are open wide. Contrary to what some would have 
you believe, we do not face a choice between the greed of a few and the 
well-being of the many. Rather, we need policies that will ensure that 
when an entrepreneur drops the stone of innovation into the 
technological pool, the benefits ripple throughout society. Government 
cannot and should not assure equality of outcomes. But without equality 
of opportunity, the American dream is unfairly denied.
  The reality of today's workplace is that 85 percent of the new jobs 
will require some sort of post-secondary education, whether that be a 
community college, a technical or vocational education, or a bachelor's 
degree and beyond. We must do what we can to open the doors to a post-
secondary education for anyone who wants it, and to ensure that cost is 
not the barrier that separates those who pursue higher education from 
those who do not. Increasingly, we are finding that the growing gap 
between the rich and the poor in this Nation is an education gap.

  A final element in achieving broad-based participation in the new 
American-led industrial and technological revolution is fair trade. The 
primary victims of unfair trading practices are workers, particularly 
those with the fewest skills and the least education. Let me be clear: 
I am a strong advocate of free trade, but we cannot sustain majority 
support for that policy unless we take a strong stand against unfair 
practices.
  While mine is a message of jobs and opportunity, I know that there 
are those who, through no fault of their own, are unable to get by 
without help from their government. Hubert Humphrey once said, ``the 
moral test of a government is how * * * [it] * * * treats those who are 
in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of 
life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life--the sick, 
the needy and the handicapped.'' As we go about the difficult task of 
balancing the budget, of choosing among many worthwhile programs, we 
must take care not to leave behind those who truly need our help.
  Those are the principles upon which my vision of the future of 
America is based. And I bring one other principle

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to this body, one which will guide me more than any other as I embark 
upon this exciting journey, and that is a steadfast commitment to the 
people of Maine. Whether it is fighting for Maine's fair share of 
Federal contracts, urging a business to expand and create jobs in our 
State, or helping a constituent navigate the bureaucratic maze in order 
to receive veterans' benefits, it will be service to the people of my 
State that will be my highest priority as Maine's newest Senator.
  Just 1 year ago, I stood in Bangor, ME, with my family and my friends 
at my side, and announced my intention to seek a seat in the U.S. 
Senate. I told the people of Maine then that I would represent them 
with dignity and determination, with energy and enthusiasm. My approach 
will be simple and straightforward: I will listen to all points of 
view, I will engage in constructive dialog with my colleagues, I will 
compromise when compromise is warranted, but, after all is said and 
done, I will fight for those changes that will make the Federal 
Government better able to serve the people of Maine.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The acting majority leader.
  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I wish to compliment Senator Collins for 
an outstanding maiden speech, her first speech on the Senate floor. I 
think the speech speaks very well for itself and for Senator Collins. I 
think it also speaks very well for the State of Maine, in showing 
excellent taste, making an excellent decision in electing Senator 
Collins. I look forward to working with her and joining with her and 
with Senator Snowe and following the tradition of Senator Margaret 
Chase Smith, who was one of the pioneers in the Senate.
  I wish to compliment the Senator from Maine for an outstanding 
speech. Several of the things which she mentioned in her speech we have 
very high on our agenda. Senator Collins mentioned that she wanted to 
pass a constitutional amendment to balance the budget. We are going to 
be discussing that today, and hopefully we will be voting on that very 
soon, certainly by the end of this month.
  Hopefully, we will pass it. I might mention, Senator Collins' 
election may well be the deciding vote in making that happen, because 
in the last Congress, we failed by one vote. So, again, every election 
is important.
  I compliment the Senator from Maine for an outstanding speech and 
reassure her that I share many of her objectives. She mentioned 
reducing the inheritance tax to help small business. I couldn't agree 
more.
  I compliment her on an outstanding speech and compliment the people 
of Maine for sending two outstanding Senators to serve and join us in 
the U.S. Senate.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, what is the regular order? Are we in 
morning business?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate is in morning business, and the 
Senator is recognized for 5 minutes.

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