[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 32 (Thursday, March 13, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2288-S2293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 63--PROCLAIMING ``NATIONAL CHARACTER COUNTS WEEK''
Mr. DOMENICI (for himself, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Cochran, Ms. Mikulski, Mr.
Bennett, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Kempthorne, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Frist, Mr.
Cleland, Mr. Roberts, and Mr. Specter) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 63
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 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 institutions and
individuals that influence youth to help young people develop
the essential traits and characteristics that comprise good
character;
Whereas although character development is, first and
foremost, an obligation of families, the efforts of 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, ``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, fairness, caring,
and citizenship;
Whereas the 6 core elements of character transcend
cultural, religious, and socioeconomic differences;
Whereas the Aspen Declaration states, ``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--
(1) proclaims the week of October 19 through October 25,
1997, as ``National Character Counts Week''; and
(2) requests that the President 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. 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 19-25 as
Character Counts Week.
I believe it is important that we put character back into our
vocabulary. The American people are crying out for virtue and values--
character does count and it's essential that we focus our efforts in
extending this message.
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.
One of the most important things we can ever do for our children is
to help them learn and understand the value of virtue and the
importance of character.
The Character Counts Coalition is gaining momentum across the
country, and I am proud to be a part of that effort.
I think it is clear from the reports every night on the news, that
such a movement has never been more timely. I am proud that the
citizens of my home State, Tennessee, have joined the call for
character renewal.
Last year, I spoke of the city of Greeneville, TN, which put together
a character education program featuring 10 community virtues including
self-respect, respect for others, perseverance, courtesy, fairness and
justice, responsibility, honesty, kindness, self-discipline, and
courage. Since then, Greeneville has extended its character education
program from the city schools to the county school district, too.
Mr. President, I am proud that Hamblen County schools in Morristown,
TN, have adopted the Character
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Counts Program with the leadership provided by their school
superintendent, Ernest Walker. In addition, they have a local advisory
board composed of parents and leaders involved with youth activities in
their professional and volunteer capacities.
Gary Chesney, a school board member has said ``It's good for schools
to reinforce the job parents do at home with their kids.''
I had the opportunity to attend the kickoff event for the Sullivan
County schools' Character Counts Program. Juvenile Court Judge, Steve
Jones, helped initiate this effort and is an outstanding example of how
one person can make a difference in a community. Judge Jones calls
Character Counts ``the ultimate prevention program.''
In a way, the Character Counts movement--I believe--is an act of
renewal. By welcoming our children into a world of shared values and
ideals, we invite them to continue the task of preserving the
principles we hold most dear.
Mr. President, Tennesseans 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 movement 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.
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, might I first say to my good friend,
Senator Frist, from Tennessee, I compliment you on your remarks and
thank you very much for what you are doing. I believe we are on to
something. I believe people in your State and in my State and in every
State in America are beginning to understand that the time is now--in
fact, it might be past--for us to empower our teachers and parents once
again to inject a very common, ordinary idea into the classroom where
our children spend much of their time. Students, in an attempt to learn
how to be grownup, self-sustaining citizens need to be empowered in our
classrooms, in various ways, with character education, plain and
simple.
Before this movement, many teachers were frightened to talk about
trustworthiness, which means you should not lie, which means there is a
virtue to honesty, which means that you ought to be loyal. When you
make a commitment, you ought to live up to it.
Many of our teachers and principals and superintendents were
frightened of the notion that we would talk with our young people about
responsibility. They thought that was an infringement some way or
another on somebody, somewhere, somehow who ought to be teaching this.
Respect: Our teachers were frightened with the notion that we ought
to actually use that word and get our young people to understand the
word ``respect'' has meaning and to find ways to instill into our
classrooms, and thus into our children, the idea of basic human
respect, one person for another.
Or fairness, or caring, or citizenship.
Those six simple words--the six pillars--form the nucleus for what is
commonly known as Character Counts that is associated with the
Character Counts Coalition of America.
Today, for the fourth year, with the assistance of the original
cosponsors, Senators Dodd, Cochran, Mikulski, Bennett, Lieberman,
Kempthorne, Dorgan, Frist, and Cleland, and I am sure many others will
join us, we are going to adopt soon in this Senate a resolution setting
aside a week in our Nation when our communities, our schools, and our
businesses will participate in character development programs. These
six pillars of character that I have just described will come once
again to the forefront and will become commonplace words for the
participatory activities of the previous year and with renewed
commitments in the future.
I am very proud to say that since the Aspen Declaration was adopted--
an event which occurred sometime in 1990 or thereabouts under the
auspices of an ethics foundation known as the Josephson Foundation,
headed by an ethics professional and lawyer named Michael Josephson--an
event attended by about 70 or 80 Americans from all walks of life,
after 2 or 3 days of discussions they came forth with these six pillars
of character and this notion of Character Counts. These six pillars are
words that we should get back into our children's vocabulary and into
their daily lives. Since that meeting, the program relies almost
exclusively on action at the grassroots. There is a modest national
effort directing this program, but the real efforts are at the
grassroots to take those six words and put them into our daily lives.
I am proud to say, and perhaps brag, that the State among all the
States that is doing the most in this area is the State of New Mexico.
I took this notion to my home city of Albuquerque and asked Mayor
Chavez to help me, and together we started a Character Counts Program
for the city. Believe it or not, it has spread from that community to
almost every community in New Mexico. I will soon, just for the record,
state the counties, municipalities, and school districts wherein
Character Counts is now a vital part of daily life.
Now, fellow Senators, if you want to do something exciting, you get
Character Counts started in your States. You go on one of your recesses
to visit a grade school, a grade school that has the six pillars of
character not only in the vocabulary day by day in that school but in
the month-by-month selection of one of those words as the word of the
month, whereby all the students practice the word ``responsibility.''
Now, they all do it differently. Nobody has a book on this. Nobody
says exactly how it ought to be done. But if you want to do something
exciting, start this program and get your school boards committed, the
superintendents committed, and then get the teachers committed, and you
will see something very dramatic happen. The teachers are excited that
for once they have been relieved of the fear of discussing good
character, and you will find that with parent groups and others this is
becoming a vital and important part of the daily education life.
I frequently go to these schools when they are having their monthly
assembly. That is how most of them do it. They have a monthly assembly,
they commend people, grant certificates, give awards. I am reminded of
one where the grade school was putting on a play with reference to the
monthly word which was ``responsibility.'' Something very, very funny
happened. They had chosen Little Red Riding Hood as their skit. I had a
lot of difficulty understanding how that had to do with the word of the
month, ``responsibility.'' As that wonderful skit completed, they
recalled how Little Red Riding Hood did not quite follow the
instructions that were given to her by her parents and went astray and,
as a result, all these things happened, including in the one version
where the grandma got eaten up by the wolf. When they finished the
play, they all stood up front, and their meaning of ``responsibility''
was that if Little Red Riding Hood had followed the directions given by
her parents and been more responsive, and thus responsible, then
nothing bad would have happened to grandma. I am not sure everybody
takes the story that way, but in a sense it shows you how young people,
helped by adults, can get the message across.
I was recently in a community of Clovis, NM. A grade school there has
been heavily involved in Character Counts. As my wife and I walked in
to visit, they had just recently composed, under the direction of their
wonderful music teacher, a song with its own melody and its words about
the six pillars of character, and everyone in the school would soon
know it. Part of the participation in the Character Counts program is
this kind of activity.
This resolution endorses character education for children. It clearly
states that children need, first and foremost, strong and constructive
guidance from their families. In addition, children's communities--
including schools, youth organizations, religious institutions, and
civic groups--play an important supportive role in fostering and
promoting good character. The resolution identifies six core elements
of character that transcend cultural, religious, and socioeconomic
differences that are intrinsic to the well-being of
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individuals, communities, and society as a whole: Trustworthiness,
Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.
These six simple elements are commonly referred to as the six pillars
of character. They represent the values that define us at our best--the
common ground we can build upon--individual by individual, family by
family, community by community. Arguably, there can be many additions
to this list. These six, however, are ones that can serve as the core
elements of good character.
Since introduction of the first ``National Character Counts Week''
resolution, we are witnessing an enormous groundswell of interest in
the issue of character education. Secretary of Education Riley speaks
to this issue often in his public addresses, and countless other
educators have programs and training sessions to promote character
development activities. More important, however, is the extraordinary
support of character education at the local level. This is where
character development programs are the best because they involve the
children and the community at large. And, character education is not
just for children, it is for everyone who cares deeply about the social
and cultural pulse of this country.
As the resolution quotes from the Aspen Declaration: ``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.''
From everything I have seen in the State of New Mexico, children and
adults alike are embracing the six pillars of character. They are
finding ways to spread the message--from plays, to musical groups, to
school lessons, to printing the messages on billboards. Let me just
briefly outline a few of the community initiatives and related
activities that support the character-building idea:
The Albuquerque Public School (APS) system has endorsed the
incorporation of character education programs in all of its 119
schools. It estimates that between 80-90 percent of its 89,000 students
have been introduced to the Character Counts program.
The Archdiocese of Santa Fe Catholic Schools system has incorporated
Character Counts programs in all of its 21 schools--from preschool
through seniors in high school--and has interwoven the six pillars of
character in all of its classes.
The New Mexico television and radio media have jointly cooperated to
promote Character Counts through news coverage, public service
announcements, and incorporating Character Counts in most of their
other public affairs projects. For example, there is now an annual
Character Counts Care Fair each December. All of the television
stations take part, illustrating their Christmas charitable projects;
they used the Character Counts theme in all of their air promotions for
their holiday collection drives. Additionally, the KOB-TV/Hubbard
Foundation made Character Counts one of the foundation's major grantees
in 1996, with the award of $5,000 to be used by the Albuquerque
Character Counts Coalition to help promote the character education
initiative.
In Farmington, the San Juan County Character Counts group has
translated each of the six pillars into the Navajo language and
produces posters for the children.
In Gallup, the McKinley County School District incorporates Character
Counts into its schools, and the local Character Counts organization is
developing a business community program to help support school and
civic activities.
The Las Cruces Character Counts Partnership Taskforce selected three
students for special recognition for their Character Counts
achievements. The elementary and secondary student winners received a
day with the mayor and the Governor of New Mexico, and the high school
winner received a 3-day visit to Washington, DC, including attendance
at the inauguration of President Clinton.
The New Mexico State Department of Education has initiated plans to
commence an overall assessment program to provide basic data to
determine future needs, changes, additions, and modifications of the
program throughout the State.
The Lea County Coalition for Character Counts planned an entire week
of activities for last year's Character Counts Week. It included an art
show of children's works at the city library depicting people in
situations showing respect and responsibility. It also included a
chamber of commerce-sponsored hotline that ran public service
announcements for Character Counts Week.
The Character Counts student council from Gadsden High School formed
committees for cleaning up the school and school grounds, developed
door contests in the school and public announcements at football games
on the six pillar words, and participated in the school talent show
with Character Counts lessons.
The Roswell Character Counts Partnership Taskforce has initiated
training programs for all youth league program coaches and volunteers
to include character programs in summer youth activities.
T-VI--Technical Vocational Institute--in Albuquerque now offers two
5-week sessions on Character Counts.
I have given but just a fraction of the exciting programs and
initiatives under way in the State of New Mexico to promote the six
pillars of good character. Literally thousands and thousands of
children and families, schools, youth organizations and businesses are
involved in these endeavors. Simply put, the people of the State have
said it is OK to talk about and practice the traits of trustworthiness,
respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
Practicing the principles of character goes beyond the schools too.
In Albuquerque, and now other communities are picking up the idea, an
entirely new program is being launched: Character Counts in the
Workplace, sponsored by regional chambers of commerce. The stated goal
of this program is to put the six pillars of character into the
workplace ``so we can count on one another to make principle-based
decisions rather than merely expedient ones throughout the New Mexico
business community.'' As one New Mexican said, ``People may not believe
what you say, but they do believe what you do.''
Practicing the principles of good character is for everyone. I am
immensely proud of what the people of New Mexico have done in 4 short
years to awaken one another to the benefits of practicing good
character traits. It is an effort that has brought all ages of people
together, in all professions, to work a little harder to bring civility
in our relationships with one another.
I would like to close with some words from His Excellency, Michael J.
Sheehan, Archbishop of Santa Fe, in his letter endorsing the Character
Counts program in the 21 Catholic schools in the Santa Fe Archdiocese:
Our Catholic schools assist parents in their efforts to
help their children understand that God commands us to be
honest, just, truthful, faithful, kind, generous, and
forgiving. Character Counts provides the common language for
citizens of all ages and all walks of life. Every educator
knows the key to an effective education is consistency and
repetition--from the pulpit to the boardroom to the
playground. Let us be consistent with our brothers and
sisters in our Nation's community by integrating this common
language into our everyday encounters with our children, our
families, our colleagues.
Mr. President, National Character Counts Week represents an important
time to set aside and observe the thousands of local programs and
individuals who believe we can endorse and practice six pillars of good
character. It is families, schools, civic and social organizations,
local and State governments, businesses, and ordinary citizens who are
participating in this movement. We, too, can be a part of this movement
by supporting this resolution.
So, I could not be more pleased, even thrilled at what is happening
in my State. I am hopeful within a couple of years we will be able to
measure the positive consequences that we think are going to flow from
building these six words into the everyday vocabulary of our children,
incorporating them just in the ordinary teaching every day so that
trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and
citizenship might become a way of life. If
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ever we needed change in that direction and help in promulgating
character, it is now. In fact, it is long past due.
I am very hopeful that we are giving parents, children, teachers and
the entire community a vehicle to promote better character and build
character around these six very, very acceptable words that I have
repeated at least once or twice--three times here on the floor. That is
the essence of the Character Counts Program. Get these six pillars into
the classroom, into the daily vocabulary, into the teaching--those ways
that are used to teach our young people. And then use innovation and
creativity to instill them.
I urge my colleagues to join us again this year in cosponsoring and
adopting ``National Character Counts Week.'' Thank you.
I know other Senators are waiting to be heard, so I will yield
especially to my friend who is a cosponsor and one of the early
founders of this coalition in the Senate, the distinguished Senator
Bennett from the State of Utah.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah is recognized.
Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I want to thank my friend from New Mexico
not only for his statement here today but for his leadership on this
issue. I remember, when he first called me several Congresses ago and
said he was getting involved in this and would I be interested in
helping him, I was delighted to do what I could to help him because
when the Senator from New Mexico leads out, helping is always pretty
easy. With him as the leader, things always move well and strongly and
in the right direction.
I can report that in the State of Utah we have not been as focused on
the six pillars of character as they have been in the State of New
Mexico, but we have not been lax in this particular area.
1996 was Utah's centennial year, 100 years since we had achieved
statehood, and the Governor of Utah, in the spirit of the Character
Counts initiative, called for a discussion of values. He created the
Governors Commission on Centennial Values. As a result of that creation
and the discussion that occurred, we now have in Utah 12 values in
common that we talk about. I will read them and get them into the
Record so we can understand how this effort to get character into the
school curriculum and into the lives of our young people is going
forward all across the country.
In Utah we value families. We value a commitment to our community and
country. We value integrity. We value honesty. We value respect for
self and others. We value lifelong learning. We value caring service.
We value work. We value personal responsibility. We value respect for
the rule of law. We value justice, fairness and freedoms, and we value
respect for the environment.
Those are the 12 values that came out of the Governor's Centennial
Commission, and I believe they are certainly compatible with the six
pillars of character that are supported by the Character Counts
coalition. Perhaps now that our centennial is past and we are into
1997, we can meld these two efforts and get the Character Counts
curriculum into the schools in the manner that the Senator from New
Mexico has done so well in his own State.
Mr. President, I am honored to be one of the cosponsors of this
effort, to join with my friend from New Mexico and to recognize, once
again, his leadership and service in this because this has been, for
him, not just something to make a speech about on the Senate floor and
then forget; it has been something that he has pursued with vigor in
his own State and kept alive on the part of the rest of us, who joined
with him in the initial effort.
I hope that all Senators will recognize that this is not just
motherhood and apple pie, a quick thing to talk about and then move on.
``Our Nation is indeed at risk,'' to use the phrase that came out of
the educational effort done during the Presidency of President Reagan,
and headed by an educator from Utah, Terence Bell. It is at risk not
only because our young people have deficiencies in their education in
technical skills, it is at risk because there are deficiencies of the
moral education of our young people. We have to have something like
Character Counts to help us move in the direction of reducing that
risk. I am honored to be a part of the effort and pledge that I will do
what I can to see to it that the Senator from New Mexico and the others
in this program are given the support they need.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I thank the Chair and my colleague from
New Mexico. I congratulate him for this resolution focusing on
character. He has been a leader since his election in 1972. Again, he
has demonstrated that today with this resolution on character. I am
pleased to join as a cosponsor of the resolution. It is an effort to
focus national attention on values and morality, and to try to instill
in our young people and our older people, as well, a sense that
character does count.
This is in line with legislation that Senator Santorum and I have
introduced on abstinence. I have found that the issue of abortion, the
pro-life/pro-choice controversy, is the most divisive issue facing this
country since slavery, and that one way to try to pull the country
together is to focus on issues where we all agree. When you talk about
premarital sex among teenagers, leading to unintended pregnancies, and
therefore ultimately abortions, we can all agree that such behavior
must be discouraged. That is an effort in a specific, targeted way to
try to develop and promote character. So I am pleased to join with my
distinguished colleague on that important subject.
Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, today I join my friend and
colleague, Senator Domenici in cosponsoring a resolution to designate a
week in October as ``National Character Counts Week.''
This will mark the fourth consecutive year that we have considered
such a resolution to honor the Character Counts movement. It is small
gesture, but a meaningful one all the same. By recognizing this
program, Congress is making an important statement about both the value
of character education and the state of our values. We are saying
affirmatively that our public schools can and must play a central role
in shaping the character and values of our children. And we are saying
that this kind of commitment, a commitment to the principles
undergirding the Character Counts Program, is needed now more than
ever.
The reality, Mr. President, is that the state of our values is not
well. The American people are deeply concerned about the abundant
evidence they see of a real moral breakdown in our society--so much so
that polls taken over the last few years routinely show that the public
is more worried about the country's moral decline than its economic
decline.
What's driving this concern, which many of us in this Chamber share,
is an understanding that our growing inability to make moral
distinctions, to draw lines about right and wrong and set boundaries
about what is acceptable behavior, is having real consequences. We are
recognizing that this moral breakdown is contributing to and
exacerbating some of our society's most profound social ills, such as
the rising tide of ever more random and vicious violence committed by
ever more younger killers, the disintegration of the family, the crisis
of teenage illegitimacy, the coarsening of our culture, and the loss of
civility in our polity and our everyday lives.
More and more these days there is a sense that our country is
spiraling out of control, and at the root of that feeling is what might
be called a values vacuum. The traditional transmitters of values that
we have depended on for generations to build character and bind our
moral safety net have lost much of their power. One of those
transmitters is the family, which is under enormous economic pressure
these days and is prey to divorce and other forms of breakdown. Another
transmitter is the community and the loose connection of local civic
institutions we refer to as civil society, which has weakened to the
point that an entire movement has sprung up to renew it.
Then there are our public schools. For generations the public school
system was the backbone of our democracy, where children were not just
taught what is good grammar but what it means to be a good citizen, and
where children of all backgrounds were versed in a common set of core
values. But in recent years public schools have increasingly lost that
mission, and too often shied away from questions of values and the
formation of character. In
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the eyes of many families, some schools might as well had signs out
front declaring them value-neutral zones.
What is perhaps most disturbing about this trend is that the values
vacuum the schools have helped create is being filled more and more
these days by the electronic media and the frequently destructive
messages it is bombarding our children with. The collective force of
television, movies, music, and video games is so influential that many
parents I talk to feel as if they are in a competition with the culture
to raise their children and give them strong values. The character
traits they are trying to instill in their children are being openly
contradicted by the bulk of the messages kids are receiving about the
acceptability and the inconsequentiality of casual sex, the contempt
for all forms of authority, and the appropriateness of settling a
dispute by putting a bullet through the other person's temple. The
result is the prevalence of what one leading expert on child
development calls the culture of disrespect.
The media's inability to make moral distinctions and draw lines about
right and wrong makes it all the more important for us to strengthen
our traditional values transmitters. And that is why the Character
Counts movement deserves all the support we can provide. Rebuilding our
families and our communities will be a long, painstaking process. But
reviving the role of schools in helping our children learn about the
fundamentals of character is a challenge we can meet easily and
quickly.
In fact, the Character Counts program has already done the hard part,
identifying the core values and principles that we can all agree that
we want our schools to instill and reinforce in our children. The
question of whose values? that is often asked has been answered, with a
consensus behind our values--trustworthiness, respect, responsibility,
fairness, caring for others, and citizenship.
I am heartened to know that the Character Counts program is rapidly
spreading through communities across the country, and I am particularly
proud that my State of Connecticut has made a long-term commitment to
bring character education into every school district in the State. With
the aid of a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education last
year, the State took the first major step toward that goal by selecting
four communities for funding to introduce the Character Counts Program
on a districtwide basis.
Some Connecticut schools have already embraced this program on their
own, and I can report to my colleagues that it is bearing fruit. Let me
offer one compelling example. Last year a nine-year-old from the town
of Torrington named Joshua Dy found an envelope on the ground that
contained three $100 bills. Joshua said he initially thought of keeping
the money for himself, but he then thought of what he learned in
Character Counts at the Southwest School and from his father about
honesty and integrity, and decided the right thing would be to turn the
money over to the police. Joshua was rewarded for his honesty when the
police returned the money to him after no one claimed it and when
President Clinton saluted his good character with a letter of
congratulations.
Mr. President, I would encourage my colleagues to find their own ways
to reward and recognize the good deeds that are germinating from the
seeds of Character Counts. A good place to start is with this
resolution, which will help raise public awareness of this valuable
values program and make Character Counts really count. Let me close by
praising Senator Domenici for his leadership on this issue, and by
asking that my remarks be placed in the appropriate place in the Record
to accompany the Character Counts resolution.
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I am pleased to join with the distinguished
Senator from New Mexico and a bipartisan group of my colleagues in co-
sponsoring this Senate resolution designating October 19-25 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 all 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 and should do. But, with parents being
forced to spend more and more time out of the house, our Nation's
schools can and should do everything they can to work with parents in
helping to build character among America's children.
There is nothing inappropriate or heavyhanded 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, fairness, 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 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 of last year and has witnessed positive
effects as a result of its efforts. 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.
Additionally, this year in Connecticut, the Leadership Committee of
Character Counts will undertake a comprehensive training program to
qualify 35 instructors to educate students about the importance of
strength of character. These instructors will bring the ideals stressed
by Character Counts directly to the students of Connecticut, reaching
100,000 students by year's end. While character education may not be a
magical solution to all of 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. KEMPTHORNE. Mr. President, I rise today to express my strong
support for the National Character Counts Week resolution submitted by
my esteemed colleague, Senator Domenici. I have cosponsored similar
resolutions for the past 3 years, and am honored to
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have the opportunity to do so again this year.
At a time when we are exposed to a constant stream of violence,
profanity, and immorality--both through the media and in every day
life--the issue of character is of vital importance. Those of us in
this Chamber spend a great deal of time trying to develop ways to
improve the Nation. I can think of few things we could do to better
achieve this goal than to emphasize the importance of character to
younger generations.
Those of us in positions of leadership, especially in the Government,
have a special duty when it comes to character. Whether we realize it
or not, we are role models and we have a duty to demonstrate those same
attributes of character--trustworthiness, respect, re- sponsibility,
justice and fairness, caring, and civic virtue and citizenship--which
National Character Counts Week highlights. Unfortunately, far too many
Americans have come to believe, wrongly in most cases, that these
qualities no longer exist in the Government. I urge all of my
colleagues to begin today to make that extra effort to show the people
we serve that the faith they demonstrated when they voted for us has
not been misplaced. In the words of President George Washington, ``Let
us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair.''
Mr. President, I recently chaired an Armed Services Personnel
Subcommittee hearing in which the issue of character was prominent.
During the hearing I was deeply disturbed to hear that the lack of
character, values, and discipline is making it harder and harder for
the Armed Forces to recruit the high quality people we need to serve in
our military. Testimony supplied at the hearing indicated that an ever-
increasing number of potential recruits are unacceptable, in terms of
ethics, education, and values, for the armed services. I am not talking
about difficult kids who simply lack discipline, the military has
always done a fine job handling those recruits. I am talking about
young people who have no respect for authority, no respect for their
peers, no respect for our society, and often, no respect for
themselves. As a result, they lack basic values such as compassion,
honesty, and integrity. Our military commanders cannot be expected to
instill those kind of values in individuals who have lacked them
throughout their entire lives. That process must begin at birth and in
the home.
Mr. President, with this resolution, we are taking a step forward in
trying to teach younger generations about the importance of character.
I am pleased to note that schools, churches, and civic organizations
around the Nation are also seizing the initiative on this important
issue. But our efforts, whether on the national or local level, must
not end here. Actually, to be more precise, our efforts must not begin
here. While there are certainly things we can do as a government, or as
a community, to teach character to young people, these lessons must
begin at home. We cannot hope to improve the overall character of the
Nation unless the fundamental values described in National Character
Counts Week are instilled in the home. No amount of moral instruction
from outside the home can replace the guidance of a loving and
supportive family.
Recognizing a national week to stress the importance of character is
but a small step in addressing the crisis of ethics the Nation faces.
At the same time, it is an important step which I believe all of us
should support. I would like to thank Senator Domenici for his
continued leadership on National Character Counts Week, and urge my
colleagues to cosponsor the resolution.
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