[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

[[Page S2289]]

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

[[Page S2290]]

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

[[Page S2291]]

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

[[Page S2292]]

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

[[Page S2293]]

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.

                          ____________________