[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 161 (Thursday, December 15, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H11874-H11875]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO SENATOR WILLIAM PROXMIRE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KIND. Madam Speaker, early today the people of Wisconsin and this 
great Nation lost a great public servant, and I lost a good friend and 
a political hero, Senator William Proxmire. Senator Proxmire passed 
away at the age of 90 after a long and courageous battle against 
Alzheimer's.
  I had the great fortune and honor to intern for Senator Proxmire 
after my junior year in college. He was to me all that is good and 
decent about public service. I valued his counsel and advice when I 
became a Member of the United States Congress. During his 32 years in 
the United States Senate, Senator Proxmire epitomized what a good 
public servant should be about; hard work, dedicated, principled and 
accountable to the people he represented.
  He was famous back home in Wisconsin for two things: Shaking a lot of 
hands and giving out a monthly Golden Fleece Award for the most 
ridiculous expenditure of taxpayer dollars. I am still amazed even 
today when people come up to me to share their favorite Proxmire story. 
I swear everyone living in the State of Wisconsin during Senator 
Proxmire's years in office had the opportunity to shake his hand at 
some sporting or other public event or on the main street of their 
hometown.
  He was tireless when it came to representing the people of Wisconsin, 
and tireless traveling around the State to give people a chance to meet 
their United States Senator. He did it so well that in his last couple 
of election campaigns, he actually spent more money returning campaign 
contributions than he spent in his entire reelection campaign. He is 
probably the last person from a past political era who could do that in 
light of the mud-slinging and the attack ads that, unfortunately, 
exemplify modern campaigns.
  Also as an intern, I had fun investigating some of Senator Proxmire's 
famous Golden Fleece Awards for wasteful government spending. Senator 
Proxmire was talking about fiscal responsibility before it became 
fashionable. Because of it, he was not the most popular guy in D.C. 
during those years, given the attention he would draw to wasteful 
programs or projects.
  I am sure he would be disappointed today to see the breakdown in 
fiscal management of taxpayer dollars and the return of large budget 
deficits that jeopardize our long-term economic and military strength, 
and I am also sure he would be disappointed today seeing the number of 
ethical and criminal investigations surrounding public officials in our 
country.
  He was a person above reproach. He believed that those involved in 
public service owed the people of this country a higher standard of 
ethical conduct, and he exemplified that conduct each and every day.
  His greatest regret in office he once said was his initial support 
for our involvement in Vietnam. His greatest accomplishment was the 
ratification of the Anti-Genocide Treaty. For 19 years, Senator 
Proxmire delivered a daily speech on the floor of the United States 
Senate about the need to ratify a treaty against genocide. He found it 
amazing that the leader of the free world would be one of the last 
countries to ratify the Anti-Genocide Treaty, rather than being one of 
the first. But he persevered in reminding his colleagues of the moral 
imperative to do, and he finally ratification of the treaty shortly 
before his retirement in 1989.
  Senator Proxmire also would deliver a speech on the Senate floor 
about the need to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons throughout 
the world which he viewed as potentially the ultimate genocide of human 
race.
  People back home in Wisconsin viewed him has a maverick because he 
called it the way he saw it. He believed in standing up for the little 
guy and treating everyone decently and fairly. He believed, as many of 
us do today, that there is too much big money in government and too 
much influence of large special interests affecting the public's 
agenda. He was a strong advocate for getting the big money out of 
politics and he supported campaign finance reform.
  His marriage to Ellen Proxmire was a true partnership in every sense 
of the word. Ellen and the family endured the demands and sacrifice of 
public life and were by Bill's side during the difficult years battling 
Alzheimer's. Through

[[Page H11875]]

their courageous battle, they helped open the eyes of many people about 
the urgent need to find a cure for this horrific disease before the 
national tidal wave hits our country in future years due to our aging 
population.
  Much of what I learned about being an elected official I learned from 
Bill Proxmire. That is why I am proud to call myself a Proxmire 
Democrat. His legacy will endure, whether it is the call for greater 
fiscal responsibility with the people's money, or leveling the playing 
field in politics for people who work hard and play by the rules.
  My thoughts and prayers are with Ellen and the entire Proxmire 
family. I hope they find some peace and comfort in the knowledge that 
Senator Proxmire touched many lives. He was loved by many, and he will 
be missed.
  May God bless Senator Proxmire and take him into His care.

                          ____________________