[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12383]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               EAST 79TH STREET NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 26, 2000

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, please submit the following 
article into the Record.

     East 79th Street Neighborhood Association Goes to Washington!

                      (By Deborah de Bauernfeind)

       On Tuesday, October 19, 1999, 11 members of the Association 
     embarked on a two-day trip to Washington, DC. The Association 
     works closely with elected officials on quality-of-life 
     issues, transportation matters, building preservation, and 
     zoning regulations. We were particularly interested in 
     getting a first-hand feel for how Congress works. To 
     accomplish this, our Congresswoman, Carolyn Maloney, met with 
     our group in a Rayburn House Office Building Hearing Room for 
     a 30-minute discussion of our issues. Assisted by a note-
     taking staff member, Congresswoman Maloney fielded our 
     questions and concerns regarding the Second Avenue Subway; 
     the inadequacies of our bus service; our zoning battle to 
     keep East 76th Street and other midblocks under R8B, 
     requiring low density and low height; the rising cost of 
     health insurance; and the necessity of maintaining rent 
     control and rent stabilization laws. Following a productive 
     discussion, we were privileged to sit in the Visitor's 
     Gallery of the House of Representatives where we heard the 
     Congresswoman from Hawaii discuss the gender equity bill, 
     sponsored by Congresswoman Maloney. We also sat in the 
     Visitor's Gallery of the United States Senate Chamber. We 
     heard a portion of the debate on the bill outlawing ``partial 
     birth'' abortions, which was passed the next day.
       Congresswoman Maloney's office arranged for us to have a 
     tour of the Capitol Building that afternoon. What a thrill it 
     was to walk through the labyrinth of Minton-tiled corridors, 
     rubbing shoulders with legislators who have the ability to 
     change the course of history. While the legislators deal with 
     our Nation's future, the history of our country abounds in 
     every corner of the Capitol Building. Congress has been 
     housed there since 1800. The current chamber of the House was 
     completed in 1857, and the current Senate chamber was 
     completed in 1859. One can feel the presence of John Adams in 
     the National Statuary Hall. The House used to meet in the 
     space. The acoustical design allowed Adams to sit in one area 
     of the hall and listen to conversations on the opposite end 
     of the room while he acted as though he was dozing. It kept 
     him well informed! The cast-iron dome of the Capitol was 
     completed in 1863. It weighs about nine million pounds. No 
     building in Washington, DC is allowed to be higher than the 
     Statue of Freedom, which tops the dome. The Rotunda is the 
     heart of the Capitol. Prominent Americans have lain in state 
     there, including Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. A 
     frieze depicting over 400 years of American history encircles 
     the Rotunda. In addition, there are eight paintings covering 
     the discovery and colonization of America, as well as 
     illustrations of scenes from the American Revolution.
       Our day concluded with dinner in the Congressional Dining 
     Room. Arranged by Association President Betty Cooper 
     Wallerstein, we were seated at a table set for 11 and were 
     pampered by the dining room staff. Several members of 
     Congress came to our table to introduce themselves. It was a 
     wonderful way to end our stay.
       The five-hour bus ride back to New York City provided ample 
     time for us to reflect on everything we saw. It's difficult 
     to determine which sight was the most compelling. The sense 
     of history is everywhere. Being on the steps of the Capitol 
     where Presidential Inaugurations have taken place since 1801 
     or being in the East Room at the White House and seeing 
     Gilbert Stuart's 1797 portrait of George Washington, which 
     has hung in the White House since 1800--both experiences are 
     moving. And, being told that Civil War troops were quartered 
     in the East Room makes the space seem quite alive. The 
     corridors of the White House are lined with portraits of 
     Presidents and First Ladies. The last portrait one sees when 
     leaving is of John F. Kennedy, our slain President, with his 
     head bowed. Memories abound. On the White House grounds is a 
     magnolia planted by Andrew Jackson. George Washington 
     selected the site for the White House, and it was Thomas 
     Jefferson who began the tradition of opening the White House 
     to the public each morning. It's exciting to be beneficiaries 
     of this practice, but it was the Congressional letter from 
     Congresswoman Maloney that admitted us since White House 
     functions the morning we went restricted visitation.
       Memorials dot the Washington landscape. We toured six of 
     them in the evening light, which provided a meditative 
     atmosphere. At the Lincoln Memorial one is reminded of his 
     legacy to freedom while reading inscriptions of the 
     Gettysburg Address and Lincoln's Second Inaugural. The Thomas 
     Jefferson Memorial highlights his beliefs in human liberty. 
     And, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, comprised of 
     four outdoor galleries, includes Roosevelt's words of courage 
     and optimism etched in red South Dakota granite. But, it is 
     at the war memorials where one is vividly reminded of the 
     blood shed by individuals to uphold freedom around the world. 
     Inlaid in silver in a granite wall near the Pool of 
     Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial are the words 
     ``Freedom Is Not Free''. Life-size sculptures of soldiers 
     surrounding the 60-foot flagstaff at the Vietnam Veterans 
     Memorial contrast the soldiers' youth with the weapons of war 
     which they hold, underscoring their level of sacrifice. And, 
     tension and valor can be felt in the depiction of the men 
     raising the American flag on Iwo Jima. But, their victory was 
     short-lived. Three soon died in combat.
       Our ``responsibilities as citizens of a democracy'' 
     continued to be reflected upon during our visit to the United 
     States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was a solemn and 
     emotional experience. One hopes the eternal flame of 
     remembrance will preserve the memory and encourage reflection 
     ``upon the moral and spiritual questions raised by the events 
     of the Holocaust''.
       The Association went to Washington to get a feel for the 
     workings of government and for a dialogue with Congresswoman 
     Maloney. We came away with a feeling that there are channels 
     for our opinions. We also felt a tingle of pride in being 
     Americans. The struggle for freedom and the preservation of 
     it to this day is so evident in our Nation's Capital. Our 
     trip experiences reminded us that this legacy to freedom is 
     one of the most enduring birthrights Americans possess.

     

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