[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18283]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      MOON LANDING AND HEALTH CARE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became 
the first humans to touch the Moon, our Nation rejoiced not just 
because we were launching a new era of exploration and technology. When 
the Apollo 11 crew touched down in the Sea of Tranquility, our country 
cheered more than just a stunning success for science.
  When 40 years ago tonight, man first set foot on another world, we 
celebrated the fact that those first men were Americans.
  On the evening of July 20, 1969, millions of Americans watched with 
Walter Cronkite, who passed away just 3 days ago. As Armstrong leaped 
off the ladder, the anchorman took care to note that the astronaut was 
a ``38-year-old American.'' Because he was an American--a boy scout 
from Ohio and a pilot in our Navy--we all were proud.
  We were proud that an American vehicle was the first manned 
spacecraft to make it to the Moon's surface, that an American's 
footprint was the first to be pressed upon it, and that our American 
flag was the first to be planted within it. America was moving mankind 
forward, and we were proud to be leaders.
  But the story of the journey we celebrate today did not begin on the 
breathtaking night when the Eagle landed.
  It began years before: in the imaginations of Americans everywhere, 
in laboratories and hangars in Florida and Texas, and in a stadium in 
Houston where President Kennedy told us that we will choose to reach 
the Moon within the decade and do other great things, ``not because 
they are easy, but because they are hard . . . because that challenge 
is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to 
postpone.''
  We now must be willing to accept today's challenges. We must be 
willing to accept the challenge of making it easier to live a healthy 
life in America. We must be unwilling to postpone our responsibility to 
fix what is broken.
  We now have a chance to be proud once again. We have the chance to 
lead once again, and for our entire Nation to again achieve dramatic 
goals, like making health care more affordable, more stable and more 
secure.
  America is the last major industrialized nation on the planet that 
refuses to ensure all of its citizens can get health care. In the 
greatest country and the largest economy the world has ever seen, 
hardworking Americans live in fear as they live one accident, one 
illness, or one pink slip away from losing their health coverage.
  How much longer can the country that led the way to space be content 
to stay in last place? How much longer can we sit this one out? How 
much longer can we say no?
  Our health care system is not healthy. The cost of doing nothing is 
too high, and not acting is not an option.
  The story of the Moon landing did not begin with that one small step 
for a man, and it did not end there either. President Reagan credited 
our willingness to reach for new heights with helping our country 
``recapture its spirit of vitality and confidence.'' He pointed to the 
space program as proof that ``the pioneer spirit still flourishes in 
America.''
  Today that spirit must prevail over partisan passions. If we confront 
this crisis together, we can once again restore the vitality and 
confidence of America, and of all Americans.
  Forty years ago, no political party had a monopoly on the lunar 
landing. A conservative who looked to the heavens took no less pride in 
our achievement than did a liberal. It was not a Republican 
accomplishment or a Democratic accomplishment. It was an American 
accomplishment.
  As we said at the beginning of this year, our strong preference is to 
fix health care as one collaborative Congress, not as two competing 
parties. As we have said throughout this debate, we will continue to 
work with the other side in good faith and we want to pass a bipartisan 
bill.
  I remain optimistic that both Republicans and Democrats recognize how 
urgent this is. The health of our citizens and our economy are at 
stake, and neither will be able to recover if we are unwilling to 
accept this challenge.
  When we make it easier for people to stay healthy--when we make it 
easier for people to afford to care for their loved ones--when we 
choose to do what is right, what is necessary and what is overdue--not 
because it is easy, but because it is hard--we will once again proudly 
rejoice together, as Americans.

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