November 17, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S10553 

But humor aside, Tim’s passion for 

public service and military matters, especially defense appropriations, has 

been his strongest attribute. While 

working full time in my office, Tim attended evening classes at the Naval 

War College and obtained a master’s 

degree. When Granite State servicemembers were recuperating at Walter 

Reed, Tim would often drive out there, 

visit them, and make sure that they received the best care possible. Time and 

again, he went above and beyond the 

call of duty. 

Although Tim’s new job will not be 

taking him too far from the Hill, he 

will be missed. Whether it be his good 

cheer, his expertise, or his dedication 

to service, Tim will be hard to replace. 

Fortunately, it is good to know that 

the Federal Government will still benefit from his talents as he works for 

our men and women in the Armed 

Forces at the Pentagon. I am sure Tim 

will make us all proud there and I wish 

Tim best of luck on this new chapter in 

his life. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO LYNN BAKER 

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, 

I wish today to express my deep gratitude and heartfelt best wishes to my 

administrative director, Lynn Baker, 

who will be retiring at the end of the 

month after 27 years of distinguished 

service in the U.S. Senate. 

Lynn is a perfect example of the 

countless people who serve the Senate 

as dedicated, nonpartisan employees. 

Whether it has been as a member of 

committee staff or in personal offices, 

the Senate could not function without 

professional staff such as Lynn Baker. 

Over the past 27 years, Lynn has 

worked with many staff and interns, 

all of whom have benefitted from her 

experience, wisdom, and guidance. 

When asked about Lynn, many current 

and former staffers will tell you that 

she is always willing to listen and offer 

advice. She takes great pride in encouraging junior staffers to develop 

their abilities and pursue their goals. 

One former staffer remembers that 

Lynn made her feel like part of the 

family when she opened her home to 

this staffer until appropriate housing 

could be found. It is no wonder that 

Lynn stays in touch with so many of 

those with whom she has worked 

throughout her tenure in the Senate. 

Lynn graduated with a degree in history from Lake Forest College in Illinois, including a semester abroad in 

Florence. She subsequently worked in 

a Washington law firm for 2 years before joining Senator Charles H. Percy 

of Illinois’ staff on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. During a 

7-year period on Senator Percy’s staff, 

Lynn also served as office manager for 

his personal office before she became 

chief clerk of the Subcommittee on Energy, Nuclear Proliferation and Government Process. 

Following a 4-year absence from the 

Senate, Lynn returned in 1987 as executive assistant and scheduling director 

for Senator KENT CONRAD of North Dakota. When she became office manager 

for Senator Mark O. Hatfield of Oregon, Lynn worked closely with senior 

Disbursing Office staff to develop the 

first electronic financial management 

system and time and attendance system for personal Senate offices. Following Senator Hatfield’s retirement, 

Lynn worked as office manager for 

MAX BAUCUS of Montana before returning to the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs as chief clerk in 1998. 

Lynn was financial clerk of the committee when I assumed the chairmanship in 2001, and then moved to my personal office as administrative director 

in 2003. 

As administrative director, Lynn has 

made a number of contributions that 

have helped my office better serve Connecticut. Always open to new ideas, 

Lynn implemented the acquisition and 

use of new technologies that enabled 

my staff to perform their duties more 

efficiently. She also took the initiative 

to update and rewrite my office policy 

manual, and played a leading role in 

integrating my office with a new software system that will revolutionize the 

way my staff communicates and works 

together. Lynn was instrumental in 

the redesign of my Senate office in 

2005, which resulted in an attractive, 

comfortable, and functional work 

space. 

Lynn has formed many lasting 

friendships throughout the Senate 

community, where she is beloved and 

respected for her character, judgment, 

and professionalism. I know I speak for 

my staff and many in the Senate family when I say how difficult it will be 

for us to bid a fond farewell to Lynn. 

Her patience, warmth, and wise counsel 

will be greatly missed. However, we all 

wish Lynn good health and happiness 

always as she begins her well-deserved 

retirement. I know that she has much 

to look forward to with her loving husband, Steve Nousen, and their son, 

Daniel Baker. 

I extend to Lynn Baker my personal 

thanks and congratulations for 27 

years of exemplary public service to 

the U.S. Senate. 

f 

IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH 

ENERGY PRICES 

Mr. CRAPO. Madam President, in 

mid-June, I asked Idahoans to share 

with me how high energy prices are affecting their lives, and they responded 

by the hundreds. The stories, numbering well over 1,200, are heartbreaking and touching. While energy 

prices have dropped in recent weeks, 

the concerns expressed remain very relevant. To respect the efforts of those 

who took the opportunity to share 

their thoughts, I am submitting every 

e-mail sent to me through an address 

set up specifically for this purpose to 

the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. This is not 

an issue that will be easily resolved, 

but it is one that deserves immediate 

and serious attention, and Idahoans deserve to be heard. Their stories not 

only detail their struggles to meet everyday expenses, but also have suggestions and recommendations as to what 

Congress can do now to tackle this 

problem and find solutions that last beyond today. I ask unanimous consent 

to have today’s letters printed in the 

RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

We are glad to hear that at least one of our 

politicians is concerned about how the gasoline prices are affecting the middle class. 

Most of us feel that our government is extremely out of touch with the majority of 

the country. 

We are retired on a fixed income and we 

worked hard all our lives and saved to get a 

motor home for vacations, but unfortunately 

we now cannot use it because of the price of 

gasoline and it just sits there. We try to go 

out shopping for groceries and any other necessities just once a week, making a list of 

items and stores, color coding so we do not 

forget anything. The cost of energy also has 

increased the price of groceries tremendously, so basic foods and produce are the 

norm—doing away with any treats. We have 

never seen the price of gasoline increase day 

by day and a nickel to a dime at a time. 

We desperately need to have alternate 

sources of energy, such as coal, windmills, 

solar and nuclear. We should have been 

building new refineries and recovering oil off 

all of our coasts since the 1970s when this 

same problem came up at that time, but, to 

our shame, we did not. 

Automobiles should get a lot more than 

the 35 mpg that we have heard mentioned for 

future vehicles. It should be at the very least 

60 mpg, and there is no reason in this world 

with our technology that this could not be a 

reality. Something should be done to increase the mileage on all of the vehicles that 

are already on the road. This is never mentioned. We cannot just go out and buy a hybrid or other fuel efficient vehicle at the 

drop of a hat to help the situation. We drive 

our 2002 Honda 4 cylinder between 55 and 60 

mph on the highway to increase our fuel efficiency and you should see the bad looks we 

get. Highway mileage should be lowered to 55 

mph like in the 70s to help conserve. 

We do hope that our government does 

something quickly to improve this situation 

and that it is not handled like it was in the 

70s—all talk and no action. We need to be dependent on no one but ourselves for our energy needs. No one is going to take care of 

the USA and its citizens but the USA itself. 

We need some action now—please. 

ROBERT & ROBERTA, 

Idaho Falls. 

Thanks for the opportunity to respond to 

your e-letter regarding energy costs and gasoline prices. I agree that we in the US are far 

too dependent on petroleum for energy. But 

I think it is a selfish and short-sighted view 

to defeat the climate change legislation. Our 

focus should be, as you mentioned, on using 

less petroleum, not searching for petroleum 

everywhere we can, no matter the ecological 

cost. It is true; we do not have good mass 

transit in Idaho and especially in the more 

densely populated Treasure Valley. I think 

tax dollars would be well spent to improve 

the mass transit situation in the Valley. 

We need to give tax incentives to clean, renewable energy sources and rescind the tax 

breaks given to the huge oil companies who 

have been reaping record profits at the expense of all Americans. The answer is in conservation which includes improved mass 

mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY

S10554 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 17, 2008 

transit and in alternative transportation 

where there would be improved avenues for 

bicycling and walking. 

It is true. I will not be driving as far for vacation this year, though I would like to explore areas in Idaho I have not yet seen. It 

now becomes an expensive venture just to 

get to the Sawtooths or White Clouds. 

TIM, Boise. 

I am contacting my Congressman about 

energy just as you have encouraged your 

constituents to do. I am in dismay, however, 

at the continued opportunism and political 

grandstanding. That is, the only answer I see 

from many is to drill more oil. Every credible energy scientist and economists knows 

that this will do little or nothing to curb our 

foreign oil imports and zero to reduce the 

cost of fuel. Yet, despite this ever-predictable call for more domestic oil production, 

you flatly concede that ‘‘speculation [is] now 

driving up the cost of oil.’’ So I ask: why are 

you and your colleagues still calling for 

more drilling when you know what it is you 

can do now to reduce fuel costs? Why are you 

not regulating ‘‘the speculation now driving 

up the cost of oil’’? Commodities speculators 

are at the heart of extreme oil prices, not 

supply and demand imbalances. We do not 

want to hear any red herring arguments 

about the average Joe’s retirement portfolio 

owning the bulk of oil company shares. The 

issue is speculation; the answer is regulation 

of speculation. 

JASON, Moscow. 

Last week I heard on the news that you 

have received many letters and e-mails related to high gas prices. Hence, I have decided to write in and give you my two cents 

on the matter. 

I believe that the primary culprit that is 

causing high gas prices is globalization; particularly in the emerging economies of China 

and India. The rapid growth of their economies has drastically increased their demand 

for petroleum. 

Along with developing a comprehensive energy policy, the executive and legislative 

branches of our federal government need to 

re-examine our economic policies, particularly in areas of foreign trade. During the 

past two decades, the American middle class 

has gotten the short end of the straw when it 

has come to previous trade policies. One does 

not have to look farther than our orchard industry in the Treasure Valley. These trade 

policies have really only benefitted the very 

wealthy in our country. When I was in college ten years ago, we talked about 

globalization in one of my classes and how if 

China copied the U.S.’s consumption then we 

would be paying a premium for gas. This is 

now reality. 

In conclusion, too often our government 

fails to look long-term. It is time for a 

change. We need to do in-depth independent 

analysis on our trade policies to determine 

what the long term effect will be on the average American. Government policies need 

to benefit society as a whole rather than a 

few. Our society is too self-centered on the 

‘‘me’’ rather than on the collective ‘‘community’’. We also need to have a comprehensive 

energy policy. This policy needs to be long 

term and address conservation, efficiency, 

alternative and renewable sources of energy, 

and possibly take into consideration additional domestic production of oil with stringent environmental safeguards and firm consequences for those companies that fail to 

comply with those safeguards. 

BRENT DANIELSON, Boise. 

I am a single father of two sons, 3 years 

and 13 months old. I am a truck driver. I 

make decent money and have good benefits. 

But these fuel prices have gone too far for 

our society! I am lucky I work at a place 

where I can get a free bag of potatoes every 

once in a while because I cannot go grocery 

shopping because it is all too expensive! 

Wages have not changed a bit. I am sick of 

it and I am losing almost all of my faith in 

our government and the people representing 

the common people like me. One of my best 

friends who was an owner-operator had to 

quit because diesel got too high for him to 

profit much at all. Now it is been three 

weeks and they just got their phone shut off 

two days ago and their power shut off today. 

My stimulus money has gone to my power 

bill, gas bill, rent etc. Sure you do not like 

to fill up your gas tank but does it cripple 

you financially like it does many, many people? I think not. I have always stuck up for 

our local and federal government on many 

issues and criticized them on other issues, 

but this time I as well as many people are 

fed up. Seriously this time, I am to the point 

now where I am struggling to make ends 

meet. I have spent over $60 in the last three 

days in gas just to get to work and back— 

that is it. And I am close to empty again and 

I have to get diapers for my son before I go 

to work tomorrow. The diaper money is coming out of the power bill money I had put 

back. You need to sound off and be heard. At 

least make it known to us that you are voicing our concerns. 

CAMERON, Boise. 

My husband and I are retired, he is military retired and we recently purchased a 

small travel trailer since he can no longer 

ride his motorcycle and our maiden voyage 

with it cost $300 in gas to go 200 miles round 

trip! Between gas and food prices, we cannot 

afford to go anywhere, much less eat out. We 

have changed our daily living dramatically, 

and it is not a happy way to be in your retirement years. 

We urge you and all of Congress to start 

drilling in our nation and bring back more 

nuclear power plants. We must relieve ourselves of dependence on foreign oil ASAP. 

Lord only knows what are grandchildren 

have to look forward to at this insane rate! 

ANGELO, Hayden Lake. 

I will get right to the point—my wife and 

I are out of money. Our incomes have not 

changed and our incomes used to pay our 

bills with money to spare. We have a 91 

Honda wagon and a 99 minivan, we pay $50 

and $70 to fill them up. Grocery prices are up 

100% in the last couple years because gas 

prices are killing the trucking industry. Expensive gas has made almost everything else 

expensive. Today, after filling both our cars 

with gas and grocery shopping, (with a list, 

mind you), we ran out of money. For the 

first time ever, we put groceries on a credit 

card. We are not credit card people, so this is 

anathema to us. 

When I turn on the TV or radio I hear some 

politician telling us that drilling will not 

make a difference for ten years. As an engineering student, I cannot stomach that level 

of [deception]. First of all, I do not believe 

that is true and second, if it were true, then 

we sure better get started. What if every 

time an education bill were introduced, we 

responded by saying that we would not see 

the results for 12 years so let us not do it. 

What if I told my child not to go to college 

because they would not see a payoff for at 

least four years so do not bother. We are financially dying and our so-called leaders are 

regurgitating some of the stupidest things I 

have ever heard. 

The bottom line is this: This planet does 

not exist for its own sake, it exists for ours. 

We are not here by some cosmic accident; we 

are here by design and our designer gave us 

the tools we need to live and prosper. The 

failure to drill for new oil and create new refineries is the result of environmental philosophies, which are based on evolutionary 

thinking. To the environmentalist, our purpose here is no more significant than that of 

any other animal, and we, by accident of 

evolution, happen to have the power to sustain or destroy this environment. Without a 

cosmic caretaker, the earth itself becomes 

our only god and the environmentalist shows 

his worship by reducing or eliminating 

human impact upon it and by treating humans as vermin. It is an old religion and I 

am tired of suffering at the hands of it is 

misguided priests. 

Please do your best to release energy, specifically nuclear and oil, to the free market 

system. Irrational environmental policy and 

regulation have prohibited natural market 

forces from creating more supply and oilpricing based on speculation has prevented 

the market from determining price. Imagine 

going to Wal-Mart to buy a t-shirt and finding that they now cost $100; and when you 

ask the owner why this was so, he replies 

that speculators determined that cotton 

crops would fail next year, so in preparation 

they have raised prices early. As you know, 

this is not how prices are determined. The 

cotton producer charges as much as he can 

based on his costs and competitors prices 

and Wal-Mart charges a markup. If cotton 

crops indeed fail next year, then the buyer 

pays more for the rare product and they pass 

the increase to the consumer. When oil speculators set price, we pay increases at the 

pumps whether those speculations came true 

or not. There is no real connection to supply. 

Please work to make this kind of price setting illegal and please work to release drilling and refinement. The further we remove a 

commodity from the free market grid by socialist controls and uneducated environmental policy the more the people, you 

claim to represent, are hurt. Make the American dream possible by making it affordable. 

JASON, Boise. 

The rising cost of fuel has a tremendous effect on my household consisting of my husband and myself. I am sole support for our 

family. Senator, as you know, wages in 

Idaho fall behind many other states. The 

cost of gas is outrageous and I blame the 

Congress for a lot of it. Why are not we drilling in Alaska? Why are not we building refineries away from coasts where hurricanes 

have a tendency to hit? Why are not all of 

our refineries running full bore? 

There was a Democratic senator from the 

South who retired, I forget his name but he 

wrote a book, ‘‘A Grand Party No More’’. Before he retired, he went to see for himself 

where we would drill in Alaska. He said there 

would be no harm to anyone or anything, it 

is so far out in no man’s land. He said if 

there was a leak it would be of no consequence as it would freeze the minute it hit 

the ground. It is time we push the environmentalists to the wall and out of the way. I 

believe in saving trees and wildlife, but there 

is no danger to any of these where we would 

drill. I recognize that we need to become 

independent of so much oil but how do we do 

that. I drive a ‘95 Forerunner and it is paid 

for. Not the best gas mileage but it is paid 

for. I cannot afford any kind of a car payment for one of those new hybrids. Rebates 

are nothing, $2,000 in exchange for $26,000? 

The cost of a new car buys an awful lot of 

gas. My income does not allow for any car 

payment. 

Everything is going crazy! A loaf of bread 

that cost $2.89 last year is now $4.29. Anything with corn or wheat is gone out of sight. 

We pay farmers not to grow wheat and now 

I hear we have to import it? How sad for 

mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY

November 17, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S10555 

America. America has sold its soul to China, 

Mexico, Japan. If we were ever to go into another world war, we could not even build 

what we would need to fight it. Is there a 

steel mill left in America? Is there a textile 

mill left in America? You would be pretty 

hard pressed to find one, a sad statement on 

us. 

As to what I do? No trips during the week 

except to work and back. If I can do any errand on the way, great, otherwise, it waits 

till the weekend. I plan one trip, one circle. 

If something is missed, too bad, it is missed. 

The real clincher is this, I tithe to my 

church, I give the Lord 10% of my gross income. It costs me almost as much, $10 less, 

to keep my car in gasoline between paychecks. Now I think it is pretty awful when 

I have to give the gas company as much as 

I give the Lord. He gives me everything I 

have, the gas company gives me nothing except anger when I hear of the profits they 

make. And I think that pretty well sums it 

up, 10% to the Lord vs. almost as much to 

the gas company! 

DIANNE, Hayden Lake. 

I am a taxi driver here in Boise. In a year’s 

time, the cost to fill my tank has increased 

nearly 100% but my average fare has remained static. If it were not for my military 

retirement, I would no longer make enough 

to cover basic costs and make a profit. I am 

61 years old and am not practiced in a marketable skill so the prospect of making a 

move to another occupation is nil. My only 

reasonable hope is that Boise will increase 

our per mile fees in the near future; it is unlikely that fuel prices will decrease in the 

near future. 

I have been watching your position on domestic drilling with interest. Though alternative energy sources are imperative for the 

future of America, I am pleased to see that 

you share my position that energy self-reliance is the immediate solution to our 

present crisis. I applaud you and urge you to 

continue your good work and prosecute this 

agenda with rigor. 

EARLE, Boise. 

Not only is the fuel much too high but I 

cannot find employment. I am over 60, have 

experience, but it seems I am ‘‘over-qualified’’ or I need more ‘‘experience’’. What a 

lot of rubbish! I call it age discrimination, 

but that is difficult to prove. With the fuel 

prices so high, if I do find employment, it 

will take a huge chunk of my pay just to get 

back and forth to work. Are unemployment 

benefits going to be extended for Idaho residents? My benefits ended this week, no hope 

of a job in sight and my husband can not 

work due to medical reasons. What is a person to do? 

Getting Desperate 

JANET, Emmett. 

As Director of Gritman Adult Day Health 

which provides day health care for elders 

who want to remain in their own home in 

Moscow and Latah County, I am including 

an article from the NY Times which talks 

about the cost of gas and how it affects rural 

elderly. It is very sad that these folks who 

often aren’t able to drive are so affected by 

the cost of gas. Please do everything you can 

to remedy this: http://online.wsj.com/article/ 

SB121263496261947543.html?mod=googlenews_wsj 

BARB, Moscow. 

Gasoline prices are now far too high for the 

average family, and causing increasing rises 

in the cost of living in many other areas. For 

instance, every time one goes to the grocery 

store, an increase in pricing is noted on 

items, and thus causing many to have to go 

without needed supplies. Saving a percentage 

of income has become just a dream for many, 

and others cannot make ends meet without 

going into further debt. 

BEVERLY, Parma. 

Yes, gas has gotten way out of hand. Do 

what you can to decrease the costs and return to a life with some normalcy. 

DIANA, Kootenai. 

Thank you for at least noticing that we 

have a problem with the cost. I do not believe, however, that anything can be done 

with out us paying somewhere else. I make a 

good living working for the military here in 

Boise but am still unable to put any money 

aside. It is funny that every time we receive 

a pay raise that the price of fuel goes up and 

our health care premiums grow as well, so 

you never see any savings. Thanks again; 

good luck with this effort. 

f 

CLINTON, Emmett. 

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS 

TRIBUTE TO LARRY VANDERHOEF 

∑ Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I am 

pleased to recognize the career and 

contributions of University of California, Davis, Chancellor Larry 

Vanderhoef for his 25 years of service 

to the university. 

Chancellor Vanderhoef was born in a 

small Wisconsin town and was the first 

person in his family to graduate from 

high school. After high school, he attended the University of Wisconsin, 

Milwaukee, where he earned a B.S. and 

M.S. in biology and later earned a 

Ph.D. in plant biochemistry at Purdue 

University. Chancellor Vanderhoef 

began his career in education at the 

University of Illinois in 1970 as a faculty member and was appointed provost at the University of Maryland, 

College Park, in 1980. He spent the next 

4 years at the University of Maryland 

before heading west to California and 

the University of California, Davis, in 

1984. 

Chancellor Vanderhoef began his career at U.C. Davis serving as executive 

vice chancellor and later as provost/executive vice chancellor. In April 1994, 

Larry Vanderhoef was named the fifth 

chancellor of the University of California, Davis. 

Under Chancellor Vanderhoef’s leadership, U.C. Davis experienced a period 

of dramatic growth, adding 4 million 

square feet of office, classroom, lab, 

and clinical space to support its 8,000 

additional students and 44 percent 

more faculty. He revitalized the south 

end of campus with the additions of the 

Robert and Margrit Mondavi Performing Arts Center, the Robert 

Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food 

Science, and the Graduate School of 

Management. 

During Chancellor Vanderhoef’s tenure at Davis, the university was invited to join the Association of American Universities, recognizing Davis’s 

standing as a top research university. 

The campus has also been recognized 

by U.S. News and World Report as the 

11th best public university and Washington Monthly recognized it as the 8th 

best university for their contributions 

to society. 

Over his career, Chancellor 

Vanderhoef has been honored for his 

dedicated leadership at U.C. Davis and 

in the community. In 2003, the Arts and 

Business Council of Sacramento honored him with its Prelude to the Season Outstanding Contribution Award; 

in 2004, he was honored as Sacramentan 

of the Year by the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; and in 

2006 he was given the Northern California International Leadership Award 

from the Northern California World 

Trade Center and California Business, 

Transportation and Housing Agency 

for his efforts to increase the campus’s 

international engagement. He was also 

named one of the 20 people who have 

contributed most substantially to California’s Capital Region over the past 20 

years by The Sacramento Business 

Journal. 

As the University of California and 

Davis community gather to celebrate 

the retirement of Chancellor Larry 

Vanderhoef, I would like to congratulate him and thank him for his service 

to California.

f 

∑ 

REMEMBERING DOROTHY GREEN 

∑ Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I am 

honored to remember a great American 

activist, environmental leader, mentor, 

and woman of service—Dorothy Green, 

who passed away on October 13, 2008, at 

the age of 79. 

Dorothy’s career as a leading environmental activist for clean and sound 

water policy spanned three decades. 

She was well known for her self-taught 

expertise on clean oceans and responsible water management. She also 

founded several well-known organizations that continue to make an impact 

on California’s environment. 

Dorothy Green was born in Detroit to 

Polish immigrants in 1929. She moved 

to California where she graduated from 

the University of California, Berkley, 

with a degree in music. She married 

her husband Jacob in 1951. For many 

years, Dorothy stayed home and took 

care of her children. In 1962, she began 

dedicating her life to volunteerism 

with her involvement in the Exceptional Children’s Foundation, committed to helping children with developmental disabilities—like her son, 

Hershel. 

Dorothy began advocating for water 

quality in 1972 when she volunteered in 

a campaign to establish the California 

Coastal Commission. From there, 

Dorothy became president of the Los 

Angeles League of Conservation Voters, where she focused primarily on 

sewage treatment. However, Dorothy is 

best known for forming one of the largest, nonprofit environmental groups in 

Los Angeles in 1985, Heal the Bay. Heal 

the Bay has grown to 15,000 members 

and fights to protect coastal waters, 

clean up beaches, and reports on the 

mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY