November 20, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S10731 

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. 

RETIREMENT OF WAYNE RIDDLE 

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I welcome this opportunity to pay tribute 

to Wayne Riddle, who is retiring at the 

end of this year from the Congressional 

Research Service. Wayne is the model 

of a dedicated and talented public servant. He has spent his career working 

out of the public eye for the greater 

good, providing excellent assistance to 

all of us in Congress for over three decades, and also taking time to mentor 

younger staffers. 

Wayne is a graduate of the University of Virginia. He earned a master’s 

degree in economics from George 

Washington University while working 

at the Congressional Research Service, 

where he has spent the past 36 years 

serving as a key analyst on elementary 

and secondary education, and twice as 

head of the Education and Labor Section at CRS. 

Throughout that time, Congress has 

given high priority to strengthening 

the Nation’s schools, and Wayne has 

been helping us immensely every step 

of the way. He began not long after the 

passage of the original Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965—the 

Federal Government’s major program 

to improve educational opportunities 

for low-income students. Wayne has 

been indispensable in our work on 

every subsequent reauthorization of 

the act and on all our other efforts on 

elementary and secondary education, 

including the Goals 2000 Act during the 

Clinton administration and the No 

Child Left Behind Act during the current Bush administration. His guidance, support and knowledge on issues 

big and small have been invaluable to 

us time and again. 

As Wayne retires to devote more 

time to his family, I know that his colleagues at CRS will miss him, and so 

will we. I wish him a long, healthy, and 

happy retirement. He certainly deserves it, because he has served our 

country well, and made a very real difference in the lives of countless children who have benefited in their education because of his expertise and 

dedication. 

f 

REMEMBERING TONY DEAN 

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I 

wish to recognize the passing of a very 

close friend of mine, Tony Dean. As one 

of this Nation’s foremost conservationists, one would be hard put to find 

someone who cared more about wildlife 

and the environment. Tony passed 

away on October 19. 

I had known Tony for years with his 

radio and television broadcasting, but I 

was fortunate enough to get to know 

him much better in my 2002 Senate 

campaign. He told me that he was willing to do whatever I needed him to do, 

and he was honest to his word. With his 

natural and effective connection to television viewers, Tony starred in two 

commercials that were critical to the 

success of my 2002 campaign. I have no 

doubt that Tony’s support was crucial, 

though it resulted in many tests to his 

courage. Even amidst the backlash of 

his supporting my campaign, he said, 

‘‘Tim, I know I did the right thing, and 

I’d do it again in a second.’’ Tony 

stared down the people who threatened 

him, and he refused to blink. 

During Senator TED KENNEDY’s eulogy of his brother Robert, Senator 

KENNEDY stated that, ‘‘Few are willing 

to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, 

the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery 

in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is 

the one essential, vital quality for 

those who seek to change a world that 

yields most painfully to change.’’ Tony 

had all those qualities, though most 

importantly, moral courage. And Tony 

Dean had moral courage in spades. 

It was my pleasure to have worked 

with Tony and I would like to offer my 

condolences to his family, friends, and 

fellow advocates. They have much to 

be proud of, and it is my hope that 

their memories will be rich with the 

great many accomplishments he 

achieved during his career. Those of us 

who loved him pray that what he was 

to us and what he wished for others 

will someday come to pass for the 

world. We will miss you, Tony. More 

than any of us can say. 

f 

FORT POLK BARRACKS 

PRIVATIZATION PILOT PROGRAM 

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, on 

September 27, the Senate passed the 

Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, 

which the President signed into law on 

October 14. The legislation includes 

critical provisions that will directly 

improve the quality of life for our men 

and women in uniform, support needed 

reforms in the operations of the Department of Defense and provide our 

soldiers, sailors, Air Force personnel 

and marines with the tools they need 

to defend our freedom. I thank and 

commend Senator LEVIN and our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee for the thorough work on this 

detailed legislation and their perseverance in crafting the legislation in a difficult and at times uncertain process. 

There were a number of filed floor 

amendments to the bill that were not 


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