November 19, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S10635 

By pointing out the rate of disbursement the committee has simply sought 

to explain why, in part, we are unable 

to support hundreds of millions of dollars for new compacts when compacts 

that are several years old have only 

disbursed a fraction of their funds. 

More time is required to review the effectiveness of the 18 compacts that already exist. I am told that the MCC’s 

board of directors will meet in December to discuss which additional countries will be eligible to apply for compact funding in fiscal year 2009. Since 

we will not have a final fiscal year 2009 

funding level for the MCC until late 

January at the earliest, I urge board 

members to act judiciously and to keep 

in mind that eligibility does not assure 

that a compact will be funded. 

The many competing demands placed 

on the State and Foreign Operations 

Appropriations bill will only increase 

over the next few years, given the global financial crisis, which will have direct and indirect consequences for the 

world’s poorest countries. We also expect to be asked to increase funding for 

international HIV/AIDS programs due 

to the recent PEPFAR reauthorization. 

The MCC is a new and innovative 

form of assistance, and we want it to 

succeed. I was involved in drafting the 

authorizing legislation that established 

the MCC, and I have said many times 

that I strongly support the concept of 

providing governments with incentives 

to combat corruption, improve governance, and address the basic needs of 

their people. If the MCC shows that it 

can achieve the results we all want, it 

could become a model for other forms 

of foreign assistance. 

But we cannot ignore other pressing 

short-term and long-term needs. Some 

have claimed that not providing another billion dollars for the MCC in fiscal year 2009 will delay progress toward 

long-term development goals. I would 

argue that funding to address the acute 

personnel shortages at the Department 

of State and USAID, which the President’s budget largely ignores, is a priority for effective U.S. diplomacy and 

development assistance programs now 

and in the future. 

It is also notable that a number of 

governments that were awarded compacts are not performing as expected. 

According to the 2009 Country Scorecard Index, 5 of the 8 MCC lower middle 

income countries that have compacts 

have failed 8 of 17 indicators. Similarly, with the reports of systemic 

voter fraud in the recent Nicaraguan 

elections, I am concerned that President Ortega’s government may have 

jeopardized the MCC compact in that 

country. 

The future of the MCC is now up to 

the Obama administration, and I expect President-elect Obama will explore all options for how the MCC 

should by managed and implemented, 

as he will for other Federal programs. 

However, before major adjustments, if 

any, take place, Congress has to finish 

the remaining fiscal year 2009 spending 

bills. 

Senator GREGG and I will be working 

with our colleagues in the House. 

There are several areas in the State 

and Foreign Operations bill where the 

Senate and House positions differ, and 

the MCC is one obvious example. Until 

then, I would encourage those who care 

about the MCC, as many of us do, to 

focus on ensuring that funds already 

appropriated are used effectively. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO BOB MILLER 

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise 

today to recognize the great achievements of a wonderful Vermont businessman, Bob Miller, president of 

R.E.M. Development Company in 

Williston. 

Bobby started R.E.M. Development 

in 1984, and over the last quarter century, the company has grown to become one of Vermont’s largest commercial real estate developers. While it 

is hard to travel around Vermont without running into one of Bobby’s 

projects, his lifelong commitment to 

bettering his community is both admirable and commendable. 

Bobby recently received two special 

awards for his outstanding business 

practices and devotion to the community. Citing ‘‘their determination, success, and philanthropy,’’ the Lake 

Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce honored R.E.M. Development as 

its 2008 Large Business of the Year. In 

addition, saying that Bobby ‘‘typifies 

the true spirit of service and self-sacrifice in representing the finest ideals 

of Vermont citizenship,’’ the Vermont 

Chamber of Commerce presented him 

with its 2008 Citizen of the Year Award. 

I congratulate Bobby and R.E.M. Development for both of these well-deserved achievements. 

I ask unanimous consent to have a 

November 17, 2008, Burlington Free 

Press article about Bobby Miller’s successful career printed in the RECORD so 

all Senators can read about a prosperous Vermont businessman who continually gives back to his community. 

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

RECORD, as follows: 

[From the Burlington Free Press, Monday, 

Nov. 17, 2008] 

MILLER IS A BUILDER AND A GIVER

(By Adam Silverman) 

WILLISTON.—Just about anybody can create and run a thriving business when times 

are good. When the economic outlook is 

gloomier, though, success requires more 

careful planning and management. 

That’s both a piece of advice from and a 

guiding philosophy for Bob Miller, president 

of Williston-based R.E.M Development Co., a 

24-year-old company that builds and leases 

commercial real estate. Even with recession 

fears spreading, Miller said business is flourishing. 

‘‘There is always demand,’’ he said last 

week while sitting behind his granite-topped 

desk at an industrial park he owns on Avenue D. ‘‘I don’t think there’s a good time or 

a bad time to go into business. Either you 

have a business plan that’s going to work, or 

it’s not. Anyone can make it in good times.’’ 

Outside, cars, trucks, big rigs and packagedelivery vans frequented the businesses that 

rent space in his buildings. The park represents just a fraction of the 2 million square 

feet of real estate R.E.M rents, a total that 

makes the company ‘‘the region’s largest 

commercial industrial developer of manufacturing, distribution, warehouse, and flex 

space,’’ it boasts on its Web site. 

Miller, 73, of Burlington, whose initials 

compose his company’s acronym, incorporates another component into his philosophy: the need for philanthropy, for businesses to give back to their communities. He 

has donated money and construction services 

to hospitals, exposition centers and youth 

recreational facilities, among many others. 

Miller and his wife, Holly, give what they 

call the ‘‘three Ts’’—time, talent and treasure. 

‘‘It’s kind of fun to take on one of these 

projects and stand back and say, ‘We really 

helped this neighborhood,’’’ Miller said. ‘‘It’s 

a great way to get your name out. There are 

rewards for philanthropy. People know 

you’re out in the community giving back 

and not just taking, taking, taking. That’s 

not why we do it—we do it because we want 

to—but there is that relationship in getting 

involved.’’ 

Those components of Miller’s work, the 

successful company and the devotion to philanthropy, led to two awards he received last 

week. 

The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of 

Commerce honored R.E.M Development on 

Tuesday as its large business of the year, citing Miller and the company for ‘‘their determination, success, and philanthropy.’’ Three 

days later, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce presented Miller its Citizen of the 

Year Award, also championing his business 

acumen and his good works. 

Miller ‘‘typifies the true spirit of service 

and self-sacrifice in representing the finest 

ideals of Vermont citizenship,’’ the Vermont 

Chamber says on its Web site. ‘‘His commitment to the prosperity of the people and 

businesses in Vermont reaches statewide.’’ 

Among Miller’s projects is Burlington’s 

Gosse Court Armory, an old National Guard 

facility the military donated to the city in 

2005 for transformation into a community 

center. 

The city approached Miller about a potential contribution after budget estimates exceeded available resources. Miller looked at 

the plans, said he could do the work for 

$500,000 less than the $1.3 million estimate, 

and agreed to serve as general contractor. 

Later he wrote a check for $100,000. 

‘‘It’s really extraordinary to have a developer with his skills and expertise step forward to do this for his community,’’ the 

city’s chief administrative officer, Jonathan 

Leopold, said earlier this year. 

Sitting in his office last week, Miller fielded a phone call from a construction worker 

at the armory. Without referring to any 

plans or drawings, Miller helped solve an engineering challenge from memory, delivering 

precise instructions. Then he drew a sketch 

on a blank sheet of paper to help an observer 

understand the issue: the alignment of basketball hoops and the configuration of lines 

on the gymnasium floor. 

Miller’s talent for drawing and engineering 

came naturally, he said. A Rutland native, 

Miller thought during high school he wanted 

to be a mechanic, but after graduation he 

turned toward engineering. His first job was 

as a draftsman. 

He moved to Burlington in 1959 and helped 

draft electrical plans for the University of 

Vermont’s library and Burlington High 

School; because the money wasn’t great, Miller also tended bar, he said. In 1972 he started 

New England Air Systems, which he ran for 


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S10636 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 19, 2008 

a dozen years, and then he sold it to the employees and created the company he continues to run—with 12-hour days during the 

week and seven hours on Saturdays. 

‘‘One of my philosophies is, you’ve got to 

make money or you’re not going to be in 

business,’’ he said. ‘‘I love the business. I 

love the challenge of negotiating. I’m fiercely competitive. I may not look that way, but 

I’m a highly competitive guy. But I’m not a 

sore loser, either.’’ 

Miller is especially happy to see businesses 

‘‘grow with us,’’ starting out small and expanding as their success increases. R.E.M 

Development, which Miller runs with his 

son, Tim, is devoted to helping its tenants, 

but expects serious effort in return, Miller 

said. 

‘‘We try to help people get started. I’m a 

great advocate of the underdog, because 

that’s where I came from,’’ he said. ‘‘We 

want people to make a profit, but they’ve 

got to work for it, as we do.’’ 

Businesses first must craft a solid, well-researched, thorough, realistic business plan, 

Miller suggested. Then they must forge relationships with customers and with vendors, 

and develop and maintain a positive reputation. That’s helped Miller thrive. 

‘‘When we really need a product, we can 

get that product,’’ he said, referring to critical building components. ‘‘People know 

they will get paid. We don’t cry wolf every 

day, but we do cry wolf from time to time.’’ 

Last, and sometimes of special importance, 

is for an owner to be able to abandon an unsuccessful venture, as he did with a portablestorage project he launched just before 9/11, 

even though a stigma can be attached, Miller 

said. 

‘‘If you’re successful, everyone thinks 

you’re a genius. If you fail they think you’re 

a schmuck,’’ he said. ‘‘Don’t fall in love with 

’em. Drop ’em if it doesn’t work. You have to 

be a realist.’’ 

Regardless of the situation, Miller encourages other business owners to give back. He 

likes to quote fellow Vermont philanthropist 

J. Warren McClure, who died in 2004: ‘‘If you 

can’t give a dollar, you’ll never give a hundred.’’ 

‘‘Give what you can,’’ Miller said. ‘‘We 

have an obligation. There are many, many, 

many needs. And you can have a lot of fun 

doing it.’’ 

f 

HEALTH CARE REFORM 

Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I wanted 

to take this opportunity to share with 

my colleagues an especially poignant 

and meaningful column that appeared 

in the Boston Herald last week by 

Wayne Woodlief honoring the efforts 

Senator EDWARD M. KENNEDY has made 

to enact legislation to provide health 

care for all Americans—and looking 

forward to his leadership on this issue. 

As Senator KENNEDY recently said ‘‘It 

is painfully obvious that our health 

care system costs Americans too much, 

costs employers too much, denies too 

much needed care and leaves out too 

many Americans.’’ He is right. We need 

to take immediate action next year to 

reform our health care system. I look 

forward to working with Senator KENNEDY to enact broad reform of our 

health care system to help every American gain access to high-quality, affordable health care. 

I ask unanimous consent to have the 

column to which I referred, printed in 

the RECORD. 

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

RECORD, as follows: 

BARACK OBAMA, LISTEN TO DR. TED

(By Wayne Woodlief) 

Now’s the time for President-elect Obama 

and Congress to seize the moment and enact 

health care for all Americans. ASAP. 

Sen. is pressing a new strategy—shaped in 

bipartisan meetings—for one consensus bill 

that can be moved swiftly through the Senate and the House, perhaps even in Obama’s 

first 100 days. 

Kennedy has courted and listened to allies 

on both sides of the aisle. Sen. Mike Enzi (R– 

Wyo.), ranking Republican on the Health 

Care Committee that Kennedy chairs, is 

working with Teddy. And Senate Finance 

Chairman Max Baucus (D–Mont.) weighed in 

this week with his own ideas on health care; 

ideas that look a lot like Kennedy’s and like 

the Massachusetts universal coverage law 

that Teddy touts as a national model. 

Kennedy said Baucus’ White Paper ‘‘brings 

us closer to our goal.’’ Especially since the 

finance committee has to find a way to pay 

for a law that would cost billions, yet help 

tens of millions of struggling citizens, many 

without jobs now, pay their health care bills. 

That is different from the early 1990s when 

then-Chairman Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s 

opposition doomed health care reform championed by Kennedy and the Clintons. 

And Obama—though treading carefully— 

said recently that health reform is ‘‘priority 

number three,’’ right after the economy and 

energy independence, adding, ‘‘I think the 

time is right to do it.’’ 

Amen. Passage of universal health care 

would be the capstone on Kennedy’s legacy. 

And Obama owes him. The passing of the 

Kennedy torch to Obama by Teddy and niece 

Caroline just before Super Tuesday was a 

turning point in Obama’s path to the presidency. He also owes it even more to all those 

people to whom he promised relief. 

In last Sunday’s Washington Post, Kennedy wrote, ‘‘it is no longer just patients demanding change. Businesses, doctors and 

even many insurance companies are demanding it ... The cost will be substantial, but the 

need for reform is too great to be deflected 

or delayed.’’ 

For those who would say, ‘‘That’s just a 

liberal talking,’’ hear this: 

David Blumenthal, director of the Institute for Health Policy for the Partners 

Health Care System and an Obama adviser, 

said, ‘‘Some of the largest corporations in 

America are struggling to compete in the 

world marketplace because of high health 

care costs.’’ 

Rick Umbdenstock, president and CEO of 

the American Hospital Association, said the 

economic turmoil, coupled with health care’s 

high costs, ‘‘will likely mean the loss of jobs 

and employer-related health coverage ... and 

possibly even diminishing access to health 

care services.’’ 

Nancy Nielsen, president of the American 

Medical Association, said, ‘‘The cost of doing 

nothing is much higher than the alternative’’—the scuffling to pay for good care, 

including preventive care, and dooming millions to ‘‘live sick and die younger.’’ 

These aren’t socialists. These are people 

who work with health care daily and know 

the crisis it is in. 

Kennedy has worked behind the scenes to 

craft health reform since Memorial Day, by 

phone, by e-mail and even by face-to-face 

meetings despite his illness. He’s back in 

Washington, and he’s not slowing down. 

As soon as Obama takes that oath that 

Kennedy’s slain brother took 48 years ago, he 

should start preaching and working for 

health care for all. And Congress, which Kennedy has served for so long, should do it for 

Teddy—and for the American people. It’s 

time to strike while those stars are aligned. 

f 

SPACE 

Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I wish 

to address the report to Congress of the 

Independent Assessment Panel on the 

Organization and Management of National Security Space, which was released on Tuesday, September 16. The 

Institute for Defense Analyses, led by 

Mr. A. Thomas Young and a team of six 

qualified and experienced experts, undertook this project to provide the 

Congress with a comprehensive assessment of the state of our national space 

policy, especially as it relates to our 

national security and our position as 

the global leader in space. 

I raised concerns in 2006 when thenSecretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld 

suggested that the commander of Air 

Force Space Command, based in Colorado Springs, should be downgraded 

from the four-star level to three stars. 

I reminded the Secretary that space is 

critical to our Armed Forces; that 

nearly every military operation we 

carry out makes use of assets in space 

in one way or another, be it using our 

satellites to locate the position of the 

enemy, providing instant communications, or gathering dependable intelligence. I was pleased the Pentagon 

opted not to institute this troublesome 

proposal. 

Following this episode, I authored 

legislation in the 2007 Defense authorization bill to establish a new space 

commission, similar to the 2001 Commission to Assess U.S. National Security Space Management and Organization. I wanted an independent panel of 

space, intelligence, and military experts to study, analyze, and make recommendations to the Congress on the 

current state and future vision of 

America’s national space agenda. This 

review began last fall, and I am pleased 

that it was completed in a timely manner. 

The panel began their report articulating what I have always understood 

to be true, that U.S. leadership in 

space is paramount to the preservation 

of our national security. It is key to 

our lasting ability to ward off modern 

and unexpected threats against our 

homeland or our allies and essential to 

maintaining our economic superiority 

in the ever-changing information age. 

Most importantly, the report reinforced that space-based technology is 

essential to our intelligence gathering 

and warfighting capabilities. As such, 

according to the panel, and I agree, updating and modernizing our national 

space policy and its related personnel 

structure must be a top priority. America’s willingness and capacity to continue to lead in space provides our Nation with a priceless strategic advantage that will pay dividends for generations to come. 

As a result of their extensive research and thorough investigations, 


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