S7490 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD— SENATE May 25, 1995 

the good fortune of having a number of 

bright, loyal, and hard working individuals on my staff. One such individual is James O. King, now serving as 

Democratic Staff Director of the Senate Rules Committee, who is retiring 

on June 7. 

Jim has been a very good friend to 

me for many years. He worked with me 

back when I served as Governor of Kentucky, came with me to Washington as 

one of my Administrative Assistants, 

and was Staff Director of the Rules 

Committee for 8 years. 

He has served the Commonwealth in 

a number of roles in public administration, including working under no less 

than five Kentucky governors. In addition, he served in a number of capacities in higher education in the Commonwealth, including Vice President 

for Administration and also Administrative Assistant to the President of 

the University of Kentucky. 

It seemed that no matter what job 

title he held, Jim was always working 

in public service, always trying to give 

something back. 

We here in the Senate have been recipients of some of the fruits of his 

labor. Jim was a key person in 1988 to 

help the Committee review Senate 

rules and procedures. Under his direction, the Rules Committee has addressed a number of major pieces of 

legislation including the motor-voter 

bill and campaign finance reform. And 

all the while, he was still keeping a eye 

on the ‘‘nuts and bolts’’ of the Senate 

operation. 

Anyone who’s ever come in contact 

with Jim knows that he loves Kentucky, its people and its way of life. 

And, from what I understand from reliable sources, he’s already getting in 

the swing of retirement by posting 

some of the best golf scores he’s had in 

recent years! 

We’re going to miss Jim on the Rules 

Committee. And I know I’m speaking 

for my staff, the Rules Committee 

staff, and the Senate as a whole, in 

thanking him for his good work and 

wishing him all the best for his retirement. 

f 

WAS CONGRESS IRRESPONSIBLE? 

THE VOTERS HAVE SAID YES 

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, on that 

November evening in 1972 when I 

learned I had been elected to the Senate, I made a commitment to myself 

that I would never fail to see a young 

person, or a group of young people, who 

wanted to see me. In the nearly 23 

years since that election night, I have 

been inspired by an estimated 60,000 

young people with whom I have visited. 

Most of them have expressed concern 

about the enormous Federal debt that 

Congress has run up for coming generations to pay. Almost without exception 

the young people and I discuss the U.S. 

Constitution which forbids that any 

President spend even a dime of Federal 

money that has not first been authorized and appropriated by both the 

House and Senate of the United States. 

Mr. President, I have been making 

these daily reports to the Senate since 

February 22, 1992. I began because I 

wanted to make it a matter of daily 

record the precise size of the Federal 

debt. As of yesterday, Wednesday, May 

24, the Federal debt stood at 

$4,887,785,166,023.46—$18,554.12 for every 

man, woman, and child on a per capita 

basis. 

f 

MR. JEFFERSON WAS RIGHT: GOP 

BUDGET PROVES IT 

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, there has 

been a great deal of phony and highly 

partisan criticism of the Republican 

budget proposal—criticism which the 

liberal news media have hastened to 

circulate. However, polls show that the 

majority of American people are not 

misled, except those who insist that 

they are entitled to something for 

nothing. 

To their credit, Republicans in Congress have delivered on their commitment to come forth with a budget to—

First, balance the Federal budget in 7 

years; second, cut Federal spending by 

$961 billion; third, eliminate 140 Federal departments agencies and programs; fourth, freeze salaries of Member’s of Congress; and fifth, cut the 

Senate staff budget by 15 percent. 

Mr. President, the American people 

obviously realize the dire financial 

straits into which our Nation has 

plunged as a result of decades of irresponsibility by those in charge of their 

Federal Government. But children understand the penalty for spending more 

money than they have in their piggy 

banks. 

I have an example to share, a poignant letter from the sixth grade class of 

Swain County West Elementary School 

in Bryson City, NC: 

DEAR SENATOR HELMS: Our teacher 

shared with us your letter which mentioned the Federal debt as of March 14, 

1995, which was $4,846,819,443,348.28. 

We are amazed to see how large the 

Federal debt is and understand that 

anything that is ‘‘free’’, the working 

people pay for. We don’t have much, 

but our class sends this collection to 

you and ask that you put it in the fund 

to reduce the Federal debt. Our generation is going to have to reduce this 

debt and we would like to begin our 

part now. We really want to help our 

country and as sixth graders we understand that you can’t leave it up to 

somebody else to take care of what we 

must begin now.’’

Mr. President, enclosed with this letter came a check for $44.75, emphasizing the obvious if these sixth graders 

in North Carolina can recognize the 

importance of balancing the federal 

budget, why can’t Congress? 

Needless to say, I greatly admire 

these young people and their teachers. 

Implicit in their letter is an obvious 

question: If politicians cannot live up 

to promises to balance the budget, the 

politicians perhaps should be called 

home to smell the coffee, if I may be 

permitted to mix a couple of metaphors. 

Mr. President, it is difficult to remain silent amidst false charges by the 

President and various Senators of his 

party that the Republican budget will 

cripple Medicare, the health care system upon which so many of our elderly 

have been encouraged to depend. Contrary to the false prophets, the Republican budget allows Medicare spending 

to increase each year by 7.1 percent. 

Mr. President, the American people 

should always have realized that there 

is no such thing as a free lunch. Thomas Jefferson said it best: 

To preserve our independence, we must not 

let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. 

We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude. 

Mr. Jefferson also warned: 

The question whether one generation has 

the right to bind another by the deficit it 

imposes is a question of such consequences 

as to place it among the fundamental principles of government. We should consider 

ourselves unauthorized to saddle posterity 

with our debts, and morally bound to pay 

them ourselves. 

Mr. President, that just about says it 

all, especially when one considers the 

moral injustice we are heaping upon 

our children and their children. This 

year Republicans made a promise to 

balance the budget. We should keep 

that promise. Balancing the Federal 

budget is simply a matter of doing 

what we were sent to Washington to 

do. 

f 

ERNEST K. KOPECKY 

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, Ernest 

K. Kopecky has served as construction 

manager for the Architect of the Capitol and the Congress of the United 

States for 17 years. He began his service in 1978 and will retire this year. His 

tireless and unselfish efforts have contributed to the completion of many 

construction projects in the Capitol 

and in other buildings in the congressional complex and in maintaining and 

preserving the structures that house 

the legislative and judicial branches of 

the U.S. Government. 

Under Mr. Kopecky’s direction, such 

notable and historically significant 

projects as the restoration of the pedestal for the Statue of Freedom that 

crowns the Dome of the Capitol building and restoration of the Bartholdi 

and Neptune fountains have been successfully completed. 

As a dedicated public servant, Ernest 

Kopecky has set an example for others. 

His genuine concern for quality of 

work and efficiency of those he supervises, his willingness to assist others, 

and his reputation for responsive service have brought great credit to the Office of the Architect of the Capitol and 

reflect positively on his colleagues in 

that office. 

mmaher on MIKETEMP with SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS