June 8, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E 1191

Crusier-Destroyer Group Three. He was also

the commander of Battle Group Foxtrot, and

set sail on the U.S.S. Enterprise for her

around-the-world cruise. On July 17, 1990,

Rear Admiral Strasser became the 45th president of the Naval War College.

Rear Admiral Strasser has been awarded

many decorations including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior

Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious

Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal,

Navy Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation, and various campaign and service ribbons. I know

that this body joins me in wishing the best of

luck to him as he becomes the CEO for Pennsylvania State-Dubois Campus. My congratulations and best wishes to Rear Admiral

Strasser, his wife Barbara, and their four children.

TURTLE BAY ASSOCIATION SALUTED FOR PLAYGROUND REVIfTALIZATION

HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 7, 1995

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today

to alert my colleagues to an exciting community development project that has taken place

in my district.

Mr. Speaker, we are daily confronted with

the news of the breakdown of our country’s infrastructure, of crumbling communities that

have ceased to care. Across this Nation, the

most basic city institutions, such as parks and

playgrounds, have seriously declined in recent

years, as drug dealers and the homeless

move in and residents and their children stay

away. That’s why I think it is important to herald the kind of community action that has resulted in a stunning turnaround for Gen. Douglas MacArthur Playground in New York City.

Over the past year, the Turtle Bay Association, with the overwhelming support of neighborhood residents, has effected a revitalization

for the embattled playground.

The new MacArthur Playground should

serve as a shining example to all those who

doubt that communities can rally to bring

about substantive change. Beginning in 1994,

the Turtle Bay Association organized badly

needed renovations to the park, such as replacing contaminated sand in the sandbox and

repairing damaged park equipment. Recently,

the City Parks Foundation donated substantial

funds for the construction of a state-of-the-art

modular play system. To reduce installation

costs, neighborhood residents actually raised

money to purchase the equipment themselves.

Now MacArthur Playground stands ready for

its official ribbon-cutting ceremony on June

6th, a monument to community action as well

as an oasis for hundreds of children and their

parents.

The Turtle Bay Association and local residents should be commended for their devotion

to this extremely worthy project. Richard and

Amy Harary, and David and Susan Post Jensen in particular deserve special recognition

and thanks for their efforts to turn MacArthur

Playground around. I would also like to salute

860 and 870 UN Plaza, Chemical Bank, The

Family School, Post Jensen Inc., Richard’s Interior Design, the City Parks Foundation, and

the Tenants of 301 East 47th Street. Finally,

local merchants who donated food for volunteers at the project deserved recognition for

their generous part in this revitalization. These

people and organizations are a reminder to us

all that urban decline is not irreversible, that

caring neighbors can effect a world of good.

They give us hope for the future of our troubled cities.

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to report such

good news to my colleagues, and to be able

to congratulate all those who made it possible

for New York’s children to play in MacArthur

Playground again. I am confident that their efforts will be enjoyed by generations to come,

and I am hopeful that they will inspire others

to do the same for their communities.

THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF HEAD

fSTART

HON. DAVID E. BONIOR OF MICHIGAN

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 7, 1995

Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to

commemorate the 30th anniversary of Head

Start. It is hard to believe that one of the most

successful of the Great Society’s programs is

now 30 years old. For three decades this Federal program has been helping to improve the

quality of life for children throughout out Nation.

Head Start Works. It has proven to be successful in contributing to the readiness of children beginning school. It is far more than child

care. It is a comprehensive program that provides health, nutrition, and family services. It

involves parents by encouraging them to participate in classroom activities, accompanying

children on field trips, becoming substitute

teachers, and teaching them to help their children learn and grow. This family focus is one

of the reasons Head Start has been so successful. Unfortunately, many parents are unable to participate on a regular basis because

they must work. For these parents, Head Start

is a Godsend. Without Head Start, many children would simply lack adequate supervision

because their parents must struggle to pay the

bills.

Head Start is especially important for children with special needs. The identification of

speech or language difficulties as well as

more severe impairments allows early intervention to minimize and sometimes prevent

the long-range effects of such obstacles. The

health component provides youngsters an opportunity to have a complete health appraisal,

another advantage that many of these children

may not have had otherwise.

Today, the Macomb County Community

Services Agency [MCCSA] is hosting a Birthday celebration to mark the success they have

had in many of the communities I have the

privilege to represent. According to their mission statement, the challenge of MCCSA Head

Start is to empower participants towards selfsufficiency and skill development thereby removing barriers which limit the realization of

individual potential. Since the summer of

1965, the MCCSA Head Start program has

been removing barriers for literally thousands

of children. Originally a summer program serving barely 100 children, Head Start in Macomb

County has grown to serve children in 41

classrooms and four home based clusters. A

‘‘Community Action Agency,’’ MCCSA is dedicated to families and individuals seeking to improve their quality of life. For thirty years they

have been meeting the challenge with positive

results.

On this 30th anniversary, I applaud those

who have made the program a success and I

encourage my colleagues to join me in pledging continued support of Head Start.

CONGRESSIONAL REFORM

fHON. LEE H. HAMILTON OF INDIANA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 7, 1995

Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to

insert my Washington Report for Wednesday,

May 17, 1995 into the CONGRESSIONAL

RECORD.

REFORM OF CONGRESS

Congress has made significant progress in

its efforts to prevent and prosecute ethics

violations by individual Members. A ban on

honoraria for speeches, full financial disclosure, a prohibition on the use of official

funds for campaign expenses, and increased

scrutiny by the ethics committee have all

made Members of Congress more accountable

to the public. But public confidence in the

institution remains low, and further steps

are necessary.

Congress must continue to prosecute personal ethics violations vigorously, but we

must also strengthen Congress by addressing

institutional integrity more broadly. Some

congressional conduct, while it may be legal,

hampers the democratic process in the interest of political gain. We must broaden our

concept of public morality and the standards

of conduct to include a sense of fairness, respect for honest differences, and responsibility to the democratic process.

I have often expressed the concern that

money plays a disproportionate role in

American politics. The high cost of campaigns is increasing the dependence of candidates on special-interest groups, forcing

candidates to spend too much time raising

money instead of focusing on issues of national importance and meeting with voters.

Congress as an institution is damaged by

the perception that the flood of campaign

money or favors from lobbyists are influencing the behavior of Members of Congress.

Even though there is little evidence showing

a direct impact on Members’ voting records,

the public cannot be blamed for thinking

otherwise. The democratic process is also

damaged when Members make unfounded allegations or denigrate Congress as a whole

for personal political gain. Many important

reforms came close to passage last year, only

to falter in election-year politics. I support a

number of additional reforms to improve the

public image of Congress, including the following:

Campaign Finance Reform: The importance of Political Action Committees (PACs)

should be reduced. We should cap the total

amount of PAC contributions a candidate

could accept per election cycle and reduce

the maximum PAC contribution limit. Members of Congress should also be prohibited

from running ‘‘leadership PACs’’, which

some use to gain influence over other Members. Reform should require candidates to

emphasize small individual donations, capping the amount of large contributions a

candidate could accept per election cycle.