Senate Session 2011 - 11 - 08 - 15 - 43 - 25 - 16 - 53 - 19

SENATOR FROM ILLINOIS. ASK CONSENT THE QUORUM CALL BE SUSPENDED. WITHOUT OBJECTION. AND CONSENT TO SPEAK IN MORNING BUSINESS. WITHOUT OBJECTION. MR. PRESIDENT, THIS PAST SUNDAY I WAS WATCHING AN ABC MORNING NEWS SHOW AND CASSIAN AMANPOUR WAS INTERVIEWING OF THEth SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, JOHN BOEHNER. AND SPEAKER BOEHNER WAS ASKED A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS BUT THE ONE HE CLEARLY WANTED TO FOCUS ON WAS WHAT HE CALLED THE REPUBLICAN JOBS PROGRAM. AND HE HANDED TO MISS AMANPOUR A LAMINATED CARD WHICH HE SAID WAS THE REPUBLICAN JOBS PROGRAM THAT HAD PASSED THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND WAS DYING HERE IN THE SENATE, HAD NEVER BEEN CALLED FOR PASSAGE. AND SO IT STRUCK ME AS ODD BECAUSE I MISSED THAT DURING THE COURSE OF THIS LAST YEAR, THAT THERE WAS A REPUBLICAN JOBS PROGRAM, AND I WAS A LITTLE BIT WORRIED BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING FOR EVERY OPPORTUNITY WE CAN TO CREATE JOBS. AND SO I CAME BACK AND SAID TO MY STAFF, CAN YOU GET A COPY OF THIS LAMINATED CARD, I WANT TO SEE WHAT'S WRITTEN ON IT. WELL, THEY -- THEY PRODUCED THE CARD FOR ME AND TOOK A LOOK AT IT AND AS A RESULT OF IT, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT THE REPUBLICAN VIEW ON HOW TO CREATE JOBS AND MOVING THE ECONOMY FORWARD IS CONSIDERABLY DIFFERENT THAN MY OWN AND CONSIDERABLY DIFFERENT THAN THE VIEWS OF MOST AMERICANS. BECAUSE WHAT THE REPUBLICANS HAVE PROPOSED DOING IS ELIMINATING RULES AND REGULATIONS. THEY BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT'S HOLDING BACK THE GROWTH OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY. ONE OF THE AREAS THAT THEY PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON IS KNOWN AS THE DODD-FRANK BILL, THE WALL STREET REFORM BILL. SOME OF US ARE NOT SUFFERING FROM POLITICAL AMNESIA. WE CAN RECALL WHAT HAPPENED. JUST A FEW YEARS AGO ALL ACROSS AMERICA WHEN AT THE END OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, WE FACED SOME OF THE WORST CHOICES I HAVE EVER HEARD WHEN WE WERE PRESENTED AN OPPORTUNITY BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE, BEN BERNANKE, THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY, MR. PAULSON, TO LITERALLY BAIL OUT THE WALL STREET BANKS AND MAJOR INSTITUTIONS TO THE TUNE OF ALMOST $800 BILLION FOR MISTAKES THEY HAD MADE, AND WE WERE GIVEN AN ULTIMATUM. IF WE DIDN'T DO IT, WE COULD SEE A COLLAPSE OF OUR AMERICAN ECONOMY AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. AND SO MANY OF US RELUCTANTLY VOTED FOR THAT, BELIEVING THAT WE HAD NO CHOICE. WAS TO SEND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BANKS UP IN WALL STREET THAT HAD MADE SERIOUS MISTAKES, CREATING CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS AND DERIVATIVES, CREATING OFFICES IN LONDON THAT COULD SKIRT THE AMERICAN LAWS AND LITERALLY HANGING THE AMERICAN ECONOMY OUT TO DRY. THE NET RESULT OF THAT, OF COURSE, IS THAT ALL ACROSS AMERICA, PEOPLE SUFFERED. INDIVIDUALS LOST THEIR SAVINGS AND THEIR RETIREMENTS. FAMILIES WERE FACING HARDSHIP WHEN THEY WERE LAID OFF AND FACED UNEMPLOYMENT. BUSINESSES CLOSED AND RESTRUCTURED AND DOWNSIZED. THE WHOLE ECONOMY SUFFERED BECAUSE OF WHAT WAS CLEARLY WRONGDOING ON THE PART OF OUR FINANCIAL COMMUNITY. AS A RESULT OF THAT, PRESIDENT OBAMA SAID WE NEED TO CHANGE THE RULES AND LAWS IN AMERICA SO THAT THERE WILL BE ADEQUATE OVERSIGHT SO THAT WE NEVER GET INTO THIS MESS AGAIN. THE FIRST AMENDMENT ON THE DODD-FRANK BILL IN THE SENATE WAS OFFERED BY SENATOR BOXER OF CALIFORNIA, AND SHE SAID THIS IS THE END OF TOO BIG TO FAIL. WE'RE NEVER WALKING DOWN THIS PATH AGAIN. SO WE PUT OUR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND CORPORATIONS OF AMERICA ON NOTICE THAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO BAIL THEM OUT IN THE FUTURE SHOULD THEY MAKE ANOTHER COLOSSAL MISTAKE AT THE EXPENSE OF WORKERS AND FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES ACROSS AMERICA. THEN WE WENT THROUGH THE ENTIRE REGULATORY LAW AS IT RELATED TO WALL STREET, THE STOCK EXCHANGES AND ALL OF THE EXCHANGES ACROSS AMERICA AND SAID WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THERE IS TRANSPARENCY, THAT THE BANKS THAT WERE OVERLEVERAGED, LOANING FAR MORE THAN THEY SHOULD, ARE IN A POSITION WHERE THEY ARE FISCALLY SOUND, FINANCIALLY SOUND, AND HOW DO WE PUT COPS ON THE BEAT ON WALL STREET TO THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION AND THE COMMODITIES FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION TO GUARD AGAINST THIS SORT OF THING EVER OCCURRING AGAIN. WE OFFERED THAT AS WALL STREET REFORM, WITH THE SUPPORT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA BUT WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF A SINGLE REPUBLICAN NOT ONE. EFFORT. NOT ONE WOULD SUPPORT US IN THIS WE PASSED IT ANYWAY. THE PRESIDENT SIGNED IT. IT'S NOW BEING IMPLEMENTED, MOVING FORWARD, AND I THINK LONG OVERDUE. WELL, IT TURNS OUT THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT THE REPUBLICANS NOW WANT TO ELIMINATE IN THEIR EFFORT TO BUILD THE AMERICAN ECONOMY. WELL, I CAN TELL YOU WE WOULD BE BUILDING THE AMERICAN ECONOMY ON A HOUSE OF -- ON A FOUNDATION OF SAND IF WE DID IT. IF WE IGNORED THE EXPERIENCE WE HAD JUST A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN WE WERE FORCED INTO THIS BAILOUT SITUATION, SENDING BILLIONS TO THE BIGGEST BANKERS IN AMERICA AND HAVING THEM TURN AROUND AND DECLARE BONUSES FOR THEIR TOP OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES. IF WE WOULD IGNORE THAT REALITY AND THAT HISTORY AND SAY THAT WE WERE GOING TO FOLLOW THE REPUBLICAN LEAD AND ELIMINATE THIS OVERSIGHT OF WALL STREET, ECONOMIC DISASTER. IT WOULD JUST INVITE ANOTHER BUT YES, THAT IS ONE OF THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN PLANKS FOR AMERICAN ECONOMY. THE FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 2008 WIPED OUT EIGHT MILLION JOBS IN AMERICA. 24 MILLION AMERICANS TODAY ARE STILL SUFFERING, UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED. MILLIONS OF FAMILIES HAVE LOST THEIR HOMES. THE REPORT IN THE CHICAGO NEWSPAPERS THIS MORNING WAS STUNNING AND TROUBLING. ALMOST 50% OF THE HOMES IN OUR REGION IN CHICAGO ARE UNDER WATER. WHAT IT MEANS IS FAMILIES HAVE BORROWED MORE IN THEIR MORTGAGES THAN THEIR HOME IS CURRENTLY VALUED. THAT IS A TROUBLING DEVELOPMENT, BUT IT IS A REALITY. IT REFLECTS WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE OVERANXIOUS AND OVERINFLATED HAND. REAL ESTATE MARKET GOT OUT OF WE DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN AGAIN. IF WE'RE GOING TO AVOID IT, WE HAVE TO HAVE APPROPRIATE OVERSIGHT AND REGULATION. MANY FAMILIES HAVE SEEN THEIR HOME VALUES PLUMMET, NOT JUST IN CHICAGO BUT NATIONWIDE. THE RETIREMENT SAVINGS HAVE BEEN CUT IN HALF OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. IN ILLINOIS AND ACROSS AMERICA, SOLID WELL-RUN COMPANIES, MANY A BUSINESS FOR DECADES HAVE BEEN SHAKEN TO THE CORE BY THE LACK CUSTOMERS. OF CREDIT AND THE LACK OF SO WHAT DO OUR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES OFFER AS A SOLUTION? WHAT IS THE REPUBLICAN JOBS PLAN? INCREDIBLY, THEY HAVE RESPONDED TO AMERICA'S ECONOMIC CRISIS, NOT BY RETHINKING THEIR DEREGULATION DOGMA BUT BY DOUBLING DOWN. LET ME EXPLAIN. IN ADDITION TO REPEALING WALL STREET REFORM, REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO CHANGE THE MOST BASIC PROTECTIONS WE HAVE IN AMERICA FOR CLEAN AIR AND PURE DRINKING WATER. THINK ABOUT THIS. THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE HAS VOTED 168 TIMES THIS YEAR, 168 TIMES TO UNDERCUT CLEAN AIR AND CLEAN WATER LAWS AND TO BLOCK EFFORTS TO LIMIT GLOBAL WARMING, PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH, PROTECT THE PUBLIC LANDS THAT WE HAVE BEEN LEFT BY PREVIOUS GENERATIONS AND GUARD FUTURE OIL SPILLS. 168 TIMES JUST THIS YEAR, AND THEY ARE NOT FINISHED. OUR COLLEAGUES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE HAVE ATTACHED MORE THAN 50 ANTIENVIRONMENTAL POLICY RIDERS SO FAR TO SPENDING BILLS FOR NEXT YEAR. THEY ARE UNRELENTING. I WON'T GO INTO ALL OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROTECTIONS THE REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO BLOCK. LET ME FOCUS ON TWO. REPUBLICANS HAVE USED THE SENATE'S RULE 14 TO PLACE BILLS BLOCKING THESE TWO NEW RULES DIRECTLY ON THE SENATE CALENDAR RATHER THAN GOING THROUGH THE REGULAR ORDER. IT'S THEIR RIGHT TO DO THAT. THEY ARE SAYING IN EFFECT WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THE NORMAL RULES, WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO AMERICAN PEOPLE. HEAR FROM THE SCIENTISTS OR THE WE NEED TO BURY THESE RULES RIGHT NOW. THE FIRST RULE THEY WANT TO DELAY IS THE BOILER MACT RULE, THE MACT RULE. IT'S AN ACRONYM THAT STANDS FOR MAXIMUM ACHIEVABLE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY. THE BOILER MACT RULE WOULD REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF MERCURY DIE OBJECTION INCHES, ACID GASES AND OTHER TOXIC POLLUTANTS THAT CAN EMITTED BY LARGE INDUSTRIAL BOILERS AND SOLID WASTE INCINERATORS. IS THAT THE KEY TO BUILDING JOBS IN AMERICA? LARGE INDUSTRIAL BOILERS SPEWING MORE TOXIC CHEMICALS INTO THE AIR, SOLID WASTE INCINERATORS BURNING WITHOUT THE REGULATION TO PRENGT -- PROTECT THE PEOPLE THAT HAPPEN TO LIVE DOWNWIND? THESE CHEMICALS CAN CAUSE CANCER, HEART, LUNG AND KIDNEY DISEASE, DAMAGE TO EYES AND SKIN, IMPAIR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN AND BABIES AND LEARNING ABILITY AND THEY CAN KILL PEOPLE. THAT'S A FACT. THE OTHER NEW CLEAN AIR RULE IN THE CROSS HAIRS FROM THE REPUBLICANS IS THE SO-CALLED CROSS-STATE AIR POLLUTION RULE. IT WOULD REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN TWO TOXIC CHEMICALS -- SULFUR DIOXIDE AND NITROGEN OXIDE RELEASED BY ELECTRIC POWER PLANTS. THESE CHEMICALS NOT ONLY CAUSE SICKNESS AND DEATH, THEY CAN SPREAD HUNDREDS OF MILES DOWNWIND AND ACROSS STATE LINES. MANY STATES CAN'T DEVELOP NEW JOBS AND INDUSTRIES BECAUSE THEY HAVE REACHED THEIR AIR POLLUTION LIMITS UNDER NATIONAL CLEAN AIR STANDARDS, BUT NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY ARE DOING IN THEIR STATES BUT RATHER FOR THE WIND THAT'S BLOWING FROM OTHER STATES WITH POLLUTION. WHAT PUTS THEM OVER THE LIMIT ARE EMISSIONS THAT TRAVEL FROM OLD COAL-BURNING POWER PLANTS IN OTHER STATES. FAIR. THAT'S NOT RIGHT, AND IT'S NOT THE CROSS-STATE AIR POLLUTION RULE WOULD SET NEW LIMITS ON SULFUR DIOXIDE AND NITROGEN OXIDE EMISSIONS AND ESTABLISH AN EMISSIONS CAP-AND-TRADE SYSTEM FOR 31 EASTERN STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IT'S A REASONABLE, MARKET-BASED SOLUTION TO A SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT. IT. THE REPUBLICANS WOULD ABOLISH BOTH THE BOILER MACT RULE AND THE CROSS-STATE POLLUTION RULE REPLACE RULES THAT WERE DEVELOPED BY THE E.P.A. AS FAR BACK AS THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, RULES THAT WERE STRICKEN BY THE D.C. CIRCUIT COURT. IN BOTH CASES, THE COURT ORDERED THE E.P.A. TO COME UP WITH A NEW RULE. HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE ALREADY PASSED A BILL TO DELAY THESE NEW AIR POLLUTION QUALITY STANDARDS FOR AT LEAST 15 MONTHS, AND HERE IN THE SENATE, THEY WOULD DELAY THEM FOR UP TO FIVE YEARS. AS FOR THE CROSS-STATE AIR POLLUTION RULE, SENATOR RAND PAUL OF KENTUCKY HAS INTRODUCED A RESOLUTION OF DISAPPROVAL TO JUST KILL IT ALTOGETHER SO THERE WILL BE NO STANDARD, SO THAT IF YOU HAPPEN TO LIVE DOWNWIND FROM A POLLUTING POWER PLANT AND YOUR STATE IS TRYING TO DO ITS BEST AVAIL. TO CLEAN UP ITS ACT, IT'S TO NO THE AIR POLLUTION QUALITY WILL BE SO BAD IN YOUR STATE BECAUSE OF YOUR NEIGHBORING STATE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO FACE SERIOUS PROBLEMS AND RESTRICTIONS IN YOUR OWN DEVELOPMENT. THE HOUSE HAS TAKEN AN EVEN MORE RADICAL APPROACH. THEY VOTED ALMOST ENTIRELY ALONG PARTY LINES, PASSING A REPUBLICAN BILL CALLED THE TRAIN ACT, THAT WOULD DELAY INDEFINITELY THE CROSS-STATE AIR POLLUTION RULE AND ANOTHER LIFE-SAVING RULE, THE MERCURY AND TOXIC STANDARDS, AIR TOXIC STANDARDS. THE ACT WOULD ALSO OVERTURN THE LEGAL REQUIREMENT THAT E.P.A.'S PUBLIC HEALTH RULES BE BASED ON BEST ADVICE OF SCIENTISTS, NOT THE DEMANDS OF POLITICIANS OR THEIR DONORS. IT'S THE MOST SERIOUS ATTACK ON THE CLEAN AIR ACT SINCE THE LAW WAS PASSED 40 YEARS AGO UNDER PRESIDENT -- REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT RICHARD M. NIXON. PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS ALREADY SAID HE'S GOING TO VETO ANY BILLS THAT WOULD DELAY THE NEW CLEAN AIR RULES, AND OUR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES KNOW THEY DON'T HAVE THE VOTE TO OVERRIDE HIS VETO, SO ONCE AGAIN, THEY ARE FORCING THE SENATE TO DEBATE MEASURES THEY KNOW HAVE NO CHANCE, ZERO CHANCE OF BECOMING LAW, AND THAT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IS THE REPUBLICAN JOBS PLAN. REPUBLICANS SAY FEDERAL AGENCIES SHOULD ANALYZE THE COST TO BUSINESS OF EVERY NEW REGULATION, WHETHER IT'S MEANT TO PROTECT AGAINST WALL STREET RECKLESSNESS, OFFSHORE OIL DISASTERS, LEAD-BASED TOYS OR KILLER CANTALOUPES. IF A REGULATION HURTS THE CORPORATE BOTTOM LINE, THE REPUBLICANS ARGUE IT SHOULDN'T BE PASSED. I HAVE A COUNTERPROPOSAL FOR MY COLLEAGUES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE. WHO PROPOSES DEREGULATING AN INDUSTRY OUGHT TO BE REQUIRED TO TELL THE PUBLIC HOW MUCH MONEY DEREGULATION WOULD COST, HOW MANY JOBS MIGHT BE LOST, HOW MANY LIVES MIGHT BE CUT SHORT, HOW MANY CHILDREN AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY WILL END UP IN THE HOSPITAL AND HOW MUCH OF OUR NATION'S NATURAL DESTROYED. TREASURIES MIGHT BE SCARED OR DESTROYED. LET'S HAVE -- SCARRED OR LET'S HAVE AN HONEST ASSESSMENT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LEDGER. MR. PRESIDENT, WHEN I TRAVEL ACROSS MY STATE, MUCH LIKE YOUR SMALL TOWNS. STATE, WE HAVE BIG CITIES AND I GO TO SCHOOLS AND I TALK TO THE KIDS, AND USUALLY THEY HAVE THE COMMON QUESTIONS, DO YOU HAVE A LIMOUSINE, HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU MAKE AND THINGS THAT KIDS WILL ASK YOU. AND SO I ASK QUESTIONS BACK TO THEM. ONE QUESTION I HAVE STARTED ASKING AT EVERY SCHOOL IS THE FOLLOWING -- HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS SUFFERING FROM ASTHMA? WITHOUT FAIL, MORE THAN HALF THE HANDS WILL GO UP. IN MOUNT STERLING, ILLINOIS, A SMALL FARM TOWN DOWN IN BROWN COUNTY IN DOWN STATE ILLINOIS, HALF THE HANDS WENT UP. I GUARANTEE YOU THAT EVERY CLASSROOM IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO, MORE THAN HALF THE HANDS WILL GO UP. ASTHMA HAS BECOME EPIDEMIC IN AMERICA, AND IT IS RELATED TO MANY THINGS, INCLUDING THE BREATHE. QUALITY OF THE AIR THAT WE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO, IT'S HARD TO FIND A CHILD WHO DOESN'T SUFFER FROM ASTHMA. IN 2007, THE COST OF ASTHMA-RELATED HOSPITALIZATIONS $280 MILLION. IN ILLINOIS TOTALED THE AVERAGE STAY COST $15,000 FOR AN ASTHMA CASE. AND NEARLY 60% OF THOSE HOSPITAL COSTS WERE PAID FOR BY TAXPAYERS THROUGH MEDICARE AND MEDICAID. AIR POLLUTION MAKES ASTHMA WORSE. IF WE REDUCE AIR POLLUTION, WE CAN REDUCE ASTHMA ATTACKS, AND ASTHMA-RELATED DEATHS AND SAVE TAXPAYERS TENS OF BILLIONS A YEAR JUST IN THE COST OF TREATING THAT SINGLE DISEASE. THAT'S SOMETHING YOU NEVER HEAR WHEN THE DISCIPLES OF DEREGULATION START PREACHING. HERE ARE SOME OTHER FACTS YOU WON'T HEAR ABOUT DEREGULATION FROM THE DEREGULATION DEVOTEEES. THE NEW BOILER MACT RULE WILL CREATE JOBS, NOT ELIMINATE THEM. IT WILL PREVENT BETWEEN 2,500 AND 6,500 PREMATURE DEATHS EACH YEAR AND IT WOULD SAVE BETWEEN $22 BILLION AND $54 BILLION A YEAR IN HEALTH CARE COSTS. THE CROSS-STATE AIR POLLUTION RULE WHICH THEY WOULD ALSO ABOLISH WOULD ALSO NET THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS, PREVENT $400,000 CASES OF AGGRAVATED ASTHMA AND 34,000 PREMATURE DEATHS EACH HEALTH CARE COSTS. YEAR, SAVING $280 BILLION IN IN MY STATE ALONE, THE CROSS-STATE RULE WILL SAVE 1,500 LIVES A YEAR AND PROVIDE ENOUGH PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFIT TO SAVE OUR STATE $12 BILLION. $12 BILLION IN ILLINOIS. THAT'S MORE THAN ILLINOIS SPENT ON HEALTH, HOSPITALS AND HIGHWAYS COMBINED IN THE YEAR 2009. GAMBLE, EVEN FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE DEREGULATED. DURING THE LAST ADMINISTRATION, OIL COMPANIES WERE ALLOWED TO ADMINISTRATION. SELF-REGULATE UNDER THE BUSH HOW DID THAT WORK IN THE GULF OF MEXICO WITH BRITISH PETROLEUM? INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTAL THE GULF OIL SPILL IS THE WORST DISASTER IN U.S. HISTORY. CONGRATULATIONS, SELF-REGULATORS. LOCAL BUSINESSES SUFFER $4 BILLION TO $12 BILLION IN LOST INCOME BECAUSE OF COMPANY. SELF-REGULATION BY A MAJOR OIL B.P. ALONE IS LIKELY TO SPEND $40 BILLION IN CLAIMS, FINES AND OTHER EXPENSES FROM THIS HISTORIC, AWFUL SPILL. NOW, THOSE WHO PUSH FOR DEREGULATION TELL US ENVIRONMENTAL RULES ARE JOB KILLERS, NOTHING BUT A BURDEN ON BUSINESSES AND CONSUMERS. THEY'RE WRONG. REGULATIONS THAT ARE WELL DESIGNED ARE, TO BORROW A PHRASE FROM OUR REPUBLICAN FRIENDS, JOB CREATORS. THEY CAN SPUR INNOVATION, CREATE NEW PRODUCTS, NEW JOBS, EVEN WHOLE NEW INDUSTRIES. A STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE -- BY THE POLITICAL ECONOMY RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST ESTIMATES THAT NEW IRE POLLUTION RULES FOR POWER PLANTS WILL PROVIDE LONG-TERM ECONOMIC BENEFITS ACROSS MUCH OF THE UNITED STATES IN TERMS OF HIGHLY SKILLED, WELL-PAID JOBS THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT. SPECIFICALLY, CLEAR AIR INVESTMENTS COULD CREATE 25,000 NEW JOBS IN 2015 RIGHT HERE AT HOME. TO BRING THIS STORY CLOSER TO HOME, JUST RECENTLY I MADE A TRIP IN ILLINOIS TO A NEW COAL-FIRED PLANT. IT'S A PLANT THAT IS AMAZING. IT'S CALLED THE PRAIRIE STATE ENERGY CAMPUS AND IT'S OWNED BY A NUMBER OF ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES. IT HAS $1 BILLION INVESTMENT IN THE CLEAN USE OF COAL TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY. THEY TOOK A LOOK AT THE LAW AND INSTEAD OF HIRING LAWYERS TO FIGHT IT, THEY HIRED ENGINEERS TO COMPLY WITH IT AND THE PLANT IS UP AND RUNNING. IT IS A MARVEL TO BEHOLD AND RIGHT ACROSS FROM THIS PLANT IS A COAL MINE. AND THE COAL THAT IS DRAWN FROM THAT MINE GOES INTO THIS PLANT AND MEETS ALL THE SPESKSES ARE REQUIRED TODAY BY THE E.P.A. THE PEOPLE WHO ARE RUNNING THIS PLANT ARE NOT WHINING AND CRYING AND BEGGING FOR RELIEF. THEY ROLLED UP THEIR SLEEVES AND BUILT A PLANT MUCH CLEANER THAN ANYTHING THAT EXISTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THEY ARE PROVING IT CAN BE PROFITABLE. I WISH MY REPUBLICAN FRIENDS WOULD COME TO THE PRAIRIE STATE ENERGY CAMPUS. THEY SHOULD SEE AND KNOW THAT 4,000 UNION JOBS WERE CREATED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS PLANT. AND THEY EXPECT TO HAVE 500 PERMANENT LOCAL JOBS TO BOOST THE ILLINOIS ECONOMY BY $785 MILLION A YEAR WITH OUR OWN LOCAL COAL. THE CAMPUS INCLUDES TWO GENERATORS THAT WILL PRODUCE 1,600 MEGAWATTS OF CLEAN, LOW-COST ENERGY FOR CUSTOMERS IN THE MIDWEST. IT WILL GO ONLINE BY THE END OF THE YEAR. TECHNOLOGY, 15% LOWER. CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS WILL BE AND THE PLANT WILL SAVE AN ESTIMATED 250,000 TONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE BY MINING IT AT AN ADJACENT COAL MINE. 160 MINERS. IT'S NOT MY FIRST VISIT TO A COAL MINE BUT IT'S AN EYE OPENER SEE HOW THEY MINE COAL TODAY. TWO WEEKS AGO, PRAIRIE STATE ANNOUNCED PLANS TO HIRE EVEN MORE MINERS. IN ILLINOIS INCIDENTALLY COAL MINERS MAKE A DECENT WAGE, $65,000 A YEAR. THESE ARE GOOD JOBS IN AMERICA MINING COAL TO BE USED IN A CLEAN COAL PLANT. IT CAN BE DONE. THE REPUBLICANS OUGHT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT CAN BE DONE AND DMU JOBS ARE BEING CREATED IN THE PROCESS WHILE WE'RE REDUCING AIR POLLUTION. TWO OUT OF THREE AMERICANS SAID THEY SUPPORT NEW CLEAN AIR RULES AND OPPOSE WHAT THE REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO DO IN THE NAME OF JOB CREATION. NEARLY 90% OF ALL AMERICANS, NEARLY 60% OF REPUBLICANS AND CONSERVATIVES, I MIGHT ADD, SAID CONGRESS SHOULD NOT PREVENT THE E.P.A. FROM ENFORCING THE NEW RULES. I WISH THAT MY REPUBLICAN FRIENDS WHO ARE SO DEAD SET ON ELIMINATING THESE STANDARDS FOR AIR AND WATER POLLUTION WOULD LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE ACROSS AMERICA WHO WANT CLEANER AIR AND PURER DRINKING WATER AND ARE WILLING TO SEE REASONABLE REGULATION TO REACH THOSE GOALS. THE PUSH TO KILL NEW CLEAN AIR RULES ISN'T JUST COMING FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. IT'S PART OF A HUGE POWER GRAB. THE U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS HAVE LAUNCHED AN UNPRECEDENTED ANTI-REGULATION CAMPAIGN. THE CHAMBER IS REPORTEDLY SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO PUSH THE MESSAGE THAT REGULATIONS ARE JOB KILLERS. THEIR GOAL IS TO ROLL BACK EXISTING ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH, FINANCIAL, AND OTHER REGULATORY PROTECTION AND TO BLOCK ANY NEW PROTECTION. THEY ARE USING THE AMERICAN JOB CRIES TOYS TRY TO PUSH THROUGH WILL INCREASE OUR DEFICIT, ACTUALLY TAKE AWAY JOBS IN AMERICA, AND CAUSE THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS TO GET SICK AND SOME TO DIE. JUST TO CUT TAXES ON MILLIONAIRES AND BILLIONAIRES AND GET RID OF GOVERNMENT REGULATION AND THEY BELIEVE WE CAN GET THE ECONOMY HUMMING AGAIN. THAT'S THEIR CREDO. MADAM PRESIDENT, IF THAT WERE TRUE THE LAST ADMINISTRATION WOULD HAVE BEEN THE MOST PROSPEROUS IN OUR HISTORY BECAUSE THAT IS THE MESSAGE AND PHILOSOPHY AND AGENDA THAT GUIDED THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION. INSTEAD, IN THE WORDS OF "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL," NOT EXACTLY A DEMOCRATIC PUBLICATION , GEORGE W. BUSH'S ADMINISTRATION PRODUCED THE WORST JOBS RECORD ON RECORD. WE'VE TRIED THIS. IT DOESN'T WORK. WE'VE SEEN THIS MOVIE, WE KNOW HOW IT ENDS. THIS NOTION OF PROTECTING MILLIONAIRES FROM ANY TAXES AND REPEALING ANY LAWS RELATED TO THE REGULATION OF OUR ECONOMY JUST DIDN'T WORK UNDER THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND SHOULDN'T BE TRIED AGAIN. MADAM PRESIDENT, THE REASON TWO MILLION AMERICANS ARE OUT OF WORK HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH EXCESSIVE FINANCIAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION. IF ANYTHING, OUR ECONOMY IS HURTING BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE APPROPRIATE REGULATION IN PLACE NOW TO AVOID THE EXCESSES OF THE PAST. TO SAY THAT WE CAN'T CREATE JOBS WITHOUT CREATING DANGEROUS LEVELS OF TOXIC CHEMICALS IN OUR AIR AND WATER IS AN ABSOLUTELY FALSE CHOICE. WE'VE GOT TO FIND AN APPROACH THAT PROTECTS THE HEALTH OF AMERICAN FAMILIES AND BALANCES THE NEEDS OF BUSINESS AND IS BASED ON THE REALITY OF SCIENCE. FOR 40 YEARS DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS USED TO WORK TOGETHER ON THIS AGENDA. WE NEED TO DO IT AGAIN. IN THE MEANTIME, IF OUR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES WANT TO CREATE GOOD MIDDLE-CLASS JOBS HERE AT HOME, LET'S PASS THE PRESIDENT'S AMERICAN JOBS ACT. THIS WILL NOT ONLY CREATE JOBS, IT WILL FUND INFRASTRUCTURE AND ROAD REPAIRS, CUT PAYROLL TAXES FOR WORKING FAMILIES, SAVING AVERAGE FAMILY ABOUT $1,500 A YEAR AND EXTEND BADLY NEEDED UNEMPLOYMENT TBOAFTS THOSE OUT OF WORK. IT KEEPS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM AND COPS AND FIREFIGHTERS ON THE JOB COMMUNITIES. IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND JOBS. THAT'S THE WAY TO CREATE GOOD AMERICA DOESN'T NEED DIRTY WATER AND DIRTY AIR TO CREATE GOOD-PAYING JOBS. I HOPE THE REPUBLICAN AGENDA EVEN IF IT'S LAMINATED ON A CARD PASSED ARE OUT BY SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER WILL REALIZE WE CAN DO BETTER BY NOT COMOM COMPROMISING OUR PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE NATION WE LIVE IN. I YIELD THE FLOOR AND SUGGEST THE ABSENCE OF A QUORUM. THE CLERK WILL CALL THE ROLL. QUORUM CALL: BOOZMAN: MR. PRESIDENT. THE SENATOR FROM ARKANSAS. I WOULD LIKE TO RESCIND THE QUORUM. WITHOUT OBJECTION. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THOSE WHO EARNED THE TITLE OF VETERAN. THE 11th HOUR OF THE 11th MONTH MARKED THE END OF WORLD WAR I. SINCE THEN THIS DAY HAS BEEN CELEBRATED FIRST AS ARMISTICE DAY BUT NOW AS VETERANS DAY. NO MATTER WHAT WE CALL IT IT SERVES THE PURPOSE OF HONORING OUR NATION'S HEROES, THOSE WHO SERVED IN THE MILITARY, OUR VETERANS. AS SON OF A WORLD WAR II VETERAN WHO SERVED AS A GUNNER ON B-17'S I GREW UP IN A FAMILY ROOTED IN MILITARY TRADITION. MY FATHER REMAINED IN THE MILITARY UNTIL HE RETIRED FROM THE AIR FORCE AS A MASTER SERGEANT AFTER 20 YEARS OF SERVICE. AT AN EARLY AGE BY BROTHER, MY SISTER, AND I WERE TAUGHT ABOUT THE SACRIFICES OUR MEN AND WOMEN MAKE IN UNIFORM. GROWING UP IN THIS ENVIRONMENT GAVE US AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE THAT MILITARY FAMILIES FACE AND UNDERSTANDING THAT GUIDES MY EFFORTS TODAY. MY MOM WOULD CONTINUALLY REMIND ME OF MY RESPONSIBILITY AS A PUBLICKER IS VANITY TO KEEP OUR PROMISES TO THOSE WHO SERVED IN OUR NATION'S UNIFORM. UNTIL HER RECENT PASSING ONE OF HER FIRST QUESTIONS I WOULD ASK WHENEVER I SAW HER WOULD INEVITABLY BE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR VETERANS LATELY? I ALSO -- I WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO ANSWER WITH A CLEAN CONSCIENCE SERVING IN THE HOUSE AND NOW IN THEth SENATE. DESPITE HOW DIVIDED WE H.R., DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS COME TOGETHER MORE OFTEN THAN NOT TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES. TODAY IN THE SENATE VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE WE ARE WORKING TO SECURE THE BENEFITS OUR VETERANS DESERVE AND IMPROVE EXISTING BENEFITS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF MORE THAN 23 MILLION AMERICAN VETERANS. INCLUDING 257,000 WHO CALL HOME. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR ALL OF US TO REMEMBER IS THE REASON THAT WE ARE WORKING TO IMPROVE VETERANS' BENEFITS -- THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR ARMED FORCES AND THEIR FAMILIES. THROUGH THEIR SELFLESS SACRIFICE, WE ARE PROTECTED FROM OUR ENEMIES. THEY MAKE THE UNITED STATES A SAFER PLACE TO LIVE. THEY HAVE HEARD OUR NATION'S CALL AND MET THE CHALLENGE WITH THEIR SERVICE. IT'S NOW UP TO US TO ENSURE OUR VETERANS HAVE ACCESS TO ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT OUR GREAT NATION HAS TO OFFER. TAKING CARE OF OUR VETERANS IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY AMERICAN. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR VETERANS AND TO REFLECT ON THOSE WHO SERVE IN CONFLICTS AROUND THE GLOBE AS WELL AS THOSE WHO ARE SERVING TODAY IN SUPPORT OF THE AFGHANISTAN. WAR ON TERROR IN IRAQ AND LET US ALSO REFLECT ON THE SACRIFICES OF THOSE WHO HAVE DEVOTION. FULL MEASURE OF IN SEPTEMBER I CAME TO THE FLOOR, TO THE SENATE FLOOR TO HONOR THE LIVES OF FIVE ARKANSANS WHO WERE KILLED IN ACTION THIS YEAR. LAST WEEK, SADLY WE LOST A SIXTH MEMBER FROM ARKANSAS THIS YEAR: SPECIALIST SARINAM. BUTCHER FOLLOWED IN THE FOOD STEPS OF HER GRANDFATHER -- FOOTSTEPS OF HER GRANDFATHER AND BROTHER AND 2010. JOINED THE MILITARY IN APRIL OF AS A MEMBER OF THE OKLAHOMA NATIONAL GUARD SHE SERVED AS AN AUTOMATIC LOGISTICAL SPECIALIST BUT HER ULTIMATE GOAL WAS TO BECOME A NURSE. AT THE AGE OF 19 THIS ARKANSAS NATIVE AND MOTHER TO A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL WAS KILLED IN AN I.E.D. EXPLOSION IN AFGHANISTAN ON NOVEMBER 1. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR HER SERVICE AND HER SACRIFICE. WE ARE FOREVER INDEBTED TO HER AND EVERY AMERICAN WHO HAS WORN THE UNIFORM AND SACRIFICED THEIR OWN SAFETY AND SECURITY FOR THAT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. EVERY DAY THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR ARMED FORCES STAND IN DEFENSE OF OUR NATION AND OUR CHERISHED WAY OF LIFE. THEY DO SO REGARDLESS OF COST, FULLY AWARE THAT THEY MAY BE CALLED TO PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR THEIR COUNTRY. THIS WEEK COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY GATHER TO EXPRESS OUR UNDYING GRATITUDE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE WORN OUR NATION'S UNIFORM. LET US ALWAYS HONOR THE SERVICE OF THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED AND THOSE ON THE FRONT LINES TODAY AS WE ADDRESS THE IMPORTANT CHALLENGES FACING THE NATION. TO ALL OF OUR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES, THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF A GRATEFUL NATION. AND WITH THAT, I YIELD BACK, MADAM PRESIDENT. A SENATOR: MADAM PRESIDENT? THE SENATOR FROM VERMONT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THERE ARE TWO ISSUES THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TOUCH UPON THIS ARE VERY SIGNIFICANT IMPORTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF OUR COUNTRY. MADAM PRESIDENT, ON SUNDAY, JUST TWO DAYS AGO, I HELD A TOWN MEETING IN MONTPELIER, VERMONT, ON THE ISSUE OF SAVING THE POSTAL SERVICE. AND I WAS, FRANKLY, STUNNED BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CAME. AS YOU KNOW, VERMONT IS NOT THE LARGEST STATE IN THE COUNTRY, AND YET WE HAD SOME 350 PEOPLE CROWDING INTO THE CAFETERIA AT MONTPELIER HIGH SCHOOL TO SAY VERY CLEARLY THAT THEY DO NOT DISMEMBERED. WANT TO SEE THE POSTAL SERVICE THEY DO NOT WANT TO SEE POLICIES DEVELOPED WHICH WILL CREATE A DEATH SPIRAL FOR THE POST OFFICES OF AMERICA. AND WE HEARD A LOT OF TESTIMONY FROM MANY PEOPLE. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT EVERYBODY IN THAT ROOM THOUGHT THAT IT WAS TERRIBLY WRONG THAT OF A RECESSION THE POST OFFICE IS TALKING ABOUT CUTTING 120,000 GOOD-PAYING JOBS IN OUR COUNTRY. IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ANYBODY IN THAT ROOM. AND I FIND IT IRONIC THAT AT A MOMENT WHEN APPROPRIATELY ENOUGH -- AND I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE EFFORT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CREATING JOBS FOR VETERANS WHO ARE COMING HOME FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WITH HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE POST OFFICE ARE IN FACT VETERANS. SO ON THE ONE HAND WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE JOBS FOR VETERANS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF THE POSTAL SERVICE DOES WHAT IT WANTS, WE MAY END UP LOSING 120,000 JOBS, INCLUDING MANY FOR VETERANS. MADAM PRESIDENT, I WANTED TO JUST TOUCH ON SOME OF THE IMPORTANT ISSUES I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH WITH REGARD TO THE POSTAL SERVICE. AND I WANT TO JUST GO OVER A SENATORS LEAHY, GILLIBRAND, AND WYDEN AND MYSELF SENT TO THE CHAIRPEOPLE AND RANKING MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND THE SUBCOMMITTEE AS WELL. AND THAT IS SENATORS LIEBERMAN, COLLINS, CARPER, AND SCOTT BROWN. THESE ARE THE POINTS THAT WE MADE IN OUR LETTER, AND THESE ARE POINTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE INCORPORATED IN LEGISLATION THAT I WILL BE INTRODUCING THIS WEEK, LEGISLATION THAT I THINK IS COMMONSENSE LEGISLATION, LEGISLATION THAT WILL HELP US CREATE A BUSINESS MODEL SO THAT THE POSTAL SERVICE CAN BE SUCCESSFUL, LEGISLATION THAT WILL SAVE 120,000 JOBS. AND THIS IS WHAT WE WROTE IN THE COMMITTEE. LETTER TO THE HOMELAND SECURITY FIRST AND FOREMOST -- A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THIS. PEOPLE SAY CORRECTLY POSTAL SERVICE IS HAVING PROBLEMS BECAUSE WE'RE IN A DIGITAL AGE. FIRST-CLASS MAIL IS GOING DOWN BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE E-MAILING. THAT'S TRUE. OF ALL, WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF A RECESSION. MANY BUSINESSES ARE FACING PROBLEMS. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT FINANCIAL PROBLEM FACING THE POST OFFICE TODAY ARE NOT THOSE ISSUES. THEY ARE THE ISSUES OF ACCOUNTING APPROACHES WHICH HAVE DONE GREAT DISSERVICE TO THE POSTAL SERVICE. THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE UNIQUELY HAS BEEN FORCED TO PREFUND 75 YEARS WORTH OF FUTURE RETIREE HEALTH BENEFITS IN JUST TEN YEARS. THERE IS NO OTHER AGENCY OF GOVERNMENT WHICH COMES CLOSE TO THAT ONEROUS REQUIREMENT, NOR DO WE BELIEVE THERE ARE ANY COMPANIES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR THAT HAVE BEEN ASKED TO DO THAT. SO YOU'RE ASKING THE POSTAL SERVICE TO COME UP WITH A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY, PUT IT INTO A FUND IN A WAY THAT NO OTHER AGENCY OF GOVERNMENT, AND WE NO OTHER PRIVATE COMPANY HAS BEEN FORCED TO DO. THIS MANDATE COSTS THE POSTAL SERVICE BETWEEN $5.4 BILLION AND $5.8 BILLION PER YEAR AND IT ACCOUNTS FOR 100% OF THE POSTAL SERVICE'S $20 BILLION DEBT. WITHOUT THAT ONEROUS REQUIREMENT, THE USPS WOULD STILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT BORROWING AUTHORITY WITH THE UNITED STATES TREASURY TO RIDE OUT THE TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES WE'RE SEEING IN THE RECESSION. FURTHERMORE, IT'S NOT ONLY FUTURE RETIREE HEALTH BENEFITS THAT THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO COME UP AND FUND, BUT THE USPS NEEDS TO RECOUP THE OVERPAYMENTS THAT IT HAS MADE TO THE CSRS AND TO THE FERS, THE FEDERAL RETIREMENT SYSTEM. ACCORDING TO STUDIES BY THE HEY GROUP AND SEGAL COMPANY, USPS OVERPAID THE CSRS BY $65 BILLION TO $75 BILLION. IF WE CAN DEAL WITH THOSE ISSUES AND TREAT THE POSTAL SERVICE FAIRLY, WE WILL HAVE GONE A VERY LONG WAY TOWARD ADDRESSING THE IMMEDIATE FINANCIAL CRISIS THAT THE POSTAL SERVICE IS FACING. SECOND OF ALL, WHAT WE WANT TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT AS WE DEVELOP BUSINESS MODELS FOR THE FUTURE IS NOT START CUTTING, CUTTING AND CUTTING AND CREATING A POSTAL SERVICE WHICH WILL NO LONGER HAVE CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR LITERALLY A DEATH SPIRAL AND THE DESTRUCTION AND DEMISE OF THE POSTAL SERVICE IN YEARS TO COME. I COME FROM A RURAL STATE, AND POST OFFICES ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THE PEOPLE OF SMALL TOWNS ABOVE AND BEYOND GETTING MAIL. THEY BECOME, IN A SENSE, IN SOME WAYS THE IDENTIFYING FEATURE OF A SMALL TOWN. IT'S WHERE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER AND THEY TALK. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT IN MY MIND NOT TO PELL-MELL START CUTTING HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF SMALL POST OFFICES IN RURAL AMERICA. AND THE LEGISLATION THAT WE WILL BE OFFERING THIS WEEK ADDRESSES THAT PROBLEM AND I THINK A SENSIBLE AND REASONABLE WAY. SECOND OF ALL, THE POSTAL SERVICE CAN NEVER BE COMPETITIVE IF WHEN YOU DROP A LETTER INTO A POSTAL BOX, IT TAKES FIVE DAYS DESTINATION. FOR THAT LETTER TO GET TO ITS AND ONE OF THE IDEAS THAT THE POSTAL SERVICE IS TALKING ABOUT IS MAKING VERY SIGNIFICANT CUTS CENTERS. IN WHAT THEY CALL PROCESSING THAT'S WHERE THE MAIL IS GATHERED AND FORWARDED. AND IF YOU CUT THOSE CENTERS -- IN MY STATE WE HAVE TWO THAT ARE ON THE LINE. ONE IN ESSEX JUNCTION AND ONE IN WHITE RIVER JUNCTION. IF YOU CUT THOSE AND CUT OTHER PROCESSING CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS THAT WHEN YOU DROP THAT LETTER INTO A MAILBOX, IT COULD TAKE UP TO FIVE DAYS FOR THAT LETTER TO REACH ITS DESTINATION. AND WHEN YOU HAVE THAT POOR SERVICE, PEOPLE SIMPLY ARE GOING TO STOP USING THE POST OFFICE, AND THAT CONTINUES THE DEATH SPIRAL. PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO USE THE SERVICE. THIRDLY, AND IN THE SAME VEIN, THE POSTAL SERVICE IS NOW DELIVERY. TALKING ABOUT CUTTING SATURDAY AND, AGAIN, THAT MEANS THAT THERE ARE A WHOLE LOT OF FOLKS SATURDAY. WHO GET PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ON THERE ARE A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE WHO GET A MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER, NEWSPAPERS ON SATURDAY. YOU CUT THAT BACK, AND PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SAY, NO, I DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH THE POST OFFICE ANYMORE. IT'S NOT WORTH IT. SO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE CHOICE WE HAVE IS TO DO WHAT THE POSTAL SERVICE IS NOW TALKING ABOUT, AND THAT IS CUT AND ELIMINATE RURAL POST OFFICES, END SATURDAY MAIL DELIVERY, CUT OUT AND ELIMINATE SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF PROCESSING CENTERS WHICH WILL SLOW DOWN THE DELIVERY OF MAIL. THAT IS ONE APPROACH. AND LAY OFF, BY THE WAY, SOME 120,000 AMERICAN WORKERS, INCLUDING MANY VETERANS. I THINK THAT IS A VERY BAD IDEA. THE OTHER APPROACH IS TO COME UP WITH A BUSINESS MODEL WHICH RECOGNIZES THAT WE'RE IN THE 21st CENTURY, THAT THE POST OFFICE HAS GOT TO EVOLVE AND CHANGE AND GIVE THE POST OFFICE THE FREEDOM TO COMPETE IN A WAY THAT ADDRESSES THE CONSUMER NEEDS OF ITS CUSTOMERS. LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. THE PRESIDING OFFICER COMES FROM A RURAL STATE, AS I DO. A LOT OF PEOPLE IN OUR STATES WANT TO GET A FISHING LICENSE. THEY WANT TO GET HUNTING LICENSES. IF THEY WALKED IN -- IF THAT PERSON WALKED IN TO A POST OFFICE IN RURAL NEW HAMPSHIRE, RURAL VERMONT, THEY SAY, HEY, CAN I FILL OUT AN APPLICATION AND GET A FISHING LICENSE OR HUNTING LICENSE, THE POST OFFICE SAYS, NO WE DON'T DO THAT. WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT. IF AN INDIVIDUAL LITERALLY WANTS TO WALK INTO A POST OFFICE AND SOMEBODY SAYS I HAVE A LETTER HERE AND I WANT IT NOTARIZED. CAN YOU PLEASE NOTARIZE IT, THEY SAY SORRY. THEY MAY BE A NOTARY PUBLIC. THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED BY LAW TO NOTARIZE. NOW, THE ISSUE OF A DIGITAL REVOLUTION IS OBVIOUSLY IMPACTING POST OFFICES NOT ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES BUT AROUND THE WORLD. AND OTHER COUNTRIES ARE LOOKING AT THESE CHALLENGES IN A WAY THAT WE ARE NOT. GIVE YOU JUST ONE MORE EXAMPLE. FOR A LOT OF REASONS, LEGAL AND OTHERWISE, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE A DOCUMENT DELIVERED TO SOMEBODY IN WRITING AND NOT SIMPLY IN E-MAIL. THERE ARE POST OFFICES NOW IN OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE YOU CAN SEND AN E-MAIL, SAY, FROM VERMONT TO CALIFORNIA, IT GETS PRINTED UP. AND ON THE SAME DAY THAT DOCUMENT GETS DELIVERED TO A BUSINESS OR A HOME. A POST OFFICE IN AMERICA IS NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT. BY LAW, OUR POST OFFICE IS RESTRICTED FROM ENTERING THE 21st CENTURY. IF SOMEBODY WALKS INTO A POST OFFICE NOW, THEY SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO PRINT OFF TEN COPIES OF THIS DOCUMENT. I NEED TEN COPIES. WHERE'S YOUR COPYING MACHINE? THE POSTMASTER SAYS WE DON'T HAVE A COPYING MACHINE. COPYING MACHINE. WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE A THERE ARE A LOT OF IDEAS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT AS TO HOW THE SERVICE CAN ADDRESS THE CENTURY. NEEDS OF CUSTOMERS IN THE 21st LAST BUT NOT LEAST ON THIS ISSUE, ONE OF THE PEOPLE AT THE TOWN MEETING ON SUNDAY GOT UP AND SAID, I JUST WANT TO SAY THIS, THAT IN OUR TOWN, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW OUR LETTER CARRIER VERY WELL. AND OUR LETTER CARRIER NOTICED THAT MAIL REMAINED IN THE MAILBOX OF AN ELDERLY PERSON. AND THE MAILMAN GOT ON THE PHONE, CALLED UP THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE HE SUSPECTED THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. TURNED OUT SOMETHING WAS WRONG, AND THAT PERSON'S LIFE WAS SAVED. I EXPECT THAT HAPPENS ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY, THAT HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF LETTER CARRIERS WHO KNOW PEOPLE, WHO INTERACT WITH PEOPLE, THEY DO PLAY AND CAN MORE SO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN PROVIDING SERVICES. SO, BOTTOM LINE, MADAM PRESIDENT, IS I THINK IT IS A BAD IDEA IN THE MIDST OF A RECESSION TO SLASH 120,000 JOBS, INCLUDING JOBS OF MANY OF OUR VETERANS. SECOND OF ALL, I DISCO BELIEVE THAT IF WE USE OUR BRAINS AND ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT, WE CAN CREATE A POST OFFICE WHICH IS VERY RELEVANT AND CAN BE PROFITABLE IN THE 21st CENTURY. WE WILL BE INTRODUCING LEGISLATION ADDRESSING ALL OF THESE ISSUES, AND I HOPE VERY MUCH THAT MY COLLEAGUES WILL BE COSPONSORING THAT LEGISLATION. MADAM PRESIDENT, THERE IS ANOTHER ISSUE THAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT. AND THAT IS THE WORK OF THE SUPERCOMMITTEE. THIS COUNTRY HAS A RECORD-BREAKING DEFICIT. IT HAS A $14-PLUS TRILLION NATIONAL DEBT, AND ONLY OF THE OR VIRTUALLY ALL -- WANT TO SEE THE SUPERCOMMITTEE COME UP WITH A PROPOSAL WHICH MAKES SENSE AND WHICH HELPS US ADDRESS OUR DEFICIT CRISIS. AND MY SUGGESTIONS TO THE SUPERCOMMITTEE IS THEY IN FACT CAN DO THAT BY SIMPLY DOING WHAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT THEM TO DO. NOW, I HAVE HEARD SOME IDEAS OUT THERE WHERE MEMBERS OF THE SUPERCOMMITTEE ARE TALKING ABOUT CUTTING SOCIAL SECURITY, WHICH WHICH HAS NOT CONTRIBUTED ONE NICKEL TO OUR DEFICIT AND HAS A $2.5 SURPLUS. I'VE HEARD OTHER IDEAS OUT THERE. WE'VE GOT TO CUT MEDICARE AND MEDICAID. WELL, GOT 50 MILLION PEOPLE WITHOUT ANY HEALTH INSURANCE. I DON'T THINK IT IS A BRILLIANT IDEA TO THROW MORE AND MORE PEOPLE OFF OF HEALTH INSURANCE. SO I THINK THOSE ARE BAD IDEAS, AND EVERY SINGLE POLL THAT I ME THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AGREE, THAT THOSE ARE DUMB IDEAS. MEANWHILE, I HAVE SEEN AND TALKED TO A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ASKING ME THIS QUESTION: THEY SAY, HOW IS IT THAT WHEN THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY ARE BECOMING MUCH WEALTHIER, WHEN THE EFFECTIVE TAX RATES OF THE TOP 2% ARE THE LOWEST IN DECADES, WHY ISN'T IT THAT WE'RE ASKING THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING PHENOMENALLY WELL TO START PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE OF TAXES? AND LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. THIS IS NOT JUST A PROGRESSIVE IDEA; IT IS NOT JUST A DEMOCRATIC IDEA; WHAT THE POLLS SUGGEST IS ALL ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE SAYING, YES, IT IS RIGHT AND APPROPRIATE THAT THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY START PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE OF TAXES. MADAM PRESIDENT, I WOULD JUST MENTION TO YOU THAT AN ABC NEWS/"WASHINGTON POST" POLL SAID THAT 75% OF INDEPENDENTS SUPPORT RAISING TAXES ON MILLIONAIRES. IN THAT SAME POLL, 57% OF REPUBLICANS SUPPORT RAISING TAXES ON MILLIONAIRES. IN THAT SAME POLL, 55% OF TEA PARTY SUPPORTERS, SUPPOSEDLY THE EXTREME RIGHT WING WHO WANT TO ABOLISH SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE AND MEDICAID, TURNS OUT NOT TO BE THE CASE AT ALL. 55% OF TEA PARTY SUPPORTERS AGREE WITH RAISING TAXES ON MILLIONAIRES. ACCORDING TO A JUNE 2011 "WASHINGTON POST" POLL, 72% OF AMERICANS SUPPORT RAISING TAXES INCOMES OVER $250,000. SO I THINK WE KNOW WHAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT. THEY DO NOT WANT, IN POLL AFTER POLL, TO CUT SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE, AND MEDICAID. BECAUSE THEY KNOW HOW VITALLY IMPORTANT THOSE PROGRAMS ARE TO THE WELL-BEING OF TENS OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS. FOR EXAMPLE, ACCORDING TO A FEBRUARY 2011 NBC NEWS/WALL STREET POLL, 77% OF AMERICANS ARE OPPOSED TO CUTTING SOCIAL SECURITY TO REDUCE THE DEFICIT. SO WHERE ARE WE AS A COUNTRY? WE'RE PRETTY UNITED. WE'RE IN AGREEMENT. BUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE -- WHAT BUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE SAYING, THE RICH ARE GETTING RICHER. THEIR EFFECTIVE REAL TAX RATES HAVE GONE DOWN. THEY HAVE GOT TO PAY MORE TO IN TAXES TO HELP US DO DEFICIT REDUCTION AND CREATE JOBS. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE HUGE CORPORATE LOOPHOLES OUT THERE. MAKING MONEY HAND BREAKS. OVER FIST, GETTING HUGE TAX BREAKS. WALL STREET GETTING HUGE TAX WE LOSE $100 BILLION A YEAR BECAUSE LARGE COMPANIES AND THE WEALTHY PUT THEIR MONEY INTO TAX HAVENS IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS, BERMUDA AND CANADA. THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY MOW THAT THAT'S WRONG. SO I WOULD HOPE VERY MUCH, MADAM PRESIDENT, THAT THE SUPERCOMMITTEE WILL DO NOTHING MORE THAN LISTEN TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THAT'S ALL. AND IF YOU DO THAT, YOU'RE GOING TO DO THE RIGHT THING. DON'T CUT SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE, AND MEDICAID. ASK THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY TO START PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE OF TAXES. DO AWAY WITH THESE OUTRAGEOUS LOOPHOLES THAT LARGE, PROFITABLE CORPORATIONS ENJOY. IF YOU DO THAT, WE CAN IN FACT COME UP WITH AN AGREEMENT THAT WILL HELP US REDUCE THE DEFICIT AND WILL WIN THE SUPPORT OF DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, INDEPENDENTS. AND WITH THAT, MADAM PRESIDENT, I WOULD YIELD THE FLOOR AND NOTE THE ABSENCE OF A QUORUM. THE CLERK WILL CALL THE ROLL. CALL: A SENATOR: MADAM PRESIDENT, I ASK CONSENT ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT THAT THE QUORUM CALL BE ENDED. OFFICER WITHOUT OBJECTION. A SENATOR: AND I ASK TO SPEAK AS IF IN MORNING BUSINESS. WITHOUT OBJECTION. THANK YOU. MADAM PRESIDENT, I'VE COME TO THE FLOOR ON A NUMBER OF