March 29, 2001 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E499 thanking everybody and grinning, and you paign slogan. It was a high calling, well-an- The 59-year-old St. Paul lawmaker’s an- had to admire him for his command of the swered by Bruce Vento. nouncement that he will end a 30-year public occasion. service career, which began when he was A man who is desperately ill and on his elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 1971, [From the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Feb. 3, way out of public life stages a dinner that triggered an outpouring of tributes and pray- 2000] raises money for a scholarship fund for erful concern form lawmakers on both sides teachers. Bruce Vento is a man of great A MAN OF THE PEOPLE—BRUCE VENTO’S of the aisle. President Clinton and Vice bravery and devotion and foresight who rep- LEGACY ETCHED BY SERVICE President Gore, who came to Congress the resented us nobly in Congress, whether we As U.S. Rep. Bruce Vento of St. Paul takes same year as Vento, also issued statements knew it or not. on the challenges of treatment for lung can- of praise and concern. cer caused by asbestos, the affection of the None was more poignant than that from people he has served in the East Metro area [From the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Oct. 11, his fellow Minnesota Democrat, Jim Ober- is sure to be returned. Ours included. 2000] star, who noted, ‘‘I lost my wife, Jo, to May the best of medical care and the best breast cancer, so Bruce’s disclosure that he HE WORE A BLUE COLLAR AND A WHITE HAT of wishes from the many people he has sup- too is fighting cancer hits close to home. Rep. Bruce F. Vento’s last Christmas card ported in tough times help Vento prevail in Bruce has spent the past 24 years in Congress pictures a smiling, healthy appearing grand- this campaign to regain his health. fighting for working people, and now he is in father at a baseball outing with the little Vento, who has been commuting to work a fight for his life.’’ folks. There’s no hint of his lofty position as in Washington since 1977, announced Wednes- Even though they often clashed over the a member of Congress from Minnesota’s 4th day he will retire at year’s end and is under- issue of federal control of northern Min- District. The card is an ordinary photo holi- going cancer treatment. nesota’s pristine Boundary Waters Canoe day greeting hand-signed simply with Vento has served the Fourth Congressional Area Wilderness, Oberstar called Vento ‘‘a ‘‘Bruce.’’ The image is a wonderful one for District of Minnesota, the natural world, the dear friend of mine’’ and ‘‘an exceptional remembering Vento, who died Tuesday at hard-pressed communities of the homeless, public servant.’’ age 60 of lung cancer. the young and the needy with a personal pas- Rep. Jim Leach (R–Iowa), chairman of the Vento was a straightforward man, rooted sion to improve the quality of life. He has Banking and Financial Services Committee in St. Paul from first to last. He was a talker gone about his work always with great heart on which Vento serves, praised him for his and a fighter, a partisan and a patriot, a and mastery of the arcane art of legislating. leadership on federal banking policy. He union man and sophisticated scientist. Vento Vento is an Old Democrat in a New Demo- called the former high school science teacher was the only congressman a generation of crat era. His reliable fidelity to ideals and to and union shop steward ‘‘a citizen/legislator: 4th District residents has ever known. He people who get their hands dirty at work will an educator who came to Capitol Hill and was first elected in 1976 and served 12 terms. be missed. To this day, his resume always gave Congress a civics lesson.’’ In the majority and as a powerful chair of notes that he worked as a laborer, a mail- But Vento’s greatest legislative achieve- the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Na- room clerk for this newspaper, a shop stew- ments have been those he made as chairman tional Parks, Forests and Public Lands for ard and a teacher before getting a job that and later ranking member of the Resources more than 10 years, Vento reached the peak put him in charge of more vast stewardships. Committee’s Parks and Public Lands Sub- of his national influence on the future of the Those include oversight of all America’s pub- committee. ‘‘I cannot think of another per- country’s wild places. His work there re- lic lands and helping to rescue the financial son who has done more to protect America’s sulted in protection of hundreds of thousands system from the ruin of the savings and loan national parks,’’ said the Sierra Club’s exec- of acres of public land—ranging from the debacles. utive director, Carl Pope. ‘‘Protecting our Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to Vento’s career in Congress, and before that nation’s natural heritage is a passionate love the Minnesota National Wildlife Refuge—and in the Minnesota Legislature, represent an for him.’’ the enactment of more than 300 laws pre- old-fashioned sense of public service in a Vento’s hometown newspaper, the St. Paul serving the environment. new-fashioned and too-slick political era. He Pioneer Press-Dispatch—where he once He served as chair of the House Task Force knew what private-public partnerships were worked as a mailroom clerk—called him ‘‘an during the savings and loan crisis of the before the concept became a sound bite for Old Democrat in a New Democrat era’’ who 1980s. Vento was a champion for programs to the ambitious. And he has never been afraid exemplified ‘‘an old-fashioned sense of public shelter the homeless, for human stewardship of a fight when the issue and the people mat- service in a new-fashioned and too-slick po- in the natural world. Vento’s last major leg- ter deeply. litical era.’’ islative accomplishment was the special The Reagan and Bush administrations Noting that Vento will not be part of the Hmong citizenship law signed by President were the source of frustration for the man Democrats’ fight to regain the House, the Clinton this year. from the Fourth. When the Democrats were newspaper added a poetic tribute: ‘‘Larger When Vento announced in February that thrown into the congressional minority in things have taken over. But his mark will he was ill with mesothelioma, the bread he 1994, Vento found new rules but always kept stand fast. An afternoon with only the had cast on the waters started coming back. his eye on the prize of Democrats retaking sounds of the paddle dipping, the wind waft- The cards and prayers, the honors and affec- the reins. He noted with each election how ing, and the birds singing in the Boundary tion, Vento said, were at first surprising and much the Republican majority had nar- Waters Canoe Area is the melody Bruce overwhelming. From personal cards, much rowed. This year, Vento will not be in the Vento makes in the woods of public policy. like his simple Christmas greetings, to the equation for a Democratic House. Larger . . . Godspeed, Congressman Vento.’’ renaming of East Consolidated as Bruce F. things have taken over. But his mark will Vento Elementary School, the community stand fast. f Vento served hoped to express respect and An afternoon with only the sounds of the gratitude. That respect will live on through paddle dipping, the wind wafting and the CORRUPTION SCANDAL ENGULFS a scholarship fund established in Vento’s birds singing in the Boundary Waters Canoe INDIAN GOVERNMENT honor for college students who intend to be- Area is the melody Bruce Vento makes in come science teachers. It also will live on in the woods of a public policy. So is the ani- a trail named for him in recognition of his mated, personal Vento chatting with all HON. DAN BURTON enthusiasm for bicycling. comers at the Labor Day picnic. OF INDIANA He accepted the affection with grace and Godspeed, Congressman Vento. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES dignity, while never losing the trace of whimsy that accompanied Vento the Sub- Thursday, March 29, 2001 [From the Hill, Feb. 8, 2000] stantial Man. He was given to dark business Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, the GODSPEED, CONGRESSMAN VENTO suits lightened by ties that said not all of world has been shocked by the recent news life is serious. During the height of the The premature departure from Congress of stories about a corruption scandal that has en- Snoopy on Parade frenzy in St. Paul this Rep. Bruce Vento (D-Minn.) because he has summer, for instance, the congressman ap- been diagnosed with lung cancer will deprive gulfed the Indian government. Already, the peared at the Minnesota AFL–CIO Conven- the House of Representatives of one of its president of the ruling BJP and the Defense tion wearing a Snoopy tie. most dedicated, effective and popular mem- Minister have been forced to resign after they Vento’s public career began as a teacher, bers. were caught taking bribes from two internet extended into service in the Minnesota Leg- Vento, who is retiring in December after 24 news reporters posing as arms dealers in re- islature and then nearly 24 years in Con- years in Congress, stunned and saddended his gard to a fake defense contract. The opposi- gress. colleagues and his St. Paul district when he tion is calling for the government to resign. Although Vento was a technical master of disclosed last week that he has a type of can- the art of lawmaking in such arcane speciali- cer caused by exposure to asbestos. His doc- The resignation of Defense Minister George ties as banking reform, he remained deeply tors at Minnesota’s famed Mayo Clinic have Fernandes is no loss for friends of democracy. committed to the kind of public service recommended an aggressive course of treat- Mr. Fernandes is the man who led a meeting where working for ordinary families’ dreams ment that will make it impossible for him to in 1999 with the Ambassadors from China, and hopes was more than a biennial cam- run for a 13th term. Cuba, Russia, Libya, Serbia, and Iraq aimed

VerDate 112000 05:17 Mar 30, 2001 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A29MR8.047 pfrm04 PsN: E29PT1 E500 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks March 29, 2001 at putting together a security alliance ‘‘to stop The opposition, equally sure of its minority, power and, in Mr. Mishra’s case, defence the U.S.’’ This meeting was reported in the has declined. Instead, it has blocked par- equipment. Pressure for their dismissal, May 18, 1999 issue of the Indian Express. liamentary proceedings for a week, relenting form some of Mr. Vajpayee’s best friends, is Those of us who have been following Indian long enough only to allow money to be voted mounting. A fiercely right-wing ally of the for the state to continue functioning. BJP, the Shiv Sena, is calling for their and South Asian issues are not surprised. The Both sides have converted an occasion for heads. And although the Rashtriya Indian Government has demonstrated many shame into one for self-righteousness. Sonia Swayamsevak Sangh (Association of Na- times before how deeply it is infected with cor- Gandhi, leader of a suddenly alert Congress tional Volunteers), ideological big brother to ruption. In India, people have come up with a party, vowed at its plenary meeting in Ban- the BJP, has withdrawn its calls for their re- new word for bribery. They call it ‘‘fee for serv- galore to ‘‘wage every war’’ to ‘‘ensure that moval, it has done so only for fear of ice.’’ It has become necessary to pay a fee to this country is liberated from the shackles of destablishing the government. get government workers of any kind to deliver this corrupt, shameful and communal gov- The departure of Mr. Mishra and Mr. Singh ernment’’. But she herself was wounded when the services that they are mandated to pro- would probably blunt the government’s drive her own personal assistant came under inves- for economic reform. Even if they stay, Mr. vide. In November 1994, the newspaper tigation in a separate scandal. The prime Vajpayee will have trouble enacting the Hitavada reported that the Indian government minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has blended most controversial but valuable elements of paid Surendra Nath, the late governor of Pun- penitence with defensiveness. He has prom- the reforms announced along with the budg- jab, $1.5 billion to generate terrorist activity in ised a judicial probe into the allegations, and et last month. These include privatisation Punjab, Khalistan, and in Kashmir as well. a clean-up. But, in a television address on and making labour law more flexible. The This is in a country where half the population March 16th, Mr. Vajpayee reserved the word labour reform requires the approval of Par- lives below the international poverty line. ‘‘criminal’’ to describe the hurling of allega- liament’s upper house, where the govern- tions, not the behaviour alleged. Forty-two percent of the people live on less ment lacks a majority. The crisis may also It is true that tehelka.com, the enter- strengthen the home ministry, thought to be than a dollar a day and another forty-two per- prising website that armed its reporters with more reluctant than the prime minister’s ad- cent live on less than $2 per day. cash and spy cameras, used surreptitious visers to make gestures to separatists in In India, corruption is endemic as is tyranny means to persuade a variety of officials, gen- Kashmir. If Mr. Vajpayee survives the against minorities. Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, erals and politicians to accept a total of 1.1m tehelka scandal, he may begin to ask himself and others have been subjected to violence, rupees (about $24,000) in bribes and gifts. It is what, exactly, he is in power for. tyranny, and massive human-rights violations also true that some of the most serious alle- f for many years. Christian churches have been gations made against Mr. Fernandes and Brajesh Mishra, the prime minister’s top burned. Priests have been killed, nuns have aide, among others, are unsubstantiated gos- COMMEMORATING DOCTOR’S DAY been raped, and many other atrocities have sip. But they have concentrated discussion AND THE IMPORTANCE OF COUN- been committed with impunity. Muslims have on how many more heads will roll and when. TRY DOCTORS been killed in massive numbers and the ruling The real import of the tapes is the evi- party has destroyed mosques. The Indian gov- dence they give that corruption is the norm, HON. ASA HUTCHINSON ernment has killed Sikhs. Religious pilgrims not the exception, at every level of public OF ARKANSAS have been attacked with lathis and tear gas. life. This does not surprise Indians, who are expected to bribe everyone, starting with IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES This is just a recent sample of the atrocities traffic policemen. India is beset by what against minorities in India. some call a crisis of governance, which com- Thursday, March 29, 2001 Mr. Speaker, India is a significant recipient promises nearly every public service, from Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise of American aid. Why should the taxpayers of defence to the distribution of subsidised food today to commemorate March 30, Doctor’s this country pay taxes to support the corrup- to the generation of electricity. Tehelka.com Day, and the essential role that the medical tion and tyranny of the Indian Government? has simply rubbed Indians’ faces in it. Politicians, in honest moments, admit profession plays in our country. Although we There is, however, something that America, as all visit doctors regularly, many times we fail to the world’s only superpower, can do about it. this, Kapil Sibal, a prominent member of Congress, says ‘‘the system is thoroughly properly recognize their dedication to keeping America can stop sending aid to India and corrupt.’’ Pramod Mahajan, the minister of us healthy. support self-determination for the people of information technology and a member of Mr. I grew up in rural northwest Arkansas, Khalistan, Kashmir, and Nagalim. Let us take Vajpayee’s Bhraratiya Janata Party (BJP), where small-town doctors have historically these steps to free the people of the subconti- thinks the voters face a choice ‘‘not between played an especially important role in health nent from corruption and brutality. good and bad. It is between bad and worse.’’ With turpitude so common, removing one care. In fact, the community of Lincoln, Arkan- Mr. Speaker, I insert into the RECORD an ar- sas, is home to one of only two museums in ticle from the current issue of The Economist group of parties from power would not solve the problem. Given a chance to fight polit- the United States dedicated to the country about the latest Indian Government bribery ical corruption, Parliament usually ducks it. doctor. The Arkansas Country Doctor Museum scandal. I commend it to all my congressional It now wants to shear the Central Vigilance educates the public about the heroism of colleagues who care about spending our for- Commission, the main body implementing country doctors in Arkansas and preserves the eign aid dollars wisely. anti-corruption law, of its role overseeing in- history of medical practice in the Ozarks. [From The Economist, Mar. 24, 2001] vestigations of politicians. The problem begins, says N. Vittal, the On this day when we remember the impor- INDIA’S CORRUPTION BLUES central vigilance commissioner, with the tance of the medical profession, I would like to THOUGH IT MAY WELL SURVIVE THE LATEST 40% of the economy that is unaccounted for. salute the role that these country doctors have CORRUPTION SCANDAL, THE AUTHORITY OF Indian democracy runs on this murky played in the well-being of our nation. We THE LEADING PARTY IN THE GOVERNMENT IS money. The total cost of a campaign for a often remember these country doctors for their BADLY DENTED parliamentary election has been estimated warm bedside manner and their home visits, Fatalism is ever present in India, and the at 20 billion rupees (around $430m), which is but we cannot forget that they were involved government in Delhi seems to be hoping that often paid for by undeclared donations of the in the welfare of entire communities and often a popular belief in the inevitability of cor- sort proffered by tehelka.com. Reformers ruption will help it survive the biggest scan- such as Mr. Vittal want such donations to be sought higher medical education to better dal of recent times. That hope seems well declared and made tax deductible. Some also serve their patients. founded. But whether the government will want the Election Commission to give the Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join regain the authority it needs to pursue its voters information about candidates’ crimi- with me today in honoring the great tradition of two main initiatives—economic reform and nal backgrounds, as Delhi’s High Court has country doctors throughout our country. I sub- peace in Kashmir—is much more doubtful. directed. But that reform may also be mit into the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD a copy of The uproar over the release of videotapes stopped: the government has appealed Dr. Anthony DePalma’s article ‘‘Y2K: A Legacy last week showing top politicians and offi- against the decision. No one in power seems of the Country Doctors,’’ which appeared in cials taking bribes from two Internet news to back the promised cleaning. reporters posing as arms dealers has reached Mr. Vajpayee’s immediate concern is the the December 1999 Journal of the Arkansas a noisy impasse. The defence minister, fate of his closet advisers, widely resented Medical Society. George Fernandes, has resigned, though he for accumulating power in the prime min- [From the Journal of the Arkansas Medical remains ‘‘covener’’ of the 18-party ruling Na- ister’s office at the expense of other min- Society, Dec. 1999] tional Democratic Alliance. The NDA has istries. On March 19th, Mr. Mishra and N.K. Y2K: A LEGACY OF THE COUNTRY DOCTORS lost one member, the Trinamul Congress Singh, his top economic adviser, called a party of West Bengal, but remains sure press conference to defend themselves (By Anthony T. DePalma, MD) enough of its majority to dare the opposition against claims that they had improperly in- On Friday, May 14, 1999, a memorable mil- to bring a no-confidence vote in Parliament. fluenced decisions on deals in telecoms, lennium medical moment celebrating the

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