S7698 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 8, 1998 Idaho’s children are of particular in- College, Creighton University (where rounded in his final season with youngsters terest to Kirk. He has used his edu- he coached Bob Gibson, the famous who had never won a thing in the NBA. They cation and business experience to act baseball pitcher), and North Dakota were tuning him out? He should have turned them out. as a tremendous resource to our chil- (where he coached , now For anyone to endure four years with the dren, from elementary school to the coach of the Chicago Bulls). He won the Clipper’s and 25 seasons in the NBA as a university level. 1981 NBA title as the ’ coach is semi-amazing. If meddling manage- As an active member of the Business coach with . He coached in ment isn’t giving you a headache, some Week Foundation, Kirk served as a the NBA for 25 years and was the only underachieving knucklehead player is giving mentor to Idaho high school students person to coach 2,000 regular-season you heartache. eager to learn how business operates You need a cast-iron stomach to coach in games and his 944 wins ranked second the NBA for 25 years. To be the only person and how to be successful in the work- only to NBA coach . I to coach 2,000 regular-season games in the place. am grateful to Mike Hlas of the Cedar league tells how highly regarded Fitch was As the founder of the Bishop Kelly Rapids Gazette for writing this column held. His 944 wins rank second only to Lenny Foundation, Kirk raised money for Boi- about one of Iowa’s great athletes, and Wilkens. It is something worth honoring. se’s private high school. I am thankful to my friend, Senator As any coach will tell you, losing one game Kirk has not just played a supporting John Culver, for bringing it to my at- tears you apart. To drop 1,106 and keep plug- ging is wonderful. role in those ventures, nor in others. tention. ‘‘It’s depressing,’’ Fitch said about this When Kirk sets out to do something, he At this point, I ask that Mr. Hlas’ ar- season, days before he was fired. ‘‘But it’s takes charge. He actively raised money ticle be printed in the RECORD. also one that makes you want to say, ‘Never for the Children’s Home Society of The article follows: again,’ We’ll get it going in the right direc- Idaho, he is leading a $500,000 fund [From The Gazette, Apr. 22, 1998] tion again.’’ If you spend four years with the Bad News drive for the Boise Master Chorale, and C.R.’S FITCH A BIG WINNER he raises funds for the University of Clippers and can still say a thing like that, (By Mike Hlas) you are a winner for the ages.∑ Idaho. No one will ever put a sign at Cedar Rap- f Kirk’s boundless energy is con- ids’ city limits proclaiming it the hometown tagious. I have seen him take on so of the NBA’s all-time losingest coach. CAPITAL GAINS TAX CUT many different issues and set lofty That’s good. Bill Fitch, who attended Wil- ∑ Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise goals. He doesn’t know the word ‘‘no.’’ son back when it was a high school and to support the Majority Leader’s legis- When he’s asked to do something, it is coached at Coe, deserves respect. You don’t last long enough to lose 1,106 lation, S. 2214, reducing the top capital always ‘‘yes.’’ I’ve seen him gather times unless you were good. You don’t be- gains tax rate from 20 to 15 percent, some of the very talented people in the come the only coach in NBA history to coach and reducing from 18 to 12 months the state of Idaho and tackle some of these 2,050 times in the regular season unless you holding period required on capital major projects and come up with major were good. gains. results. It is so invigorating to see how Fitch, fired by the Mr. President, this legislation is good he weaves your magic. Monday at age 63, was good. news for the economy, and it is good In fact, even though Kirk Sullivan is But as Casey Stengel once said, I managed news for America’s working families. good, they just played bad. not an alumnus of the University of Perhaps none of Fitch’s 25 NBA squads was Ours is a global economy, Mr. Presi- Idaho, he has received the school’s as bad as the 1997–98 Clippers, who won 17 dent. And in my view it is crucial, if we Presidential Citation for giving to the and lost 65, and did so without a hint of want to continue enjoying our current University and its community. style. prosperity, that we do more to main- I must add, Mr. President, that the It didn’t even feel this rotten for Fitch in tain our competitive edge. Even with University of Idaho is not the only ben- 1970, when he and the last year’s capital gains tax cut, at 20 eficiary of Kirk Sullivan’s efforts and spent their first years in the NBA together. percent America’s long term capital enthusiasm. He has served as President The original Cavs were so bad they were gains tax rate remains among the in- unaffectionately nicknamed the Cadavers. of the Bronco Athletic Association at Somehow, Fitch kept a sense of humor and dustrialized world’s highest. Further, Boise State University and is currently his sanity. countries like Australia and the United a member of the Commission on the By the time Fitch’s nine-year engagement Kingdom, which have higher rates, also Future of Clemson University, his alma closed in Cleveland, the Cavs had made the allow taxpayers to index the cost of the mater. He also is on Clemson’s College playoffs three times. asset on which they make gains. of Engineering and Science Leadership As the years passed, Cedar Rapids could We pay a high price for our high cap- Committee, with a fundraising goal of take more and more pride in calling Fitch a ital gains tax, Mr. President. As Stan- homeboy. Especially when NBA coaching ford Dean John B. Shoven points out, $100 million. legend , then a general man- So you can see, Mr. President, that ager—brought him to Boston to coach the higher capital gains rates increase the Kirk and his wife, Betty, are valuable then-stale Celtics. cost of investing in capital and equip- assets and cherished members of our When surrounded by people who could play ment. As a percentage of Gross Na- community. the game better than anyone, Fitch turned tional Product, the United States in- While Kirk is retiring, I’m confident out to be quite a coach. He had three con- vested less in nonresidential projects in the knowledge that his good works secutive 60-game winners in Boston, and won from 1973 to 1992 than any of our major the NBA title in 1981 with young Larry Bird. competitors. And investment in plant and commitment to his state will never Houston was Fitch’s next stop. The Rock- wane. Idaho is a much better place be- ets had four winning seasons in five years and equipment has fallen to only half cause of the dedication and tireless ef- under Fitch, and once reached the NBA the level of the 1960’s and 1970’s. forts of Kirk Sullivan. finals, only to lose to Bird’s Celtics. Without updated plant and equip- I take pride in congratulating him The NBA’s heights were great, but Fitch ment, productivity lags and we cannot today, and I know all Idahoans salute was one of the few coaches who could survive compete with other nations. Lowered him.∑ in its depths. His last seven teams were in capital gains taxes would directly ad- New Jersey and Los Angeles, where talent f dress this problem. National Council of was inadequate. Last year, though, he did Policy Assessment Senior Fellows IOWA’S BILL FITCH lead a very young Clipper club to the play- offs. Gary and Aldona Robbins predicted, be- ∑ Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, our The promise gave way to a nightmare sea- fore last year’s reduction in the top former colleague, Senator John Culver son. A very good player (Bo Outlaw) left as capital gains tax rate, that a cut of 50 of Iowa, brought to my attention an ar- a free agent, and another star (Loy Vaught) percent in that rate, to 14 percent, ticle, which recently appeared in the missed most of the year with a bad back. would lower the cost of capital by 5 Cedar Rapids Gazette, about Bill Fitch. So the coach got fired because he’s 63 years percent. This would induce investors to Mr. Fitch was an outstanding athlete old, because his players supposedly began to increase the capital stock by $2.2 tril- tune him out, and because the Clippers are when he attended Cedar Rapids’ Wilson about to move into a big new arena in down- lion in 5 years. And that larger stock of High School and, also, during his col- town Los Angeles and want a sharper image. capital would create 721,000 new jobs lege years at Coe College in Cedar Rap- Fitch, who had worked with Bird and and increase GDP cumulatively by al- ids. Later on, Mr. Fitch coached at Coe Kevin McHale and , was sur- most $1 trillion.