Senate Journal: Page 7: Monday, January 13, 1997

  1st Day MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1997 7
  Senator Maddox requested that Senators, McLaren, Rife and
  Redwine escort President Kramer to the rostrum.
  President Kramer was administered the oath of office by Chief
  Justice Arthur McGivern of the Iowa Supreme Court.
  President Kramer addressed the Senate as follows:
  Good morning, it is indeed an auspicious day - Iowa is beginning her 151st
  year, and
  the 77th general assembly is under way.

  Thanks to my colleagues for their confidence in electing me, the opportunity
  that
  has been given to lead is rare and precious - humbling - and exciting - I
  have been
  anticipating this day - and now that it is here - I find it an awesome
  responsibility.

  What might we expect as we begin the session?

  Well - probably not order! The only truly orderly places are cemeteries - my
  expectation is that the Iowa Senate will be a vital, moving body - some
  times chaotic.
  Chaos is often necessary for the progress of ideas. However, decorum and
  civility have
  long been valued traditions in the Chamber - and have served the process and
  the
  members well.

  So if order is not an appropriate goal for us - we'll seek conflict - debate
  - discussion.
  What is?

  Perhaps a more progressive agenda is seeking the common ground. Hopefully
  our
  most common ground will be our common desire to create good and thoughtful
  public
  policy - policy that moves all Iowans ahead on their journey to the future
  with energy
  and enthusiasm.

  As we prepare to face challenges this year, we know that we will need new
  ideas and
  renewed determination. Another appropriate goal.

  We'll confront challenges in education, our economy tax policy and the
  environment.
  Challenges in health care - from infancy to elder and long term care. We
  have an
  inventory of unfilled aspirations for families and communities... if we
  approach these
  challenges with a determination to avoid all risk, we sentence ourselves to
  the status
  quo - or worse. If we rely exclusively on old ideas, solutions, we will not
  deserve the
  leadership positions our constituents have elected us to assume. If our
  collective fear
  of failure or of taking risk - or our demands for all or nothing -
  immobilize us, we will
  achieve little.

  Let me be clear - I do not recommend failure - I'm not even sure I believe
  failure
  builds character. However, a willingness to risk failure is one of the costs
  of
  leadership.

  And each of us has been elected to lead - to lead not only in ways that are
  positive
  for our own constituents - but for all of Iowa.

  Over one hundred years ago, President Abraham Lincoln penned some "you
  cannots" that are just as true today as they were when he wrote them. They
  provide
  much food for thought as we approach issues this session.

Iowa General Assembly

Index: Senate Journal (77th General Assembly: Session 1)

© 1997 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

Comments? sjourn@legis.iowa.gov.

Last update: Wed Jan 22 13:01:06 CST 1997
URL: /DOCS/GA/77GA/Session.1/SJournal/00000/00007.html
jhf