House Journal: Page 200: Thursday, January 28, 1999

	The Supreme Court Justice, the Justices of the Supreme Court,   

the Chief Judge and Judges of the Appellate court were escorted into 
the House chamber.
Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson was escorted into the House 
chamber.
The inaugural committee waited upon Governor Thomas J. Vilsack 
and escorted him to the Speaker's station.
President Kramer then presented Governor Thomas J. Vilsack who 
delivered the following address:
Madam President, Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members of the General Assembly, 
Chief Justice McGiverin and Distinguished Members of the Judiciary, Lieutenant 
Governor Pederson, Esteemed Statewide Elected Officials, Special Guests, My Fellow 
Citizens of Iowa.
Let me begin by reading a letter from a very important person in Iowa. She wrote to 
me:
"Dear Governor Vilsack,
 What are you going to do about pollution?  I would tell the people 
not to!  I don't like pollution.  Do you?  So what are you going to do 
about schools?  I really like my school.  Can we have more time to 
read?  So what are you going to do?"
No-one is more important to me than Iowa's children.  So when Alexandra 
Swanson, a third-grader from Beaver Creek Elementary School in Johnston wrote to 
me I paid attention, and so should we all.
Let me rephrase her question for the benefit of the assembled body, "What are we 
going to do?"
I come here to the General Assembly for the first time.  It is a time filled with 
excitement and a little concern. Concern that I do the right thing.  I've never done this 
before. When you do something for the first time, you prepare as best you can to get the 
best information and advice that you can, you make our best judgments, then the 
moment comes.  You do something for the first time.
I can't help but reflect today on the significance and importance of "firsts" in our 
lives.  First steps.  Our first day of school.  Our first experience with faith.  That first 
job.  Our first love.  The first time that we look into the eyes of a newborn child.  They 
are memorable experiences.  They open doorways to new worlds that we have never 
even dreamed of.  And they all mark new beginnings.
Here in America and here in Iowa, first has another meaning to us as well.  We 
have an innate drive to be the best we can be - to finish first in everything we attempt.  
We see it as a duty; as a responsibility.  Finishing first marks the culmination of our 

© 1999 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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Last update: Thu Jul 15 13:40:03 CDT 1999
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