House Journal: Page 1933: Wednesday, April 26, 2000
Some people have said that this legislature was only tinkering around the edges of
the problems facing Iowa. Some called it incrementalism. I disagree. As usual, Jimmy
Buffett had a song title that summed it up. He has a song called "Quietly Making
Noise". I think that is an apt description of the legislation we passed this year that I
just spoke of. We didn’t do a lot of flashy things that caught everyone’s attention, but
what we did will have a long-term positive effect on the future.
As always, there are many people to recognize. I want to thank our caucus staff for
all the hard work they put in to make this place run. You do a great job and have a
real impact on the quality of work we do in the House.
To Liz, Alyce, and Gayle. The bottom line is this place couldn’t run without you and
all of the great staff you have. Thanks very much.
Representative Schrader and the Democratic Caucus. Thank you for another
productive session. David, we worked together to get some important things done. At
other times you were a worthy adversary. I respect the way you stand up for what you
believe in. In the Jimmy Buffet song "The Night I Painted the Sky", the line says "the
people everywhere put away their differences for awhile." David, we both know this is
an election year. We’ll rest up for a week or so, and then we’ll hit the campaign trail. I
look forward to a spirited discussion of the issues.
To the members of the Republican Caucus, my deepest thanks and appreciation for
all of your hard work. Each and every one of you have made a difference.
To our retiring members, thanks for your willingness to serve the people of Iowa.
The sacrifices you have made to serve in this body have not gone unnoticed. Best
wishes in your new endeavors.
To our leadership team - Steve, Libby, Danny, Gary, Donna and Barry - thanks for
helping move this place and legislation forward. Your friendship and counsel is very
important to me.
To my staff - Becky, Susan and Dan, as well as our page, Ryan - my deepest thanks.
How you make sense of my random-abstract organizational skills is beyond me.
Thanks for saving me from myself time and time again.
Mr. Majority Leader - you have referred to yourself as the rookie. Well,
Christopher, nobody inside this chamber or outside in the rotunda knows how very
hard you worked this session to get legislation put together and passed. But I know
how hard you worked. If you're a rookie, I'll give you the Rookie-of-the-Year Award. I
look forward to working with you in the future.
To all the other people in this place, pages, doormen, lobbyists, press and clerks,
thank you for all you do.
It’s been a long four months since I banged this gavel for the first time this year,
and we’ve accomplished many things. We’ve changed Iowa for the better. My life has
had some changes, too. Moving day was yesterday. Valerie, Evan, and Harriet are
waiting anxiously for me to come to our new home. She’s stopped sending me flowers.
I’m not sure what I should read into that. As much as you people mean to me, my
© 2000 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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Last update: Wed Jun 7 13:35:00 CDT 2000
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