Senate Proceeding 03-24-09 on Mar 24th, 2009 :: 0:37:30 to 0:44:45
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0:37:21 to 0:37:41( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: quorum call: mr. carper: senator from delaware. mr. carper: mr. president, i ask that the vitiated objection. mr. carper: mr. president, it's kind of us are from delaware and i want to start off by telling you a short story about the university of delaware and a visit i had

0:37:30 to 0:44:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Thomas Carper

0:37:42 to 0:38:02( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: there not long ago. i was invited, as my colleague has been invited, to speak to students and to really host and be part of a townhall meeting a month or two ago and the students i opened up by talking for a b and then just took questions or comments of the students. i thought one of the most poignant questions that was

0:38:03 to 0:38:24( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: asked came right at the end of the session when a young woman -- most of the students that were there were freshmen, sophomores, juniors. one lady question at the end was a senior. she is going to be graduating in a couple of months. the question that was on her mind is on the mind after lost graduating seniors, colleges and universities inside of delaware and throughout our country.

0:38:25 to 0:38:45( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: and i might also add in the minds of a lot of folks that are about to finish up high school, who have finished up and still are looking for work. and she said, the lady said that spoke this day otoour forum at university of delaware recently said, i will i'm going to graduate in may. i'm not sure what i'm going to do. there used to be a lot of

0:38:46 to 0:39:07( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: employers that came to campus and other campuses looking for people to hire, to come and join them at their companies or their workplace. she said, not so much of that is go that i think we all here understand and while i'm hopeful and encourage tha permanent phenomenon but one that will be short-lived,

0:39:08 to 0:39:28( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: relatively speaking, her concerns are justified and i shared with her when i graduated from ohio state many a moon ago, i lived service for 4 1/2 or 5 years with the united states sneaf. it was a deal that i gladly entered into, the navy rotc.

0:39:29 to 0:39:49( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: they helped put me through school at ohio state. when it was o navy some years of my life. even the war in hot southeast asia. what i suggested to the woman at the university of delaware is she decided if she can't find a job that she wants with a company that she wants or some

0:39:50 to 0:40:11( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: other imlier that she's really excited about working forks she should consider spending maybe not just a couple of maybe a year or even two in serving. and there are any number of opportunities to serve delaware and throughout in fact in some ways the need for people to serve is greater than it has been in a long time

0:40:12 to 0:40:32( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: because nonprofits and others are cutting back. and there are a need for those who volunteer to step forward and say, here am i. what can i do to help out? i'm not sure to what extent she internalized that message and is going to go out and look for opportunities to serve. but i -- there is a great need for

0:40:33 to 0:40:54( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: people who will serve. a great need for people who have serve. for us, part of the challenge is trying to make sure for those who want th those who want to make a difference in their life are given some help and guid guidance in getting to places where they can make a difference with their lives much the thing i like most

0:40:55 to 0:41:15( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: of all about this legislation -- and we talk a lot here about we ought to be more bipartisan and god knows i believe that, the presiding way. but one of the great things about this legislation is it is about as bipartisan as they get. i want to take just a moment to commend a couple of folks on the floor. i see senator hatch talking with senator dodd.

0:41:16 to 0:41:36( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: both of them are very instrumental in this legislation. senator murkowski, senator hatch, senator enzi, senator mccain, w i don't know if he's cosponsor of this bill. he has b big champion of service over the years. it enjoys broad, bipartisan

0:41:37 to 0:42:01( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: support. i want to say to my from connecticut, good going to. thank you for being the wind under our wings on this issue for a long time and continue to inspire us and to encourage us to go forward. a couple years from now, maybe not even that long, i hope i run into that young woman again who asked that question at the university of delaware a month or so ago. aintdz hope she says to me, i

0:42:02 to 0:42:23( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: know i looked around and found a couple of opportunities where i could serve. i decided to do that for a year or soavment and at the end of my year or so, the job market improved. the economy improved, and i went to work for some and went on with the rest of my life. one of the things that i look for as an employer, one of the things that i look for when

0:42:24 to 0:42:44( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: there is a down time like right no our economy, when a lot of people are looking for employment opportunities and maybe not finding them and how did they fill up that space? how did they fill up that dead time? i'm always encouraged when i find someone who said, i decided to go out and work with young people and help mak

0:42:45 to 0:43:05( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: they're going to be successful in lievmenter i worked with vrchtses, i worked with boy scouts in a boys and girlslub, i mentored, did i all kinds of things much the legislation -- to be behind this legislation is to better ensure that those who want to serve and maybe who don't have a lot too in their lives right now, they have some free time that they

0:43:06 to 0:43:26( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: for a long time because their studies are over, they want to make sure they'll have some good opportunities to serve. i'll close with this: these are the words i shared with the students t i just talked about sources of joy. we always look for joy. everybody wantsdz to be happy. almost everybody i know oontsst wants to be happy. there are many sources of joy that people turn

0:43:27 to 0:43:47( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: in my own life, i've always found that the best source of joy, one that never goes away, one that never disappears, which always can be counted on shall the best source of i did not is helping other people. finding ways to give of our selves to help other people. for those young people who decide to seize on the opportunities that we provided through this legislation's enactment, they'll have the opportunity to get something.

0:43:48 to 0:44:08( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: maybe they'll provide good letters of recommendation going forward. maybe provide for a stronger resume going forward. i think even more importantly, they're going to do a lot of good for folks with their own lives. they're going to help those people that need to be helped and maybe, as important as anything, the one who serves will enjoy a sense of

0:44:09 to 0:44:29( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: satisfaction that frankly is sometimes hard to come by. i again applaud those who provided leadership on this front and i look forward to supporting this legislation as we go forward this week. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. dodd: mr. president, let me begin by thanking my colleague from delaware generous comments.

0:44:30 to 0:44:46( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: he appreciate it very much. he has been an aocate and strong supporter o the notion of national service, and i thank him for that as well over the years. let me also commend my colleague, the senator from maryland, senator