SCHAKOWSKY JOINS COLLEAGUES TO HONOR THE LATE SENATOR PAUL SIMON

JANUARY 21, 2004

SCHAKOWSKY JOINS COLLEAGUES TO HONOR THE LATE SENATOR PAUL SIMON

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today joined her colleagues to approve H.Res. 489, a resolution honoring the late Senator Paul Simon. Below is Schakowsky's statement:

"Senator Paul Simon was my friend and my mentor, and he was my senator and my role model. Paul Simon was unique; he was the real thing, and when you look at him with his bow tie and his suit, he was an authentic person.

"Those who might make the mistake of relegating Paul Simon to the kind of politician of the past are wrong. Paul Simon, although he had that kind of almost old fashion gentlemanly way about him, was someone who we can learn a lot from today. He had incredible courage, and the thing that Paul Simon really understood was that it is not only important for your own personal integrity to stand up for your beliefs but it was also really good politics.

"Paul Simon was a lifelong opponent of the death penalty, not always a popular position in the state of Illinois and an issue that inspired a lot of hot feelings. Yet those who would disagree with him on the death penalty, or like me, who disagreed with him on the balanced budget amendment, nonetheless, often would come up to Senator Paul Simon and say, 'You know Senator, I don't agree with you, but I trust you. I am going to vote for you. I admire the way you stand up for the state of Illinois and for the things that you believe in.'

"I went to Iowa for a month for Paul Simon in 1988 and by the end everyone could say the speech with him, and I could just hear that voice saying, 'The United States is a great country but we can be an even better country.' He believed that so much. He stated, 'I wanted to do something so I can continue to contribute. I didn't get into office just because I wanted a title. I wanted to get something meaningful done.'

"That is so true. He didn't just want to be something, he wanted to do something. So when he retired from the Senate, he continued in his role at Southern Illinois University, and continued to prod all of us. He wrote a book called Tapped Out dealing with the water crisis around the world and he really wanted me to get involved in that issue. He would write me letters and then he finally sent me the book and said, "Now look, your name is in the forward of the book." I knew what he was saying to me: 'You better work on this issue; you are in my book.' Paul, I am going to be working on that issue and so many more where you forged the path."