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Why America is a Great Nation

Date: Nov. 3, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: National Security


WHY AMERICA IS A GREAT NATION -- (Extensions of Remarks - November 03, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. BERNARD SANDERS
OF VERMONT
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2005

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster. Its effects were compounded by human ineptitude, as FEMA, State officials and the President all reacted slowly and without adequate concern for their fellow Americans.

We rightly witnessed their inaction and unconcern on our television sets.

But there is another America, an America which responds to distress with generosity and a willingness to pitch in. An America which provides an outpouring of funds for the Red Cross and countless truckloads amounts of donated supplies.

I want to tell you a story about what is best in America.

When they learned of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, two members of the Vermont's South Burlington Fire Department, Lieutenant Micah Genzlinger and Firefighter Trevor Poor, volunteered to help their fellow firefighters on the hard-struck gulf coast. They went to areas devastated by the hurricane and helped other fire companies fight fires. They also helped citizens rebuild and recover from the destruction wrought by the storm. And, in the spare time they could muster, they helped their fellow firefighters take care of the damage to their own homes.

And the fire company they left behind? According to their union contract, firefighters must be given notice of shift changes two weeks in advance. Generously, all their colleagues waived this requirement, so that they could cover all shifts, without charging massive overtime to the city of South Burlington. They changed their work schedules to make sure the city was protected and that Genzlinger and Poor's trip to help others did not undercut local fire protection, all at no additional cost.

This story was repeated all over America. In Vermont, firefighters from Barre and Hartford also headed south to help their firefighting brothers and sisters. In other states, firefighters responded to the call to protect and rebuild--as they always do, not only for their own cities and towns, but for Americans everywhere.

This kind of generous solidarity is what makes America a great and wonderful Nation.

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