During this holiday season, we relied on the Postal Service for mailing and receiving packages and holiday cards to friends and loved ones, yet many of us take for granted what a pillar this institution is to the American economy.

The U.S. Postal Service is the lynchpin of a $900 billion mailing industry, providing nine million jobs nationwide.  These jobs are in diverse fields ranging from direct mailing, printing, and catalog companies such as L.L. Bean - in my home state of Maine - to paper manufacturing, and financial services.

In addition to the huge number of jobs that depend on a financially strong Postal Service, individuals and families living in rural communities throughout the nation rely on its universal service.  Families living in our small, rural communities should have the same access to the postal services as those living in our cities. If the Postal Service were no longer able to provide service to every customer, the affordable communications link upon which many Americans rely would be jeopardized. And most commercial businesses would find it uneconomical, if not impossible, to deliver mail and packages at affordable rates to every address.

But under its current business model, which has not been updated in three decades, the financial future of the Postal Service was not viable. There are many reasons why modernizing the Postal Service is so critical to the health of this institution.  The Government Accountability Office has described the current financial situation of the Postal Service as a “death spiral.â€? Read the rest of this entry »

President Bush still doesn’t get it.  The threats from radical Islamic groups that our nation faces are real, but we can’t confront them with the same tired strategies of the past.  As we have learned in Iraq, military strength alone will not defeat a global threat such as terrorism, which is nation-less, decentralized and fighting for the hearts and minds of people in every corner of the globe.  We need more than increased military strength - we need an increase in the power of our ideals, stronger credibility abroad, and a return to a balanced foreign policy that stresses diplomacy instead of ‘preemptive attacks.’  In short, we need a return to the kind of global diplomacy, which not only won the Cold War, but had made our country respected and admired throughout the world.

Unfortunately President Bush has decided to take the easy way out.  Faced with a war in Iraq that he has finally acknowledged we are not winning, he thinks the solution lies in increasing the size of the military, as if just flicking a switch will solve our problems.  The occupation of Iraq will not be won by increasing the number of troops, as an occupation by its very definition cannot be won.  In order to strengthen our country’s own national security, and prevent even further bloodshed in Iraq, we must face the cold hard facts on the ground, and bring our troops home where they belong.

The billions of dollars a year that any increase in the sized of our Armed Forces would cost would be better spent increasing our foreign aid to impoverished nations, or securing loose radioactive material throughout the former Soviet States, or increasing the opportunity for cross-cultural exchanges between our children and their counterparts abroad.  We are fighting a war of ideals, a war that is fought in the hearts and minds of people throughout the world, not on some battlefield against a standing army.  These are new times, and President Bush must recognize that there are smarter ways to make our nation secure.

At a time of national concern and disappointment, President Ford answered the call of duty and in doing so, set the standard for decency, honor and leadership.  He had quiet, reassuring strength at a time when America needed it most and made it his promise to restore honor to the presidency.

President Ford was by nature an all-American, family man, who will be remembered by his integrity, courage, and his devotion to this country.  We celebrate his life as we mourn this loss with his family.

Although President Ford was never elected to the highest office in our nation, he served in that position with dignity and honor.  He ascended to the office of President at one of the most troubling times in our nation’s history.  Watergate created anger and suspicion among the public for the office he inherited while the ongoing agony over Vietnam further divided our country.

President Ford was the right person at the right time for this difficult task.  He firmly believed the constitution would work and provide the help we needed in what many called our darkest days.  His confidence proved to be correct.

President Ford visited Syracuse in the fall of 1976 during his campaign for election.  He joined my father and many other dignitaries at the Onondaga County War Memorial for a raucous campaign rally.  President Ford also campaigned with me during my first run for Congress in 1988.  I will never forget his warmth, friendship, and encouragement during this very exciting time in my life.  The picture of President Ford with my father hangs proudly in my Washington office from this memorable event.

On behalf of the constituents of the 25th district of New York I extend our deepest condolences to his wife Betty and their family.  We as a nation were well served by this admirable public servant.

Last night, Americans lost one of the most thoroughly decent men who ever occupied the White House. President Gerald Ford led the free world with a sensibility - and a sense of himself - that showed he had never strayed far from his midwestern roots.

Particularly after the trauma of Watergate and Vietnam, President Ford’s character and courage reminded Americans that our leaders can - and must - reflect our values.

As we endure the struggles of another generation, let us reflect upon President Ford’s soothing words upon taking office in 1974, which remain so instructive today:

“I believe that truth is the glue that holds government together, not only our Government but civilization itself. That bond, though strained, is unbroken at home and abroad.

“In all my public and private acts as your President, I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy in the end. Read the rest of this entry »

President Ford helped restore Americans’ faith in our political institutions at a critical moment in our history.  His overwhelming decency and steady hand restored trust to the Office of the President, even while he made many difficult decisions.  President Ford loved the House of Representatives, and his service to that body will be remembered along with its greatest leaders.  An All-American football player at the University of Michigan, the American people could easily identify with his down-to-earth, common-sense demeanor, and he used this approach to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle.  We can all learn from his bipartisan example, and I expect that the appreciation for President Ford’s efforts will grow significantly in the future.  I offer my thanks and condolences to his family.

On Tuesday, the United States lost a true leader and a real gentleman. President Gerald Ford united our country during one of our darkest times and worked toward healing this nation after Watergate and the Vietnam War. He made the tough decisions – but the right decisions – during some very difficult days.

Although President Ford had stepped down as President six years before I was first elected to the Congress in 1982, I had the honor of being with President and Mrs. Ford on several occasions. The last time was when Mrs. Ford was being honored with a Commonwealth Award here in the First State in 1998. She sat with a number of us at the head table. He sat close by in the audience at another table with – among others – my wife Martha. He truly beamed as Betty was being honored for her personal courage and leadership that evening and seemed to relish the role of dutiful and supportive spouse. Martha and I were both struck by how down-to-earth he was and by his sense of humility and humanity. The dedication of the Fords to each other was hard to miss, and I left that night inspired both by Mrs. Ford’s efforts to help people overcome addiction, as well as by a husband and wife’s commitment to each other.

In life, President Ford was a statesman when we truly needed one. He never aspired to be President while rising to leadership roles in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he told Martha over dinner that night that the leadership role he really aspired to for many years was Speaker of the House. However, once he became President, he frequently sought to put country before party, sometimes at his own political peril. As President, and as House Minority Leader, he governed from the middle. He was fair, just, and considerate of others, qualities that we would all do well to embrace on our own. We could use more leaders like Gerald Ford in both of our political parties today. Hopefully, on January 4 when a new Congress convenes, they will begin to emerge.

I am saddened by the death of former President Gerald R. Ford, who ably served our country following the tumultuous days of the Watergate scandal.

He also led the nation through the end of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, the mediation of a cease-fire between Israel and Egypt, the signing of the Helsinki human rights convention with the Soviet Union and the signing of an arms limitation agreement with then-Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev.

As a U.S. Congressman, he will be remembered for his vote for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and for his opposition to the poll tax that helped open the doors of equality for future generations.

My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Mrs. Betty Ford and the entire Ford family during this difficult time.

President Ford will be missed.

While President Ford will forever be associated with the pardon of President Nixon, I have always believed he should have received a Profiles in Courage award for signing the law back in 1975 that dramatically increased the fuel economy standards of America’s automobiles. Despite his deep Michigan roots, he was willing to take this bold step for the country because he understood the danger of our increasing dependence on foreign oil. Our thoughts and prayers are with his entire family.

Gerald Ford was called upon to serve during one of the most tumultuous periods in our nation’s history, proving himself a remarkable president amid some of the most difficult and extraordinary circumstances one could have ever imagined.

More importantly, President Ford restored confidence in America at a time of great unease and uncertainty - all the while rebuilding and reinforcing important institutions that today stand stronger and more durable as a result of his hard work more than 30 years ago. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mrs. Ford and the rest of the Ford family. May he rest in peace.