[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1114-E1115]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

EAST 79TH STREET NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

______

HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

of new york

in the house of representatives

Monday, June 26, 2000

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, please submit the following
article into the Record.

[[Page E1115]]

East 79th Street Neighborhood Association Goes to Washington!

(By Deborah de Bauernfeind)

On Tuesday, October 19, 1999, 11 members of the Association
embarked on a two-day trip to Washington, DC. The Association
works closely with elected officials on quality-of-life
issues, transportation matters, building preservation, and
zoning regulations. We were particularly interested in
getting a first-hand feel for how Congress works. To
accomplish this, our Congresswoman, Carolyn Maloney, met with
our group in a Rayburn House Office Building Hearing Room for
a 30-minute discussion of our issues. Assisted by a note-
taking staff member, Congresswoman Maloney fielded our
questions and concerns regarding the Second Avenue Subway;
the inadequacies of our bus service; our zoning battle to
keep East 76th Street and other midblocks under R8B,
requiring low density and low height; the rising cost of
health insurance; and the necessity of maintaining rent
control and rent stabilization laws. Following a productive
discussion, we were privileged to sit in the Visitor's
Gallery of the House of Representatives where we heard the
Congresswoman from Hawaii discuss the gender equity bill,
sponsored by Congresswoman Maloney. We also sat in the
Visitor's Gallery of the United States Senate Chamber. We
heard a portion of the debate on the bill outlawing ``partial
birth'' abortions, which was passed the next day.
Congresswoman Maloney's office arranged for us to have a
tour of the Capitol Building that afternoon. What a thrill it
was to walk through the labyrinth of Minton-tiled corridors,
rubbing shoulders with legislators who have the ability to
change the course of history. While the legislators deal with
our Nation's future, the history of our country abounds in
every corner of the Capitol Building. Congress has been
housed there since 1800. The current chamber of the House was
completed in 1857, and the current Senate chamber was
completed in 1859. One can feel the presence of John Adams in
the National Statuary Hall. The House used to meet in the
space. The acoustical design allowed Adams to sit in one area
of the hall and listen to conversations on the opposite end
of the room while he acted as though he was dozing. It kept
him well informed! The cast-iron dome of the Capitol was
completed in 1863. It weighs about nine million pounds. No
building in Washington, DC is allowed to be higher than the
Statue of Freedom, which tops the dome. The Rotunda is the
heart of the Capitol. Prominent Americans have lain in state
there, including Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. A
frieze depicting over 400 years of American history encircles
the Rotunda. In addition, there are eight paintings covering
the discovery and colonization of America, as well as
illustrations of scenes from the American Revolution.
Our day concluded with dinner in the Congressional Dining
Room. Arranged by Association President Betty Cooper
Wallerstein, we were seated at a table set for 11 and were
pampered by the dining room staff. Several members of
Congress came to our table to introduce themselves. It was a
wonderful way to end our stay.
The five-hour bus ride back to New York City provided ample
time for us to reflect on everything we saw. It's difficult
to determine which sight was the most compelling. The sense
of history is everywhere. Being on the steps of the Capitol
where Presidential Inaugurations have taken place since 1801
or being in the East Room at the White House and seeing
Gilbert Stuart's 1797 portrait of George Washington, which
has hung in the White House since 1800--both experiences are
moving. And, being told that Civil War troops were quartered
in the East Room makes the space seem quite alive. The
corridors of the White House are lined with portraits of
Presidents and First Ladies. The last portrait one sees when
leaving is of John F. Kennedy, our slain President, with his
head bowed. Memories abound. On the White House grounds is a
magnolia planted by Andrew Jackson. George Washington
selected the site for the White House, and it was Thomas
Jefferson who began the tradition of opening the White House
to the public each morning. It's exciting to be beneficiaries
of this practice, but it was the Congressional letter from
Congresswoman Maloney that admitted us since White House
functions the morning we went restricted visitation.
Memorials dot the Washington landscape. We toured six of
them in the evening light, which provided a meditative
atmosphere. At the Lincoln Memorial one is reminded of his
legacy to freedom while reading inscriptions of the
Gettysburg Address and Lincoln's Second Inaugural. The Thomas
Jefferson Memorial highlights his beliefs in human liberty.
And, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, comprised of
four outdoor galleries, includes Roosevelt's words of courage
and optimism etched in red South Dakota granite. But, it is
at the war memorials where one is vividly reminded of the
blood shed by individuals to uphold freedom around the world.
Inlaid in silver in a granite wall near the Pool of
Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial are the words
``Freedom Is Not Free''. Life-size sculptures of soldiers
surrounding the 60-foot flagstaff at the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial contrast the soldiers' youth with the weapons of war
which they hold, underscoring their level of sacrifice. And,
tension and valor can be felt in the depiction of the men
raising the American flag on Iwo Jima. But, their victory was
short-lived. Three soon died in combat.
Our ``responsibilities as citizens of a democracy''
continued to be reflected upon during our visit to the United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was a solemn and
emotional experience. One hopes the eternal flame of
remembrance will preserve the memory and encourage reflection
``upon the moral and spiritual questions raised by the events
of the Holocaust''.
The Association went to Washington to get a feel for the
workings of government and for a dialogue with Congresswoman
Maloney. We came away with a feeling that there are channels
for our opinions. We also felt a tingle of pride in being
Americans. The struggle for freedom and the preservation of
it to this day is so evident in our Nation's Capital. Our
trip experiences reminded us that this legacy to freedom is
one of the most enduring birthrights Americans possess.

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