A Senate Lion is silenced

Late last might a Senate Lion was silenced forever. However his legacy will
live on for generations. Sen. Edward Kennedy was a statesman despite his
personal problems. He was able to reach across the aisle and many pieces of
legislation which bear his name also bare the names of Republicans as well.
One of these pieces of legislation which I remember is Kennedy-Casabaulm
which dealt with Sen. Kennedy's favorite subject, health care. It barred
insurance companies from turning people down due to pre-existing conditions.
I don't remember if this ever passed but I do remember its existence.

Sen. Kennedy has been mentioned for his involvement with the ADA which
should not surprise you given his family's links to the disability
community. There is his son Edward Jr. who is an amputee and there is his
sister Rose who was developmentally disabled. It was this connection which
got the special Olympics its start in the late 1960s, I believe, in Chicago.
Rose lived at St. Colletta's I in Wisconsin until her death a few years ago.

Sen. Kennedy was involved in many pieces of legislation and championed many
causes in the disability community. He was actually a co-sponsor of S. 841,
the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. He was involved with the
Dear Colleague letter earlier this year for the increase in funding for
Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) for deaf-blind within the
Dept. of Education. Last I heard, there is likely to be an increase of $1
million which is pretty good in a bad economy.

Sen. Kennedy knew how to reach across the aisle even though he was a liberal
Democrat. This was true when it came to education reform. He worked with
then President George W. bush on that issue.

While I didn't agree with Sen. Kennedy's politics, he did have a way of
getting things done. He fought for what he believed in and he was larger
than life. He will be sorely missed in Washington by those who work in the
Capitol and beyond. A Senate Lion has been silenced forever. Let's all
reflect on the many achievements of this public servant for he knew what
public service was, having served some 47 years in the Senate. Will we ever
see another one like him? I highly doubt it.

Rest in peace. Your fight is over.