Online Chat
Southwest Vermont Career Development Center (CDC)
March 11, 1998

[PatLeahy]  Hi, I have just left the judiciary hearing for a while to join you. How are you?

[CDC3]  Hello, Senator there are a couple questions above.

[PatLeahy]  I have never seen the Jerry Springer show but it is important to have free speech - even offensive speech- to preserve the independence of our democracy.

[PatLeahy]  Having said that it is important that we take the time to be well informed enough that we can counter people who say untrue and outrageous things.

[CDC5]  My name is Matt and I'm from Bennington my question is, should the courts have the right to question Secret Service agents about the presidents private affairs?

[PatLeahy]  I oppose the death penalty. I do believe it is a deterrent in a small number of cases but even when I was a prosecutor and tried murder cases I opposed it.

[PatLeahy]  I even opposed it when a couple of the people I was prosecuting tried to murder me.

[CDC2]  Thank You for your answer!

[CDC4]  Hello my name is Jess, I am researching the death penalty and one important question I have is, why does it take so long for someone to get executed?

[PatLeahy]  Matt the special prosecutor [Mr Starr] should not be asking the Secret Service about a President's private life. If this becomes the tradition the President and others being protected by the Secret Service will habitually turn down the protection [in some instances] and that would not be a good thing.

[CDC5]  thanks

[cdc]  Hi my name is Jay from Bennington. How do you feel about the bill being proposed to ban Ebonics in school?

[PatLeahy]  Jess when the death penalty is imposed there is no way to go back and say we're sorry that we executed the wrong person [which has happened] so there are procedural delays to try to make sure the right person is killed.

[PatLeahy]  Jay there is no ebonics legislation before the Congress nor will there be. That will always be a local issue.

[CDC4]  Thank you, that was very helpful.

[cdc1]  Hi my name is John,my first question is,are you for or against gun control

[PatLeahy]  John what do you mean by gun control? I oppose felons having the right to carry guns, I don't want street gangs with machine guns but I feel the very limited controls we have in Vermont work very well. Most of the people who go shooting with me agree.

[cdc]  Hi, my name is Nichole and my question is: Is there a relationship between verbal hate crimes and the first amendment?

[CDC4]  Hello my name is Marya my topic is deadbeat parents can you tell me what the federal government is currently doing about deadbeat parents?

[PatLeahy]  Nichole there is a relationship and it is very difficult to draw the line between free speech and prohibited speech. It has been something courts have wrestled with since the Bill of Rights.

[PatLeahy]  Marya deadbeat parents are under state court orders to pay up. The federal government is putting much more pressure on the states to enforce the rulings and giving tools to help find deadbeat parents.

[CDC5]  This is Matt again thank you for making Lake Champlain a great lake, my question is why did you push so hard to make it a great lake? Why are the midwest states such as Michigan, and Minnesota so upset?

[CDC4]  Thank you!

[CDC2]  Hi my name is Tera. What is the status Carl Perkins funding for tech centers like the CDC?

[PatLeahy]  Matt I don't want to take from the grandeur of the mid-west states or their lakes. I do want to make sure we have the research funds and resources to keep Lake Champlain - the 6th largest body of fresh water in the U.S - from being badly damaged by pollution like some of the other Great Lakes.

[CDC5]  thanks

[PatLeahy]  Tera we are just beginnig the debate on the funding for all education programs and no one knows yet how much money will be there.

[cdc]  Hi this is Jay from Bennington again. My second question is: How do you feel about interracial marriages between african americans and caucasions in Vermont?

[PatLeahy]  Please excuse any typing mistakes I may make - I am typing as fast as I can.

[PatLeahy]  Jay the constitution makes it very clear that interracial marriages are legal in every state.

[cdc]  Are there proposals to end hate crimes or even to end the relationship between hate crimes and the first amendment?

[cdc1]  My name is John, Do you feel it is nessesary to have handgun control laws in Vermont since these are used in crimes?

[PatLeahy]  The Vermont legislature and the Congress are continuously trying to end hate crimes. Of course and crime resulting in an assualt or damage - however motivated - can be prosecuted in any state.

[CDC3]  This is Jessica again. Do you think there is a realationship between tv violence and violence in society?

[PatLeahy]  John we don't have handgun laws in Vermont other than the prohibition of ownership for convicted felons. We also have one of the two lowest crime rates in the country.

[CDC4]  Hi this is Jess again, what do you think the most important thing coming before the senate is?

[PatLeahy]  Jessica I don't know the answer to your question on TV violence.

[CDC5]  Matt once again, is there any move for more highway funding in the state of Vermont? The roads are terrible up here.

[PatLeahy]  Jess the Senate is avoiding a lot of very important issues - that is why there is such a stall on confirmint judges.

[PatLeahy]  Matt we are debating the highway bill rightr now. If an amendment I am backing stays in the law Vermont will have a considerable increase in highway funds.

[Leanna]  senator leahy will soon have to go back to the Judiciary Committee hearing -- how about 2 more questions.

[cdc1]  How much does itn cost to run the senate fo a day

[CDC4]  Thank you, I didn't realize there are issues being avoided in the senate.

[CDC2]  Is there money being appropiated in Vermont for rail?

[cdc]  Thank you for your time. We all wish to contact you again.

[CDC5]  Matt finally, thank you for your time

[CDC4]  Please come visit us when you get a chance.

[CDC2]  Thank You for your time! Come visit us when you get us a chance!

[PatLeahy]  There is money in various bills for Vermont for rail. Senator Jeffords and I have supported anumber of these bills especially for Amtrak.

[CDC3]  This is Jessica thankyou for taking time to chat with us.

[cdc1]  Thank you for your time ,come up and visit us somtime

[PatLeahy]  The House and Senate cost around 2billion a year but includes everything from hearings and investigations to the Congressional Library which is open to all Americans.

[PatLeahy]  I would enjoy visiting you. I was in Bennington on Sunday and enjoyed meeting with a lot of people I hadn't seen for a while. I than went up to Manchester for a photo show at Frog Hollow.

[PatLeahy]  As you know two of the most valuable people in my office, Leanna and Jonathan, graduated from your school.

[PatLeahy]  I hope you can come visit me sometime and thans for letting me come by today.