Online Chat
Morristown Elementary School
April 29, 1999
Senator Leahy: Hi - are we ready to go? I can see you and I hope you forgive my typing mistakes!
Morristown Elementary: Hello Senator, we are moving one more class into the room. We should be ready in on minute.
Senator Leahy: I can see you back there - are you receiving from this end?
Morristown Elementary: Yes we are, would you like to use audio?
Senator Leahy: OK - I remember when I was that age and know it takes a couple minutes to move classes around - evne tho we did not have the interenet.
Senator Leahy: We have a bit of a problem here with the audio so should probably go on with the typing.
Morristown Elementary: On your web page you have "GATT", what does it mean?
Senator Leahy: GATT is a new video game like dungeons and dragons
Senator Leahy: Actually I am joking - GATT is an international trade agreeement of some complexity.
Morristown Elementary: That's what we thought!
Morristown Elementary: I know that lately there has been a lot of school violence and shootings ins school. Do you have any ideas of how this violence can be prevented in the future?
Senator Leahy: I got the wave!
Senator Leahy: Parents have to spend a lot more time with their children and schools need to have the means to counsel students and to identify those with problems. We should never allow guns in school.
Senator Leahy: Incidentally my wife and I visited your school a few years ago and when I was a boy my parents had a camp at Lake Elmore.
Morristown Elementary: Did you get the question we sent about Columbine?
Senator Leahy: I got the question about Columbine - that is where I referred to parents spending more time with their children, schools given the counseling and other tools necessary to spot potential trouble and my feeling that guns can never be allowed in schools. They weren't in my school in Montpelier when I was growing up.
Morristown Elementary: Why do you support breast cancer research funding?
Senator Leahy: Breast cancer research: Vermont has one of the highest incidences of breast cancer in America. Many of my friends have the disease and my wife is a nurse and many of her patients did. We can find a cure if we do enough research and in a country as wealthy as ours we should - for all of us.
Morristown Elementary: What do you do when you are at work?
Senator Leahy: Every work day is different. I start around 6 in the morning at home when I turn on my computer and read messages and memoes that came in over night. When I get to the senate I have briefings, hearings debates on the floor of the Senate and usually have a few hundred pages of materials to read. I meet with Vermonters who are here, with other Senators, sometimes with the President and usually finish my last reading and items around midnight
Morristown Elementary: I know that there are a lot of refugees from Kosovo and there's no place to put them. When the refugees come are any of them coming to VT? How will they learn our language?
Senator Leahy: I like the work because I learn something new every day but I especially like the many times every month when I am home in Vermont and can have meetings here, can see old friends and can be in my real home - my Vermont home.
Morristown Elementary: Your computer seems to cut you off before you're done typing. If you want us to wait while you finish typing you can put three dots at the end of your typing, and then we'll wait to send our next question.
Senator Leahy: We just had a hearing on Kososvo. There are no plans to have any refugees come to Vermont but some may come to the US for awhile. I would hope they might be able to return to their own country when it is safe to do so...
Morristown Elementary: How much money is the Kosovo conflict costing the U.S.?
Senator Leahy: Kosovo has cost several billions so far. I expect it could go to 20 billion or more this year alone. It is necessary for the other NATO countries to pick up more of the cost. As long as the refugees keep coming, and Milosevic does not want to go to the peace table, the costs will continue...
Senator Leahy: I will try to wave when I finish typing also as you seem to see that ok...
Senator Leahy: We have time for one more question if you'd like...
Morristown Elementary: What is the coolest thing you have ever gotten to do?
Senator Leahy: They asked me to be in one of the Batman movies and I did - was with my son who is an actor and I loved the experience. Every day though there are exciting things that happen and I am very grateful my fellow Vermonters let me have this job. I love it...
Senator Leahy: Great to have been with you and please give me a big wave...
Morristown Elementary: Senator Leahy, Thank you very much for your time. Good luck dealing with all the issues that you face. Bye now.
