Democrats to set new agenda
By Alan Fram
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Patients’
rights will surge past President
Bush’s energy plan to the top of
the agenda when Democrats grab
control of the Senate Wednesday.
Investigators will probe why
gasoline prices have soared. Hear
ings will be held on rising elec
tricity rates and on the FBI, too.
Democrats are also contemplat
ing putting their imprint on the
chamber with early efforts to
boost the minimum wage, create
prescription drug coverage for
Medicare recipients and revamp
election procedures.
But their power will be held in
check by their paper-thin majority
and the Republicans’ ability to use
filibusters to hinder legislation. So
the Democrats will be unable to
shove their priorities through the
Senate at will when they become
the majority Wednesday morning.
And as far as enacting law, De
mocrats will still have to contend
with a Republican-dominated
House — not to mention a GOP
White House under President
Bush.
“There will be a different agen
da and a different focus,” Mar
shall Wittmann, senior fellow for
the conservative Hudson Institute,
said Monday. “But there won’t be
a radical lurch to the left because
Democrats are in charge.”
Senate Minority Leader Tom
Daschle, D-S.D., who will become
majority leader, has said the Sen
ate will first complete its work on
a bipartisan education bill backed
by Bush. After that, it will turn to
a bill expanding patients’ rights
co-sponsored by Democrats and
Republican Sen. John McCain of
Arizona.
Democrats will also craft their
own energy legislation, focusing
more than Bush did on enhancing
conservation, energy efficiency
and short-term help for con
sumers.
“There will still be some pro
duction incentives, but it won’t be
so dominant,” said Sen. Jeff
Bingaman, D-N.M., who will be
chair of the Energy and Natural
Resources Committee.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
President Tom Donohue said that
while the Democrats’ ascendancy
won’t change any votes in the
Senate, Daschle’s ability to control
the agenda will be the most telling
change.
“The real challenges are going
to be on health care and energy”
as far as business is concerned,
Donohue said.
Marking Daschle’s new clout,
he and Bush planned to have din
ner at the White House on Thurs
day, said a senior White House of
ficial and a Daschle aide.
Other Democratic plans in
clude:
— The new Governmental Af
fairs Committee Chairman, Joseph
Lieberman, D-Conn., envisions
hearings this month on whether
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission has adequately over
seen electricity prices.
— Incoming Judiciary Chair
man Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said he
wants hearings on recent FBI
mishaps, including spying allega
tions against former agent Robert
Hanssen and the recently discov
ered evidence in the Timothy
McVeigh bombing case.
— An investigations subcom
mittee headed by Carl Levin, D
Mich., will examine rising gaso
line prices.
— Max Baucus, D-Mont., who
will head the Finance Committee,
is less interested than many Re
publicans in a future tax bill, but
will consider including “modest”
tax breaks for small business in
minimum wage legislation, said
Baucus spokesman Michael
Siegel.
The Democratic takeover will
become official Wednesday, when
James Jeffords, R-Vt., formally
leaves the GOP and becomes an
independent who will vote with
Democrats to organize the Senate.
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Jeffords timed his move to be
come official at the close of busi
ness Tuesday or when Congress
sent the recently approved tax bill
to Bush for his signature,
whichever occurred later. GOP
aides said the legislation reached
the White House on Monday, and
Bush planned to sign it at a cere
mony on Thursday.
Bush was upbeat at a “tax relief
celebration” Monday in Tampa,
Fla., where he marked the largest
achievement of his presidency
with a rally before thousands of
area residents. “I have the honor
of signing the largest tax relief bill
in 20 years,” Bush said, pumping
his fist as the audience erupted in
cheers.
Jeffords’ switch will give De
mocrats a 50-49 edge, and it will
be the first time Senate control has
ever shifted in a meaningful way
during a session of Congress. The
only exception occurred this past
January, when Democrats held the
majority for 17 days when A1 Gore
was vice president and the Senate
was still divided 50-50. Little
work was done then.
Despite the historic nature of
the transition, the Democrats’ mo
ment will arrive with little fanfare
in the chamber.
Under current plans, Robert
Byrd of West Virginia, the longest
serving Senate Democrat, will
gavel the body into session. He
will recognize Daschle to speak as
majority leader, and the Democ
rats’ reign will begin.
At the moment Daschle is rec
ognized as majority leader, the top
Democratic members on each
committee will become chairmen.
But until the Senate approves a
resolution revamping panels’ ros-,
ters to reflect the Democratic ma-|
jority, memberships on commit
tees will revert to the end of the
last Congress, when the GOP had
control. Because of vacancies
caused by retirements and elec
tion defeats, that will give Repub
licans majorities on eight major
committees and Democrats one,
with seven tied.
r
Physics professor
to share his vision
■ Physics Professor Am it
Goswami’s latest book
explores the balance between
science and spirituality
By Brooke Ross
Oregon Daily Emerald
It is possible to keep in touch with
one’s spiritual side while taking part
in today’s scientific advancements.
At least that is the new way of think
ing explained in physics Professor
Amit Goswami’s latest book, which
he will discuss today at 7:30 p.m. in
the Browsing Room of the Universi
ty’s Knight Library. “The Visionary
Window: A Quantum Physicist’s
Guide to Enlightenment” explains
how separate ideas behind science
and spirituality actually relate.
The discussion is sponsored by
the University Bookstore.
Goswami, who has written several
other books, including “The Self
Aware Universe: How Conscious
ness Creates the Material World,”
said that today’s scientific thinking
often means believing that spiritual
ideas, such as God, cannot exist. He
said this is often a dilemma for spiri
tual people who also enjoy science.
“Up until now, people have been
very divided,” he said. “They want to
believe in science, but many can’t help
but believe in their spirituality, too. ”
Goswami said his book explores a
variety of ways the two disciplines
affect each other, such as how con
sciousness creates biological order
and how the body acts as a creative
being. The book also looks into is
sues surrounding how to integrate
science and spirituality, such as the
idea of whether or not science
should replace religion.
“Scienoe tells us spirituality is
wrong,” he said. “But most people
like to go to church and have reli
gious experiences. ”
Goswami said the integration of
science and spirituality can help
people understand the theory of evo
lution.
What: A discussion of physics
Professor Amit Goswami’s new
book, “The Visionary Window: A
Quantum Physicist’s Guide to
Enlightenment”
When: Today at 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Browsing Room of the
University’s Knight Library
Cost: Free
“Usually people think we have
solved the problem of evolution,” he
said. “In truth, biologists are not sure
if we have answered all the ques
tions.”
Because God may have intervened
in the process of evolution, it’s impor
tant to understand both, he said.
“Both sides have to equal each
other to better understand these phe
nomena,” he said.
Tom Gerald, author events coordi
nator at the University Bookstore,
said the store tries to support faculty
members’ writings as much as pos
sible. He said he has particularly en
joyed working with Goswami to set
up tonight’s event.
“He’s dealing with some heavy
topics and presents them all so
well,” he said.
Gerald, who is familiar with some
of Goswami’s other writings, said the
author is enjoyable to hear, although
the material maybe complicated.
“I don’t read a lot in this area, so to
hear someone who understands as
intimately as he does is wonderful,”
he said.
Dietrich Belitz, physics professor
and department head, said he’s de
lighted when a faculty member
writes a book. He said unlike other
fields, where book writing is com
mon among faculty members,
physics professors often write tech
nical articles for scholarly journals
instead ofbooks.
“It’s nice to see our faculty being
engaged in scholarly activities,” he
said. “It’s good for the department
and good for the University. ”
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