Bond bids farewell to U.S. Senate

Just days from the end of U.S. Sen. Christopher S. “Kit” Bond’s fourth and final term, the Missouri Republican offered a farewell message Dec. 14 on the Senate floor.

Bond has served the Senate for 24 years and given nearly 40 years to public service, including a stint as Missouri governor. His Senate term officially ends Jan. 3.

In Bond’s speech, the sixth-generation Missourian, who was born in St. Louis and resides in Mexico, Mo., identified as priorities for his colleagues the elimination of “historic tax increases” on American families and providing unemployment benefits next year.

“We must end the recent trend of the push for government over-spending and passing of burdensome mandates on states. Excessive regulations that go beyond reasonable safety and environmental restrictions are costing us jobs in agriculture, energy and many other areas of the economy,” he said.

“The size of the debt has become an increasing concern for my constituents and others across the nation. We have a debt problem that is caused by spending, not by having taxes too low.”

Bond expressed encouragement with recent discussions about a flat tax and international trade agreements, particularly in the Trans-Pacific partnership.

He urged the next Congress to move forward on a cyber-defense alliance he and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, had outlined “to allow private-sector entities to cooperate with government agencies to protect our financial system, our utilities, and most of all our communication systems from vicious attack and spying.”

In closing, Bond said he learned bipartisanship in his two terms as Missouri governor, during which Democrats held 70 percent majorities in both houses of the General Assembly.

“I have been in the majority and in the minority. I have been fat and thin, and being thin in the majority is a whole lot better,” he said.

“If my colleagues will permit a little parting advice from an old bull: Work together; play nice.”[[In-content Ad]]