I wanted to tell this story where it would get a few more eyes than a comment, because it shows the kind of person Frank Lautenberg was, and why he will be missed.
I was sitting in a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, and my senator, Ben Cardin, was discussing funding for mitigation of the effects of climate change. In particular, he was discussing the effect of sea level rise on the coasts, because MD has more coastline (I think) than any other state on the Eastern Seaboard.
A Republican Senator from the Midwest spoke up and said, "Well, my constituents don't have any coastline to defend. Why should my taxpayers have to pay higher taxes so that you can protect your coastline?"
And Frank Lautenberg answered: "You might as well ask why my taxpayers should send disaster aid when the Mississippi overflows its banks. You do it because we're all Americans. It's like when I got called to duty in WWII. You don't ask `What's in it for me?' You put on your uniform and go."
It's that morality I will miss, and I'm likely not to get it from very many of the people who get put into prominence through our current system of pay-to-play elections.
RIP, Senator, and thank you for your service--in uniform and out.
Please feel free to add any of your stories about Sen. Lautenberg here.