Following his speech, titled “Health Policy and Economic Security,” on October 24, 2003, Senator Edward M. Kennedy spoke with us about his career, his goals for the future, and his impressions of UCI and the School of Social Sciences.

What do you think the highlights of your career have been?

I would have to say I’m proud of the efforts I’ve made in the areas of healthcare and civil rights, and in working to better the quality of life for my fellow citizens.

What are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of having the honor of serving the people of Massachusetts and of having their continued trust and confidence over these many years.

What do you view as your role in the Senate?

Along with representing the people of Massachusetts, I think it is important to make sure the working men and women of America, and their families, are not left out or left behind. I also believe in fighting against injustice wherever it is found.

You are in much demand for speaking engagements. Why did you choose to come to UCI to present the 2003-2004 Peltason Lecture on Democracy?

It was an opportunity to see a vital research institution in California that I had heard a lot about. Todd Thaxton [School of Social Sciences Director of Development and External Relations], who worked for me and later for my son Patrick, made sure I got lots of information about it! And, of course, I have always been a great supporter of our research universities.

Your lecture was titled “Health Policy and Economic Security.” Why did you choose to speak on these issues and what other critical issues do you feel the country faces at this time?

I spoke about Health Policy and Economic Security because they have the most impact on working families and we are in a particular crisis in those areas today. The wellbeing of our children is so tied to those issues and our children’s welfare impacts the future of our entire nation.

I think we are going to be dealing with terrorism for a very long time, but we need to make sure we do so without compromising the very civil liberties that define us as Americans. And I also think we have to remember that we are the stewards of our environment, and our environment is linked in turn to the health of our citizens and those of the world.

What are your impressions of UCI?

I was most impressed, and I deeply appreciated the warm welcome I was given. UCI has a very high quality of research and academic instruction going on, and I was particularly amazed that you have been able to reach this level in what is a relatively short time in the life of a university.

What are your impressions of the School of Social Sciences and on the work conducted by the Center for the Study of Democracy at UCI?

I think your campus speakers program is very impressive and it is a forum at which anyone would be proud to be invited to speak. I thought the entire event was very well run, and I would hope that what I had to say was of interest and useful to the faculty and students. I think it is vital that students have a center such as the one at UCI, where they can study our democracy and discuss the issues.

It is enormously important that the next generation know how our democracy was formed and how it functions. They need to understand our rights and our responsibilities in order to ensure that they continue to be available to us all—and if necessary to defend them in the future. And finally, if they study democracy they may be inspired to go into public service and give something back to this nation for all it has given to us.

What are your goals for the future?

My goals are to continue to serve in the United States Senate and, most immediately, to work for changes in the recent Medicare legislation that was signed into law. I think it is a bill that benefits the insurance and drug companies more than it does our seniors. As I said, I have just begun to fight.

Is there one piece of advice you would like to share with our readers?

I have learned that things don’t get done as fast as one might like and one has to learn to have patience to make progress incrementally. You just have to take one day at a time and keep on working, and pushing, and eventually the goal can be reached.

Are there any other thoughts that you would like to share with our readers?

Remember that voting is the engine of democracy. If we don’t vote, it doesn’t work well. If anyone had any doubts about the importance of a single vote, we need only look at the last election to know that every vote counts.

We must also realize that we stand on the shoulders of all who made it possible for us to cast a free democratic vote. Whether it was an ancestor who made a perilous journey across a treacherous sea, a suffragette who marched and was arrested and battered in jail, or a civil rights worker traveling the dusty back roads of the South, and sometimes dying, so African Americans would have an opportunity to vote, we have a duty to remember their sacrifice. Not to vote is to say their lives and efforts didn’t matter. Not to vote is unacceptable.

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