Billy Long: “There once was a man named Mel, and when he stepped to this microphone, he'd give 'em Mel. I rise today to recognize a…”

“There once was a man named Mel, and when he stepped to this microphone, he'd give 'em Mel. I rise today to recognize a former Member of this body and a friend and mentor, Congressman Mel Hancock. He would sign all of his letters or emails, whatever he'd sign, with the same thing: ``Yours for better but less government.'' That's what Mel believed. When Senator Jim Talent first came to this body, he asked Mel to help him vote. He said: Mel, can you show me how to use the voting machine here? Mel said: Sure, Jim, come over here. You see, if you want to vote ``no,'' you push the red button. And if you have a conflict, you can't vote on an issue, you push the yellow button for ``P'' for ``present.'' And he turned and walked off. Senator Talent said: Hey, Mel, what's the green button? Mel turned around and said: I don't know, never used it. Mel died peacefully in his home in his sleep on November 6 in Springfield, Missouri. Mel was a champion of limited government. Mel knew that our Founding Fathers understood the corrupting influence of power on the human character, which is why they championed personal freedom, the idea that a government by the people and for the people should preserve liberty for future generations. Like our Founders, Mel was a wise man, a good man, who worked tirelessly to defend people's liberty. Mel was a true Ozarkian. He was born in Cape Fair, Missouri, in 1936.…”