Political Quotes

“last year the citizens of New York were jolted--I think that is fair to say--when the Base Closure Realignment Commission, closed three of the very small number of military installations in the State of New York: The Staten Island Naval Base; the Plattsburg Air Force Base, an installation that had been there on the shores of Lake Champlain since 1818 and which was not recommended for closure; and the flying mission at Griffiss Air Force Base, in Rome. This seemed to us, for a State that has had very large outlays in Federal taxes over the years for maintaining bases elsewhere in the country, an unusual and disappointing decision. On the other hand, I can report today there has been a remedial measure of genuine consequence to the Rome region and to Griffiss Air Force Base. The Department of Defense has decided to locate one of 20 new Defense Finance and Accounting Service [DFAS] Centers there. This move is part of the consolidation of the Department's payroll operation; 750 permanent jobs will be located on the base. And in consequence, the position of Rome Laboratory is considerably enhanced in that the infrastructure that the laboratory requires will also be required by this new defense facility, and the combination is a more efficient one. The Rome lab is one of four super laboratories in the Air Force, and it is the center of our present research in the fields of both electronics and photonics.…”