There is never a good time to stop fighting, lobbying and educating, according U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA).
"About one-third of the House of the Representatives was not here when HR 1151 was passed, so knowledge of your fight is cursory at best," the co-author of the famed credit union legislation told CUNA's GAC. "There are a lot of people you need to educate, and a lot of people leaving. You have a lot to get done before they retire."
Kanjorski also addressed a topic near and dear to credit unions' hearts: financial literacy. "We must provide for the maintenance of the U.S. as a superpower, and you must recognize that you can spend yourself into disaster," Kanjorski suggested. "It is going to take all of our people changing our financial behavior. We can start off by teaching again, teaching our kids what savings means. There is no better group to do this than credit unions."
And like just about every other politician at the GAC, Kanjorski wasn't above telling credit unions what they wanted to hear. "If I wanted to have a standing ovation, I would mention a key phrase," he said coyly. "As a politician, I just can't resist. I am absolutely convinced that taxation of credit unions would be the worst thing we could have."
The credit union crowd obliged.
