[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 109 (Tuesday, August 9, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   THE HONOR AND PRIVILEGE OF SERVICE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  (Mr. MICHEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MICHEL. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues, it gets to be an awfully 
emotional moment. The President did me such honor yesterday and 
obviously at a moment and a time that I shall never forget.
  Mr. Speaker, you made mention of that today, with your very kind 
remarks about my service in this House and our serving together. I was 
always hoping that, well, sometime later on in this session, when we 
get about ready to adjourn, maybe I would have a few comments to say 
and offer some words that were appropriate.
  If I were to say anything today other than just thank you so much for 
your tribute today, it would be this: I was singled out as a Member of 
the House of Representatives for that most prestigious award. I wish I 
could just parlay that into having the American people appreciate what 
this institution is all about, and how important it is to the country. 
We want to have the respect of the people. We want them to know that 
what goes on here is at the very heart of this Government. This House, 
yes, and the other body.
  But I have been around this House long enough to have sensed the 
feeling of our Members. We get shortchanged compared to the other body. 
At this event yesterday, I just could not help but feel, egads, here is 
a Member of the House of Representatives who is among that 
distinguished group of people honored.
  So I wish there were a way to say, I accepted it yesterday on behalf 
of each and every one of you who serve, as you do, representing your 
constituents in this great body, the U.S. House of Representatives.
  I hope you will always think of that and in the remaining days that 
you serve in this body, what it is to bring credit to the institution, 
to make it just a little bit better tomorrow than it was today. And, 
yes, we have had our down times and our times of distraction. But all 
in all, how many people have said it throughout history, whether 
foreign leaders or our own people here in this country, our system is 
such that it cannot be paralleled by any other around the face of the 
globe.
  I hope you will just all appreciate as much as I have appreciated the 
great honor that has come to me to simply have been elected by our 
individual constituencies and then eventually serve in this House, to 
do the very best we can in our own way, as just a little bit of the 
whole.
  Thank you so much.

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