[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 118 (Friday, August 19, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             IT IS TIME TO GO HOME AND LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE

  (Mr. HEFLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, as I was driving to work this morning and 
listening to Paul Harvey on the radio, he was talking about a poll that 
has just come out that shows that one in five people, 22 percent of the 
American public, feel that they have any confidence whatsoever in the 
U.S. Congress. Only one in five, and, if we can believe the phone calls 
that are pouring into our offices, we are not doing our image any good 
by staying here during this period. We tried the crime bill, and it did 
not work. It can be revisited again later on, after we have had a time 
to listen to the people that we represent. We have just introduced the 
new health care bill. Most people do not understand what it is. The 
American people need to understand what is in those bills. It is going 
to affect every American's life for generations to come.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to stop the arm twisting, it is time to stop 
the intimidation, it is time to stop the threats, and the promises, and 
the pork projects in order to get votes to cram these pieces of 
legislation through in a brief period of time before we recess for 
August. It is time to start listening. The best way to do that is to go 
home to the real world and get out of the vacuum of Washington, DC, 
and, when we come back in September, Mr. Speaker, I guarantee our work 
product will be better after we have listened to the people we 
represent.

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