[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 10, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

  (Mr. BRADY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, it is sad that some Members of Congress this 
fall are using campaign finance reform as a shield to divert attention 
from ethical problems in the White House. They make a mockery of an 
important issue to me and to many of the families in my district and in 
this country.
  As a Republican, my support for restoring some common sense to our 
campaigns and our financing is based on the belief that in America if 
you work hard, you can be anything you want to be, including serving in 
Congress.
  I want to help restore some respect and some credibility to Congress, 
because most people do not think we do the right things for the right 
reasons. I want hard-working citizens in every community to raise their 
hand to run for public office, but few do because they cannot afford a 
million dollars or cannot imagine how they would raise it. We pay a 
stiff price for this never ending search for the next contribution. It 
is like a drug, the more we have, the more we need, the more we want, 
and we can never reach our full potential as a country until we shake 
this financial monkey from our backs.
  Let us begin a thoughtful debate for the right reasons.

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