[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 28, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E791-E792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WHY AM I A REPUBLICAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 28, 1999

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to submit Mr. Steve 
Remington's answer to a question I recently posed to him, ``Why are you 
a Republican?'' Today, I would like to share with you his answer.

       This morning, at the republican breakfast, you asked me a 
     question; ``Why am I a Republican?'' At the time, I did not 
     realize that you were indeed looking for me to speak on the 
     subject. I truly appreciate your sense of humor, and I 
     apologize for not realizing that you were serious. However, 
     since you asked me a direct question, I owe you a direct 
     answer. I am a Republican for three reasons;

[[Page E792]]

     my values, my beliefs in fiscal responsibility, and my 
     beliefs in the role of government.
       I know that I will not have access to all of the 
     information that an informed legislator and their staff will 
     have. While the political banter happens during the election, 
     I realize that there is always more to the story than the 
     press will reveal. Therefore, I pick candidates with 
     integrity and values similar to mine. My belief is that these 
     candidates will vote, when all of the facts are available, 
     for the best possible decision. My father, my son, and I have 
     all received the Eagle Scout award. For three generations, we 
     have believed in honesty, truth, reverence, and dedicating 
     one's self to making the world a better place to live. I find 
     that the Republican candidates tend to line up with these 
     values more often than not.
       Secondly, I believe that we can continue to do better as a 
     society. We can do more for the environment. We can make 
     education stronger. We can continue to promote positive 
     business growth. Social Security can be solid, and we can 
     lead the world to peace. Yet, I believe that it is possible 
     to accomplish all of this and maintain fiscal responsibility. 
     We do not have to mortgage our children's future to satisfy a 
     short-term greed. I find that these tend to be the values of 
     the Republican Party.
       Finally, people do not exist to serve the will of the 
     government. The government exists to serve the will of the 
     people. We should not have government for government's sake. 
     There should never be any more government than is necessary 
     to meet the needs of our society. In order to survive in a 
     competitive world, the private sector is always looking for 
     ways to be more efficient. So it should be with government. 
     These beliefs find a home in the Republican Party.
       Again I apologize for not realizing that you were asking me 
     a question in earnest. I trust you will accept my response to 
     your inquiry.

  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a friend of Steve Remington.

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