[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 58 (Thursday, May 5, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H2983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             ABUSE OF POWER

  (Mr. INSLEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, Tuesday morning I gave a constituent a lift 
to the airport in Seattle going to the airport on my daily commute to 
Washington, D.C. I asked him what his feelings were, if any, about what 
is happening in Washington, D.C.
  He said he is bothered by what he perceives as the abuse of power 
that is going on here in Washington, D.C. I asked him what he meant by 
that. It was very interesting because sometimes we do not know if 
people are paying attention to what is happening here, but he itemized 
a list of things that he was concerned about.
  He was concerned about trying to do away with this checks and balance 
system that we have in our Federal judicial system. He was concerned 
about the attack on the independence of our courts. He said he was 
concerned about the attack on one of the checks and balances we had in 
the U.S. Senate in the filibuster that was so successful in keeping a 
stable democracy.
  And he said, and this really surprised me, he said he was concerned 
about the abuses going on in this Chamber in trying to change the 
ethical rules just to protect one Member. He basically said, something 
smells.
  Mr. Speaker, he is right; and I urge my colleagues to stop this long 
train of abuses of power in Washington, D.C.

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