[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 177 (Thursday, November 20, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               NICK LAMPSON DELIVERS HIS FAREWELL ADDRESS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NICK LAMPSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 20, 2008

  Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Speaker, it has been an honor to serve with you 
these past 2 years in the 110th Congress. It's been an honor to serve 
the 22d Congressional District of Texas.
  I'm grateful for the assistance I received from my friends in the 
leadership: Speaker Pelosi, Leader Hoyer, Mr. Clyburn, Chairman Van 
Hollen and the man who convinced me to run again in 2006, my friend, 
Rahm Emanuel.
  I'm grateful for the work of my fellow Blue Dogs; those who helped me 
fight for NASA, rebuild after Hurricane Ike, protect our children, and 
restore civility and esteem to Congress.
  Hopefully before I leave today I will be able to thank each of you 
individually but while I have the opportunity I'd like to express my 
gratitude for everything you all have done.
  To my family who I love very much, thank you for standing by me, 
thank you for sacrificing, and thank you for supporting me; you gave me 
strength to serve and helped carry me through the good times and the 
bad. My daughters Stephanie Lampson Gertz and Hillary Lampson Shanning, 
and their husbands Ryan and Mark. My beautiful grandchildren who bring 
me so much pride and joy: Nicholas, Joseph, Olivia, Caroline, and 
Julianna, who will be born any day.
  And especially my wife of 37 years, Susan, who has loved me and 
sacrificed for her country by allowing me to spend weeks and months 
away from home to serve. She is a talented teacher, a loving mother, a 
strong wife, and a tender grandmother. I am blessed to have her love 
and support.
  Finally, I'd like to thank my staff who worked long days and long 
nights, weekdays and weekends, and literally did the impossible. Carl 
Beard, John Boerstler, Carrie Chess, Dan Easley, Erin Fyffe, Rick 
Guerrero, Kathy Guillory, Georgia Leigh Hearn, Jon Heins, Suzanne 
Jordan, Trevor Kincaid, Chris Matthiesen, Alastair Rami, Tony Samp, 
Abby Shannon, Mini Timmaraju, Brittani Williams, Nicholas Williams, and 
Adeel Zeb; your hard work, dedication, and talents never failed me and 
are the reason we succeeded beyond the most optimistic expectations. 
Thank you.
  Many of you were with me about this time 2 years when we sent a 
message that partisan politics and corruption were a thing of the past. 
That was a great day. In a similar speech on this House floor not too 
long ago, another outgoing Member called for more partisanship and less 
compromise. I have been here to emphatically support the opposite 
message. I stand before you as proof that bipartisanship and working 
together can and has worked and will work again, if you let it.
  Since then, we have made terrific progress to restore ethics, 
compromise, civility, and hope to Congress and government. There is a 
tsunami of change and hope that has swept across this country and it 
all started when a modest, dedicated Texas Congressman brought down 
``The Hammer.''
  My journey will end today but the movement we started will continue.
  Our movement to change the culture in Washington has made great 
progress but the road is long and many challenges lie ahead.
  There are many Republicans and Democrats who have taken up the charge 
and will see it through to the end. It is a movement that will allow 
America to move beyond the corruption and political divide that has 
plagued us for too long. We are now in a time of challenge, but a 
period of hope.
  The arc of change is slow, but it bends toward justice.
  That was the observation of Dr. Martin Luther King many decades ago 
when this country was being tried by a different type of division. 
Together, we overcame and today we are closer to changing the culture 
of this Congress than we were yesterday and I have full faith that 
tomorrow we will be closer than we are today.
  We remember the past.
  We live in the present.
  And we plan for the future.
  It has been an honor to serve these past 2 years. However, it is time 
to start looking to tomorrow.
  Scripture tells us, ``Joy cometh in the morning.''
  Tomorrow will be a better day in America and the day after that and 
the day after that.
  America's course has been charted on a timeline of achievement. We 
are a nation that when presented with obstacles says, ``yes we can.''
  We are a country built on a foundation of equality, justice, and 
liberty.
  We are a nation that when in the darkest days of depression stood and 
went to work.
  We are a people that when confronted with sickness affecting 
millions, didn't give up; we found the cure.
  We are a society that was presented with an impossible challenge, and 
less than a decade later watched as an American flag was planted on the 
Moon.
  We will face more challenges, we will come to walls seemingly too 
high to scale, and people will say, ``you can't.'' But, together we 
will say ``yes we can'' and we will.
  We will again walk on the Moon; only to go further.
  We will find the cures to the illnesses of our generation.
  We will roll up our sleeves and solve the energy puzzle.
  We will fight poverty with compassion.
  And we will combat despair with hope.
  America's best days are still to come.
  I thank you for the privilege to serve you and I thank you for 
everything you have done for my family and for me.
  God bless you and may God bless America.

                          ____________________