[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13081]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  RETURN GOVERNMENT BACK TO THE PEOPLE

  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, it is most unfortunate 
that the Committee on Rules of this House is thwarting the will of the 
Members of this House and of the American people to clean up our 
campaign finance system in this country.
  For all too long we have seen the flow of special interest money into 
the coffers of politicians on both sides of the aisle, in the House and 
the Senate and the White House, and we have seen the effect of this 
flow of money. It is now corroding the very pillars of our democracy. 
It is undermining the foundations of our deliberations in the House and 
the Senate and at the White House. It means that the people's business 
does not get done on a fair and level playing field. It means that 
there is special access for those who can give huge amounts of money, 
but there is very little access for those who simply have their voice.
  This is not about the first amendment; this is about whether or not 
this House, this Congress, this Presidency, will return the Government 
of the United States back to the people and take it away from those who 
have no end to the amount of money that they can contribute to Members 
of Congress or the President, those who have so often distorted the 
debate about the real needs of the American people at this time in our 
history.

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