[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19567]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              MAIDEN SPEECH BY THE HONORABLE JEAN SCHMIDT

  (Mrs. SCHMIDT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today in the same shoes, 
though with a slightly higher heel, as thousands of Members who have 
taken the same oath before me. I am mindful of what is expected of me 
both by this hallowed institution and the hundreds of thousands of 
Americans I am blessed to represent. I am the lowest-ranking Member of 
this body, the very bottom rung of the ladder; and I am privileged to 
hold that title.
  This House has much work to do. On that we can all agree. We will not 
always agree on the details of that work. Honorable people can 
certainly agree to disagree. However, here today I accept a second 
oath. I pledge to walk in the shoes of my colleagues and refrain from 
name-calling or the questioning of character. It is easy to quickly 
sink to the lowest form of political debate. Harsh words often lead to 
headlines, but walking this path is not a victimless crime. This great 
House pays the price.
  So at this moment, I begin my tenure in this Chamber, uncertain of 
what history will say of my tenure here. I come here green with only a 
desire to make our great country even greater. We have much work to do. 
In that spirit, I pledge to each of you that any disagreements we may 
have are just that and no more. Walking in each other's shoes takes 
effort and pause; however, it is my sincere hope that I never lose the 
patience to view each of you as human beings first, God's creatures, 
and foremost. I deeply appreciate this opportunity to serve with each 
of you. I very much look forward to getting to know you better, and I 
humbly thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to address this humble 
body.

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