[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22435]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. RAY LaHOOD

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 31, 2007

  Mr. LaHOOD. Madam Speaker, this year marks my 30th year in public 
service. On November 8, 1994, I was honored to be elected to represent 
the citizens of the 18th District. After working for Congressman Bob 
Michel and Congressman Tom Railsback for 17 years in the minority 
party, I never imagined that first election night would cap the day 
that swept the Republican Party back into the majority on Capitol Hill.
  Since that first election almost 13 years ago, I have always 
maintained that this was not a lifetime job. The time has come to honor 
that commitment.
  Therefore, today I am announcing that I will not run for re-election 
in 2008. There is still much to be done in the 110th Congress, and I 
look forward to that work, but I will retire from public life at the 
conclusion of this term in January of 2009.
  I truly believe that public service is a noble profession. The 
citizens of the 18th District, by electing me as their Representative 
in the U.S. House, have given me a wonderful opportunity to serve not 
only them, but all the people of Illinois and of our great country. 
Being chosen by one's neighbors to represent them in Congress is one of 
the greatest honors free people can bestow on a fellow citizen. I owe a 
great debt of gratitude to my supporters for this chance to serve.
  It is hard to express in words what it means to have the opportunity 
to represent a district which was once represented by such political 
giants as Abraham Lincoln, Everett Dirksen, and Bob Michel.
  Today I cannot help but think of my parents who instilled in me an 
ethic of hard work and my grandparents, who immigrated to the U.S. 
through Ellis Island and eventually settled in Peoria. They were 
welcomed with the typical generosity and warmth that characterizes our 
part of the world. They were good citizens, who worked hard, and raised 
a great family. That their grandson was able to become a U.S. 
Representative is proof that ``the American dream'' is not just a 
slogan but a continuing living reality to those who are willing to make 
it work. I know that is true, because my fellow citizens helped me live 
that dream.
  In the end it is my family to whom I will be forever indebted. During 
the past 30 years, my family, and particularly my wife Kathy, has 
carried many burdens and responsibilities alone as I spent time away 
from them in an effort to live out my political dream and fulfill my 
obligations as a public servant. They have supported and encouraged me 
over the past three decades.
  It is time for me to attempt to repay that debt, and I truly look 
forward to many wonderful years with my wife, my children, and my 
grandchildren.
  God bless the citizens of Illinois who have given me this wonderful 
opportunity. God bless my family for everything they have endured, and 
God bless the United States of America.

                          ____________________