Wednesday, January 5th, 2011, newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. John Boehner, assumes the gavel, & delineates the principles that will animate his leadership:
"Hard work & tough decisions will be required of the 112th Congress. NO longer can we fall short. NO longer can we afford to 'kick the can down the road.' The People voted to end 'business as usual,' and today, we begin to carry out their instructions. (applause)
"In the Catholic Faith, we enter into a season of service by having ashes marked on our head. The ashes remind us that life in all of it's forms is very fragile; our time on this earth - fleeting. But as the ashes are delivered, we hear those humbling words, 'Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.' The American People have humbled us. They have refreshed our memories to just how temporary the privilege of serving is. They have reminded us that everything here is on loan from them; that includes this gavel, which I accept cheerfully & gratefully, knowing that I am but its caretaker. After all, this is the People's House. (applause)This is Their Congress. It's about Them, not about Us."
"What they want is a Government that's honest, accountable, and responsive to their needs; a government that respects individual liberty, honors our heritage, and bows to the People that it serves..." (applause)
"Welcome to the People's House. Welcome to the 112th Congress."
~~
Yes, Speaker Boehner, welcome indeed.
Now, let's see you (& your cohorts) put your money where your mouth is:
"For to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom men have committed much, from him they will ask the more." (Luke 12:48)
"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance...will arise from another place...And who knows but that you have come to...position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
And when such time is through, "to dust you shall return."(Gen. 3:19)
"The cool and deliberate sense of the community ought, in all governments, and actually will, in all free governments, ultimately prevail over the views of its rulers." ~James Madison, The Federalist #63