Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the lifeblood of our democratic government is the contract between the people and their elected representatives--a contract that must be based on trust that elected officials will act for the good of our Nation and in the interests of their constituents and not for personal gain. To ensure that we maintain that trust, our Nation has laws and our Congress has rules that establish clearly the responsibilities of government officials, Members of Congress, and their staffs and that provide for the enforcement of violations. The legislation that will be before us is, in a way, preventive maintenance to protect that trust. It is a tightening of our legal and ethical guidelines as part of what must be a constant effort to ensure that the interests of our Nation and our constituents come first. Our constituents must have confidence that Members of Congress and our staffs will not use our positions for our personal financial benefit. There should be no doubt that regardless of our action on this legislation, the STOCK Act, it is a violation of the trust our constituents placed in us, a violation of the democratic process, a violation of the securities laws, and a violation of congressional ethics rules for Members of Congress or their employees to engage in insider trading--the use of information not available to the public to make investment decisions.…”