Peter Blute: “Mr. Speaker, tonight this is a very important issue that we deal with. It is true that the Shays act is about…”

“Mr. Speaker, tonight this is a very important issue that we deal with. It is true that the Shays act is about accountability and the arguments about the particulars of the bill have been made ably by Members of the both parties. It is a true bipartisan effort that we deal with tonight. But there is one more important aspect of the Shays act that I think we should focus on as we cast our votes. Tonight we have an opportunity to do something about the perception out there in the land that Members of Congress are somehow a privileged elite. We have an opportunity to do something about the view of our constituents that somehow we are above the law. We have an opportunity to show our constituents that we are not in a distant capital and not understanding of their real-world problems. Worst of all is the perception that the Congress is an arrogant institution. We have an opportunity tonight to deal with that issue. Let us take the first step by passing the Shays act and begin to rehabilitate the reputation of our great institution.”