Mike Conaway: “I rise tonight to take what will be a brief look back at the first 100 or so days of activity in this House of…”

“I rise tonight to take what will be a brief look back at the first 100 or so days of activity in this House of Representatives. While each new session of Congress holds great promise, it is the actions that that Congress takes that determines whether or not that Congress has been successful. Our success has been as a result, in my mind, of the leadership of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Tom DeLay), the majority leader, whose responsibility it is to shepherd legislation through this body. In a community and a town where exaggeration and hyperbole, overreaching and puffery has been elevated to a state of art, you have to be very careful to not indulge in those tendencies, although some in this Chamber have on occasion, rare occasions, I suspect, done that. But if you are looking at facts, if you are talking about things that have been accomplished, then you are less likely to be accused of puffing and of exaggeration. So during this next 60 minutes, my colleagues and I who have joined me tonight will spend this hour talking about things that we have accomplished, the things that we have done, the good we have done, how it will impact America and Americans, if the bulk of this legislation does, in fact, reach the President's desk. So to start us off tonight, I have asked my good colleague and fellow freshman, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), to share with us what is on her mind. So I yield to the gentlewoman.”