House of Representatives - "The Peoples' Body"

"When the Founding Fathers created the House of Representatives, they envisioned it as being the 'people's body.'  It was to be the chamber in the Congress where citizens could most directly influence the direction of their government.

James Madison once said, "public opinion sets bounds to every government and is the real sovereign in every free one."  Keeping that in mind, I will continue to keep close ear to my constituents' concerns." -Congressman Trent Franks, 2nd District, Arizona

James Madison Quotes

-And I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in showing that religion and Government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.

-Americans have the right and advantage of being armed-unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.

-Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government.

-It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.

James Madison - Two Things Required for a Democratic System To Work

"The House of Representatives was intended to be the most representative element of the United States government. James Madison, the primary author of the U.S. Constitution, explained that the House should have "an immediate dependence on, and an intimate sympathy with the people." In order for our democratic system to work the way our founding fathers imagined two things are required. First, the people must be informed. It is essential that we have a government that is open to the public and a media that is free from government influence. Second, the people must be involved. Americans must communicate their views, beliefs and ideas to their elected representatives." -Congressman Leonard L. Boswell, 3rd District, Iowa

Power from the people...

Would you agree that our precious freedoms are taken for granted by most citizens? Many people complain about what is wrong with our government but will not, or don't know how, to take constructive action to do anything about it. It has been said that if the United States ceases to be a world power, its demise will come from within. To keep that from happening, and to preserve our freedoms, we must fight for and insist upon maintaining the vision of our Founding Fathers.

We are living under a system of government that derives its powers from the people...from the bottom up rather than from the top down. It was first introduced in its basic form by a young delegate from Virginia by the name of James Madison. Madison is often called the "Father of the Constitution," and was the fourth President of the United States.

The Constitution and our Founding Fathers made it clear that the government must derive its power from the people. Unfortunately, this message is lost in our age of apathy, lobbies and special interest groups. That is why our work is so important. We fight to keep the power with the people as our Founding Fathers envisioned.
-Bill Witcher

"We must encourage..."

"We must encourage all Americans to write, call, fax and email their representatives in Congress to ensure that their voice is heard on Capitol Hill and across the nation and the world." - Representative Mike Rogers, (R) MI