"As a lawmaker, I take that remark as a call to action.  The selfish actions of a select few from behind boardroom walls have hurt investors, employees, and our nation as a whole.   A few CEO’s decided to do whatever it took to keep stock prices up so they could get their multi-million dollar bonuses.  As a result, families across our country have to rethink their plans, to change their lifestyles, to work years longer than expected to make up for losses in their retirement accounts.
 
"Small business owners know their customers.  Those customers are neighbors and friends, and they would never do them wrong.  That’s just how we were raised.  I think perhaps some of our corporate leaders have forgotten these values they were raised on because they don’t see the faces of their customers, their employees, or their investors.  They only see an opportunity for personal gain.    

"We must act as swiftly as possible in Congress to restore small-town business values in our big corporations, to enact legislation that continues efforts to hold corporate criminals responsible.  We must restore the confidence of hard-working Americans in our market, and we must get legislation to the President’s desk before the August district work period, as he has requested."

“There are too many hard-working people in Arkansas who must stretch every dollar of their paychecks,” Ross said.  “There are thousands of people in my district who hold minimum wage positions, people I was elected to serve.  I made a promise to them, and I’m going to keep that promise.  I would only be serving myself if I voted to raise my salary, and that is not why I’m here.”

 “A person who earns the minimum wage, who works 40 hours per week, 52 weeks a year, without missing a day or getting sick makes $10,712 per year.  That is simply not enough for someone trying to support a family.  I will continue to vote against congressional pay raises until the minimum wage is increased for working families.”

“It’s a real honor to have one of my works among the best student artists in the nation,” Crump said.  A recent graduate of Lakeside High School in Hot Springs, Crump won the district contest last month, and made the special trip to Washington, D.C. to see her painting, entitled “The Power of the Written Word,” on display.  In addition, her artwork will also be entered in a nation-wide contest with the top entries from all the congressional districts, in which the winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design.

“The Artistic Discovery contest is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our young artists,” Ross said.  “I pass Tina’s painting almost every day as my fellow Congressmen and I vote, attend hearings, and carry out business in the Capitol Building.  It is a quiet reminder of all that our students can accomplish, and of the tremendous talent our young people possess.  I am proud to have Tina’s work represent our district.”

Ross is also showcasing the second and third place artwork in his congressional office in Washington, D.C., and the honorable mention winners are on display in Ross’s four district congressional offices in Arkansas.  This year’s entries were judged by art teachers from colleges throughout the Fourth Congressional District.