“Today, I was honored to be invited along with several of my Congressional colleagues to meet at the White House with our nation’s new President George W. Bush.  At the meeting, we emphasized areas of agreement between Democrats and Republicans.  With such a slim margin dividing the political parties in the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, there is no question that we will have to work together to if we are going to address the challenges facing our country. 

“There are many important issues that must be addressed by this Congress.  As the grandson of a farmer, I recognized early on in life the needs of farm families, and—I’ve got to tell you—the current agriculture policy in this country does not work.  The current Freedom to Farm law should be called ‘freedom to fail.’  It is time to pass legislation that will truly address the needs of our farm families and keep them farming for many generations to come.  We must also pass legislation that will modernize Medicare by including a voluntary but guaranteed prescription drug benefit for our seniors.  We must provide our citizens with a ‘real’ Patient’s Bill of Rights, improve our nation’s schools, and give working families the tax relief they deserve while maintaining our current fiscal discipline by paying down the national debt. 

“As a conservative South Arkansas Democrat, I feel I am in special position to help foster the middle-ground compromises necessary to achieve these accomplishments for our nation.  As your Congressman, I want you to know that I will work together in good faith with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and the Bush Administration to bring about fair, common-sense proposals that will truly benefit the people of the Fourth District and all Americans.”

(From our Nation’s Capitol, this is Mike Ross—your United States Congressman—with another Legislative Update.)