Paul Speaks to Taylor High School Seniors PDF Print E-mail
FOR RELEASE: August 30, 2000

Paul Speaks to Taylor High School Seniors Discusses Constituent Services and Innovative Mobile Office

San Marcos, TX - On Tuesday, Representative Ron Paul addressed two senior government classes at Taylor High School. Paul spoke to students about his daily activities in Washington D.C., but also discussed constituent services in his congressional district, especially his innovative "mobile office." Noting that the 14th district of Texas is larger than the state of Vermont, Paul said it was important for him to reach out to constituents in rural areas to get their insight on important local issues, as well as help them deal with various federal government agencies.
Paul said, "Representing your constituents in a district as large and diverse as mine is very difficult to do that without visiting each community. The mobile office has allowed me to collect opinions and information from every corner of the district, which helps me know what my constituents want to see happening with their government. It also gives citizens the opportunity to seek assistance from my office if they are having difficulty dealing with federal agencies like the Social Security Administration, Veterans Affairs or the IRS."
The mobile office occupies a white minivan that travels the district stopping at designated locations in each county on a scheduled monthly basis. A staff member is always available to take comments from constituents, as well as provide contacts and referrals to those having problems with federal agencies. The schedule is published in advance to enable local newspapers and radio stations to announce the dates and times of stops in the area. The schedule also can be found on Paul's website at www.house.gov/paul.
"The mobile office is an innovative program that I implemented when I took office in 1997," said Paul. "It has been critical to my effective representation of the district in Washington. One thing has become crystal clear from the comments received by my staff in the mobile office: the people of rural Texas are tired of a centralized federal government, and they want control of their resources returned to them."
"My constituents tell me they are tired of the federal government making decisions about how they should educate their children," Paul concluded. "They tell me they want control over their health care and prescription drug needs, and they tell me they want to see real social security reform so that our seniors' retirements will be secure. Most of all, they tell me they no longer want to send the federal government such a large part of their paycheck. I have introduced legislation to address all of these issues, and I am proud to be a spokesman for the people of rural Texas in Congress."