The earmark favor factory needs to be boarded up and demolished, not turned over to new management that may or may not have a better eye for earmarks with 'merit.'

All change starts with a distant rumble at the grassroots level.

The vast amount of waste and sheer stupidity in government - from the Pentagon to the Food and Drug Administration - could fill committee agendas for years.

An easily accessible and transparent database of contract information will bring sunshine into the confusing and sometimes shadowy practice of government contracting.

One poll showed that Americans have a higher opinion of witches, the IRS and hemorrhoids than Congress

The longer a politician bears power, the more he is controlled by that power.

When I came to Washington, I was troubled to observe so many similarities between the behaviors of drug-addicted patients and my political colleagues. In Washington power is like morphine.

Careerism: the self-centered philosophy of governing to win the next election above all else.

Everybody is gonna die from something. And so the deal is how to use each day to move things forward for both you and the people you love and the country you love.

I believe keeping our promises should be our highest priority and that means saving Social Security and Medicare while preserving the American dream for our children and grandchildren.

Charity requires sacrifice, and members of Congress could set a good example of charity by giving up their pay increase.

Happiness and achieving our dreams is a matter of believing it is possible and having a positive frame of mind.

You must live your story.

Logic is the key to an all-inclusive spiritual well-being.

God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed it is the purest of human pleasures.

People who have experienced nothing love to tell stories while people who have experienced a great deal suddenly have no stories to tell at all.

It’s just as easy to lie to yourself as it is to lie to other people. Maybe easier.

I wanted to become an engineer, or get a masters in business. But I had the opportunity to do films when I was about 25 and it was a great way to express myself.

Bravery is not a quality of the body. It is of the soul.

Self-negation is noble, self-culture beneficent, self-possession is manly, but to the truly great and inspiring soul they are poor and tame compared with self-abuse.

The touchstone for family life is still the legendary 'and so they were married and lived happily ever after.' It is no wonder that any family falls short of this ideal.