Dan Webster

Professions :

Power tends to protect itself merely to maintain its own status and control. Principle gives up power for the sake of creating the best public policy.

control own best power

When you wait to the last minute, you rush to get things done, and the closer you get to the deadline, the less options you have.

wait things you done

We passed a bill in 1997, signed by Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles, which created a pilot program for a novel experiment called Florida Virtual School. The notion of children using a computer for a classroom and reporting to virtual teachers wasn't exactly mainstream thinking in those days.

teachers children school thinking

I'm not an angry kind of person. What I am is a principled person.

person i-am angry kind

Nothing happens in any legislative body that's not purposeful.

legislative nothing body happens

There's a picture there that people realize that, we stop helping Israel, we lose God's hand, and we're in big time trouble.

picture god time people

As a former minority leader who became the first Republican Speaker of the House in Florida since Reconstruction, I know that leadership is not an easy task.

leader leadership easy house

I'm a homing pigeon. When I'm in Tallahassee, I give everything I have to being, hopefully, the best legislator I can be. When I'm home, I'm home. I try to not do legislative stuff. That brings a balance to life.

best balance home life

I have one desire: That is to have a principle-based, member-driven Congress. Period. That's what I want.

period congress want desire

Principle says it's not who put forth an idea. It's not the position of the person who put forth an idea; it's not the longevity of the person or the party of the person. That's not what it is at all. In a power system, that's the way it works. But in a principle system, it's what it says.

person party power way

I changed that system in Florida when I was the Speaker of the House - I was the Minority Leader; I saw for 16 years the way a power system works.

leader power house way

You lay out a plan and - say a three-year plan or a two-year plan - and say, 'This is what we can do. We can do the transportation packages, like the highway bill and the water bill, and we can do some of these other areas - a farm bill - whatever it is, we lay out a schedule, and we put that committee to work to do that.'

say you work water

We're a nation of immigrants - there's no question about that. But we're also a nation of laws. I think we have to honor both of those.

nation think immigrants honor

I was Speaker of the House in Florida, first Republican speaker in 120 years. And I totally dismantled the way this House worked and turned it around to what I believe is right.

i-believe house believe way

I'm the only person that has ever run a principle-based legislative body.

person only run body

I will say this: I've had more pro-life bills, I believe, I ruled unconstitutional - but I tried - than the entire total membership of Congress together.

say will together believe

The key is - I'll say the key - number one, I pray every day.

key every-day say day

Let's take up the most important issues first. Let's take up the reauthorizations first; let's take up the appropriations bill first, not wait until four days beforehand - no one has mentioned anything, and, all of a sudden, somebody looks at their watch and says, 'Hey, in four days, the government is going to run out of money.'

wait government money important

We're not even supposed to have a break in August if we have not passed the appropriations bills. It's in the House rules.

rules bills break house

If we do our job right, then we have everything to stand on. If we don't do our job, we have everything to lose on.

stand lose everything job

Bill Jenkins

Brad Duguid

Bruce Grocott, Baron Grocott

Brinda Karat

Boyle Roche

Boutros Boutros-Ghali