Scott Rigell Quotes

Now I get a very nice salary as a member of Congress, but when I'm in Washington, I sleep in my office.

I've had a tough time learning how to act like a congressman. Today I accidentally spent some of my own money.

I've done a contract with my district. I have term-limited myself. I am not taking the pension. I am not taking pay raises, and my family and I are bringing our own health care to Washington, D.C. And my dad taught me as a kid to lead by example - Congress should not have anything better than the American people.

How many people out there really set a budget?

I'm not going to rule out running for a second term. But, I think you have to be psychologically prepared to walk away from the job after four years. It's the only way that you cannot be influenced by those special interests.

It is important for women to have a choice, to have an opportunity to plan their families, because if they don't, the Republicans have said this is an ownership society. You are on your own, and they're going to begrudge that child everything, from WIC to a Pell Grant to health insurance.

Every year of my working life, I have been fortunate enough to earn more money than I have spent.

I think we need people in Washington who really have more of a sense of a George Washington approach to it, which is to serve and go home. I think far too many of both parties see it as a career. And I don't think that's good for our country.

Strong advocacy for education, health care and worker safety will be indispensable if they are to get their fair share of President Bush's austere budget for the next fiscal year.

Women oftentimes are the ones making those economic decisions, sitting around the kitchen table and trying to figure out how to pay for rising gas prices or food prices or the health insurance costs. And I think that they see where they expect their leaders in Congress to also make those tough decisions.

I grew up on a farm. I didn't have health insurance until I was 24 years old. So, I didn't even know I was poor until the government told me I was poor.

It is incumbent upon each of us to improve spending and savings practices to ensure our own individual financial security and preserve the collective economic well-being of our great society.

I never believed that my service in the U.S. Congress should become a permanent career.

One never expected from a Congressman more than good intentions and public spirit.

He's a terrible politician, but he makes a fine senator and public servant.

I've had a tough time learning how to act like a Congressman. Today, I actually spent some of my own money.

You wouldn’t need term limits if these [political] jobs don’t pay anything.

If there's not enough money in the bank account, you don't spend it.

A lot of people have the expectation that politicians shouldn't just disappear into the woodwork even if they didn't win the election.

No one should be appointed to political office if he is a seeker after it.

Unfortunately politicians are not very sound people or they wouldn't be politicians.

The best state is that in which bad men are not allowed to hold office, and good men are not allowed to refuse office.

When you start talking about government as 'we' instead of 'they,' you have been in office too long.

If you would govern a state of a thousand chariots (a small-to-middle-size state), you must pay strict attention to business, be true to your word, be economical in expenditure and love the people.

I had very deep concerns about my financial status because I found that up until "Let's Dance" I was virtually broke again. I had been so irresponsible in how I dealt with my financial affairs. I take full responsibility for that.