Something New Everyday

Once again Washington D.C. has ceased to surprise me. Since my last post quite a few things have taken place here in our nation’s capitol.

Memorial Day was most definitely something that I will never forget. During the day, I was fortunate enough to visit some of the memorials. For those of you that have seen the magnitude of these memorials, it’s definitely incomparable when you visit them on during Memorial Day. The Vietnam Memorial was one of the most emotional; families were all there paying their respects. Wives, sons, daughter, cousins, aunts and uncles were there searching for their family member(s) on the wall that seemed to stretch forever. I came across one army wife that was emotionally breaking down, but fortunately her family was there to comfort and support her. That night my prayers went out to all the military families, veterans, and members of the military currently serving. However, the National Memorial Day Concert was definitely an experience. For those who don’t know what the concert is, it is a concert that PBS puts on in front of the Capitol Building; Trace Akins, Daughtry and the Secretary of State Colin Powell were just some of the people that took to the stage that night. The concert did have its moments, like where the crowd was in tears from a story of an army wife that had lost her husband.

However, the House of Representatives has been in session the past two week and we have seemingly never missed a beat. Due to the summer season, tours have been a constant in our office; families from Melbourne, Vero Beach, Sebastian, Cocoa Beach, Kissimmee, and so on have all been making visits to Washington D.C.  Tours are definitely a highlight of being up here. Being able to connect and talk to constituents on a personal level is an experience you cannot find anywhere else.

I was fortunate enough last week to have the opportunity to attend a House Budget Hearing. The topic of the hearing was “Removing the Boundaries to Free Enterprise and Economic Growth” and a witness to the hearing was Florida Governor Jeb Bush. With the Chairman of the Budget Committee being Congressman Paul Ryan, I knew that it wasn’t a hearing to miss. The Governor was very helpful in giving his personal opinion based on his Governorship and his experience in the private sector. However, there were members of Congress, like Congresswoman Kathy Castor as well as Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who were just there to point out the supposed faults of his Governorship. I was particularly offended by the comments made by Congresswoman Castor; she remarked that the High School Online Classes have been a complete waste of the state’s time, that the public high school systems in Florida are at an all time low and not properly preparing their graduates for the “real” world, finishing up by saying that private colleges within Florida take advantage of federal loans and that graduates of the institutions aren’t prepared for the “real” world as well. She obviously hit just about all the aspects of my education. Because I personally experienced and am experiencing all three, I was completely appalled and astonished that she made those remarks. It was obvious that Governor Bush was taken aback by her remarks as well. Surprisingly, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz spent her speaking time on a campaign speech. These women are both Representatives of Florida for those of you that aren’t familiar with these members of Congress.

Something that I recently had the chance to do was visit the National Holocaust Museum. This definitely is a place that I highly recommend to everyone of a suitable age. The message and insight that this museum gives is remarkable. I went when I was in sixth grade, but the whole concept was hard to wrap my mind at such a young age, but now I understand the magnitude of the message. A majority of the population knows of the Holocaust, but the additional background information and images are unimaginable. The point that got to my roommates and myself was the room filled with shoes from just a small portion of the victims.

Last week, I learned that my eight year old cousin, Cassidy, just started to learn about government and she told her entire class that her “cousin works in the government.” She then printed off my blogs and pictures to show to the class. So I just wanted to give a shout-out to her: if you need anything, I’ll try my best to get it to you.

I’ll do my best to get some info out to anyone who wants to hear about any legislation. If you have any comments or questions feel free to add them below! Hope everyone is having a great summer!

God Bless,

Wesley Davis