Mike Ross

“If there ever is government-run health care, the first ones to sign up should be the president and every member of Congress, including myself. You should be able to keep the insurance you've got today, if you like it, and always choose your own doctor.”

“I'm one of those that have said, one of my key principles is I will not support a health care reform bill that is not deficit-neutral, period.”

“Just look around; you can't help but laugh at something.”

“Our forefathers never envisioned that a handful of staff write a bill and you rush it through a committee without reading it and you rush it to the floor without reading it, and you pass it just because you're a Democrat and Democrats told you to do that.”

“While I have worked hard to bring folks to the middle to craft common-sense solutions to the many problems that confront our nation, Washington is mired in gridlock, gamesmanship and constant partisan bickering.”

“Redistricting and a broken, polarized Congress have made it tough to be a moderate in Congress.”

“I think more so than the Republican Party, we reflect America on the Democratic side of the aisle, and that's a healthy thing. I mean, that's what democracy is all about.”

“Our volunteer fire departments know their needs better than Washington, D.C. They need more flexibility on spending grant money from FEMA and Homeland Security.”

“I believe it is time for me to begin a new chapter in my life by spending more time with my family and exploring new opportunities here at home in Arkansas.”

“I've laid down my set of principles, so I will not force government-run health care on anyone.”

“A lot of people say, 'Why do health-care reform when the deficits are so big?' But that is when we've got to do it.”

“I support health care reform in this country, but the current bills we have before us are too big, too costly, and the people who send me to Washington to be their voice are opposed to them and this process.”

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