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Farewell Address: This, Too, Can Really
Happen to You
John Boehner
October 29, 2015
With a thank you from the Ohio GOP below... Today, House Speaker John
Boehner (R-West Chester) delivered his farewell address in the Hall of
the House:
My colleagues, I rise today to inform you that I will resign as Speaker
of the House effective upon the election of my successor.
I will also resign as Representative of Ohio’s Eighth District at the
end of this month.
I leave with no regrets or burdens. If anything, I leave as I started
-- just a regular guy humbled by the chance to do a big job.
That’s what I’m most proud of -- that I’m still just me...
But before I go, let me just express what an honor it is been to serve
with all of you.
The people’s House is, in my view, the great embodiment of the American
idea.
Everyone comes from somewhere and is on some mission.
I come from a part of the world where we’re used to working.
As far back as I can remember, I was working… going back to when I was
eight or nine, throwing newspapers, working at my dad’s bar on
Saturdays from 5 am–2 pm for 2 dollars...TOTAL.
I never thought about it as coming up the easy way or the hard way.
It’s just the Cincinnati way.
Our city takes its name from a great Roman general, Cincinnatus -- a
farmer who answered the call of his nation to lead, then surrendered
his power and returned to his plow.
For me, it wasn’t a farm -- it was a small business.
And it wasn’t so much a calling as it was a mission: to strive for a
smaller, less costly, and more accountable government in Washington, DC.
How did we do?
Well, here are some facts...
For the first time in nearly 20 years, we have made real entitlement
reforms, saving trillions over the long term.
We have protected 99 percent of Americans from tax increases.
We are on track to save taxpayers $2.1 trillion over the next 10 years
-- the most significant spending reductions in modern history.
We have banned earmarks altogether.
We have protected this institution, and made it more open to the people.
And every day in this capital city, hundreds of kids from the toughest
of neighborhoods are finally getting a decent education.
I am proud of these things.
But the mission is not complete, and the truth is, it may never be...
One thing I came to realize is that this battle over the size and scope
of government has been going on for more than 200 years.
And the forces of the status quo go to an awful lot of trouble to
prevent change. Real change takes time.
That’s certainly true for all the things I just mentioned.
Yes, freedom makes all things possible.
But patience is what makes all things real.
So believe in the long, slow struggle.
Believe in this country’s ability to meet her challenges, and lead the
world.
Believe in the decency of people to come together and do what can be
done.
And remember, you can’t do a big job alone, especially this one.
I’m grateful to my family...
I’m grateful to my colleagues...
I’m grateful to all the people who work in this institution... you’ve
made me proud every day.
I’m grateful to my staff... I’ve always told them, you never leave
Boehnerland, and that certainly goes for me too.
And I’m especially grateful to all my constituents and volunteers over
the years...
That includes a student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio who was
putting up signs for me during one of my very first campaigns in the
early 90s.
His name was Paul Ryan.
I don’t think he knew how to pronounce my name...
But, as Cincinnatus understood, there’s a difference between being
asked to do something and being called to do something.
Paul is being called to serve, and I know he will serve that calling
with grace and energy.
I wish him, and his family, all the best.
My colleagues, I’ve described my life as a chase for the American Dream.
That chase began at the bottom of a hill just off the main drag in
Reading, Ohio.
At the top was a small house with a big family... a shining city in its
own right.
The hill had twists. And it had turns. And even a few tears... nothing
wrong with that.
But let me tell you, it was all just perfect.
Never forget, we are the luckiest people on the face of the Earth.
In America, you can do anything if you’re willing to work hard and make
the necessary sacrifices.
If you falter -- and you will -- you can just dust yourself off and
keep on going.
Because hope always springs eternal.
And if you just do the right things for the right reasons, good things
will happen.
And this, too, can really happen to you...
From the Ohio Republican Party...
Good Morning,
From Township Trustree to State Representative to United States
Congressman to Speaker of the House, John Boehner has spent much of his
life as a public servant. Speaker Boehner rose to be the highest
ranking Republican in the country, but he never forgot his humble
roots, growing up the son of a bar owner in southwest Ohio.
It has been an incredible journey and tremendous help to our party and
state to have an Ohioan serving as Speaker of the House.
We are saddened to see his service end, but wish him and his family all
the best in his retirement. On behalf of the Republican family in
Ohio, thank you, John Boehner.
Sincerely,
Matt Borges
Chairman
OhioGOP.org
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