mr. speaker , i rise in support of house resolution 439 and in support of the underlying resolution . 
mr. speaker , the minority objects to house resolution 437 on the basis that the bipartisan committee it creates will be inherently unbalanced and unfair . 
one suspects they believe it will be unfair largely because while they will have full rights of representation on the committee in question , they will inevitably be the minority on any panel that fairly represents the composition of both the house of representatives and the other body . 
it would be easy and entertaining to lampoon the consistency of the so- called party of the people rejecting a committee composed of the elected representatives of the american people in favor of one made up of individuals who are both unelected and unaccountable to the voters of this country , but i will avoid that temptation . 
frankly , there are deeper issues here . 
the first is our faith as individuals in the efficacy of democracy itself . 
as the minority in this house for 11 years , i fear my friends on the other side of the aisle have lost their faith in the american people , because of the choices they have made at the ballot box in recent years . 
having served as a member of a seemingly permanent minority in the oklahoma state senate earlier in my career , i understand the frustration on which that sentiment is based . 
however , as adherents to the ideals of democracy , we should trust that over time the people will get it right and that if our views are sound , they will prevail . 
in the meantime , our job is to argue our point of view in the court of public opinion and accept the outcome at the polls when the verdict is rendered . 
the second issue at stake here is the wisdom of empowering people who are neither elected nor accountable to perform the task our constitution assigns to the elected representatives of the american people . 
frankly , i share the sentiments winston churchill famously voiced when he said `` democracy is the worst form of government , except for all those others that have been tried. '' mr. speaker , it is fundamentally unsound and undemocratic to turn over the function of congressional oversight to a group of individuals who have neither been elected by the people nor accountable to the people for their actions or recommendations . 
appointing a commission is the easy way out . 
it is a way for us , the representatives of the people , to avoid our responsibilities . 
its members , however expert and well-intentioned , did not design or create the agencies and processes we wish to examine in connection with hurricane katrina . 
we did . 
similarly , they will not be responsible for reforming these agencies or finding the solutions to our current problems . 
those duties belong to the elected representatives of the american people . 
my colleagues on the other side of the aisle often complain there is insufficient congressional oversight . 
this is our chance to exercise that oversight , and the voters will surely hold all of us accountable for how well we do the job . 
my fellow members , let us have faith in the american people , our democratic institutions , and ourselves . 
let us do the job we were elected to do , rather than hand it off to those who were neither asked nor chosen by the american people to govern their affairs . 
i urge support of house resolution 439 and the underlying house resolution 437 . 
