Click here to view Congresswoman Miller’s speech on YouTube

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10) today spoke on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of the Resolution (H.Con.Res. 27) which would provide for the placement of a statue of President Gerald R. Ford, furnished by the people of Michigan, in the U.S. Capitol. Under the resolution, Congress will officially accept a statue from the state of Michigan in a presentation ceremony in the Capitol on May 3, 2011 and officially authorizes the Architect of the Capitol to display the statue of President Ford in the rotunda. Miller made the following comments:

“When I served as Michigan’s Secretary of State, I served as the state’s official historian. I recall with great amount pride dedicating President Ford’s boyhood home in Grand Rapids, which has been restored to the period in which he lived there. I was proud to have President Ford and Betty attend the ceremony, where he spoke about playing football in the street, and it was truly impressive to see how humble President Ford was about where he came from, and what he had achieved. That humility and honor took him from playing football in the street in front of his home, to two national championships at the University of Michigan, and onto an effective legislative career, capped off by serving as Vice President and then President of the United States.

“President Ford took over the Presidency at a time when the honor and dignity of the office had been severely damaged and he managed to repair America’s faith in our leaders because he was such an honest and honorable man. He was the right leader at a very difficult time in our nation’s history. President Ford reflected well the humble, patriotic, and honest people of the great state of Michigan. The placement of his status in the United States Capitol to represent the people of our great state is perfectly fitting and long overdue.”

###