Legislative Fairness Quotes

Ministers should share the same protection of the law that other men do, and no more. To proscribe [prohibit] them from seats of legislation, etc., is cruel. To indulge them with an exemption from taxes and bearing arms is a tempting emolument [benefit]. The law should be silent about them; protect them as citizens, not as sacred officers, for the civil law knows no sacred religious officers.

Congress should live by the same laws it passes on to the rest of the nation.

Strictly speaking, one cannot legislate love, but what one can do is legislate fairness and justice. If legislation does not prohibit our living side by side, sooner or later your child will fall on the pavement and I'll be the one to pick her up. Or one of my children will not be able to get into the house and you'll have to say, "Stop here until your mom comes here." Legislation affords us the chance to see if we might love each other.

I think that you need all perspectives to reflect the needs of the country. If you only give people one perspective, inputting their views into the congressional process, you're going to have a skewed outcome.

Bills of attainder, ex-post facto laws and laws impairing the obligation of contracts are contrary to the first principles of the social compact, and to every principle of sound legislation.

It is certainly refreshing to feel, at any rate, that this is a Parliament where half the nation will not be able to ride rough-shod over the other half.

... we ought as Legislatures to meet with national feelings, and our Legislation ought to be for the general good; and as far as practicable equity & justice to all sections of our country.

I am for our not having any discrimination in tax legislation.

The Constitution requires that Congress treat similarly situated persons similarly, not that it engages in gestures of superficial equality.

They can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as on the great mass of the society.

If our men and women in uniform are restricted from buying first-class airfare, the same should apply to Congress.

We should be all be treated equally under the law. Why should members of Congress be in Obamacare and not the president?

I believe that every member [of Congress] ought to be equal in fact, no less than in theory.