Tribute to Mitch Van Yahres -- February 12, 2008
As you all know, we lost a great Virginian last Friday when Mitch Van Yahres died at the age of 81. House members from both parties rose on the floor to celebrate his life and mourn his loss. Below are comments I made on the House floor.
Mitch had been ill with lung cancer, ironic since he had not smoked in many years and was a champion for a wide variety of anti-smoking initiatives, including a proposal years ago for hefty taxes on cigarettes to help fund Medicaid. And his surgery Tuesday had been viewed as very successful.
In his public life, Mitch was unafraid to express his views on the important issues of the day. To speak of for those whose voices often remained silent in the halls of power, to advocate for the poor, citizens who Mitch believed were frequently excluded from participating in the American Dream, simply because of accidents of birth.
Mr. Speaker, Mitch truly believed that it is the diversity of thought, the contest of ideas that was at the heart of this legislature, at the heart of representative Democracy.
But he also realized that sometimes this contest can bleed over into the exercise of raw political power.
Mitch embraced the former and railed against the latter.
Mitch's willingness to raise questions about how and why certain things are done -- to challenge orthodoxy, to ask questions about fairness -- could certainly cause discomfort; not just with the members of the other party, but with leaders of his own, who did not always appreciate the views of this unrepentant liberal from Charlottesville.
But, you know, Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen, one thing about Mitch -- he always did this with a smile -- and he always believed he could convert you.
Mitch believed in a Democratic ideal that can be traced back to defenders of liberty as diverse as Edmund Burke and Thomas Jefferson. It is a simple ideal at the heart of representative government.
And it goes like this. While we are elected to represent our constituents and their sometimes narrow interests and perspectives, we have a broader responsibility and obligation -- to exercise our judgment, to speak up for principles and policies that will advance the common good, to rise above parochial self interest for the sake of a broader public purpose.
Sometimes, we forget about that down here.
Mitch never did.
Mr. Speaker, I move that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn in the honor and memory of our colleague and friend, Mitchell Van Yahres.
