Inspirational Congressman Actually Represents His Constituents

This is my kinda Congressman! (except for that Abramoff stuff)

"For a decade, Republican Richard Pombo was just a cowboy who had made it to Congress with big ideas and little clout.

Rep. Richard Pombo, chairman of the house Resources Committee, looked out over his 500-acre ranch in Tracy.
To be sure, the Central Valley rancher's outspoken dislike of federal land-use laws made environmentalists wary. But outside his district, his profile was slim.

Throughout the 1990s, Pombo honed his political skills and impressed party leaders. When it came time to elect a new chairman for the House Resources Committee in 2003, Republican elders passed over several more senior colleagues and crowned Pombo the youngest chairman in Congress on his 42nd birthday.

Overnight, the property-rights activist became a pivotal figure in U.S. land use. His committee is among the largest on Capitol Hill, and it plays a key role in developing policy for the nation's forests, fisheries, wildlife and Indian affairs.

Pombo's mission boils down to a simple concept: “I don't want government in people's lives,” he said one recent evening as the sun set on the rolling green hills of his 500-acre cattle ranch in Tracy. "

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