I taught policy and politics for seven years at a university. I told my students lobbyists are not a bad thing; they're absolutely vital.

Violence of all forms is wreaking havoc in communities across the country, disproportionately impacting communities of color and shaving half a million years of life off our collective lifespan. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Wrigley Field was built and designed at a time when people got to the ballpark by trolley, train, and horse cart.

There's a world to save. Don't let anybody tell you you can't change the world. You can, and you have a moral responsibility to try.

Too often, advances in civil rights or women's rights are undermined by wrong-headed legislation or weak-kneed political leadership.

Unions have long championed measures to reduce social and economic inequality, and efforts to weaken the labor movement at both the state and federal level have successfully stalled any progress.

With more than half of the American workforce without private pension coverage, Social Security provides economic certainty within a system that is fair, equitable, and easy to understand. You work hard, pay into the system, and the federal government makes a promise to pay back your earned benefits when you retire. It's that simple.

Lincoln's address at Gettysburg - 272 words dedicating a cemetery at the site of one of the Civil War's bloodiest battles - has been called by scholars the source of all modern political prose.

The FDA first began prohibiting gay and bisexual men from donating blood in the early 1980s, at the height of the AIDS crisis, when the risk from blood transfusion was just beginning to be understood. In the decades to follow, the 'lifetime ban' was left largely unchanged.

I think it can be very safe to go to O'Hare and Wrigley and Sox park and Soldier Field, but you have to deal with some reality. Just because a threat is not specific and verifiable doesn't mean nearly what it used to mean, in terms of you being able to sleep well at night.

The policies we debate and enact in Congress have a real impact on people across the country. Climate change, immigration, economic inequality - each of these issues have become hot button, partisan topics, but support or opposition on these pressing issues shouldn't come down to party.

Americans donate blood every day - on high school and college campuses during blood drives, in workplaces after a coworker falls ill, and in hospitals as loved ones prepare for surgery.

Technology has aided in serious advancements so that HIV detection tests now have near-perfect results. And those tests can detect HIV in the blood an average of nine to 11 days post-infection.

We know that trade doesn't just help Wall Street or even just Main Street; it also helps businesses on the side streets, such as Elston Avenue in my home district.

Being on the Intelligence Committee made me more of a hawk.

In many cases, here we are, putting out reports that we're spending $100 million a year on, and we're telling the public, 'Oh, you don't have access to them.'

While the FAST Act is a significant bipartisan accomplishment that provides much-needed funding certainty, this modest increase in funding is hardly the bold, forward-thinking plan our country needs to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and create a 21st-century transportation system.

Since 2001, I've done what every elected official should be doing in government right now. My staff and I took a look at the books, thought outside the box and proposed reforms.

The people of Chicago have made it very clear that they favor sensible restrictions on gun ownership.

My outspoken positions haven't always been popular in the halls of Congress, but they have been rooted in what I believed was right and necessary.

In Chicago, we have a century-old transit system that desperately needs updates to keep up with increased capacity.

What I would like to do... once I take care of all my kids' student loans, is buy a red 1965 Mustang and fully restore it.

I'm a longtime believer in the old adage that sunlight is the best disinfectant, particularly in politics.

Honest to goodness, Brian Campbell, he was holding the Cup, and there was no one around for a minute. He says, 'Hold this for a second.' So he hands it to me - one of the best moments of my life.

There is no doubt that blood must be screened in order to keep Americans safe and healthy and I am committed to working with the FDA to ensure a safe, secure blood supply, across the board. However, public policy must always be rooted in the facts, not fear.

It should not take award-winning investigators to find out how this government operates.

Denial of contraception to women without the financial means to afford it could cause substantial economic burdens, and even greater burdens if the lack of contraception results in an unintended pregnancy.

For decades, allies have counted on the U.S. to step up to the plate to work with them to protect the shared values we hold dear. As we face numerous international challenges, both old and new, we need to put more faith and investment in our international and diplomatic institutions, not weaken them.

Because of restrictions on abortion access in their own state, many women in neighboring states are forced to travel hundreds of miles and cross state lines to seek an abortion. However, their rights should not have to depend on their zip code.

Economic inequality is not about food stamps and homeless shelters. It is about being a devotee of social justice and equality.

I spent 10 years fighting for reform in Cook County, and I didn't change my DNA when I got to Washington.

We can be just as safe with a smaller, more efficient nuclear arsenal at less cost.

Just as we can no longer pretend that ducking under wooden desks will keep us safe from a nuclear bomb, we must no longer pretend that a large nuclear stockpile will protect us from the most immediate security threats the United States faces.

Before being elected to Congress, I oversaw the Cook County Hospital System as a Cook County Commissioner for 10 years.

Empowering women by allowing them to choose when and how many children to have is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.

As a husband and a father of two daughters, I want young women around the globe to have the same rights and opportunities as my daughters.

I don't buy that there's nothing we can do to stop criminals and the mentally ill from killing if they want to.

There is such a thing as commonsense middle-ground gun reform, and most gun owners support it.

When you have a high-volume magazine or an assault weapon, you're not hunting deer or protecting your home; you're out to hunt people.

Protection of religious freedom means considering the faiths and beliefs of everyone involved.

As a policy maker, I have to stand up for the rights of all my constituents, regardless of their faith.

Ever since I arrived in Washington in April 2009, I have been fighting for more transparency and accountability in government.

I introduced the Transparency in Government Act, a multi-faceted transparency bill that would bring unprecedented access and accountability to the federal government.

Opening up the Capitol dome and giving the public a look at the inner workings of Congress - however messy they may be - certainly won't be pretty. But trust isn't earned by showing off only your Sunday best. The dirty laundry has to be aired, too.

Ironically enough, why I got into politics is because I came to the conclusion that if you wanted to save the world, which in my mind was through the environment, those elected officials seemed to be the ones who made a lot of the important decisions, if not the most important decisions.

From high school, you can see my Sierra Club card - I've been a member since 1979. That gives you an indication of early interest.

I like to take out the recycling because I actually feel like I'm doing something.

Just the circumstances of being in D.C., people give you books, and there are issues you want to learn more about, so you are tearing into as many as you can.

Government influences your life every day. If there's a war, they're not drafting guys my age.

You could make a case for job creation or education, police on the street, but none of those things can happen unless we got our financial house in order.