There's No Place Like Home

While walking back from the Longworth dining hall, I saw a father walking with his son on his shoulders through the Cannon tunnel. When I was just about parallel with the family, the father asked his young son, "Do you know what someone means when they say,  'it's a piece of cake' means?'", and then proceeded to explain this common phrase. It was at that point I realized something that I've been thinking about since starting my internship: the Capitol truly is American's house.

Think about it: Washington D.C. is the nation's capital, its core, a place all American's go to at least once in their lives to witness where our nation began. Among all the significant buildings in this district, I would argue the Capitol is the people's.

Looking at this landscape a little closer, one sees even more home-like qualities. Every congressional office is open for constituents to come in and voice their opinion, though a phone call or a piece of mail - USPS or electronic - is the preferred method of complaining or advocating something.

This open door policy flows to the actual legislative chambers. Anyone can walk into a congressional office, grab House and/or Senate gallery passes, walk to the Capitol, sit in the galleries and listen to debates on our laws - our future - being debated. I don't know the numbers of nations that allow their citizens to freely walk into their legislature and observe debates taking place, but that number can't be more than a few.

In my time down here, I've seen Congressmen and four star generals walk past a mom and dad with two kids. In a lot of other countries, this even is rare and would be treated as a photo op, but in the tunnels underneath Constitution Ave, they happen everyday.

If you haven't already, I encourage all of you to come to the Capitol and come home, because
there's no place like home.