I want to pick up on the question of Mr. Connolly.

It seems to me we should have some kind of grading system or some kind of way to identify who is responding adequately.

I hope that you will monitor very closely the local impacts and in some ways hold people accountable.

Thank you very much. And thank you, gentlemen, for your excellent testimony.

But I agree with him, we cannot have another situation where we think we have everything under control and we don't.

I do believe that sometimes--it is not your office--I will be very brief, Mr. Chairman--that we operate, sadly, in a culture of mediocrity in our country, and I will never forget Katrina as long as I live.

I want to make sure that the other folks, using this wonderful opportunity we have here, we need to let them know that they are at high risk right now.

I want us to put a microscope for a moment on the first category of people at high risk...

My concern is that being the largest State in the Union, and California being the first State that is a majority of minorities...

As you know, being from Maryland, that 50 percent of all our HIV cases are in Baltimore.

I don't want us to have another Katrina-type situation where we say that we're ready for something, and then when the time comes, there is--we say wait for the rubber to meet the road, and then we discover there is no road.

I would like to see them get vaccinated as part of the group that's particularly susceptible for getting complications from it.

We have in my district probably 100 senior houses with at least 400 or 500 elderly.

As the government prepares for the 2009 flu season, we must take every measure to ensure that all Americans, but especially populations of concern including children and the elderly, are well prepared for the increased spread of H1N1.

If we have a safe vaccine, which I do believe we have, we need to make sure that we do everything in our power to convince the public that it is important that they take advantage of it.

strengthening our diplomatic corps is critical to ensuring American national security and economic vitality

I always say to them, why don't you just get your heads together and try to work something out

I think it is really important that we understand how important it has been to them