I strongly oppose efforts to falsely blame middle-class American workers for these current economic problems.

I disagree with him.

If you want to talk about balancing the State budgets, then let's talk about the budget, let's talk about the real reasons for shortfall, and let's talk about the real solutions.

Is this one of the top flashing lights for the next Secretary of Commerce to stand sentry over, working with NOAA and us to make sure this is as on track as we can possibly make it?

Oh, it is.

I am concerned about delays.

I know Dr. Carter at the Department of Defense has embarked upon this, and you and NASA are the big satellite agencies.

There are three Nobel Prize winners who work at NIST.

I think that is good, but I don't think the Secretary of Commerce is America's salesperson.

We really think that Secretary Locke brought such incredible expertise--not only his own background in the State of Washington, but he, as the Governor of the State of Washington, had to look within his own State and look outward to the Pacific Rim.

We also want to know how we can create jobs without having an industrial policy of picking winners and losers.

I think it is phenomenal. It is truly, truly phenomenal, and we are proud of them.

Now under JPSS, under the continuing resolution, we give JPSS $380 million. We understand that the need could be as much as $900 million.

I don't want to wait until 10 years from now. And I don't want to wait an hour-and-a-half before people are supposed to hit the streets and we have another boondoggle.

Why invent a cure for Alzheimer's when you can steal it from somebody standing in line to get their patent?

I hope this will be his last hearing before us, not because he hasn't done a very good job as Secretary of Commerce, but because we know he will play an important role.

I am really apprehensive about this, and I don't want a boondoggle in terms of the lack of weather coverage.

I intend to work very closely with your successor so that the fact that when we do the census, even though our population is increasing only by 10 percent, the census for 2010 cost double--double--what it did to do the census in 2000.