There are a lot of us in Congress in the same position.

I am shocked. That loss of a half a billion grows over time because of the aging workforce.

So, given my brief time, Walt, it is going to cost a half a billion dollars a year to the Postal Service, hardly saving money, and that grows over time.

We must show utter and complete passion for this subject. We must stamp it out.

Mr. Connolly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you all for being here.

This is unacceptable. If America is about anything, it is about a value system.

So, golly, gosh darn, a proposal allegedly designed to save money will cost money.

In a democracy, frankly, it seems to me we ought to be arguing about this all the time.

I wish I could say everybody remembers that, but we are not cattle, and we are citizens.

I think it is morally, ethically wrong. It is an exploitation of the poor.

I hope we can do something here.

Gambling is fundamentally exploitation of the poor.

But for the grace of God and the access I had to treatment, I would be dead by now from my alcoholism.

We must protect programs like Mars exploration that advance job opportunities and economic growth.

The Congress and the Administration have allowed gambling to take place, it has almost enabled them.

I want the 21st Century to be the American Century, not the Chinese Century.

Until we deal and pass a Simpson-Bowles Commission, put everything on the table, reform the entitlements, close these tax loopholes, all of you, all of your organizations are going to have the same problem year after year after year.

The fundamental problem in this country is we have to reform the entitlements and we have to close the tax loopholes.