Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, the comments from the other side of the aisle were talking about Alaskans opposing this amendment. With all due respect, I am an elected representative, and if they don't like what I do, they don't vote for me. I just believe in jobs. When I first got elected to this job, when I first started this Tongass battle, we had 15,000 jobs in Alaska in the timber industry in the Tongass. And through the National Land Act itself, we were told that no other jobs would be lost in the timber industry, and they slowly crept around and eliminated what remaining jobs occurred. And the sad part about it, from my point of view, they have killed the timber industry. That was not the intent. We were supposed to have a timber industry. Then along comes the Clinton era Roadless Rule that means you can't build a road anywhere that has no road. How do you have a hydropower site? We had to fight for 4 years to get a hydropower site. This action here by an administration--this and past administrations--have to understand, this is about employment. This is about managing--managing--timber. And those who don't want to manage anything, you destroy it. Mr. Chairman, I am urging this body, this Congress, to do what is right for the State of Alaska and right for the timber, and the right for the people that live there and that depend upon a source of income other than living off, very frankly, somebody giving them something. They want to work for it. Mr.…”