Political Quotes

“so much discussion has taken place of late about the high price of energy and what it is doing to family budgets. We don't need to tell the American consumer what is going on with high prices. They are living it directly in each and every one of our States. At today's prices, Americans are paying $1.6 billion daily to buy fuel. This is about twice what they paid 2 years ago. The national average price of gasoline passed the $4.08-per-gallon mark, and fuel is consuming about 6 percent of the typical household budget. This eats up the money families need for food, clothing, medicine, education, 6 percent of the average U.S. household budget. In my State of Alaska--you hear me say this all the time--our statistics are a little bit different. I need to let you know what kind of a hit Alaska's families are taking when it comes to high energy prices. Right now, in Anchorage, the State's largest community, it is about 10 percent of the typical household budget that is directed toward energy costs. In the southeastern part of the State, where I was born and spent my early years, they are seeing about 14 percent of their family budget going toward energy costs. In the community of Fairbanks, up in the interior, where I spent my growing-up years in high school and years as a young adult, 22 percent of the household budget is going toward their energy costs.”