Mark Begich

United States Senators should be elected by the voters of their States.

Just 5 years ago, they voted overwhelmingly to require a special election in the case of a vacancy in Alaska's U.S. Senate seats.

I am honored to be an original cosponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 7, along with Senator McCain.

Can you give me just a brief overview--and again I do not want to get into the great debate on this topic today--on what some of the discussion might be around it?

Thank you very much, Chairman Akaka.

Should we have a more regular reporting period?

You can write all the legislation you want, but you do not change the culture.

But here we are, complaining about all these cost overruns.

I appreciate it. My point is at any level trying to inform the consumer is what I--when I saw the hearing on the schedule, to me is very important.

I mean, you know, most people would look at this company and not consider them, you know part of the scam. But the fact is that you have that kind of interest rate is a loan shark rate. I mean, it's outrageous.

Today we have major problems. And I tell you in Alaska we just did a huge case against several lenders for fraud.

But do you think that you have a role?

There are already, I know, really good relationships for certain services between the VA, the DOD, and the Indian Health Service.

I know there is an argument that, well, VA does not have a budget line for that, and then there is this other argument.

That is why in your comment that you said about mileage versus how many miles away by road, you know, we measure by air because that is how we can get to locations.

Given what we are addressing, given what we have heard of returning military, to go the extra mile to be able to serve those people, we will do anything that is necessary.

I absolutely will look at some ideas we would like to pass on to you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman; and I apologize, we had to slip out.

There is no State more rural than Alaska, and how you deliver health care systems up there causes grave concerns.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Will you use your office to lead this effort, once and for all, to get a combined effort from a budgetary standpoint and from reaching the policy goals?

It is great to be on this committee.

I believe that this is actually an opportunity to have a productive Federal-State dialogue about practices in either State waters that affect Federal waters or Federal waters that affect State waters.

I should announce, incidentally, before I call on Senator Snowe, that both Senator Hutchison and I read the FBI checks on these two distinguished folks, and it is some of the easiest reading I have ever been through.

That is just a production number. It is 'get your widget done and move on.' That is very dangerous when you are dealing with service requirements.