Political Quotes

“I rise in support of the bill. I believe that this bill is going to improve the industrial competitiveness and the economic growth of this Nation. The reason it is going to do that is that it is going to strengthen civilian technology programs, something that we do not pay enough attention to, primarily in the manufacturing sector. I am one that happens to believe that manufacturing is extraordinarily important to this country. It accounts for 19 percent of the gross domestic product, 75 percent of all U.S. exports, and approximately 19 million jobs. More importantly, it has traditionally, provided the well-paying jobs that have allowed average Americans to live the American dream. You can get a production line job, you can buy a home, you can finance a car, you can educate your kids and, yes, you can even send them to college. That is the American dream. In California--and since California plays so predominantly in this debate, let me make the argument on the basis of merit--our manufacturing sector has been severely and adversely affected by defense downsizing. Twenty-one percent of our manufacturing employment is in aerospace. The aerospace position of the manufacturing sector is being devastated. Since 1988, aerospace employment has declined by 42 percent.”