Political Quotes

“Thank you, my colleague. I look forward to your continued pushing of this issue. It was a century ago that Teddy Roosevelt established an effort, the progressive effort, to push back against the rapacious greed of Wall Street and those who were raping the American environment and began the progressive movement. Competition was at the heart of that effort to bring about justice and an opportunity for the small guy to actually make it. Right now here in Washington, those of us who care about individuals, who care about small business, who care about the future of this economy are pushing back against those very same forces who over the last 65 years have been able to embed themselves firmly in the American system in a way that has created greater profits for them at the expense of people. The health insurance industry has clearly put profits before people, and it's time for us to end that. With this bill, we force that industry into the same competitive market that we want all of American industry to be in, that is, in the free market competitive system, and to no longer be able to monopolize the health insurance marketplace. Let me give you an example of what happens in California where WellPoint, Blue Cross of California, has 80 percent of the individual market. Last year, in 2009, they raised their rates an average of 30 percent in that individual market.…”